Colombian Food

I have a very good friend of mine who is visiting the Chicago area later in September. Can anyone recommend a place where we can find good authentic Colombian food?

Honestly, I don't know Columbian food enough to evaluate its authenticity, but El Guanaco (3802 W Diversey) serves arepas and a few other Columbian items.

Though I have not been there yet, Gloria's (3300 W. Fullerton Ave) specializes in Columbian chow.

You may also want to check out Taqueria Siglo XX, a corner diner/cafeteria that specializes in Columbian and Mexican items.

Best,
Michael

I'm not Colombian, but I like Sabor a Cafe(a Colombian friend of mine likes it as well; judging from the number of patrons wearing Colombian soccer uniforms, she's not the only one.) Great tostones, kind and friendly owners, meats very good to OK.

La Fonda is Colombian and I ran into a Colombian friend there once. I asked him how "authentic" it was; the gist of the reply was that it was good enough. Not like Mom and not particularly noteworthy, but close enough to make it worth an occasional trip for him. Take that assessment as you will.

La Fonda
5350 N Broadway
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 271-3935

I cannot vouch for Gloria's in Logan Square, but I have read some good reviews of it here and elsewhere. They offer homestyle Colombian cuisine, including arepas, empanadas, flank steak with chimchurri, and arroz con pollo. It's a cozy spot, I am told.

Gloria's
3300 W Fullerton Ave
(between Kimball Ave & Spaulding Ave)
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 342-1050

I strongly recommend Pueblito Viejo for an authentic Colombian experience. Their empanadas and carne asada are wonderful. I like this better than Sabor a Cafe. The decor and atmosphere is more vibrant.

By the way, there is a Colombian bakery immediately to the south if you want to take home some empanadas.

Pueblito Viejo
5429 N. Lincoln
Chicago, IL 60625

773-784-9135
owner-Gonzalo Rodriguez

<b>Las Tablas</b> and <b>el Llano</b> come to mind.

My Columbian neighbor is fond of <b>Las Tablas</b> (they now have a 2nd location).
Both have very good food and service.
I especially enjoy the Arepas and the steak dishes.
The Las Tablas on Lincoln Avenue can get a bit noisy at times, so if its intimate catching up that you're after- you may want to consider that noise element.
I believe that the Irving location may be BYOB!

also - El Llano has an amazing Lunch Special- something like $5.95 for a plate of "Bis Steak" Rice and Beans/and a "salad" - or a Chicken breast with Rice and Beans too(and a "salad") !


Las Tablas (the original location)
2965 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago
(773) 871-2414

Las Tablas Restaurant (the 2nd location my neighbor enjoys!)
www.lastablas.com
4920 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago
(773) 202-0999

El Llano Restaurant
3941 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago
(773) 327-1659

Los Niches serves homestyle Colombian food. Lots of soups and stews. El Llano serves Columbian charcoal grilled beef, chicken and rabbit. Its sister restaurant Brasa Roja specializes in grilled chicken. La Fonda is owned by Colombians (I believe), but has a more pan-latin orientation.

Los Niches
6619 N. Clark St., Chicago
Tel: (773) 338-6529

Brasa Roja
3125 W. Montrose Ave.
773-866-2252

Hombre de Acero wrote:<b>Las Tablas</b> and <b>el Llano</b> come to mind.


Las Tablas (the original location)
2965 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago
(773) 871-2414

Las Tablas Restaurant (the 2nd location my neighbor enjoys!)
www.lastablas.com
4920 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago
(773) 202-0999

El Llano Restaurant
3941 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago
(773) 327-1659

Agreed on these two. Ecuadorian shares several themes, and I like Mi Ciudad (Cuenca) on Irving. Also, these days most of the staff and patrons at La Unica's cafe are Colombian, as is a significant part of the menu. Good stuff all around there with Cuban, Colombian and Mexican represented in that order.

Don't forget El Llano's sister restaurant, Brasa Roja and it's fabulous rotisserie chicken steaks and sausages.

