Fonda Colombiana

Just ordered the chicken/potato fried dumpling and the deep fried three-layer pork belly with whole potatoes. AMAZING!!! There's a reservation waiting list on the door if you want to dine-in. Its already BUSY CROWDED at 630pm on Sunday. The crew is FANTASTIC! They are inly closed on Mondays and the restaurant of open till 9pm and after 9, it turns into a bustling BAR!! Come check out SJ's HIDDEN GEM, a hole in the wall.

Excellent food and friendly staff. You’ll feel like family. Gracias en todos!🙏🇨🇴

Amazing place! I loved everything! I had Patti es and soap de Mondongo! It was very tasty. Thank you so much Natalia! Your service was very nice!

Helena made our experience amazing! She was full of energy, attentive and had great recommendations! 10/10!

So far, the best Colombian food place in San Jose. The Bandeja Paisa is to die for. I visit them twice a month at least. Waitress are super kind and helpful.

Excellent excellent food! This is my second time coming here . I got the Cazuelita La Toxic, Passionfruit juice & arepas appetizer... I like the vibes, the atmosphere and even though it was very busy, Carlos was very attentive server and service was great! Thank you , Carlos!

At first I had my doubts from the way it looked on the outside but changed my mind as soon I started eating the food. It is my first time meeting Colombian food and surprised to see how delicious my Pisa dish was. The service was good in the restaurant might be a little small but comfortable. I enjoyed the Latin music that they were playing and would definitely come here again to try another Colombian dish. It is a quaint restaurant with a comfortable atmosphere that I would recommend everyone come and enjoy they're food.

What a great place to eat. The food is very good. The restaurant is in a very small place. It is hard to see from the main street. A lot of parking but feels very tight. The food is amazing. The service is very great too. I did feel that it was a bit pricey but the atmosphere, food and service was very exceptional. Highly recommend this place!

This is my second time being here and it’s never a disappointment. Authentic columbian food for sure. Love coming here. You get your food out quick but the service can be alittle slow. I got the arroz con pollo which was amazing along with empanadas de pollo. The portion sizes are pretty big so you’ll have some to go.

Great food!!!!!! I will say this, great atmosphere, great food and I love the club music playing In the restaurant. I ordered the Bistec a caballo plate, It comes with Steak, rice, egg, plantain, onions and avocado. I really like the flavors and the steak was cooked perfectly, very tender. The empanadas were delicious. My buddies ordered the Mojarra frita dinner, it comes with Fried tilapia, rice, plantain and tomatoes. We all really enjoyed the food and service. The waitress was very kind and made sure we got everything we needed. Definitely will be back!!!

We got invited to this restaurant by a Colombian friend. I was surprised how delicious the colombian food it's! The service is great, the food fresh, like home made. Very clean with a colombian touch because of the decorations. I had a great lunch in here. I recommend it 100% !

When we came back from Colombia, we were looking for a place to get the delicious food. We found it here and more! The food is delicious and fresh. The restaurant is very clean, authentic, and makes you feel like you are in Colombia. Staff is very welcoming and kind. Hellen was lovely and had great customer service. Highly recommend when you visit San Jose. It’s a staple.

Great food! We had the empanadas (deep fried and golden), caldo costilla (a comforting and homey clear beef soup with potato), and the classic bandeja paisa (excellent sausage, pork belly, plantains and beans). Everything was really delicious! Thanks to our server Juan from Bogota who was very welcoming and made good recommendations for us, including the lulo juice. Loved the wall art that reminded me of the colorful street art in Medellin.

Delicious, For that specific moment I took time to remember my roots, to be clear the flavor is close to real flavor in Colombia, you can enjoy Hogo or Hogao, pats on no like in Colombia but is ok, Sancocho not with a real creole hen but ist fine, the empanadas are really good.

Helen the server did a fantastic job, outstanding customer service and always aware of our table. Food was delicious and prices on the menu are very competitive with the quality of the meals.

Delicious food and waiters are very attentive. Can totally recommend it and will definitely come back again!!

