A new restaurant opened in Tarapoto in January 2008 called La Olla Vieja (The Old Pot). Co-owner Milagros, a Peru native, has been cooking this food for years, having been one of the original cooks at Cafe de Mundo down the street. The pizza served at La Olla Vieja is a cracker-thin crust cooked in a brick oven out in the back yard by the other co-owner Werner, a German immigrant who is honing his horno skills.
Each meal is accompanied by a serving of pan al ajo (garlic bread) that is actually pizza crust with olive oil and garlic. The pasta dishes there are fresh tasting with a regional flare.
One recent addition (February 2008) has been a pasta del dia and pizza del dia, where different pasta dishes and pizzas that are not on the regular menu are featured each day.
La Olla Vieja is a favorite stop for many travelers who have learned that they can order in their native tongue, because staff-members there speak fluent English, French, German, and Spanish.
Pizzas offered at La Olla Vieja include Margarita (cheese, basil, tomatoes); La Classica (ham, cheese); La Exotica (ham. pineapple, peach -- it is the jungle after all); La Tres Quesos (mozzarella, Andean cheese, regional cheese); La Tarapotina (cecina [local dried pork] chorizo [local sausage], black olives, sweet peppers, regional cheese) -- a very good choice to get the local flavor of Tarapoto; La del Huerto (Of the Orchard -- mozzarella, basil, whatever vegetables are in season roasted over an open fire); La del Mar (Of the Sea -- Tuna filet, green olives, black olives, roasted peppers, sliced onion); or the more flavorful La Diabla (She-Devil Pizza -- Mozzarella, meat sauce, cabanosi [Italian meat, like a Slim-Jim meat snack in the USA], roasted peppers, sliced onion, and tabasco).
Pastas on the menu at La Olla Vieja include Spaghetti Bolognesa (with their own meat sauce); Spaghetti a la Crema (with the house white sauce, ham slices, and parmesan cheese); Spaghetti al ajo (with olive oil and garlic); Lasagna with meat sauce; Lasagna with ham and mushrooms; Lasagna de la Huerta (vegetarian lasagna). In addition to the menu items, La Olla Vieja generally has one or two choices on their Pasta del Dia board that don't hold a permanent position in the menu.
Prices for pizzas range from 8 to 13 soles ($2.65 to $4.35 in US dollars) for a personal size pizza (four slices) and 15 to 24 soles ($5.00 to $8.00) for a family size (8 pieces). Pasta prices range from 8 to 14 soles ($2.65 to $4.70) per serving.
Contributors March 30, 2008
type: Italian
accessibility: Not wheelchair accessible. Easy access from commercial district and only 1-1/2 blocks off the Plaza de Armas
address: Alegria Arias de Morey #228
PriceOfMenu: Inexpensive