Restaurant Feature: O'YA Cantina

Welcome back to Viva La Vegan! During spring break last week my friends and I tried out a local Latin restaurant called O'YA Cantina. The restaurant opened back in August 2020 and has been serving the Chapel Hill area amazing latino food ever since! Located on the border of Chatham and Orange County, O'YA shares a joint patio with its sister restaurant Town Hall Burger and Beer. Now, let's get to the fun part, in this week's blog we will talking about the delicious food at O'YA Cantina!

** All images retrieved from O'YA Cantina's website**

"O'YA Cantina is thrilled to bring the flavors of Latin America to the Briar Chapel community. Enjoy some of the greatest dishes found throughout Latin America and Spain. We offer flavor profiles and authentic dishes for all tastes – spicy, sweet, and savory – and menu options to satisfy vegetarian, vegan, & meat lovers."

When I went to O'YA I ordered the vegetable tacos and vegan empanadas. Sometimes when ordering vegetable tacos they are soggy or just simply lack flavor. The tacos at O'YA are the tastiest tacos I have had since I transitioned to a vegan lifestyle.

The vegetable Taco is filled with roasted Peruvian potatoes and cauliflower, portobello mushrooms, zucchini, Yucatan slaw, guacamole, pickled cucumbers, and tomatillo salsa. At just $9 for a duo of tacos your taste buds can't thank you enough for choosing these tacos. If you don't take my word for it check out the amazing reviews that the vegetable tacos have!

Now onto the Vegan Empanadas! If I could describe the empanadas in two words they would be simple and delicious. Their empanadas are filled with spinach, zucchini, Morocco, and potatoes.

The empanadas were delicious! The outside was a perfectly crunchy shell and the inside was flavorful and savory! I will definitely order them again next time I visit!

My roommate ordered the Veggie Burrito when we visited. It looked amazing and according to him it tasted just as good as it looked! You have the choice of black or pinto beans for the burrito as well as veggie rice, Mexican rice, and Peruvian Spice Potatoes. Of course there is also an option for no rice, beans, or potatoes but who would want to miss out on that deliciousness?

In addition to the delicious burritos, empanadas, and tacos we also ordered some chips and guacamole. And Holy Guacamole is their guac good!

I have tried a lot of guacamoles in my lifetime however, O'YA's guacamole takes the (vegan) cake for guacamoles. It is very lime flavored, but it is not overpowering! There is something else in their guacamole that just sets it apart from all the other guacamoles in the world!

Now, let it be clear that this blog post was simply a highlight of what O'YA features on their menu! There is far more deliciousness to be discovered! Who knowns maybe O'YA will be making an another appearance on Viva La Vegan? Make sure to try out O'YA Cantina if you are ever in the Chapel Hill area and are craving delicious Latin food!

For more information about O'YA Cantina visit their website! Their menu can be found on their website as well as Online Ordering!