I am Colombian And this is the best Colombian restaurant I been too amazing must come this place should have 5000 good reviews

Ricardo Meza

At first I had my doubts from the way it looked on the outside but changed my mind as soon I started eating the food. It is my first time meeting Colombian food and surprised to see how delicious my Pisa dish was. The service was good in the restaurant might be a little small but comfortable. I enjoyed the Latin music that they were playing and would definitely come here again to try another Colombian dish. It is a quaint restaurant with a comfortable atmosphere that I would recommend everyone come and enjoy they're food.

Jose Perez

What a great place to eat. The food is very good. The restaurant is in a very small place. It is hard to see from the main street. A lot of parking but feels very tight. The food is amazing. The service is very great too. I did feel that it was a bit pricey but the atmosphere, food and service was very exceptional. Highly recommend this place!

Monica

This is my second time being here and it’s never a disappointment. Authentic columbian food for sure. Love coming here. You get your food out quick but the service can be alittle slow. I got the arroz con pollo which was amazing along with empanadas de pollo. The portion sizes are pretty big so you’ll have some to go.

Beasteastbay

Great food!!!!!! I will say this, great atmosphere, great food and I love the club music playing In the restaurant. I ordered the Bistec a caballo plate, It comes with Steak, rice, egg, plantain, onions and avocado. I really like the flavors and the steak was cooked perfectly, very tender. The empanadas were delicious. My buddies ordered the Mojarra frita dinner, it comes with Fried tilapia, rice, plantain and tomatoes. We all really enjoyed the food and service. The waitress was very kind and made sure we got everything we needed. Definitely will be back!!!

Fabiana P.

We got invited to this restaurant by a Colombian friend. I was surprised how delicious the colombian food it's! The service is great, the food fresh, like home made. Very clean with a colombian touch because of the decorations. I had a great lunch in here. I recommend it 100% !

Noemi G

When we came back from Colombia, we were looking for a place to get the delicious food. We found it here and more! The food is delicious and fresh. The restaurant is very clean, authentic, and makes you feel like you are in Colombia. Staff is very welcoming and kind. Hellen was lovely and had great customer service. Highly recommend when you visit San Jose. It’s a staple.

Elspeth Ong

Great food! We had the empanadas (deep fried and golden), caldo costilla (a comforting and homey clear beef soup with potato), and the classic bandeja paisa (excellent sausage, pork belly, plantains and beans). Everything was really delicious! Thanks to our server Juan from Bogota who was very welcoming and made good recommendations for us, including the lulo juice. Loved the wall art that reminded me of the colorful street art in Medellin.

Gerardo Andrés Almario Chaves

Delicious, For that specific moment I took time to remember my roots, to be clear the flavor is close to real flavor in Colombia, you can enjoy Hogo or Hogao, pats on no like in Colombia but is ok, Sancocho not with a real creole hen but ist fine, the empanadas are really good.

Carlos Baron

Helen the server did a fantastic job, outstanding customer service and always aware of our table. Food was delicious and prices on the menu are very competitive with the quality of the meals.

Kim

Delicious food and waiters are very attentive. Can totally recommend it and will definitely come back again!!

Fabian Roa

I am Colombian And this is the best Colombian restaurant I been too amazing must come this place should have 5000 good reviews

Iwin Molins

Best experience ever!!! The only issue is parking.

This place is amazing I loved the food.As well the service, that Silvia gave us it was an absolute amazing person.

Drive from the East Bay and was not disappointed! Amazing authentic food!! Definitely coming back!!

Ryan Norton

Excellent food and friendly staff. You’ll feel like family. Gracias en todos!🙏🇨🇴

Cesar Augusto Tapias Sierra

Amazing place! I loved everything! I had Patti es and soap de Mondongo! It was very tasty. Thank you so much Natalia! Your service was very nice!

Drive an hour to eat Bandeja Paisa It's worth it, the service and food is 10/10 recommended, the soups are delicious

Best Colombian food in the south Bay. I find myself constantly craving the empanadas. The rice, bandeja, chicharron, and ajiaco are very authentic and delicious. Chairs are a bit uncomfortable and there's no AC in the summer, but all worth it for the food. Also a little pricey, just keep in mind. Food is great whether you dine in, take out, or deliver.

It was not crowded on the Thursday that I visited here. We wanted some Colombian food and this place was good. Ask for the spicy sauce to add the meat and the fresh juices.

