They get 2.5 stars…read more Bandeja paisa: steak was decent, crackling was so-so (pretty crispy but not that moist or flavourful). Sausage tasted decent but slightly dry. Egg was a bit overdone & arepa was decent though somewhat crispy  Beans were decent. Plantain was so-so (not crispy or sweet). Pork tenderloin was pretty tasty but tough & dry especially for a tenderloin. Rice was decent, with a slight flavour, but a bit mushy. Plantain was crispy. The restaurant interior was decorated quite nicely but was very warm (in summer) & service was disorganised & some servers didn't speak English well so communication was sometimes difficult. I asked if the pork tenderloin had a sauce; they said no but it came with a tomato & peppers sauce. They also billed me wrongly.

Incredibly delicious food, authentically Colombian, big portions, and amazing value for money. The…read moreseafood dishes are filled with various different kinds of high-quality seafood to the brim (more protein than rice). All the staff are so friendly - from the waitstaff to the chefs / owners and kitchen staff, everyone in the restaurant seems to exhibit the Latin American hospitality and friendliness. The place feels homey, cozy, and festive with the music in the background (from the TV screen on the wall), and big photos depicting different places in Colombia along the wall. Ambience is very laid-back and casual, with amazing food that tastes homemade and authentic. It took a while for the food to cook and come out (about 40 minutes) - mostly because of the Cazuela de Mariscos (seafood soup) that took the longest to cook. It was also during a very busy time on a weekend. They seemed to have a constant flow of incoming catering and take-out orders (a good sign), and the restaurant itself was packed. All / most mains come with coconut rice, salad, and tostones (fried plantains). As for drinks, you can order freshly squeezed juices in either water or milk. We ordered the fresh strawberry & blackberry juice in water, as the one in milk would make it more like a smoothie. Each juice order comes in a jug (whether it be a small or large jug). This came as a surprise to us - really good value for such a large volume of juice ($6 for a whole "small" jug that turned out to be quite big, enough to refill each glass a few times for 2 people). The juice itself tasted fresh, natural, and refreshing. Dishes that we tried: 1) Filete de Tilapia con Camarones (grilled tilapia fish fillet & shrimps with coconut rice, plantain, and salad) - Big pieces of fish and lots of small shrimps, in a very delectable sauce. 2) Arroz Marinero (seafood rice with plantain & salad) - Loved this dish. The rice was a bit soupy which I liked. It was a bit like a soupy paella (including the rice) - very delicious and packed with various kinds of seafood. 3) Cazuela de Mariscos (seafood soup with coconut rice, plantain, and salad) - Very creamy soup, like a chowder. I'm not a big fan of chowders / cream-based soups in general, but others liked it and said this was good. 4) SIDE: Ensalada (House Salad) 5) Arepa de Chocolo con Queso (sweet corn dough with cheese) All of the main dishes were EXCELLENT - loved the mixed seafood (fish fillet, shrimps, octopus, squid, etc.). There was so much seafood in every dish. In most places, you get more carbs / rice compared to the protein. Here, it was the opposite. The coconut rice was a bit dry but it's decent - good to soak up the sauces of the main dishes. The salad is just shredded cabbage and carrot with big sliced tomato. I was a big fan of the salad dressing (some creamy mayo-like dressing), but luckily the dressing was only at the top of the salad (the bottom part of the salad remained fresh and crunchy, which I liked). We ordered the Arepa de Chocolo con Queso for to go. It was different than the Venezuelan arepa that I'm used to. The Colombian arepa seemed to be sweeter and more buttery. It probably would've been better if it was eaten right after it was freshly made, and while it was still warm. There was a lot of cheese in the arepa, giving it a nice salty and savoury contrast to the sweet corn dough. After you're done the meal, you go up to the counter to pay (instead of having the bill brought to your table). Great food overall - I would not hesitate to come back.

First time at this little gem on Bloor. Loved every part of…read moreour visit. Food, atmosphere and service were outstanding! Can't wait to come back and experience more of the expansive menu

Have you ever found a restaurant that was so good that you were afraid to tell people about it in…read morecase it got so popular you'd never find a table next time you went? This is such a restaurant. But for the greater good, and because it totally deserves to be hyped up, I'm gonna share this gem with you! Granted, I have only been here once and I had never had Nicaraguan food before but everything this restaurant served up from drinks to appetizers to mains to dessert was unbelievable. It may look like nothing special on paper and even look understated on the plate but once it's in your mouth your tastebuds are in for a ride! Let me explain a bit more...the "tacos" look like a sundae collided with a salad on the plate but when you break it up and try it the crunch and the sweet and the sour just works like magic! I ordered the Churrasco but swapped out the mashed potato with rice and beans - how the Nicaraguans eat it I was told - and boy was I glad I listened! I have never downed so much rice and beans so quickly in my life; normally I avoid them so that's testament to how tasty it was. 3 out of all 3 of the desserts were delicious but the standout favourite among my party was surprisingly the cheesecake, so don't knock it till you try it. The atmosphere is lively and colourful, and the service was great too! That's it; I think I've shared enough - you're welcome

