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    Chicha y Cafe

    4.7 (29 reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 7:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

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    Empanadas and such
    Mike K.

    I'm really pleased with the abundance of Latin American food available in Novato. One of the newest in Chicha y Cafe, near the Post Office, which we frequented for the first time yesterday. They offer a range of bowls and plates where you can pick one or more entrees and two sides - and a bunch of other main courses, empanadas, arepas, breads, and desserts. I opted for a bowl with chicken and mushrooms, rice, and canario beans, and damn near licked my plate clean. My wife had the Ceviche - peruvian style - and loved it too. The owners are Columbian and Peruvian, so there is a fusion of those two cuisines. There was a STEADY stream of people getting to-go orders while we sat at one of the only two tables they have (they're in front of the restaurant facing the parking lot). They looked like business is going strong - and I am looking forward to dining there again!

    shredded beef arepa
    Ariana V.

    Omg I'm obsessed. I had this place bookmarked and was waiting for my next opportunity to try it for lunch. Their hours are posted on the door and said they open at 11:30am. It's a small shop with a little bit of seating, but it looks more like a to go style shop. They were open when I pulled into the parking lot at 11am and happily took my order. I waited about 10 minutes for 2 shredded beef arepas. I wish I ordered 1 because I thought it wouldn't be enough but holy moly, they pack this with lots of meat!! It was delicious and so flavorful. It had a lot of cheese and corn, which was so tasty against the dough they use. I also tried their purple corn drink and it's soooo good! The two ladies that helped me were very kind and I'm grateful for them opening earlier than expected.

    Arepa - chicken, plantains, corn, and cheese
    Jen E.

    What a hidden gem! I stumbled onto this while at the post office today. The postal workers raved about their empanadas, I knew I had to make a pitstop :) I ALWAYS try out the Lomo Saltado at any Peruvian restaurant I visit. Oof so delectable!!! The meat was tender to the bite, the potato fries fresh to the taste, and the rice was nostalgic to my childhood. This joint did not disappoint - I'm ready to return and try everything else on their menu :) Hefty portion size, check! Flavor to the max, check!! Best of all, their hospitality and attentiveness to our needs was superb. Friendly cook and hostess, the atmosphere is cozy with two tables outside and a sitting counter inside. I've been yearning for a get down place like this in Novato - thank you!

    Lomo saltado added a fried egg (amazing)
    Javier E.

    The lomo here went above and beyond my expectations......coming from a Peruvian .....thats been to alot of Peruvian restaurants in the bay from El mono in el cerrito to incas grill concord... As long as they keep having this plate im going to keep coming

    Store front
    Augusto C.

    It's hard to find authentic Colombian cuisine in the Bay Area especially Marin county and the north bay. This is a hidden gem of Novato, an oasis of the comida del "Altiplano Cundinaboyacense" in an otherwise sparse food desert. I was pleased to bump into this spot in the plaza off Novato Blvd (close by the Post Office and Grocery Outlet) I highly recommend it ; It's not a fancy spot, just some simple tables set up outside, a casual eatery though where it truly shines is in the tastes and variety of cultural staples and dishes- the food of which every dish I have tried so far has been excellent! ($$)

    Ruth R.

    I've been wanting to try Peruvian food for a while now, and I happened to go to the post office right before Chicha y Cafe opened. I was warmly welcomed by the man working behind the counter when I walked in. After talking over the menu with him, I decided to order a bowl with green rice, red beans, and Peruvian chicken stew. It's absolutely delicious. The chicken is so tender and flavorful, as well as the green rice. I also got the medium spicy mayo salsa that packs a bit of heat, but is so good. It reminds me of a spicy thousand island dressing. I can't wait to return again and try some of their other menu items. If you haven't given them a try yet I highly recommend them.

    Chicken empanada filled with chicken wish there was some cheese inside, but can't complain
    Tonya G.

    I didn't know they were open because I didn't really see you like an open sign. It is in the corner of the window. I got the whole, which is a lot of food. It comes with one entrée and two sides for $15. I got the chicken stew, which was amazing lots of flavor, red beans And white rice. Amazing I also got a chicken empanada, which I love. Please try them out even though it looks closed. They are not.!!!

    Grape soda and empanadas

    Amazing, the taste, the staff just love it. You can't literally go wrong with any of the delicious options they have

    2 Entree 2 side dish
    John M.

    Had there Green rice with red beans, pork and Chicken. The pork and chicken were full of flavor and tender. Green rice was fluffy and red beans were perfect. Tres de leche was sooo good! This hit the spot! Novato needs more eats like this!

    Pandebono

    Friendly staff and delicious food! We ordered takeout and got mixed rice with plantain, Peruvian chicken stew, oatmeal shakes, and Pandebono. Great flavors!