Presentation was traditional looking. My husband a Colombian native enjoyed his meal. We traveled 2.5 hours to come try out Colombian restaurants. The music was good, the environment was welcoming. Do not come hangry they have a lovely pace just like in Colombia… where you wait for a nice home cooked meal. Do not expect fast food service. All in all if we were closer to this restaurant I’m pretty sure it would be a weekly lunch spot for us.

When I went to Colombia 10 years ago, I fell in love with their food. At the time, i couldn’t find any Colombian restaurants in San Jose that sold one of my favorites… mondongo. I recently had a craving for it and found this place has it. Pretty good too! Has a lot of fun other dishes I want to try! I really liked their drinks!

10/1 at 1pm. Indoor dining available. Not crowded. Food over cooked and dry. Very bland. I don't think this is how Colombian food is to taste. Very expensive for bland food.

Brian W.

It was not crowded on the Thursday that I visited here. We wanted some Colombian food and this place was good. Ask for the spicy sauce to add the meat and the fresh juices.

Keyz Pina

Presentation was traditional looking. My husband a Colombian native enjoyed his meal. We traveled 2.5 hours to come try out Colombian restaurants. The music was good, the environment was welcoming. Do not come hangry they have a lovely pace just like in Colombia… where you wait for a nice home cooked meal. Do not expect fast food service. All in all if we were closer to this restaurant I’m pretty sure it would be a weekly lunch spot for us.

The Praxeum - Parkour x MMA (www.thepraxeum.com)

When I went to Colombia 10 years ago, I fell in love with their food. At the time, i couldn’t find any Colombian restaurants in San Jose that sold one of my favorites… mondongo. I recently had a craving for it and found this place has it. Pretty good too! Has a lot of fun other dishes I want to try! I really liked their drinks!

Vincent Tang

10/1 at 1pm. Indoor dining available. Not crowded. Food over cooked and dry. Very bland. I don't think this is how Colombian food is to taste. Very expensive for bland food.

The atmosphere is noisy like a disco and is not comfortable for families with children. The bathrooms are not adequate, they are dirty and there is a lack of soap and towels. It seemed expensive to me and the fact that the bathrooms are in that condition is not good. The food took a while and is expensive for the flavor they offer.

I'm Colombian so I didn't have big expectations about this place and sure enough, it was just OK. I got the bandeja Paisa and it was mediocre. The fried egg should be over easy and it was overcooked. It should have been served with grilled skirt stake and instead I got dry ground beef which tasted like sand. We asked for a portion of pork rinds chicharron and it was pure fat. The arepas were the best along with beans in the bandeja. We won't be driving to San Jose to eat at this place.

The food was overall ok; I ordered the bandeja paisa, and it was tasty as expected; however, the empanadas we ordered were more potatoes and had very very little beef. The service was not good. I went for lunch with my family on a hot day in San Jose. When I asked for water, the waitress told us they don't give cups of water to their clients and that we must buy the water which I found unusual and as bad service since every restaurant provides water to their clients. Also, the service was slow; it seemed there was only one waitress. She brought us the wrong drinks and forgot to bring us the order of appetizers before the entrée.

Food was alright. The fruit juices were great. Service was slow.

Is the slow place that I ever been. More than 45 minutes to get you food

Our recent dining experience, shared with a colleague, involved three distinct dishes: the Bandeja Paisa, Picada, and Empanada de Carne. While the experience was not entirely optimal, certain aspects warrant commendation. The empanadas, for instance, were executed exceptionally well, exhibiting a desirable crispness and a flavorful beef filling. Regarding the Bandeja Paisa, the beans and rice were prepared to a high standard, offering a delicious and flavorful component. However, the blood sausage and certain meat cuts within the Bandeja Paisa were served at a suboptimal temperature. Furthermore, the chicharrón presented in this dish was notably greasy, lacking the desired meat content and crispy texture. The Picada, conversely, offered a more favorable experience, particularly with its chicharrón, potatoes, and yucca. The meat cuts in the Picada were also demonstrably superior to those found in the Bandeja Paisa.

