Inca Social expects to start serving modern Peruvian cuisine on Wilson Blvd by December 21, though there will be a free preview this weekend.
The Peruvian restaurant and bar is looking to open its Rosslyn location by late December, co-owner Fito Garcia confirmed to ARLnow. It originally hoped to open in late October, but supply chain issues and a slight miscommunication pushed it by a couple of months.
The free preview will take place this Saturday from 12-4 p.m. on the restaurant’s outdoor patio, featuring tastings, music, dancing, and an appearance from a llama.
Inca Social is moving into the former Kona Bar and Grill space at 1776 Wilson Blvd, which rolled out of Arlington in April 2019.
Garcia is also co-owner of Courthaus Social on Clarendon Blvd in Courthouse, which opened in 2015. He tells ARLnow that they’ve always wanted to bring Inca Social to Arlington.
“I’m a big fan of Arlington and we were looking at multiple spots,” Garcia says. “We are very picky about what we want.”
The 7,600-foot restaurant will serve cocktails, empanadas, ceviche, and other Peruvian favorites. There will also be a focus on Nikkei cuisine, a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian, including sushi and ceviche, that’s becoming popular in Peru, says Garcia.
The menu will differ slightly from the original Vienna, Va. location in that it will highlight more modern cuisine.
“What’s blowing up in Peru is what you are going to find here,” he says.
There will be a large indoor bar with windows that serve the outdoor patio, Garcia notes. The bar will specialize in serving pisco sours.
There will also be a to-go market where customers can purchase a ceviche kit which will include bottles of Inca Social’s leche de tigre marinade, Eater previously reported.
The interior of the restaurant pays homage to Machu Picchu, the 15th-century citadel in the Andes mountains of Peru, and will feature a wall of moss, says Garcia. There may eventually be a projection screen outside, if the owners are successful in obtaining a permit.
The restaurant is currently hiring and recently held an interview open house. Inca Social’s first location near the Dunn-Loring Metro station opened in early 2019.