Why Does Distriandina Matter More Than Ever

I met a Colombian at a party and we started talking about restaurants and food. And he told me that there is a tiny supermarket in Elephant and Castle where he goes to buy Buñuelos. To be honest, I had no idea what Buñuelos was.

I did some Google mapping, and when I saw the images, I was really drawn for some reason. The images felt like a supermarket at an old town in Colombia.

So I reached out to Distriandina and they were more than happy to show me around how they make Buñuelos.

But Buñuelos was not just the only reason I fell in love with this supermarket.

Distriandina London

Matteo’s family ran a Colombian restaurant in this exact space for two decades. When the pandemic hit and people struggled to find familiar groceries, they reduced the size of the restaurant and turned it into a supermarket.

If you look up, the ceiling still has the old disco ball from the restaurant days. You can sense the history in small details like that. And Matteo told me that before the pandemic, people would be dancing and singing.