El Salsero Sanchez (Salsero)

Our recent dining experience, shared with a colleague, involved three distinct dishes: the Bandeja Paisa, Picada, and Empanada de Carne. While the experience was not entirely optimal, certain aspects warrant commendation. The empanadas, for instance, were executed exceptionally well, exhibiting a desirable crispness and a flavorful beef filling. Regarding the Bandeja Paisa, the beans and rice were prepared to a high standard, offering a delicious and flavorful component. However, the blood sausage and certain meat cuts within the Bandeja Paisa were served at a suboptimal temperature. Furthermore, the chicharrón presented in this dish was notably greasy, lacking the desired meat content and crispy texture. The Picada, conversely, offered a more favorable experience, particularly with its chicharrón, potatoes, and yucca. The meat cuts in the Picada were also demonstrably superior to those found in the Bandeja Paisa.

They don’t give solutions when complaining about food portions , manager was rude and didn’t solve anything, this is the meat portion I got for a “Bandeja Paisa”, it’s insulting

I came here hungry, but after 20 minutes of waiting and waiting and waitresses just walking by and not helping us, we opted to leave. There were 5 of them just standing around. One took other people's orders, but they totally ignored us. I can't recommend a place that doesn't help the clientele as soon as they come in. This is a stay away on my list. We Saturday 12 noon.

The music is so loud and they put the tips lfor the kitchen like an item that the call "kitchen appreciation" if you pay w9rh card and don't asked you before. The don't like give you the bill that you don't see that charge this is ilegal in other hand the check is only for 2 person not go a big party more than 4 that I understand that charge the tips on the bill. The food is expensive for the quality and the service

Cold and icy food. Took over an hour to order. There was only a single server and a day when it was easy to anticipate the crowd. 70,000 + Colombians came to town to see the match; where else were they going to look for food, if not a Colombian restaurant. More servers arrived later but were instructed not to take new orders. A foreseeable, preventable disaster that came to fruition.

Ordered 4 orders of empanadas, arroz con pollo and the bandeja for delivery. The bandeja was good, but the arroz con pollo for mushy and flavorless. The empanadas were ok, but I only received ONE of my 4 orders. I was still charged for the 4 orders even though I never received the food. When I called the restaurant they were absolutely zero help and basically said tough cookies unless I wanted to drive over and pick up the food I ordered to be delivered. Manager took my number and promised to help resolve, but she failed to follow up at all. Uber Eats was just as useless. Both companies just blamed each other but I was the one who got screwed. Will NEVER eat here again in person or pickup because of how terrible service was.

This place is mediocre to say the least. Drove 1 hour from south bay to have dinner with my kids and family. The waitress ask us to leave after spending close to $300 dollars so they could, open space for the colombian people so they could watch the soccer game. I told the waitress if I could speak with management and they told me to leave to a Mexican restaurant...never and I repeat never going back to that place...

The worst food ever and really heavy environment. We went for first time to this Colombian restaurant and we found several disgusting things. As soon you arrives you can notice a dirty wall announcement that is falling down from one of the walls, once by they door we have to wait because nobody was in charge to seat you. We ask for a table outside even the sourondings were not clean, they were papers and bottles on the ground making a not pleasant view next the dirty dark spots everywhere. We ask for out table outside because they had inside a music with a very high volume, we can't heard each other at one feet. When we got our table outside, we got alarmed with the yelling of a woman from inside of restaurant, she was using a really spanish bad words and profanities for several times, this behavior continued for all the time we were there. When finally we got the menu it was dirty and in a bad shape, after several minutes more than 10 we had to ask to a different server if someone were able to take our order. Finally our food arrived, but the lady that were serving us was not paying attention to our needs, she brought the food but she forgot to bring plates to serve the food we were sharing, we had to call her and ask for plates. About the food, we had a "Picada" and it was terrible. Food looks like it wasn't fresh and it was shinny because the amount of grease it had over. The food flavor wasn't pleasant too, the general flavor was greasy but that kind some restaurants use and reuse for several days without replacing it for a fresh one, so the food had any natural flavor. I can say this restaurant NO represent in any way the Colombian kitchen. Finally the best time arrived, the time of leaving this place to not come back again, now we can rest of the louder music, now more louder than at the beginning, be free of the bad service and chew a bubble gum to quit the greasy taste we still having in our mouth. We DON'T RECOMMEND THIS restaurant to nobody.

