La Fogata, Owners Uriel Salas, Jorge Goicochea, and Dionny Vailladares in the Former El Nopalito Grill Space on Bel Pre Road in Aspen Hill

[DonRocks]

Closed! I needed to replace the battery in a smoke alarm at my father's house, which is in the area, and so headed over to the CVS at the declining Plaza Del Mercado shopping center. It dawned on my as I walked from the parking lot toward the CVS that the El Nopalito signage was gone. The storefront was empty and a banner hung out front announcing La Fogata, a Peruvian restaurant. It's not a great loss, but El Nopalito did serve decent food with enough variety that a party whose members had disparate tastes could usually find something on the menu to their liking.

We ate here fairly regularly, as I live nearby, and I really do miss it.  It's been closed for a few months now.  I am in the shopping center fairly regularly and am keeping an eye out for the opening of La Fogata.  keeping my fingers crossed that it is decent.  

La Fogata has opened in the former El Nopalito space.