Food was delicious and authentic. Servers were very friendly and accommodating. Cozy ambiance.read more

I think this is a solid go-to tapa spot! Service was wonderful and friendly, the food was all very…read moregood and I enjoyed the variety of the menu.

This spot delivered a solid Colombian food experience with a great atmosphere to match…read more We started with the empanadas, which were crispy, golden, and packed with flavorful filling. They definitely shine even more with a little hot sauce on the side. Easy 8/10. The highlight of the meal was the steak tostones. The steak was juicy and tender, the guacamole added a fresh touch, and the tostones were perfectly crispy. My only complaint is that I wish there had been more on the plate because they disappeared fast. 8.5/10. For my entrée, I had the grilled chicken topped with mushroom sauce. It was good and cooked well, but I felt it could have used a little more seasoning and heat to really make it pop. 7.5/10. Beyond the food, the ambiance was fantastic. The restaurant is beautiful, comfortable, and has a welcoming vibe that makes you want to sit back and enjoy your meal. I'd definitely come back to try more of the menu.

Every time they get orders wrong. I order two drinks, get one straw…read more Also the pandebono is sometimes not fresh at all and taste like they're from the day before. Same with the mango juice, tastes like it was frozen overnight and used the next day. When the food here is good, it's good. They need to pay attention to detail though.

My chicken was kinda dry and wish my plate came with veggies. But all around, you can't beat a…read morelunch special deal at $12. That's damn near unheard of in 2026!! I had the pollo horno, sopa mondongo, beans and rice. I love my man more than anything but Colombian food comes pretty close. I'd leave him if it meant I can have Colombian food for the rest of my life. Lol, jk!! Guess we'll never know. But yeah, come check it out on a weekday for the lunch special. Their arepas are pretty legit, too. I haven't had an arepa so crispy and puffy in a long time. Fonda Paisa, you're good in my book.

TLDR food was just okay, but the tres leches saves my review…read more Got takeout. Ordered the creole flank steak (sobrebarriga a la criolla). The steak's flavor was fine, but it was tough, difficult to chew, and I wasn't a fan of the cook on it. It felt like it was boiled, then covered with sauce. Rice and creole potatoes were fine. Not much to say there. Didn't really like the pony malta soda either. But I'm also speaking as an American. Tres leches cake was absolutely delicious. It was baked well, it was creamy, and the whip was perfect. Best I've ever had. Food took a little long.

This place in Palisades Avenue, never disappoints as a lover of authentic Colombian food…read more I am always impressed by their consistent quality and fresh ingredients. The hospitality is top-notch... a huge-shout out to my server Melanie for being so attentive and kind!!! the Restaurant is consistently spotless and comfortable; perfect for any occasion. The "Paisa bowl" must-try a hearty delicious mix of beans, sweet plantains, crispy Chicharron, grilled steak, pico de gallo, sautéed corn and fresh guacamole. Pair it with their incredible house-made Sangria . Don't live without grabbing their amazing Flan or a Guava & cream cheese empanada to go Congratulations to the entire team on such a wonderful experience that highly recommended!!!

Stopped in for some coffee and pan de bono, this spot makes a great coffee, but the service isn't…read moreso friendly. They have a very nice setting and the ambiance is relaxing. However, it is overshadowed by the not so friendly people who work there.

We really enjoy the empanadas here…read more Here is our rating of each we've tried. Beef & cheese 10/10 Shrimp 10/10 Pizza (super cheesy) 10/10 Crab 8/10 Chicken & cheese 8/10 Salmon 6.5/10 Personally don't feel the need for the sauce, especially for the seafood ones, because they are so tasty as is! Staff is friendly, too.

The food hits the spot! It makes me think of the warm, comforting meals I used to enjoy with my…read moreabuela. From yellow rice, black beans, empanadas, tostones, mofongo, and more!! Each dish is a delightful reminder of home. I definitely recommend this cozy mom-and-pop spot, where the staff is friendly and helpful. I ordered carryout and I appreciated the tv tuned to a World Cup game while we waited.

Came here on a Friday afternoon with a friend. I had been here once before, but I honestly don't…read moreremember what I ordered. One thing I do know is that I definitely didn't get the chicharrón or the pernil. Once we walked in, the host seated us at an open table. The restaurant is pretty spacious, with music playing in the background. I also noticed a DJ booth, so I'm guessing it gets pretty lively at night. I ended up ordering the daily special, the Pernil al Horno ($15), which came with white rice and beans. The pernil was topped with crispy pork skin, which I really appreciated. It was juicy, flavorful, and the crispy skin added the perfect crunch to every bite. My friend ordered the chicharrón, and it was awesome. It wasn't overly fatty, just the right balance of meat, fat, and crispy skin. Every bite had the perfect combination of crunch and flavor. I'll definitely be back for the chicharrón, as a snack or a full meal. If you're a fan of chicharrón, I highly recommend giving this place a try. * Parking on premise * Outdoor dining available

This place gets some bad reviews, and I can see why some people may say they didn't like their…read moreexperience there. However, every time I visit this place I can clearly say I truly enjoy my meal. You also can get a cold beer for about 6 dollars which is reasonable compared to other places. The issue is they make some things really well and maybe others not so great. I always eat a few things I know they make well. After all you don't order a filet at a fried chicken joint. Today I visited after being disappointed at the Freakin Rican spot on Cedar lane. See that review for details. I went by Elsa's and ordered some Mofongo with their famous Chicharones and it was delicious. Perfectly seasoned and paired with some delicious sauce that was perfect. My wife had oxtails with rice and beans and they were delicious too! We enjoyed a couple of really cold beers each and our bill was only around 60 dollars. The place has a really relaxing atmosphere and the service was good. I had to battle with a couple of knats but it just added to the entertainment, lol! The place could use some remodeling and cleaning but at least they consistently serve me good food at a great price. If you go there just temper your expectations. It reminds me of a roadside eatery in the islands which always serves good food but you have to battle with some bugs. Lmao!

