Whether it be for college students, foreigners or adventurous individuals, a local Colombian restaurant has something to offer for everyone.
La Colombiana, a family business located at 2495 Commons Blvd., Beavercreek, offers everything from meat dishes, vegetarian meals, desserts and gluten-free options.
“We have all kinds of stuff,” said the owner, Ana Rivera, 53. Rivera, who is originally from Colombia, has lived in Kettering for 25 years. She studied Culinary Arts at Sinclair Community College in Dayton.
With the help of her husband Martin, Rivera established La Colombiana in Beavercreek almost five years ago. Her children and siblings also work at the restaurant. Rivera thinks of Beavercreek as an ideal location, she said.
La Colombiana’s hours of operations are:
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Friday and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Rivera considers the best items on the menu to be the gluten-free corn empanadas. They are typically filled with vegetables and the customer’s choice of chicken or beef, Rivera said. She also recommends the bandeja paisa, a popular Colombian platter of beans, rice, soup, salad, plantains, sausage, pork belly and eggs.
Although spices are commonly used in Colombian cuisine, it is not as hot as Mexican food, according to Rivera. “It’s totally different,” she said. Their dishes are “a mixture of flavors.” Meat lovers can indulge themselves in a wide variety of options including shrimp, salmon, pork, chicken and beef, according to Rivera.
La Colombiana serves dishes made with fresh and authentic ingredients, Rivera stated. The products travel a long distance, coming all the way from Colombia, according to Rivera.
Rivera’s customers are very diverse, she said. They include young people, international students from Wright State and workers from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. “Here in Beavercreek, a lot of people like to try foods from other places,” Rivera said.
La Colombiana is “one of the best Colombian restaurants – certainly the very best in the entire Midwest region,” said Cincinnati resident Alejandro Camacho, according to information from La Colombiana’s website.
Rivera enjoys running La Colombiana and making Dayton more diverse, she said. “I want to change the perspective that American people have about Colombians.”
Customers may notice the artwork hanging on the walls of the restaurant. Many of the pieces depict real places in Colombia, according to Rivera. The art allows locals to “see a different face of Colombia,” Rivera said.
