Torogoz, a contemporary Latin American restaurant, and Moonlit Burgers No. 3 lead the charge
A new piazza, a public square or marketplace, has opened in Sewickley, built around a shared courtyard with glass-fronted spaces designed for dining and socializing.
Sam DiBattista, the restaurateur behind longtime neighborhood favorite Vivo, spearheaded the multi-venue development with financial backing from Chuck Hammel, president of Pitt Ohio.
The project, conceptualized more than five years ago and announced in 2022, took far longer than expected to finish. At long last, on a late-summer Friday night, its two initial tenants — Torogoz and Moonlit Burgers — were buzzing.
Torogoz, a sleek contemporary Latin American restaurant from Julio Peraza, anchors the build-out.
Peraza, born in El Salvador and raised in Southern California, built his career on the West Coast in the kitchens of Michael Mina, Gary Danko and David Myers. He arrived in Pittsburgh in 2018 as the opening chef of fl.2 at the Fairmont after leading hotel restaurants in other cities.
“I can tell you this is very different from working in fine dining for big companies,” Peraza says. “We’re doing it differently here, a family restaurant. It has its challenges, but it’s worth it.”
Torogoz was part of the original 2022 announcement. While construction delays dragged on, Peraza opened Mi Cita, a cocktail and wine bar with small bites on Sewickley’s Beaver Street, and kept busy with his catering company. The pause also gave him time to rethink his cooking via an extended research trip to South America.
There, Peraza worked in a number of kitchens, primarily in Ecuador and Colombia, garnering techniques and tips from local cooks.
In the United States, ceviche often relies on fish marinated in citrus before serving. In Peru, Peraza says, the best versions are made to order. In Ecuador, he learned to work with unripe plantains, a staple absent from his Salvadoran background where ripe plantains were the norm.
“It just blew my mind. I was there learning and absorbing form and tradition,” Peraza says. “I came home thinking I’ve been doing this the wrong way the whole time.”
Now that Torogoz is running, he’s focused on continually refining the offerings at his flagship with a lineup that blends childhood memories (his mother is helping at the restaurant) and contemporary flavors from Central and South America.
“It’s not fusion or all over the place. It’s specific highlights of the cuisines and flavor profiles of all of these nations,” he says.
That approach shows in the starters. Leche de tigre, the lime-forward Peruvian base that “cooks” seafood, changes with herbs and vegetables depending on the preparation. Perhaps because it was so fresh, the tartness hit hard on the first bite of the signature Torogoz ceviche (made that evening with fresh grouper), but the dish settled into a finer balance once I folded in the sweet potato puree dotted on the side of the plate. (The presentation is gorgeous. Destroy that beauty immediately after appreciating it for a better bite.)
The main courses continue to lean into Peraza’s devotion to Latin American cooking.
Pescado zarandeado, a whole branzino (the fish may change), is butterflied, deboned and grilled over wood after being brushed with achiote and verde adobos. Rooted in Nayarit, Mexico, it has become an early standout — a favorite at my table and a dish praised by other diners I spoke with in the last couple of weeks.
Rotisserie chicken might sound like an afterthought at a destination restaurant, but at Torogoz it deserves attention. Spun in a custom rotisserie, the bird, a nod to Peru’s wildly popular pollo a la brasa, arrives glistening in its natural juices.
“I love Peruvian rotisserie chicken. This was the first thing that came to my mind when I thought about Torogoz,” Peraza says.
The rest of the menu features classics including lomo saltado and arroz con mariscos, alongside a range of grilled meats and seafood, as well as sides such as crisp yucca or “mi madre’s rice,” a pilaf of jasmine rice and vegetables.
Expect the menu to evolve as Peraza and his small kitchen staff get settled in.
“I don’t want to lock myself down. It’s going to have a lot of range and freedom to cook food throughout Latin America,” Peraza says.
Next door, Moonlit Burgers brings a sharp contrast in style.
The smashburger outfit, already popular in Dormont and Uptown, adds its third location in the piazza. The menu of burgers, fries, sides and chicken sandwiches is familiar, and on a recent Friday the Sewickley spot was packed, with the brand’s tight line management keeping things moving.
DiBattista partnered with architectural designer David Saint-Jacques of dsjDESIGN in Sewickley on the project.
The piazza was also meant to house a ramen shop, but that concept fell through during the extended build-out. DiBattista says he is now looking for a new tenant. He also expects a shared events space above Torogoz to open in the near future.
Torogoz: 525 Locust Place.; torogozpgh.com
First Published: September 22, 2025, 1:00 a.m. Updated: September 23, 2025, 5:48 a.m.