New Waska restaurant and bar bets on Latin cocktails – 11/17/2023 – Restaurants

In Peru, the term “waska” is a slang term that refers to people who have already had a few doses of alcohol and are more excited than usual. This was the name chosen to name a new restaurant in Pinheiros, west of São Paulo, opened by couple Natalia Marrache and Luis Ramirez at the end of October.

The two Peruvians are also behind the restaurant El Huarique, located on Alameda Jaú, in the western region, which serves only Peruvian dishes. Waska’s idea, in addition to dedicating itself to cocktails, was to expand the range of recipes served to include other Latin American countries.

The owners say that the restaurant and bar’s menu was created with inspiration from the influences of employees of different nationalities who worked in El Huarique’s kitchen. Depending on the date, the house located on Alameda Jaú offered typical recipes from countries such as Venezuela, Colombia and Argentina.

At Waska, the initial idea was to cover Latin culture not only through food, but also drinks and music. There, customers can find six ceviche options (from R$48), including a vegetarian version, five flavors of empanada (from R$16), two types of tacos (R$35) and portions to share —especially the patacones (R$42), made from plantains and served with guacamole or meat.

Natalia is in charge of the bar’s cocktails, who also makes the house’s signature drinks. It is in this section of the menu that Brazilian ingredients appear.

Among the classic drinks is the pisco sour (R$38), a drink that contains lemon, sugar syrup, egg whites, bitters and pisco — a distillate made from the fermentation of grapes. Among the originals is saoco papi, also based on Peruvian pisco, with strawberry, Campari, lemon and tonic. The drink with a name inspired by the song by Spanish singer Rosalía costs R$36.

In addition to cocktails, the house has options for traditional beers — such as Corona, Becks and Heineken — and special ones, such as Patagonia (R$ 35) and Frutaria (R$ 35). The last one is a Brazilian brand that uses ingredients such as cupuaçu and cashew to produce sour beers.

The bar also moves the small tables out of the room and invites DJs and Latin musicians to entertain customers on the weekends.

Waska Restobar Latino
R. Padre Carvalho, 46, Pinheiros, western region, @waska.restobarlatino