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    6 months ago

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    16 days ago

    Está rica la comida pero demasiada sal me ardió el estómago, si usted compra pida que no le pongan mucha sal.

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    8 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    9 months ago

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    9 months ago

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    7 months ago

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    5 months ago

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    3 months ago

    Don't let the unassuming exterior fool you. The food here is very tasty and the service is friendly.

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    8 months ago

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    5 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    6 months ago

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    9 months ago

    Good prices, had the shredded beef and bean and green rice. So good. I ate it in 3 mins.

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    11 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    11 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    The empanadas were delicious. The woman behind the counter was very kind. I took mine to go, but there are a couple tables outside.

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    1 year ago

    Amazing home cooked food, just like abuelita used to make. Amazing quality and service

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    1 year ago

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    Macondo Colombian Fusion

    Macondo Colombian Fusion

    4.5(93 reviews)
    27.5 mi
    $$

    We wanted a quick, casual bite at the awkward late Saturday afternoon time. We'd always wanted to…read moretry this spot. We stopped by -- and it was spectacular. It packed the flavor punch of homestlye cooking and would rival more expensive sit-down restaurants. What a gem! We ordered the Venezuelan arepa, birria empanada, mushroom empanada, side Macondo salad, and passion fruit juice. Every dish was fantastic, and I'd easily recommend any of the above. Venezuelan arepa -- the was ridiculously yummy. The perfect balance of creamy, rich avocado sauce with chicken. It was hearty, balanced, and perfectly seasoned. Birria empanada -- this was delicious, rich, and perfect for the particularly chilly late afternoon. Birria on point. If you're craving birria in a delectable, crispy empanada format, you'll be quite happy. Mushroom empanada -- yummy. We love mushroom empanadas and they executed this one well. Macondo side salad -- surprisingly fantastic! Did not expect it to be so tasty. It was only a side dish for the combo, but it held its own among the baked goods. That's how yummy it was. Passion fruit juice -- sweet and relatively thick. They definitely didn't water it down! If you're a fan of passion fruit juice, you'll must try this one. Environment was fast casual. Only drawback was althe comfort level of a few of the dining chairs, which sloped backwards in an awkward way. The bench actually felt more comfortable, so we opted for that. Take out seems easy and common here, so we'll like try that as well in the future. Located on a busy street, but you can almost always find free parking down one of the perpendicular side streets. Looking forward to coming back for a delicious, casual bite!

    It was my first time ordering from here, so I was excited and decided to get a little bit of…read moreeverything for our family to try. We ordered the Venezuelan, Colombian, and Pulled Pork BBQ arepas, the birria empanadas, pandebono with dulce de leche, and the chocolo arepa. Unfortunately, we couldn't finish most of the food. The birria empanadas and all three arepas were way too salty. I'm not sure if they went a little overboard with the salt today, but it was overwhelming and made it hard to enjoy anything. The pandebono with dulce de leche was also disappointing. It's described as being filled with dulce de leche, but it was actually just a plain pandebono with a small side of dulce de leche. The texture was also a bit too chewy for my liking. The only item I truly enjoyed and was able to eat was the chocolo arepa that one was actually decent. Overall, I was pretty disappointed because I really enjoy arepas and was excited to find a new spot. I may give them another try in the future in case it was just an off day, but this first experience didn't live up to my expectations.

    Photos
    Macondo Colombian Fusion
    Macondo Colombian Fusion - Banh Mi Arepa

    Banh Mi Arepa

    Macondo Colombian Fusion - Sancocho Trifásico

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    Sancocho Trifásico

    Parche - EMPANADITAS BRAVAS yuca masa, pulled pork & tamarind, housemade hogao

    Parche

    4.4(610 reviews)
    25.8 miUptown

    Wonderful food, service, lively and vibrantly decorated space at Parche in Uptown Oakland. Offering…read moredelicious modern Columbian food and introduced during Oakland Restaurant Week. Ordered a variety of items to share (family style) and dishes all presented beautifully and flavors on point. From the salad del Norte with lots of textures and flavor, corn arepas with melty cheese, crispy, flavorful brussel sprouts and savory, nicely seasoned empanadas, everything was delicious with no complaints Our server, Celia was friendly, efficient and engaging...great service which made the dining experience really enjoyable! I'd definitely return as soon as many items to try (ceviche!) and repeat as the first visit had me wanting more! Metered street parking

    My husband and I came here on a date night. It happened to be Oakland Restaurant Week, so there was…read morethe option to do the restaurant week Prix Fixe menu or their regular menu. We opted for the regular menu since I wanted to try the whole Brazino. The table next to us ordered the rest week menu, so we got to peek at their food. It all looked really good as well. We even lucky with the tapas platter from the restaurant instead of just empanadas because they kept mixing up our table with the one next to us. The ceviche was really yummy. It was a treat to be able to try a varity of small plate items with the tapas platter they brought to our table by accident. The Brazino was really cool, and tasted fine but it wasn't amazing. There were a few birthday celebrations when we were there. They bring your drink out in this elephant head statue to wish you a happy birthday. Overall, I woudl recommend giving this place a try. I would go again, but not sure that I would rush back soon.

