The Other Critics

Hirsch Reviews Under-the-Radar Spot Peña Pachamama

The Examiner’s Jesse Hirsch has made it his business lately to seek out the unsung, under-appreciated, and under-the-radar restaurants no one else is talking about, and he deserves some praise for that. Today he chooses Peña Pachamama, a vegan-friendly restaurant that’s been at Powell and Green in North Beach for over a decade but doesn’t really have any of the buzz or loyal following that Gracias Madre and Millennium have. He gives some cautious praise to a “BLT” with bacon substitute and coconut strips (“Stop rolling your eyes…”), and says the Bolivian vegan stew with fava beans, squash, peas, Bolivian aji pepper, other vegetables, and “textured with kale chips and quinoa” is pretty good too. He also loves, to his surprise, the organic raw ravioli, made of zucchini and coconut flour with a cashew cheese center. As for the few meat dishes on the menu, like beef empanadas and chicken chicharrones, he says they aen’t that great. [Examiner]

Hirsch Reviews Under-the-Radar Spot Peña Pachamama