This somewhat newish Columbian restaurant has a vibrant atmosphere.
Parche in Oakland opened a few years ago and serves their take on Colombian food which is a cultural blend with influences from Caribbean, Spanish, and African cuisine.
Inside Parche.
Since we got there right when they opened, the restaurant was empty but within an hour or so, the restaurant filled up. It seemed like a popular place to grab drinks and a few snacks as the lounge area was completely full.
Tumaco Ceviche (8/10).
We started off with one of their ceviches and this might have been my favorite dish of the night. The rock cod was extremely tender and was swimming in a coconut milk leche de tigre (a citrus based marinade). Thinly sliced bell peppers, red chilis, and cilantro oil rounded out the dish which was well balanced with acidity and sweetness.
Patacones (7/10).
Next up were the patacones, hand smashed crispy plantains served with an array of condiments. It came with a spicy red salsa, a tropical salsa, and an onion marmalade. These were tasty but you had to eat them while the plantains were still warm because as soon as they cooled down, they became quite crunchy and hard.
Empanada de Ajiaco (7.5/10).
The last appetizer were the chicken empanadas. These were generously stuffed with shredded chicken with corn and served with a jalapeño cilantro aioli. The outside dough was crispy and wasn’t too heavy.
Posta Negra (7/10).
The last savory dish was the Mexican coke braised short rib with a yuca coconut mash. I didn’t know how I would feel about the yuca coconut mash but it was surprisingly really tasty. The beef was tender but the sauce was lacking something.
Cacao Antioqueño (5.5-6/10).
This was their take on tres leches but a chocolate version. While the bottom cake was tasty as well as the whipped cream, the scoop of chocolate ganache on top had a strange flavor that wasn’t sweet or very chocolatey. A traditional tres leches cake would have been more successful in terms of flavor.
While every dish wasn’t a hit, the restaurant itself had great vibes and service was also very friendly. Since it’s also a relatively large restaurant, this could be a great place for a large group or a place to grab a drink at the bar and maybe a snack. Overall, I’d rate Parche a 7/10.