Macondo Colombian Fusion Brings Arepas to Webster St

Macondo Colombian Fusion, the Webster Street spot known for its arepas and empanadas, got a little airtime this summer when KTVU stopped by for a segment on food, tradition, and soccer during World Cup season.

Where to Find It

Macondo Colombian Fusion is at 1545 Webster St, right in the middle of Alameda's West End dining strip. It's run by Constanza Ortiz and Jacob Loffsner, who built the menu around Colombian staples: arepas, the grilled corn cakes stuffed or topped with cheese, meat, or eggs, and empanadas, the fried or baked pockets filled with beef, chicken, or potato.

Webster Street has become one of the go to strips for a certain kind of Alameda food run, a mix of longtime neighborhood spots and newer arrivals within a few blocks of each other, and Macondo is part of that mix.

Food, Tradition, and Soccer

KTVU's segment, posted in June, looked at how food and soccer fandom go hand in hand for Colombian families, especially during a summer packed with international matches. It's a pairing that makes sense as soon as you think about it: game day snacks that double as comfort food from home.

If you haven't tried arepas before, here's the short version. It's cornmeal dough, grilled or fried until the outside gets a little crisp, then split open and filled like a sandwich. Empanadas are the handheld version, easy to eat on the couch during a match or on the go down Webster Street. Neither dish needs a fork, which is part of why they work so well as game day food.

Why It's Worth a Visit

Alameda's food scene keeps adding small, family run spots that don't always get attention outside the neighborhood, and Macondo is one of them. It's a bit like when Alameda Brewing brought home a national gold medal earlier this summer: a local, family run business doing something distinct enough to get noticed well beyond the island.

You don't need a match on TV to justify a trip. Next time you're walking Webster Street, it's worth a stop for an arepa instead of another delivery order, and a chance to support a small business that's been putting in the work long before the cameras showed up.