The Colombian Spot

The Colombian Spot has two locations--this one in Oakland and another one in the South Side. I ate one lunch at this location in Oakland.The menu listed bowls, salads, empanadas, arepas, sides (e.g., yuca fries and black beans), desserts, and juices. An employee promptly took my order and payment. Several minutes later, she called out my name for me to pick up the foods from the counter. Here are my ratings for my order:Paisa salad - 5 stars - This salad was a large size, and it was loaded with very fresh lettuce, plantains, red peppers, cheese, avocados, tomatoes, corn, carrots, and cucumber. All of these ingredients worked very well together. Choripollo arepa - 4.5 stars - A crispy corn paddy was filled with chicken chunks, cheese, and other ingredients, and I liked the flavors.Tres leches - 5 stars - This moist cake was delightfully sweet.Mango juice - 5 stars - The sweet taste of this juice was very refreshing.

Honestly way better than I expected, food comes out quick, meat is grilled deliciously, good range of options. If you are a meat lover, you will love this place. The fried arepas are messy but so so good and the bowls are large too. Very close to my campus so I'll def be a frequent visitor. The meat really is the star of the show here. Not that many seats inside tho.

I am a huge fan of the Colombian Spot on the South Side. This new restaurant in Oakland has much of the same wonderful food, however it's more convenient and fast. There is a counter at the front where you order, and your food is ready quickly. We were in Oakland to attend a concert, so this was perfect for us. I had the Brisket Bowl, and it was quite delicious. I didn't care for all the disposable plates and utensils, so I wish there was an option for that when dining in. I like the larger dining space at the original Colombian Spot, but I accept that this location is more about convenience.

Upon opening, I thought my order got messed up because the air immediately filled with a fishy smell. I soon realized why.The "chicken" thigh closely resembled the canned cat food I feed my neighbors cats.Thank god I didn't ask for any sauces because I'm pretty sure my order contained over the recommended daily salt intake. Hm... Maybe I was mistakenly given canned cat food instead? Either way, I was unable to finish.The doesn't look at all like the image displayed on the menu - nicely grilled chicken served with sauted green peppers? Disappointed to be served this with such raving reviews. Hopefully the other menu items are at a higher standard. Unfortunately, I won't find out since I won't be returning.

I went here on a Tuesday afternoon with a friend. We ordered our food at the iPad and sat down at a table while we waited for them to call our names. Our food came out pretty quickly and we were able to dig in. The meat in my friend's bowl and in my arepa was tender and flavorful. I also really enjoyed the sweet plantains as well as the tres leches cake.The inside, while not super big with limited seating, was well lit with natural light and had cute details.

Stopped in for lunch recently and got the chimi chicken bowl. Wowza, what a giant lunch! The bowl had some red beans, chicken, purple cabbage slaw, and a heaping portion of rice. I think the food was more or less pre-made (it took only a minute for them to bring it out). But it was tasty and more than you get for most fast-casual lunch spots (though at $12 it was a bit more expensive; they also have sandwich options for $9-10). I work nearby so will definitely be back to try other items off the menu.

I love Colombian food and todays experience was a bit disappointing. I ordered the paisa bowl and a vegetarian arepa and both were just okay. The best part of the paisa bowl was the meat - really flavorful and the chicharrones were crispy and salty. The beans were good too. I wish there were a few more plantains in the bowl but overall this was satisfying. The arepa was so disappointing and needed much more salt. The slice of cheese included was not great - I expected shredded mozzarella and this wasn't the right texture to go along with the rest of the fillings. The rice and beans inside the arepa lacked sazón and I wish overall there was more avocado and plantains inside. I expected more and I'm not sure I'd go back unless I tried something completely different.

I was looking for a place to grab dinner at around 9:30 PM, which is not always an easy task in Pittsburgh. Fortunately, this place was open so I decided to give it a try. I'm definitely glad I did! I ordered 2 different arepas which was more than enough food, but just 1 might not have been enough for dinner. My favorite of the arepas was the choripollo. The meat was so tender and flavorful and the toppings complemented it perfectly. The ropa vieja was also delicious, but not my favorite of the 2. I also ordered a side of sweet plantains which was a nice dessert. The interior has a small section for seating and would be a good place to stop of lunch if you worked in the area. The staff were friendly and inviting, despite my visit being close to their closing time. Overall, I had a great experience here and will definitely be back in the future.

It's perfect, since the food till the decoration!Best place and best service ever!The food it's very tasty and I'm pretty sure I'll be back as soon as you expect

The salad was very tasty and had unique ingredients. I liked the green dressing, I had to ask for another as it comes with only 1 small container. I'd come back to get this salad.