This small shop offers an assortment of latin fares, including pupusas, empanadas, tamales, and…read moreceviche. On weekends, they serve up freshly-made pupusas on a hot plate from the sidewalk. I've ordered the shredded pork and cheese on a few occasions and it always satisfies the cravings. They top it off with a tomato sauce and coleslaw (very delicious pairing), as well as an optional green salsa (spicy). The dish is hearty and comforting with all the South American flavours.

We were strolling around Kensington Market and we saw these nice empanadas being displayed on the…read morecurbside of this restaurant. I got a spicy beef one and it was just ok... The dough was a bit wimpy and not baked fully enough to be firm and crusty. The filling was good but not hot enough. Overall a place for a quick bite but nothing spectacular.

The best empanadas I've had in a while! We ordered three empanadas ($3.75 each, with bulk discounts…read moreavailable), which were delicious and flavourful; the empanadas are gluten-free, and there are vegetarian options. There are also yuca fries, fried plantain, arepas, and several sweets on the menu. The store also sells frozen tamales, black pudding, empanadas, arepas, and other food products. You can order online for pick-up or delivery or walk-in. Accessibility: There is a ramp to enter the store.

Flaky delicious and fresh first time I'm having a pot and I truly believe that these are the bestread more

. After a very long wait, the newly opened TTC Line 5 was finally there. I just wanted to hop on…read morethe Line 5 train and see where it could take us. Rincón Paisa already had many positive reviews on major platforms. Plus, I had never had Colombian food . On the storefront, a worker happened to see me taking photos outside and kindly welcomed me to take more. My family and I went into the restaurant. There were many signs showing it is an authentic one: 1. The indoor decoration has a strong Latin American vibe -- wooden furniture, flowers, Latin music, etc. 2. Couldn't understand anything on the menu 3. All customers and workers spoke in Spanish We were there to have brunch. I don't recall exactly which dishes we ordered that day; however, we were super full! The portions of their meals are huge. All the things on the plate were tasty. There were many different ingredients on the plate: plantain, eggs, chorizo, fried pork belly, ground beef, avocado, rice, beans, etc. A very good deal. We might have seemed too unfamiliar with the food, because I didn't even know how to eat Empanadas. After I ordered an Empanada and let the servers in the restaurant watch me eat it awkwardly, a server who I guessed might be the owner treated us to two pastries -- one looked like a ball, and the other was flat bread. I looked them up by AI, and they should be Buñuelo and Almojábana, two cheese pastries from Colombia. I hope it's appropriate, but Buñuelo may be the most delicious cheese bread I've ever had -- it's tastier than the main dishes . I think it's a beautiful local business. If you're curious and haven't had Colombian food before, definitely give it a shot .

HIDDEN GEM ALERT!!! Was walking around the block to kill some time before an appointment and…read moredecided to pop in because I've never had Colombian food before. I ended up grabbing some empanadas and holy shit these are tasty. They were so fresh and crispy, I got one chicken and potato empanada and one cheese. The chicken one was wrapped in a corn dough and the cheese one was flour I think but both were really, really good-- and cheap! $2.50 per any flavor. They have tamales here too, I'd like to come back to try them. The interior is also very clean and the decor is so cute. Guy with the tattoos and stretched ears at the front was also really nice. I wish I had more time to try a dish!! I saw other peoples' food and it looked so tasty. Great portions and beautiful dinnerware as well. Will definitely be back and highly recommend for a quick bite :)