    Photos
    Parche - Bar area

    Bar area

    Parche - Plantains

    Plantains

    Parche - Mocktails - Dark N' Spicy in the long glasses. Short glass were complimentary so I'm not sure but delicious!

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    Mocktails - Dark N' Spicy in the long glasses. Short glass were complimentary so I'm not sure but delicious!

    Colombians Food Factory - Sobrebarriga con Hogao
Grilled special flank steak, 58 oz (250 g) (slow-cooked for hours, this dish is accompanied by Hogao

    Colombians Food Factory

    3.2(14 reviews)
    23.7 miCivic Center
    $$

    Decided to grab lunch at this food truck while they were stationed at Open Sauce in Cow Palace, and…read moreI'm so glad we chose this over the other food trucks. I was really craving something dank, and so I got an arepas de queso rellena from Colombians Food Factory, and everything was so delicious, The arepa with steak was rich, but the sweetness of the corn in the actual arepa dough helped dial back the overall savoriness of everything. The dish with fries, crispy potato sticks, sausage, beef, and sauce (sorry, I don't know the name) was SO good and satisfying for an empty stomach. The sausage, potato sticks, and sauce really elevated everything. Seriously, if I find this food truck again, I'm ordering with no hesitation. Loved our food :)

    Man, I got that mixed up plate platter. Which offers a Variety of Different Meats which means…read moredifferent flavors and Man where there's so many flavors contrasting I'm talking The Best Carne Asada Ever The Best Chicken Ever. I don't even like chorizo, but this chorizo taste so great and different than that Safeway bought stuff. Most Def made a new Client outta Me. See you again soon my friend. Great service too and good luck to your company. The Empanadas were perfectly and tasted fresh.

    Photos
    Colombians Food Factory - Currently at 1233 Folsom St, San Francisco

    Currently at 1233 Folsom St, San Francisco

    Colombians Food Factory - Sweet corn arepa filled with fresh cheese. - Arepa de maíz dulce rellena con queso fresco

    Sweet corn arepa filled with fresh cheese. - Arepa de maíz dulce rellena con queso fresco

    Colombians Food Factory - Lunch House Style
Complement any of our lunch options with coconut rice or white rice.

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    Lunch House Style Complement any of our lunch options with coconut rice or white rice.

    Mägo - Umami Mart sake dinner: anticucho

    Mägo

    4.3(297 reviews)
    25.6 miPiedmont Ave, North Oakland
    $$$$

    We were blessed to try Mago - a top 100 SF Chronicle and Open Table restaurant - in Piedmont. It's…read morefine dining from a Colombian perspective - seriously, who has tried Colombian food?! - but it's gussied up to extra fancy. It is quintessential fine dining where each of their 8 courses are exquisitely prepared in front of you (there's a LARGE open kitchen which takes up most of the restaurant) and served to you over 2.5 hours. The flavors are AMAZING and so unique...Top 3 Standouts were the Duck with grilled ramps and papaya (seriously best duck I've ever had), the Kanpachi Crudo with habanero (I was scared of this but they totally tamped down the heat with carrots and pineapple and added sunflower seeds for crunch), and the flan which was impossibly THIK and smooth (best flan I've ever had hands down). Also really enjoyed the made-in-house guava sorbet and pavlova (which tasted like crispy honeycomb). Super relaxed atmosphere with friendly, unpretentious service. The only down side was that it WAS fine dining so each dish is extremely small and it does take a long time between courses. I had just worked out and I tend to eat very little before 5 pm, work out arduously and then backload my calories but this was a horrible idea as I ended up STARVING and feeling light-headed...Good thing my wife is always prepared and brings snack packs in her purse HAHA! Her edamame, pretzel sticks, and fruit roll ups came in handy! But I still had to go home and eat a big tuna sandwich and big bowl of tofu stew lol. $90 for their tasting menu Tues - Thurs, $125 for the same meal Fri - Sat. The InKind app had a special as well for $50 off so this was all in all a steal for fine dining.