Las Tablas has good food, although the authenticity of the food is somehow an issue. I would like to consider it a good steakhouse instead a Colombian restaurant. The main advantages of this restaurant are the environment and the live band.
If you are more interested in the food, then you should go to La Fonda because it has real colombian food and is also a nice place.

Hombre de Acero wrote:<b>Las Tablas</b> and <b>el Llano</b> come to mind.

My Columbian neighbor is fond of <b>Las Tablas</b> (they now have a 2nd location).

also - El Llano has an amazing Lunch Special- something like $5.95 for a plate of "Bis Steak" Rice and Beans/and a "salad" - or a Chicken breast with Rice and Beans too(and a "salad") !

Las Tablas also does a decent lunch special. $6.95 for your choice of Chicken or Steak, soup of the day, salad, rice, beans, plantains, sometimes yuca. For some reason though, I think their lunch used to be a bit of a better value when they were in their old location 1/2 block north of the current Lincoln location

El Llano is located on Lincoln, just south of Irving Park. I have passed it a million times, but just finally tried it tonight.

They have huge plates of food for less than $15. I ordered the steak/chicken which comes on a cutting board, along with fried cassava, a fried plantain and a boiled potato. The chicken and steak were both flavorful and juicy. The chimichurri sauce is fresh and delicious. I wanted to slather it on everything. There was so much food that I took half of it home for lunch tomorrow.

Another gentleman in the restaurant told me to try the ribs next time. They are his favorite.

There is a sister restaurant on Montrose called La Brasa Roja, which is supposed to have great rotisserie chicken.

Looks like I'll probably be eating at the Lincoln Avenue Las Tablas this Saturday for my brother's 50th birthday, so I searched and found this and other threads where it is mentioned. From what I've read, I'm looking forward to it.

But I am a bit mystified by the issue of the cuisine's authenticity. Having travelled to Colombia for work a few times and having had the pleasure of dining out there, I would say that while the food is very good it isn't necessarily a very distinctive or highly memorable cuisine (no offense to any Colombians in the room, but if you remember, I lived in Chile for ten years, so I think I know from unmemorable cuisine). The best thing I can say about Colombian cuisine - and I mean this as a high compliment - is that they get high-quality steak there and really do a great job with it. So "Colombian" and "steakhouse" in the same sentence sounds like a winner to me. Beyond that, I cannot remember from my trips there what else was served or what, other than steak, Colombian cuisine ought to be known for.

SDG wrote:El Llano is located on Lincoln, just south of Irving Park. I have passed it a million times, but just finally tried it tonight.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the El Llano at 7018 N Clark? A pile of meat sounds good right now, but it would be even better if I could walk there.

my wife is colombian and I have travled extensivly in colombia. we have eaten at la brasa roja they have great chicken, the sides are so so, and it is pretty authentic. rotissari chicken is a very minor part of colomiban cuisine. they have a lot of other authentic colombian stuff, but it isn't stellar, it is so so.

my wife's friend (also colombian) likes the flying chicken, my wife doesn't

my wife has heard good things about pueblito viejo, its supposed to have good colombian food.


close by on licoln is the colombian bakery mekato, my wife loves that - very authentic.

the coffee shop in la unica seems to have some authentic colombian food as well.


colombian food is a little different from other south american foods, and sort of divides into the mountain area - heavy foods, pork, plaintains, beans; and the coast - fish, fruit, slightly lighter beans and rice dishes. I love the mountain foods - picture sort of stewed fat meat with beans and rice, but sort of served seperatly but on the same plate.

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:

SDG wrote:El Llano is located on Lincoln, just south of Irving Park. I have passed it a million times, but just finally tried it tonight.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the El Llano at 7018 N Clark? A pile of meat sounds good right now, but it would be even better if I could walk there.

Suzy-

That location was in the section of Clark that had a fire a year or so ago. El Llano did not return.

