Just open: Mazorca, Canberra

A new Latin American restaurant has opened its doors in Kingston serving tamales, pupusas and churrasco meats.

Mazorca replaces the former Bodega tapas bar on Kennedy Street and has been open since early December.

The fitout is very similar, with the roofed bar on one side of the dining room and the big oven at the rear, open floor-to-ceiling windows and dark wood tables.

There's a colourful mural of farmers growing corn on one wall and plenty of tables outdoors.

Owner Julio Torres is still refining the menu which currently features patatas bravas, chicken and seafood paellas, and beef rellenos.

His food will be familiar to those who frequent the Gorman House markets - his mum, Gladys, sold pupusas and tamales at the markets for years.

"She comes in and makes the pupusas herself in the restaurant now," he says.

Torres has come full circle in the Kennedy Street location - he started his career in cooking 11 years ago in exactly the same spot, back when the restaurant was L'Unico.

He's worked around town at restaurants such as O Stratos and D'Anunzio's.

Torres says he's working on a new menu and promises there will be more pupusas, tamales and what he calls Latin American-style pizzas (with beans and sausage).

Mazorca. 2/27 Kennedy Street, Kingston. 6295 9590.