THE URBAN MIXOLOGIST

Amazing food and concept Korean and Colombian cuisine. This is a definite must try. Delicious food with a laid-back dive Cantina energy. Great for groups. Coconut rice is out of this world!!! Kimchi empanada is killer

+26

Joseph Sheffield

I appreciate the heat warmers considering the cold outside. DJ was rocking all night with the old school hip hop. Vintage decorations of old school artists and nice vibe overall in Korea Town unexpected. Church Pew style all wooden seats. The table has thick posts that you hit your knee on when sliding in. Good menu. Snapper wasn’t very seasoned but presentable and crunchy mostly but it was soft under the bottom which was weird. the mango slaw was AMAZING. The coconut rice was AMAZING. The beef was delicious in a somewhat sweet/savory sauce. The wings looked amazing but were just ok. Crunch and fresh/presentable but not blow your socks off. We didn’t like either empanada. The shell was perfect but the filling wasn’t amazing. Food comes out fast considering how packed they can get. We made a reservation. Server didn’t mention her name or much about the menu. It’s a bit dark but enough light. I’d recommend this place. Good options and def a good vibe.

+3

TamrieAnn Cagley (TamrieAnn)

Great service. Small Brunch menu but the food is awesome. Very reasonably priced. The atmosphere is fun, the restaurant is clean and inviting. A great Sunday brunch spot. Just be sure to get there early or make reservations because they get packed.

Omari King

I honestly wanted to go across the street and get Koren BBQ but my buddy wanted to go here so 🤷🏾‍♂️ Well I gotta say I was not disappointed! This place has amazing food! You gotta try these wings they will blow your mind!! I wanted to get more empanadas but you know I’m doing that New Years Diet thing that everyone else is doing! If you are in this area and decide you don’t want Korean BBQ stop in to this place you won’t be disappointed!!

+3

J M-E

First time here because we wanted to try Colombian food. If all Colombian food tastes like this then I will come to Escala this more often. The people here are attentive and friendly. So good to have excellent service. My party had Happy Hour (which is daily) items (see pics). This place has very cool ambiance and music is jumping! I highly recommend this place especially if you’re in the neighborhood.

+4

Only been here for their late night happy hours M-Th. It’s chill and casual. Decently priced because of the happy hour menu. Love the whole wings in both flavors and empanadas with kimchi and with beef.

Shantel Vallejo

Great spot to wind down with well-made drinks and an easygoing atmosphere. The service is attentive without being intrusive, and the overall vibe is consistently relaxed and enjoyable. A solid place to unwind.

Jasmyn Isabel

Loved finding Escala — a Korean and Colombian restaurant. We enjoyed the bandeja k-town which is a twist on the classic Colombian dish, and this one comes with Korean bbq short rib. Get the chicharrón and guacamole, smash sliders and yucca fries. It’s a super chill space with good music but a bit pricey.

Prince

I chose this spot to meet some coworkers for brunch because it was something different than the usual waffles eggs and bacon breakfast and they have bottomless mimosas. I ordered empanadas for the table they were supposed to be vegetarian and beef but I’m pretty sure they were all vegetarian, the orange sauce that comes with it is really good ask for more because the only gave us one initially. The benches were hard wood so not the most comfortable. Dj was good they offer 3 mimosa flavors we had the spicy mango and passion fruit, both were infused with the champagne rather than pouring in juice which made for a lighter drink. You can also order a carafe which easily serves 3 people each and you can share unlike the bottomless. Overall a nice spot and there was parking behind the building with Apple Pay.

Kate Lyon

If you’re looking for a fun atmosphere to grab a drink with a friend, Escala fits the bill. I will say, however, I was a bit disappointed with the food as my entree order didn’t come out exactly as advertised on the menu. Not a huge deal, but next time I would probably just stick to drinks and happy hour menu items for the price.

Kelly Joslin

This place was really busy when we arrived! Only table for 2 was outside on the front sidewalk which was fine for us. The cocktails were good, as was the food. We started with the beef empanadas, those were really good, then had the smoked octopus, which was excellent! We also ordered the pork arepa and that was ok, the pork was a little over cooked and dry, unfortunately. The dish I was most excited about was the ribs, but after 2 reminders (and close to 30 minutes) we were told that they were out of them. We were definitely disappointed. We ended up ordering a dessert and were given another one, complementary, which was nice. Overall, a good experience.

+7

I had high expectations for this Colombian–Korean fusion restaurant, but it ended up being a big disappointment. The food took a very long time to arrive, and to make matters worse, they told me an hour after ordering that the dish I wanted wasn’t available. I ended up ordering the “3 Amigos” plate, but what they served was underwhelming. Even considering the fusion concept, it didn’t capture the essence of Colombian flavors. The chorizo tasted like packaged sausage, the chicharrón was just okay, the criolla potatoes tasted like they had been refrigerated, and the morcilla was the only decent item. My husband ordered a platter that was even worse — more expensive and lacking flavor. The beans tasted canned, and the ribs were mostly fat. I also expected a livelier atmosphere where you could dance, but that wasn’t the case. Although the place is very nice and has an interesting concept, the execution leaves a lot to be desired.

Anna V Garibay

This restaurant was recommended to me by a buzzed guy at a trivia nite. I thought it would be really fun because it has seating on the sidewalk where you can people watch. I’d seen it before while driving down 6th street. This place is a huge let down. It’s not cheap and the quality doesn’t make up for that. The grilled octopus was good but it was just one tentacle. The arepa with chorizo was good. The street corn was awful. It didn’t taste like street corn and it’s dry. It’s on the cob and worst of all it’s yellow corn not white corn. No! The empanadas are ok and tiny. The guanabana batido lackluster. The music was awful too. It looks fun but that is lost when you get your bill. Hard no!

+3

J L

I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be good when I received the menu from a friend. The regular menu looks better than what they offered for brunch. We all ordered at the same time but some people food took a long time to come out. The server was new and didn’t know what the dessert was that she brought out for the birthday girl. The setup of the restaurant (inside) was different I like the outside better. The best part was the music, great vibes!

+2

Andres Perkins

My friend and I came on a Friday night with high expectations and left early with our worst dining experience yet. We were offered a table when we arrived early, but weren’t served until well after the original reservation time. Our server was inattentive and forgetful. The drinks we ordered were just okay to me, and the food was entirely bland, unpleasant, and uninspired. Very little effort was put into the preparation and presentation of our salad, and the server never brought the dressing we requested several times. The ceviche had to be sent back because it looked and tasted awful. They have a great (albeit poorly executed) fusion concept in a beautiful building close to the subway, but the high price isn’t worth an almost guaranteed disaster. We left early and had a better time & experience eating tacos up the street.