Cabacoa serves Dominican dishes which have a lot of similarities to other Latin American cuisines,…read morewith prevalent use of plantains, rice and beans, and fish. There is limited street parking in front of the restaurant, but there is a paid Green P parking garage right across the street. The ambiance of the restaurant was casual, with one large-screen TV on the wall and up-beat, energetic Latin American music in the background. Service was very friendly. They offered free complimentary Dominican coffee as soon as you sit down. Menu was available in both scannable QR code and printed format. The food was good, but be prepared to wait a very loooong time for it to come out. The restaurant wasn't too busy when we were there, but it took almost 1.5 hours for our food to be ready. They said the main chef wasn't there on that day, so the chef filling in was a bit slow. Tasty food was (somewhat) worth the wait, though. Unfortunately some of the dishes that we wanted weren't available that day (Mofongo Marinero and Filete de Pescado), so we had to choose other items from the menu. They worked out fine. Dishes review: 1) Ceviche - On the menu, this was supposed to contain haddock fish, shrimps, and scallops. But when it came out, it only consisted of fish and shrimps - which was totally ok for me because they gave a LOT of the white fish (haddock) which I really liked. The kitchen seemed to be out of seafood (scallops, mussels, etc.) other than shrimps, because the Mofongo Marinero (mixed seafood) that we wanted to order also wasn't available. The ceviche tasted fresh and I liked the sour tanginess from the citrus juices. It came with a good amount of tostones (fried green plantains). 2) Mofongo de Camarones - The mofongo here was very good. The Puerto Rican version of mofongo usually contains chicharron mixed with the mashed green plantains by default, but here, the mofongo contained pieces of shrimps (without chicharron) - so I was glad. Mofongo was flavourful even without the sauce, although they served the signature mofongo garlic-infused sauce on the side. It was topped with a skewer of 4 shrimps. 3) Pescado Frito a la Samana - Since the grilled fish that we wanted wasn't available, we settled for this substitute dish. It was a fried whole red snapper with a rich coconut-based sauce made of coconut cream, garlic, peppers, and onions, served with moro de guandules (traditional Dominican rice with pigeon peas), tostones (fried green plantains), and garden salad. We asked for the coconut sauce on the side. The fish was pretty good without being oily after being fried, and I really liked the garden salad that it came with (light and fresh). As a big fan of rice & beans in general, I loved the moro de guandules (traditional Dominican rice with pigeon peas). 4) Camarones al Ajillo (shrimps in garlic butter sauce), served with white rice and tostones - The shrimps were okay and I liked the garlic taste, but the sauce was too buttery for me. This dish was just so-and-so, especially since it came with just white rice and tostones without any salad. We ordered 2 extra green salad to make up for the lack of veggies in this dish.

From the owner: Experience the exquisite and diverse flavors of Dominican street food.read more

So far, this is the only one that has fully met my expectations in every aspect of satisfaction…read more The interior is cozy and charming, the service is excellent, and the menu offers a great variety. The food--oh my, the flavors and presentation are outstanding. Please go there; you will not be disappointed!

Definite recommend! I ordered the Maracuya drink and pork chop milanesa plate. the address was…read morelisted wrong it's on finch and milvan. 2481 Finch Ave. West

Full disclosure - we had already eaten lunch and only had one little thing - but it was so…read moredelicious that it deserves the full five stars. They were these sweet yellow corn fritters - and I can't remember what they were called. So simple and so good. See the photo, then go there and try them.

Review for one thing and one thing only- The Empanadas!!…read more Now Empanadas is a hard thing to review because different parts of south america have different styles to how its made. In this food court alone- you will find El Salvadorian , Colombian and this stand which makes my favorite ones - Ecuadorian. Not to take away from the Colombian styled empanadas that come in a corn and yellow shell. I love them as well. However this lady in this booth makes these fresh empanadas every weekend and they are so crunchy in the exterior but stuffed well inside. At $2 a pop. Cant go wrong!

DELICIOUS sandwiches!! My friend and I both ordered the classic churrasco, one steak and one…read morechorizo. They were soooo tasty and filling! Option to include an egg or cheese as well which I might try out next time. There is a cute area to sit outside, picnic tables and a few chairs if you want to stay around while you eat.

Hot dog is loaded and delicious. Unfussy spot. Service is mid (depends on who you get) but I…read moreusually get takeout anyway!

The food isn't bad I will give them that, it's surprisingly expensive for such small portions…read more.. that being said the food is not bad BUT it does not travel well. Try not ti order the food eat it in the restaurant instead. The waitress is great and very sweet, she always makes sure the food and ambience is up to par. The music is very enjoyable. I only started going there a lot these last few months. The staff is small but officient the three of them work like a well oiled machine, if you are looking for something quick this is the place to be. HOWEVER the reason I am leaving such a poor rating is because the washroom NEVER works it is always out of survive and when it does it smells if not bad awful. The blue dye on the paper used on the plates and the cabbage comes off on the food that can't be safe. Not only that but most of the time when you make a complaint or a comment nothing changes. The boss is great but has not been in for about 2 months and although he's a great guy but we can really tell how much more relaxed the staff is and sometimes how much better they work together without him there... anyways the food is pretty good do as you please with this information.

Delicious Pupusa made hot and fresh, with the cabbage slaw ordered the pork came with a small hot…read moresauce. Small store with about 10 tables, some outdoor seating as well. 1 step up to get into the front door not as acessible. Taste excellent would come back to try other items and affordable prices! Definitely worth it to check out!!