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.