Casa Colombia

Elephant and Castle’s Best Cafes, Bars, and Snacks | Eater London

"This two tiered bakery-cafe is located in the first arch next to the Strata building. Baked goods are universally fine here, and many Colombians come here to buy arepas and empanadas in bulk, either fresh or frozen, to use at home. Papas rellenas are balls of rice, peas and strands of slow-cooked beef denser than a neutron star, containing an extraordinarily generous filling that spills out of its TARDIS-like interior. The crimped Cornish pasty-looking pastries are actually salteñas, empanadas filled with chicken, olives, hard boiled egg and sweet gravy, loved by the local Bolivian community. There is a Colombian lunch menu on which resides the simple chicharron arepa, a whole rib worth of meat, where the skin and fat of the belly has become so crisp it’s almost like fried chicken." - Jonathan Nunn