Sunday - Monday: 11am-9pm
The first hint that the food at the newest restaurant in Strawberry Village is pan-Latin with a whole lot of California thrown in is the Baja fish tacos. “They’re what we’re known for,” says Vanessa Chavez, one half of the husband-and-wife ownership team with Murat Sozeri. Chavez and Sozeri launched with the dish at the Sunday Farmers’ Market in Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood. Chavez’s mom, Vicky, is the namesake “cholita linda,” a traditional term of endearment in Peru, Vicky’s homeland. “Mom still works the Oakland market and refuses to stop,” Chavez says. Everyone calls her “Mama.”
Despite the Peruvian moniker, dishes like Tostones con Picadillo, plates of Chicharron Pollo, and Cuban sandwiches, span the not-too-spicy side of pan-Latin cuisine. “Since I grew up in California,” Chavez says, “it’s more greens and vegetables, and food we like to eat.” And the vibes? It’s Latin American mercado, if you will. Enter through bright blue doors and place your order at the counter under an orange-striped awning before taking a seat at a table covered with a vibrant red oilcloth. Is that merengue flowing out of the speakers? Maybe, but a sign at the pick-up window declares, “in this kitchen we dance.” Do as the lady says!
After the spontaneous dancing, sip a house made mango agua fresca and enjoy a plate of churros dipped in vanilla sauce, a bottled American or Mexican beer, or a Frozen Piña Colada with sake-based tequila. On sunny afternoons, the 30 outdoor seats fill up quickly but there’s plenty of space inside for enjoying a meal with friends or some more dancing.
