Triciclo Peru Brings South American Authenticity to Milwaukee’s West Side

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Milwaukee’s Near West Side has established itself as a neighborhood to pay attention to in the last few years. Many murals have gone up and places such as Pete’s Pops and Triciclo Peru have become destinations for people from all over the city seeking the unique treats that can only be found here.

Interestingly, both places are right next to each other on Vliet near 35th, a street that connects downtown Milwaukee to Wauwatosa—a corridor whose avenues and tucked away buildings have made Milwaukee what it is, where Vel Phillips and James Groppi led residents on a march for fair housing rights. The neighborhood is nestled slightly east of the Miller Valley, housing the buildings that make the beer that “Made Milwaukee famous.”

Triciclo Peru is the newer of the Peruvian restaurants in Milwaukee, offering an atmosphere unlike any other, boasting a modest sit-down dining area and bar. Cocktails always feature Chicha Morada, a delicacy native to Peru made from a purple corn turned into a sweet syrup. The drinks made with Chicha Morada are a deep violet and have a sweet viscosity that compliments the other ingredients, which usually include lime juice. The other cocktail that has many variations is the Pisco sour, made from egg whites, lemon juice, simple syrup and the colorless Peruvian brandy, Pisco. “The Pisco sour is one of the many ways that life is celebrated in Peru,” says Amy Narr, owner of Triciclo Peru. Texture is one of the key components in any cocktail, and the Pisco sour is a perfect vehicle for it.

Triciclo has been open since 2019 and enjoyed tremendous success until the pandemic and shut down of March 2020. “It was very hard to work with what was happening, being that we are a sit-down restaurant and provide an experience to switch to take out,” Narr explains. “The menu is [now] bigger than it was pre-pandemic but it has still been difficult to find the very niche items that Peruvian cuisine demands,” she adds.

Aji peppers and pork are two of the ingredients that dominate the repertoire of Peruvian food and saw skyrocketing prices during COVID. There was also a chicken wing shortage within the last few months, which caused them to be removed from the menu.

Chef James Carion-Martinez worked at Triciclo Peru’s Crossroads Collective site and is now at their brick and mortar location alongside Mario Diaz-Herrera. “Mario is my partner and cooks the food and also designed the menu with me. It is important Mario is noted as chef because there are not many Peruvian chefs in Milwaukee,” Narr says. This lends itself to the thorough authenticity of Triciclo’s menu, prepared by people who have known that food all their lives.

“The menu is almost completely back to what it was before the pandemic, with a few items coming back soon,” Narr continues. The crowd-pleasing pan con chicharron, a meaty pork rind in a ciabatta roll with pickled onions, is back and here to stay. Narr is optimistic about the future, saying, “Triciclo is getting back to normal and last weekend was the best it has seen since before the pandemic. What we have in the works is a plan to open up the back area and have dancing, stand-up comedy, live bands. We are all ready to party again.”