Triciclo Peru, the Peruvian restaurant which opened its doors at 3801 W. Vliet St. in December of 2019, has officially closed its doors.
After calling the restaurant and stopping by to find it closed, we reached out to owner Mario Diaz Herrera for confirmation. After 36 hours without a response, we reached out to former co-owner, Amy Narr, who sold her stake in the business to Diaz Herrera in 2022 after the couple filed for divorce. Narr confirmed the closure.
“This isn’t how I would have liked to see the business close,” she said in a conversation on Sunday afternoon, noting how much passion and work she had put into assisting in the concept's growth. “But I want to thank our employees, the community, the neighborhood and everyone who contributed to the success of the business during the time that I was an owner. I’m truly grateful.”
Triciclo Peru, which was founded in 2017 as a mobile food cart that sold Peruvian-style empanadas quickly picked up steam, allowing owners Narr and Diaz Herrera to establish a brick-and-mortar restaurant just two years later.
More recently, the business had plans to establish an official wholesale arm to sell its frozen empanadas more widely, as well as a food truck park in the vacant lot across the street from the restaurant.
During its tenure, the restaurant not only offered the area a taste of Peruvian street food and established the city's first pisco bar; it also contributed to the revitalization of the Martin Drive neighborhood and the Near West Side, working side by side with the Near West Side Partners and developer Tom Straub of CMS Contracting LLC to bring new life to the area.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