The GP wrote:

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:

SDG wrote:El Llano is located on Lincoln, just south of Irving Park. I have passed it a million times, but just finally tried it tonight.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the El Llano at 7018 N Clark? A pile of meat sounds good right now, but it would be even better if I could walk there.

Suzy-

That location was in the section of Clark that had a fire a year or so ago. El Llano did not return.

Damnit. I was hoping to be able to hoof it to a big pile of meat. Guess I'll just have to make do with Khan's, like some kind of peasant.

I just finished eating dinner at El Llano and had a great meal.

The place was virtually empty at 6pm, so service and wait time were not an issue.

The menu is VERY meat-centric. For me, that is a great thing. However, vegetarians will have a tough time here. There are a few seafood dishes and no vegetarian dishes.

Still...no problem for me. I have #16, who's name escapes me. It was essentially a sampler platter, consisting of char grilled steak, Colombian sausage (not blood sausage, which is also available), fried pork skin along with a few hunks of meat hanging on, a perfectly cooked over medium egg, rice, beans, corn cake, fried plantains, and avocado.

It was a huge amount of food, both in variety and volume. Quite a deal for $15. Everything was great, and I really enjoyed the steak, which was very thin but still really juicy and the fried pork (who doesn't like that?).

My dining partner had the brisket with rice, casava, and plantains which, while very good, paled in comparison to the Colombian food bonanza I had going on over at my plate.

All in all a great meal, with leftovers, and ended up being $36 even, including tax and tip.

I've been frequenting a couple of very satisfying family owned Colombian spots that are both worthy of a few words over here. I'm a big fan of both. May the good word be heard.
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Lincoln Park

First up is a cute little snack/coffee shop on Diversey called Rapidito. This place puts their own little touches on popular Colombian street eats. Some of the items might sound unappealing at first but once you bite into them you'll be sold pretty quickly. I know I've been on my visits in. My favorite bite to eat from here are the salchipapas. This popular street snack is found throughout Latin America. It's typically made with fries and sausages mixed together with a special mayo based sauce. Rapidito takes theirs a step up with creole baked potatoes and quail hard boiled eggs mixed with smoked beef links. The mayo based sauce on the side is addicting. Hangover food for the gods. Actually pretty much all the Colombian dishes I've come across are great for soaking up consumed booze.


Salchipapas


Arepizzas - arepas and pizza. Best described as a corn flatbread, they layer toppings on top as opposed to in the middle. The Hawaiian Oinker includes pineapple, smoked ham, cheese, crusted potato chips and the signature pink sauce.


Colombian Hot Dog - Cheese, Pulled Chicken, Crushed Potato Chips, Ketchup, Mustard, Signature Pink Sauce, Honey, Pineapple Sauce & Hard-Boiled Quail Eggs. Somehow in some way it all works well together, even with the ketchup included.
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Humboldt Park

Next up is this dope restaurant that caught my eye on North avenue that specializes in Colombian style Pollo al Carbon. PikoRiko Pollo Colombian Rotisserie has an indoor rotisserie that holds charcoal which they rotate some heavily seasoned birds over. One of the best cheap eats meals I've ate of late is a half chicken served with some pretty normal sides of boiled potatoes and plantains but they work well as a whole. The succulent smokey chicken meat dipped in housemade salsa verde is tongue candy.


Half of Rotisserie Chicken served with potato and sweet plantains

Last week I tried the mini Bandeja Paisa platter. This is a much loved Colombian style lunch plate popular in it's homeland for the amount of food it includes. That was obvious in the fact a mini could of passed for a large and I wouldn't of thought twice about it. PikoRiko serves a traditional plate as far as what comes on it. At $8.95 this is yet another great bang for your buck meal. I ate the whole thing as a late lunch and was good until lunch the next day. They also do a daily soup special I've been wanting to try.


Mini Bandeja Paisa Platter - rice, beans, grilled steak, colombian sausage, pork rind, fried egg, corn griddle cake and avocado
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Rapidito
1855 West Diversey Parkway
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 857-3999

PikoRiko Pollo Colombian Rotisserie
3625 W North Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 666-5059