    I decided to try the tasting menu experience at Mago and went solo -- and honestly, this felt like…read morethe perfect kind of place to do that. I arrived a little early and they seated me right away at a table (not the bar), which I appreciated. They also checked a note on my reservation before we even started, which made the service feel very intentional from the beginning. I did the tasting menu with the wine pairing, and what stood out to me most was how thoughtful the experience felt overall. The first dish -- roasted eggplant -- surprised me because I don't usually eat eggplant, but it was actually really good. There was a garlic yogurt that brought everything together perfectly. As the meal went on, some of the dishes actually got better as I kept eating them, especially with the pairings. The cod was one of those -- not my favorite at first bite, but by the end, it completely made sense. The duck was the standout. The crust on it was incredible, and the meat just melted in your mouth. They even changed my pairing for that course, which I really appreciated -- it showed they were paying attention. Dessert was good, just not my favorite since I'm not big on chocolate, but the banana element was nice and it was still a solid finish. Overall, this is one of those places where it's really about the experience, not just the food. The food is great, but the pacing, pairings, and attention to detail are what make it worth it. I would definitely recommend trying it at least once -- and I'd come back when the menu changes.

    Photos
    Mägo - Bar life

    Bar life

    Mägo - 3rd course, spicy and unexpected, the cocktail was very good! The stew was very unique and tasty

    3rd course, spicy and unexpected, the cocktail was very good! The stew was very unique and tasty

    Mägo - Umami Mart sake dinner: sake line up

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    Umami Mart sake dinner: sake line up

    Divina Colombian Café - Arepa de Huevo

    Divina Colombian Café

    4.1(72 reviews)
    66.4 mi

    My fiancé and I had such a great experience at Divina Colombian Cafe! I ordered the carne asada…read moreplate, and it was absolutely delicious--perfectly seasoned, tender, and full of flavor. We also got an order of empanadas for the table, and they were a huge hit. Crispy on the outside and packed with savory filling inside! My fiancé had the bandeja paisa and said it was a 10/10. The portions were generous, and everything tasted fresh and authentic. On top of the amazing food, the owners are such a kind and welcoming family. You can really feel the warmth and care they put into both the food and the atmosphere. We'll definitely be coming back!

    My BFF and I wanted to try something new so we hit this spot up for brunch. I have had arepas…read morebefore but really haven't tried authentic Colombian food before!! This is kind of in a sketchy part of town, but worth a visit. We started off with a beef and a chicken empanada to share - These were fried and different than the Spanish ones I have had elsewhere. They were so good. I really liked the green salsa that was paired with it. On the recommendation of the waitress, we both got cafe de ariquipes which were coffees with caramel. They were sweet, but not overly so, which is the way I like it. We also got the bandeja paisa plate that was just ok. We felt the meat was on the dry side but the standouts were the plantains. We also got an order of the cheese arepa and asked for more hot sauce... She hooked it up with their homemade salsa which was so good and fresh tasting. That sauce is so good. All in all, a tasty spot. I'd come back to try some other things.

    Photos
    Divina Colombian Café - The cute Colombian flag

    The cute Colombian flag

    Divina Colombian Café - Beef Empanadas

    Beef Empanadas

    Divina Colombian Café - Restaurant store front

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    Restaurant store front

    Mama Zara Empanadas - just give us a ring and you Will get them?

    Mama Zara Empanadas

    5.0(4 reviews)
    30.3 mi

    Friendly service, and the empanadas were soooo delicious! The masa was light and fluffy, a good…read moreportion and generous filling. They cater and have pop ups from what I know, but I'm hoping they'll have a stationary spot (like a truck) in the future!

    OMG!!!!!!! I just discovered this incredible Columbian empanada spot at the Cotati farmers market!…read moreI got one of each on the menu - so 6 total because there were 2 veggie options, one with cheese and one without, ate 3 of them and went back to get 2 more for breakfast!! Really reasonable price for the amount of awesome you get to eat! Also came with two sauces, a creamy cilantro and a vinegary sauce that had a little spice to it. The young guy that helped me also told me how to eat them the Columbian way by spooning the sauce on instead of dipping! Also came with a few bites of salad which was a nice fresh element. The empanada dough is made of corn so it's technically gluten free for you sensitive folk and is perfectly fried to a crisp! This might be the longest Yelp review I have written but seriously I am already wishing I would have gotten more!!! Tonight was the last Cotati market but they assured me I can find them at the Santa Rosa Farmer's Lane market on Saturdays! You can follow them on Instagram @mamazara.empanadas to find out where else you can find them or you can hire them to cater your next event!! Im telling you everyone will be glad you did!! https://www.mamazaraempanadas.com/ call, email, DM or go find them right now. -And buy twice as many as you think you need! Seriously the best thing i have eaten in awhile and last weekend I had brisket smash burgers and birria ramen! Literally trying to plan a party now so i can get empanadas catered!

    Photos
    Mama Zara Empanadas - Chicken. 
 Size: L & M

    Chicken. Size: L & M

    Mama Zara Empanadas - Chicken and potatoes. 
 Sizes: L & M

    Chicken and potatoes. Sizes: L & M

    Mama Zara Empanadas - Beef and potatoes
Size: L & M

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    Beef and potatoes Size: L & M

    Chicha y Cafe - empanadas - Updated May 2026

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