Restaurant Spotlight: Craving Colombian? Here’s the best restaurant I've tried this week

When it comes to effortlessly delicious and authentic Latin cuisine, this newly-opened DeLand restaurant is making its name known among the local community.

Parva, a family-owned Colombian restaurant, bakery and café, initially held the soft opening of its new DeLand location over the summer, before announcing its grand opening earlier this month. Located on North Woodland Boulevard, the here-to-stay eatery initially began serving the community in Sanford, where owners Karla and Fabian Diaz opened its first location in 2018.

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A now five-year success, the eatery has expanded its sweet, savory and spiced selections to DeLand, a promising new location that seems to have already been warmly embraced by locals, with rave reviews flooding the eatery's social media pages.

“We love this restaurant! Food is amazing and service is great!” one Facebook user exclaimed, while another noted, “Love the food at this great restaurant and the service provided by everyone there is unmatched by any restaurant. It’s great to have this restaurant in DeLand. Congratulations!”

Decked out in intricate patterned décor, vibrant muraled walls and an all-smiles, class-act staff, the new DeLand addition is known for its varied assortment of authentic Colombian, Venezuelan and other South American breakfast, lunch and dinner selections, as well as its sweetened array of freshly baked pastries and desserts, coffees, and domestic and import beers.

For eggs and bacon lovers like myself, Parva offers all-day breakfast with several signature dishes including the Calentado Montañero — a savory, textured plate combining rice, beans, steak, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, onions and a white corn cake — and the Tamal Valluno — a homemade Colombian tamale filled with chicken, pork, peas, carrots, slices of potato and corn cake — as well as milder offerings like the Huevos Americanos — a combination of two fried or scrambled eggs, three slices of bacon and toast.

Dinner at Parva in DeLand

The restaurant’s expansive lunch and dinner menu features variations of well-known classics like the garlic sauce and piña salsa-topped beef burger and churrasco-topped house salad, as well as a variety of single-serve dishes and shareable plates, ranging from the pan con bistec and sweet plantain — seared palomilla steak prepared with onions and sweet plantains, and layered with mayo ketchup and Swiss cheese on toasted Cuban bread — and the Latin rice bowls — cilantro rice, black or red beans, corn, sweet plantains, pico de gallo, avocado, cilantro sauce and your choice of churrasco, shrimp, chicken, pork or other protein — to the traditional lomo saltado — a Peruvian plate decorated with sirloin strips, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, soy sauce and oyster sauce and served with French fries and jasmine rice.

Personable simply doesn’t scratch the surface of Parva’s waitstaff, as JJ, my server, made timed-to-perfection visits to my table, whether to bring, clear or explain a dish in its entirety to me without an ounce of hesitation.

Per his must-try recommendations, I landed on an order of three empanadas — one queso (cheese) stuffed and the other two carne (beef) stuffed. The deep-fried, golden-brown pastry's crispy exterior provided a slight crunch while the creamy, mild cheese and tender, seasoned meat fillings softened each bite. The classic dish left a lasting impression, though the best was yet to come as the Palomilla Dinner Platter and Picada Personal Plate made its way to my table.

The dinner platter featured bistec de palomilla — a traditionally Cuban dish, consisting of thinly cut top sirloin steak, often cooked with a plethora of seasonings and lime juice before being pan-fried, delivering an exceptionally tender, lean and flavor-packed dinner. The steak serving was accompanied by my choice of three sides, of which I chose a mild helping of cilantro white rice, sauteed vegetables and sweet maduros — a traditional South American dinner addition consisting of warm, caramelized fried plantains with a crisp outer coating and softened interior.

Whether dining solo or bringing along a few others to feast, the picadas are must-try menu staple of shareable plates that can feed up to 10 people. The Picada Personal, a serving plentiful enough for one or two people, was not only highly recommended to me by my server but further described as a true taste of Colombia. Needless to say, I was sold.

The petite platter was decorated with two savory and spiced, sliced sausages — a Colombian and black sausage. A beloved Colombian classic, the black sausage was an unexpected favorite typically known for its flavorful combination of pork blood, rice, cilantro, onions and a variation of spices. Although it has the potential to be an intimidating selection at first glance, the plate was licked clean and by far one of the most flavor-packed, rich sausage servings I’ve encountered thus far.

Accompanying the meat dinner was a generous serving of sliced and pan-roasted potatoes as well as a Papa Criolla-style side — a traditionally fried side of small yellow potatoes native to South America, known for their golden-brown exterior and softened center, often substituted with Yukon golds. The platter’s final touches were a perfectly-pairing side of traditional arepitas — thin, yet fluffy corn-cake patties, served alongside two cilantro and hot sauce dipping additions.

Save room for dessert

Although you’ll undoubtedly find yourself filling up — rather quickly — on these well-proportioned, feast-able plates, be sure to save room for dessert. The eatery’s fresh-baked selections and “sweet bites” range from vanilla, cheese and coconut flan — a delicious baked custard — to tres leches, bread pudding and pan de bono — a popular bread-like dessert often made from guava paste, eggs, cassava starch and cheese.

However, the star of the show was undoubtedly the hojaldradas, or puff pastries. Available with a cream cheese, guava or combination filling — which I opted for — the soft, yet flaky, croissant-like golden pastry was a warm, moist and perfectly sweetened baked selection to end the meal off right.

Whether stopping in for a quick coffee and baked good, a breakfast to-go, or full-blown feast, Parva Colombian Restaurant, Bakery and Café seems to be a quickly growing DeLand favorite that'll more than likely keep you coming back for more.

Parva Colombian Restaurant, Bakery and Café is located at 1330 N. Woodland Blvd. in DeLand and is open from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday – Saturday and 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sunday. For information or to place an order, call 386-469-9807 or visit eatparva.com.

Helena Perray is the restaurant and dining writer for The Daytona Beach News-Journal. A New Jersey native and passionate storyteller, she can be contacted at hperray@gannett.com. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook. Support local journalism by subscribing

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Parva in DeLand is the best restaurant I've tried this week