Flamenco Dinner Show

This has to be the friendliest, most inviting night spot in the city.


by SF Weekly, News

Link to news article:
penapachamama.com/

This has to be the friendliest, most inviting night spot in the city. Another translation of Pachamama is "Mother Earth" and as soon as you walk into the place you feel like you're part of some extended global family. On the stage there may be jazz, flamenco, or salsa to spice up your meal, depending on the day of the week. Saturday nights belong to Sukay, the band that has played venues around the world. One of the charms of the place is that the restaurant's staff is also part of the entertainment. The guy playing the charango is actually Eddy the bartender (and one of Bolivia's most well-known composers), the maitre d' is the Yma Sumac-esque vocalist and panpipe virtuoso, and the pastry chef emerges from the kitchen long enough to demonstrate a particularly athletic indigenous dance step. At one point another dancer moves among the tables in a dazzling native garb topped off with feather-lined, parasol-like headgear. It’s a great spot to celebrate a birthday (there were three going on the night we visited), especially when the cocktail waitress leads an impromptu salsa lesson and everyone gets up to dance the night away