We've been to their newer location in Austin a couple of times, and were told that the Round Rock location has a more elaborate menu., since the newer location is still growing their offerings.
This location is also a bakery, so you'll be pleased to find most of your favorite Colombian pastries here. My favorite is Pan de Bono, but they were completely out by the time we arrived, on a Sunday, early afternoon. I guess that means they're very popular, so that's a good thing!
We were welcomed with warm greetings and smiles(felt like home or family), and were quickly seated and handed menus. They were even so kind to bring some coloring books and crayons to keep our children entertained while we ordered and until the food arrived.
The place is adequately spacious, tables and chairs look fairly new or in good condition. Lots of natural lighting, and if you get a seat by the window, you can raise or lower the shade to your liking. Two flat screens along the sides, and a huge projector in the middle, so that everyone can watch the soccer games. Some minor encounters with a couple of flies, but thankfully at some point they disappeared before our food arrived.
On their menu, we didn't see Cheese Empanadas, only beef. So we asked if they had cheese empanadas, and sure enough, they did! That was what our children wanted and they were well pleased.
I ordered an appetizer of Arepa con queso, and I also ordered la bandeja paisa. I was expecting them to bring the appetizer first, and my entree shortly after, but instead they brought it all at once. This was somewhat annoying, but I was ok. I took a few delightful bites off of the arepa, and then decided to save it for tomorrow's breakfast at home with coffee. It was perfect! Delicious! Highly recommend it!
The bandeja paisa was excellent, as expected! White rice is relatively easy to make, but very easy to mess up. Their white rice was absolutely perfect! Their beans were rich in flavor and reminded me of my mom's amazing cooking. The proteins were all good and the portion was just right. For some reason unbeknownst to me, the small arepa that usually comes with the dish doesn't really taste like anything, and I'm not so sure why it's added to the dish. It doesn't require it if it's lacking flavor. But it's probably just a matter of personal preference.
My wife ordered the sobrebarriga and she thought it was very nicely plated. The beef was very tender, not difficult to chew at all. A really nice flavorful sauce that came with it. The onions and tomatoes tasted fresh. She thinks they put too much salad dressing, and should probably offer the dressing on the side. She also agrees that the rice was perfectly cooked, and the ratio of sauce to rice was perfect. In Latin cooking, you usually get avocado with the peel on, but at a restaurant I suppose you'd expect it to be removed; it wasn't. I agree, as the same occurred with my dish.
I loved their freshly squeezed mango juice with water. Our server recommended it with water, instead of milk, and I was pleased.
Definitely eating here again, since we absolutely love Colombian food. Glad to find wonderful places to eat that remind me of NYC.
The chefs and servers were great, attentive, friendly, and pleasant. They do amazing work! read more