What a frustrating and unbelievable experience tonight.. I placed an online order for 2 Tamales from the Snell Avenue location. 10 minutes after placing the order and as I was on my way to pick it up, I get a call from the restaurant saying they were out of Tamales and they would be cancelling the order. It would’ve been nice to know sooner rather than when the customer is almost at the restaurant, but okay. So I then placed the same order for the location off of White Road. After arriving 20 minutes later, I was then informed that they are out of stock as well! They didn’t even bother to call to inform me, they waited until I was at the restaurant to tell me. If the first location was able to call to let me know, they could have as well. Why sit around and wait for the customer to show up to let them know in person? Not just that, but the girl at the register was very rude.. She said “It’s not my problem, it’s the system that’s the problem. I didn’t do anything wrong.” What!? So after looking at the menu, the only other item I wanted was pricier.. so for the inconvenience and now needing to wait there while they start the order, I asked if they could upgrade to the pricier item. The girl didn’t know what to do, so she tried calling the owner for help. Apparently the owner was at the club so the owner didn’t answer, so she refused to upgrade the order. I’m sorry, but that’s bad customer service. If you guys mess up and the customer is asking for a simple request to upgrade the order for the inconvenience and to make the situation right, you should do the right thing to keep the customer happy and to come back next time.. After that, I decided to just cancel the order and ask for a refund. Keep in mind, the subtotal was $38.48, tax of $3.61, and a $2.48 service fee, totaling $44.47. She claimed she could only refund $38.48. What?? I paid $44.47 and didn’t receive anything, I need a full refund of what I paid. She said that she can’t refund the tax and service charge. Unbelievable incompetence, that’s not how it works here! Maybe in Colombia, but not here. So after explaining that I need the FULL refund, she finally gave the refund of what I had paid. Keep in mind, not one single apology or I’m sorry the entire time I was there. The girl was rude the entire time and just didn’t care about the situation I was put in. Never experienced something like this from a restaurant in my life..

Service: Beware, especially large groups. 20% service charge is already included but when I went to close out, the server didn’t even mention that OR give me a receipt, she simply told me the total and handed me a tip screen.. The price seemed very high so I asked for a receipt and it showed the gratuity (20% service charge) and my 18% tip, AND a “kitchen appreciation fee”. (We call this “double dipping” in the restaurant industry and it’s disrespectful). I asked if I could adjust the tip and she told me no. She finally gave me my tip back after I explained that a 40% gratuity is not justifiable. She mentioned that the “gratuity that I’m used to is not how it works there”. She also ended up charging me for other guests’ food even after she and I agreed on what I was paying for. They also charged me 7.80 for a beer that is listed as 6.99 on the menu. Food: my morcilla and yucca was delicious, and my dad ordered the Lengua En Salsa. They brought out a sobrebarriga en salsa instead and when we asked about it the server claimed it was indeed lengua. My dad finally convinced her to take it back (it was obviously not lengua) and they then brought out the correct dish 15 minutes later. I had already long finished my meal by then Our group had a good time but the severe lack of trust that I saw left a sour taste and I’ll never go back. If I can’t expect accurate orders and prices, OR honest service, then they shouldn’t expect returning customers.

Nicolas Rojas

Service: Beware, especially large groups. 20% service charge is already included but when I went to close out, the server didn’t even mention that OR give me a receipt, she simply told me the total and handed me a tip screen.. The price seemed very high so I asked for a receipt and it showed the gratuity (20% service charge) and my 18% tip, AND a “kitchen appreciation fee”. (We call this “double dipping” in the restaurant industry and it’s disrespectful). I asked if I could adjust the tip and she told me no. She finally gave me my tip back after I explained that a 40% gratuity is not justifiable. She mentioned that the “gratuity that I’m used to is not how it works there”. She also ended up charging me for other guests’ food even after she and I agreed on what I was paying for. They also charged me 7.80 for a beer that is listed as 6.99 on the menu. Food: my morcilla and yucca was delicious, and my dad ordered the Lengua En Salsa. They brought out a sobrebarriga en salsa instead and when we asked about it the server claimed it was indeed lengua. My dad finally convinced her to take it back (it was obviously not lengua) and they then brought out the correct dish 15 minutes later. I had already long finished my meal by then Our group had a good time but the severe lack of trust that I saw left a sour taste and I’ll never go back. If I can’t expect accurate orders and prices, OR honest service, then they shouldn’t expect returning customers.