Loved the variety of food excellent experience! The service…read morewas amazing as well! It's a great place to go for special occasions!

THE FOOD ----------------…read more+ Pulpo a La Gallega - Most tender octopus we've everrrrr had! Not even close. The octopus was cut into pieces AND there was a surprisingly very generous portion of it sitting on a small round plate surrounding some potatoes. There was also a slight hint of rock salt to top it off. + Paella Valenciana - Possibly some of the best paella we've ever had! The Spanish rice was soooooo flavorful, moist and delicious. There was a healthy amount of ingredients all around - shrimps, scallops, clams, mussels, calamari, chicken, sausage and a lobster sitting on top. + Surf & Turf - 18oz New York Strip was cooked perfectly medium and the juices were pouring out of it. The lobster was also good too, maybe a tad overcooked, but still was delicious. FYI, it also came with a side of rice and chips. - Churrasco a la Parrilla - Presentation was great with the steak laid neatly on the plate, but the churrasco was off this evening. First, it was medium well instead of the medium that I requested, so that was not good. Second, the flavor of the steak was NOT good at all, which was a bigger knock for us. We suspect that the meat might have been spoiled as it just didn't taste fresh. When we were eating the steak in the restaurant, it wasn't as evident, but still tasted funky. When we tried the leftovers of it the next day, it was very apparent that the steak had gone bad. Wanted to really love this, but, unfortunately, I couldn't ignore that it wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. FYI, it also came with a side of rice and chips. + Coconut Flan - Loved this. Basically your typical flan with a coconut twist to it. + Complimentary Bread with Garlic-Herb Olive Oil Dip/Pesto - PHENOMENAL bread and I could eat the dip/pesto allll dayyyy long! The bread came out piping hot and fresh. The dip was something that we had never seen at any restaurant. It was a thick pesto-like dip that had a light olive flavor to it. We just kept eating it and eating it and eating it until our entrees came out. THE SERVICE ------------------- + EXCELLENT waiter service all evening. Our waiter, Eric, was super friendly, informative about the menu items and accommodated any request we had. He was great throughout our meal. + All of the waiters came by to sing Happy Birthday to us as we were celebrating a birthday in our family. THE SURROUNDINGS ------------------------------- + Very spacious interior with a lot of tables. The dining area is actually separated into 2 spaces and a large bar sits towards the front. + Decorations are beautiful inside, especially the walk in through the entrance. + There are a few outdoor tables for those warm nights. - No private parking lot, so street parking is your best bet, although there is plenty of street parking right outside since it's a very quiet street. FYI, the racquet club across the street had a sign that said "Additional parking for Sayola Restaurant", but then also had a sign that said the parking was only for the racquet club??? It was confusing, so we just parked on the street, which was fine. RANDOM OBSERVATIONS -------------------------------------- = Dined in at 6 PM on an August Saturday evening and, to our surprise, it was fairly quiet inside. There were a few tables dining in and having a good time, but it never came close to reaching capacity. It was definitely way more empty than full.

We went for a family lunch on Saturday noon. I was so happy to see they had a parking lot in the…read moreback side of the restaurant, a rare feature for Fort Lee restaurants. The restaurant had a nice interior, fancy bar, lots of arts and Cuban vibes all around. They had booth seating by the window that had good view of Hudson Terrace and I-9. We started our lunch with appetizer sampler that came with empanadas, croquettes, bao bans and potstickers. I liked both the empanadas (beef and chicken), the chicken potstickers were also good. Ham croquettes and the bao buns with shredded beef were average. For entree I ordered the Rabo Encendido (braised oxtail stew). It came with three pieces of bone with plenty of meat on them, on side of rice and beans. I loved the taste of the oxtail and the stew, was flavorful and meat was tender. I also got to try the seafood paella which lacked flavor, rice was so bland. The chicken & waffle's waffle was good but the fried chicken pieces were so basic. I got the mango mojito (non-achohol) that was so tasty, I ordered two of them. Our server was super nice, did an excellent job throughout the lunch. All staff members were friendly. Food came out in short intervals.

We have passed by Kuba thousands of times finally got a chance to check it out today. Honestly I…read moreexpected more from the food. Nice decor and welcoming vibes in the bar and dining areas. It has 2 levels. The staff were all nice and attentive. Unfortunately, the seafood paella was under seasoned. Very blend. Did not give me the saffron taste at all. Portion of seafood was generous. But again, blend. Chicken and waffle was dry. At least the chicken was seasoned on this one. Appetizer sampler was not bad. Get to try beef/chicken empanadas, chicken baos, pork croquettes, friend chicken dumplings. Ox tail was also blend to me. Overall the food was underwhelming but the service and atmosphere were nice.

The food is very good but for a Spanish restaurant the portions are small compare to other…read morerestaurants.

Honestly, the service here was pretty bad. The staff had a lot of attitude and didn't even say a…read moresimple hello, which was very off-putting. I don't understand why the customer service is so poor. The food was okay, but with service like that, I would definitely think twice before coming back. It's also pretty expensive for what you get. Also, staff should wear gloves when handling the metal trays where they display the food. Gloves should be a must.

BEST chicken quesadilla I've ever had to date. Fresh mozzarella and crunchy! I would definitely…read morecome back again.

We come here for the classic skirt steak which is soft and juice 5/5. Further we order fish fliet…read morewith garlic 4/5, grill chicken 2/5 very dry and rubbery. Chicken noodle soup 3/5. Sides are a let down with small portion & nothing special. Overall is a fair experience.