Long Beach’s Aji Restaurant Converts Adjacent Space to Peruvian Sandwich Joint

The owners of Long Beach’s Aji Peruvian Cuisine opened a next-door sandwich shop called La Bodega Sanguchería Peruana last week, hoping to bring more casual and traditional Peruvian food to 4th Street’s Retro Row. Husband and wife team Mitto Barriga and Rosita Wang converted the adjoining space from La Bodega Tapas and Wine for one sole purpose: to introduce diners to a new facet of Peruvian food that goes beyond a la brasa chicken.

According to Wang, La Bodega Sanguchería Peruana resembles traditional sandwich shops all over Peru. These sangucherías sell different types of sandwiches with marinated meats along with Peruvian pasta dishes, desserts, and snacks. La Bodega does much the same, and their round crispy bread is made on site. There are even Peruvian wines and beers, as well as chicha morada, the traditional Peruvian drink made of purple corn.

Aji Peruvian Cuisine launched four years ago, and is the couple’s first restaurant. La Bodega has always been attached to Aji, and went through some variations over the years. It began as P3 Artisan Pasta which closed in fall 2017. La Bodega Tapas and Wine was the next iteration, with Barriga and Wang ending a partnership to open this new sandwich shop.

Barriga is the chef, and front of the house is manned by Wang. “We’ve always had a passion for food,” says Wang. “We like to eat good food too. Whatever we try to share what we love with others.” Closed on Tuesdays, La Bodega Sanguchería Peruana is open for lunch daily from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and open for dinner on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5 p.m. until 9:15 p.m., but Thursday through Sunday from 5 p.m. until 10:15 p.m.

La Bodega Sanguchería Peruana
2306 E 4th Streeet
Long Beach, CA

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