Restaurant Review: La Colombiana
When you think of Spanish or Latin communities and cuisine, Dayton, Ohio is not likely a place that comes to mind. According to the 2020 Census; Hispanic communities only made up 5% of Dayton’s population of ~ 137,600. Even so you can find many a restaurant geared toward Spanish tastes. Quite a few Tex Mex franchise restaurants can be found in Dayton, such as: Chuy’s, Taco Bell, El Toro, and Qdoba that host menus Americans are used to seeing. But Dayton also is home to a few places that dare to share a more authentic experience from their native countries. Places like the Bolivian Nelly’s, and the restaurant rated number 1 on Trip Advisor for Beavercreek: La Colombiana.
Located on Commons Boulevard in Beavercreek, the same location since opening in 2014, La Colombian has always strived to serve authentic Colombian dishes to all patrons. Ana Maria Rivera and her husband Martin started this restaurant with multiple generations of their family helping. With a modest dining room that seats about 40-44 people they make fresh to order dishes that folks used to Tex-Mex will find stand out in taste but feature unfamiliar names and dish composition.
My father was born in Colombia and lived there until his teens, so when we learned about this location my family was eager to take him. We have been back many times since as the flavors have remained consistently good and the decorations that showcase Colombia culture were familiar and welcoming to my father, even if he wasn’t used to knowing the names of dishes, only the content.
You’ll find the walls moderately decorated with things ranging from Catholic iconography to paintings by famous Colombian artists such as (I believe) Fernando Botero. Guitars and the traditional headwear sombrero vueltiao also don the walls with figurines and photos of various locations around the country.
The staff is kept small and as the food is made to order, you can expect a bit of a wait on your items. Sometimes even just to be seated. The food will come out hot and fresh however, and I have yet to find a disappointing dish.
My go to starts with a chicken empanada. The empanadas that come in beef, chicken, or vegetable, are made in the Colombian style which has a crust that is dough based from corn meal instead of pastry dough. The chicken centers includes potatoes and spices with a side of a dipping aji you can get in mild or spicy. I always go for the spicy which makes my nose run but gives a cooling taste on top of the spices and herbs. A crunchy outer shell, and super soft inside make for a combination that is hard to resist. It would be easy to fill up on these empanadas alone.
I find it hard to order a different main dish than my absolute favorite, the arepa con todo, con camarones. Arepa’s can be made in many forms, and even in Colombia range from being used as a sandwich bread to this version which is similar to a thicker tortilla made from corn flour, packed tight and cooked to a flat bread with a little crunch. The arepa con todo comes with options for your meat and I always go for shrimp (camarones) while you could also get shredded beef, shredded chicken, or calentado con huevos pericos which is roughly translated as a scrambled egg. The dish also has vegetables and a delicious sauce made with select spices, garnished with queso fresco, avocado, and sweet plantains. The only version of plantain I have fallen in love with. The dish manages to be refreshing and filling while the portion size is smaller than I am used to. With the exception of the plato tipico that features shredded beef, pork belly, egg, pinto beans, white rice, sweet plantains and arepita all on one dish, or maybe even the Bandeja Paisa that features shredded beef, pork belly, Colombian style sausage, egg, pinto beans, white rice, sweet plantains, arepita, and house salad in a single plate, the portion sizes are modest enough to give you a taste of the food that fills and warms your belly without making you feel overly full unless you’re like me and keep ordering more dishes. The arepa has a nice crunch and I do my best to get the cheese and avocado with nearly every bite. The spices that make up the sauce are enough on their own but becomes so much more refreshing and soothing when paired with the cold queso and avocado. It will be hard to get me to order anything else.
I normally pair this with an additional side of my favorite taste from La Colombiana. The papas chorriadas. This is a potato side that has potatoes boiled and covered in a special sauce featuring spices and hogao a Colombian creole sauce. I do not have enough words to fully describe this taste, but the tomato base and spices makes a soothing cream sauce with a kick that perfectly balances with the boiled potatoes. I also love using the sauce with my sweet plantains in a spicy sweet mixture that envelopes me in a culture that is in my blood that I have not experienced live.
The quality of food at La Colombiana makes the long waits for fresh cooked, homemade food worth while. The dishes and menu are a great way to experience a more authentic South American cuisine that has not been adapted and changed for more traditional American tastes. That first visit showed us how unprepared we were for a menu that wasn’t covered in tacos, quesadillas, burritos and more, but the food spoke for itself and has brought us back again and again and again.
