Best Bites: Best Colombian Restaurants in Atlanta
Want something south-of-the-border, but not Mexican? Try one of the Colombian restaurants in this article!
Americans have a bad habit of lumping all food south of the
border as Mexican. There's a huge variety of cuisines in South America,
each with their own specialties. In this article, we'll be focusing on
Colombian cuisine, rich in tropical fruits and especially known for
their potato soup, known as ajiaco. Atlanta has a number of fine
Colombian restaurants where you can try this kind of very
south-of-the-border cuisine.
1.Casa Vieja Restaurant: 3652 Shallowford Rd NE, Atlanta
The big dish that stands out at Casa Vieja is also one of
Colombia's national dishes, bandeja paisa. It means Paisa platter,
Paisa being a region of Colombia, and when they say platter they mean
it. It's way too big for a plate. At Casa Vieja it consists of grilled
skirt steak, fried pork belly, fried egg, beans, rice, fried plantains,
avocado, and an arepa (Colombian bread). It lacks a few of the
traditional ingredients, such as sausage and black pudding, but there's
already enough food there to satisfy even the most hungry eater. This
is the dish that Colombia's tourist board is pushing as the national
dish, and it makes a good baseline to measure other Colombian
restaurants by.
2.La Casona Taqueria Y Billares: 3820 Stewart Rd, Atlanta
Funny enough, they serve neither tacos nor billiards! Just
excellent Colombian food just
off of 285 at the Buford Highway exit.
Their bandeja paisa does come with sausage, but their big standout
dishes are the soups they serve on the weekends. Ajiaco Santa Fereno is
one example. This is made with chicken, potatoes, and miniature corn on
the cob. They serve something that's like cliantro cole slaw on the
side, along with rice, bananas, and avocado. They also serve an awesome
guanabana juice with milk drink, and rice pudding is complimentary
before the meal!
3.Las Arepas De Julia: 4044 Lawrenceville Hwy NW, Lilburn
Las
Arepas De Julia Columbian foodIt's way off the beaten track, but this is the place to go
for arepas. Arepas are the most popular form of bread in Colombia, and
can be found in several other Latin America countries. Traditionally,
they're made with corn dough and stuffed with all manner of
ingredients. Arepa de chocolo is made with sweet corn and has a gooey
farmer's cheese inside. Arepa paisa is like a little mini
version of bandeja paisa. You can even get ones stuffed with tripe if
you go for that sort of thing! It's worth the journey.
4.Kiosco: 48 Powder Springs St, Marietta
Kiosco’s Front View
A treat for those of us on the northwest side of Atlanta, Kiosco
is a tiny restaurant located just south of Marietta square. They're
best known for their chicken with raspberry dish (Medio Pollo al Horno)
and for the extremely friendly service of the owner. If a lack of
Spanish intimidates you from venturing out, come here first to get a
really friendly introduction to Colombian food. It is on the square
though, so parking can be a bit rough. Don't let it stop you.
Emily Hunter is a freelance writer for Atlanta-restaurants.org
