Tambo Cafe Debuts in South Oceanside

South Oceanside is the new home of Tambo Cafe, a Peruvian cafe that opened on July 28. Owned by Iole Revilla and her husband, who also own Panca Peruvian Cuisine & Rotisserie in the same shopping center, Tambo is based off of the “lonche” concept in Peruvian cuisine.

Lonche essentially boils down to “too late for lunch, too early for dinner,” Revilla says. “So [in Peru] we get together in the late afternoon for some empanadas, sanguches, pasteles and desserts. Easy to eat, conversational type food. Similar to the American ‘happy hour,’” but with more of an emphasis on food.

Tambo serves empanadas, tamales and sandwiches, like the vegetarian “Tambo Sandwich” with pesto and mushrooms on pretzel hoagie bread. The restaurant also serves dessert, including ice cream made from lucuma, an Andean fruit. Tambo also sells “party boxes” of empanadas, to go.