SVCC 2018 -- El Papagayo

My husband Phil and I had dinner tonight at the exceptionally vegan-friendly El Papagayo in Carmichael. El Papagayo is beloved by local vegans, not only because of their annual participation in the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge, but because an entire page of their regular menu is devoted to creative vegan Mexican dishes.

For this year’s Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge, El Papagayo created two new dishes -- vegan relleno and vegan cochinita tacos (jackfruit tacos in an adobo sauce). I decided to try the chili relleno, a pasilla pepper stuffed with kale, onions, green beans, carrots, potatoes, corn, and vegan cheese, topped with a roasted tomato sauce and served with beans and rice. It was a delicious and satisfying dish.

I was really full after that, but I asked if they had a vegan dessert anyhow. They had a vegan flan, and a dessert version of a chimichanga, which is what I ended up ordering. Essentially, it was a tortilla filled with chocolate, bananas, and strawberries, then deep-fried and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. So good!

El Papagayo is located at 5804 Marconi Avenue in Carmichael, and their phone number is 916-487-7742. Their website address is https://www.elpapagayo916.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/El-Papagayo-Restaurant-151929308155836/. The restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.