El Portal Cafe

My husband and I really did like the service and food. We both had «la bandeja paisa» basically it brings white rice, red beans, sweet plantain, fried egg on rice, slice of avocado, steak (thin, grilled) one sausage and chicharron. And as a beverage «Una Colombiana» which is a Colombian Pop soda, very delicious, not as gassy or sweet, just right. The atmosphere is calm, quiet, and spacious. Only 4 stars because the chicharron wasn’t as salty as I personally like and it seemed kind of «dry» if that makes any sense. Enjoy!

Very authentic and excellent Colombian food. I feel like I am back on Colombia every time I eat there.

Uhh yeah colombian food/​pastries… literally like slipin into a portal back to Colombia. Great atmosphere great food. Uhhgg I love it. Personally im vietnamese but love this place. Serious hole in the wall. Bring a friend or friends. It makes for great mini date ish laid back whatever

Not the best Colombian restaurant in the area but it’s not bad either. I’ve definitely had better empanadas but that’s not to say they’re bad either. If you’ve never good Colombian food before then you’ll really enjoy it but if you’ve had it before then it’ll be just ok.

This small, clean, tastefully decorated and well-​kept Latin-​style cafeteria place seems to be always popular. Popular with Colombians, Venezuelans and other Latin Americans from the other large landmass that constitutes the other half of the Americas (I do see people proudly wearing their country on their sleeves lol). But this place is proudly Colombian, and it is VERY Colombian in every way.
The Bandeja Paisa plate here was great, although I had to get them to remake the fried egg (they didn’t make it with runny yolk — which is mandatory to go along with my chicharrones or fried pork belly — YUM!).
And this is one of the two places I know in Dallas where you can get this dish (ironically, the other place is also nearby, in Carrollton).
The empanadas were decent although I liked Zaguan’s better. The coffee could be improved since I found it to be too weak — I hope they do get an espresso machine someday in order to expand their coffee menu. The fruit juices were a better option.
But really, this place stands out for having bakery items that the other Colombian place doesn’t have — but I’m not very fond of Colombian baked goods. But if you want to try something, try the pastelitos de guayaba y queso, which you would like if you have a sweet tooth, or almojábana which is a cheese bread made out corn flour, which I liked more than the pan de bono, but only because it’s a bit sweeter, which goes well with the cheese taste. The pan de bono though is good though and is similar to the Brazilian paõ de queijo cheese breads, especially since they both have cheese and are made with yuca flour. Or… try the Colombian buñuelos, which is pretty much have the same ingredients as the pan de bono but is instead fried.

Very delicious Colombian pastries are my favorite and they are always fresh. On of my favorite cafes in DFW!

La comida deliciosa, la atención muy buena. Don Lalo el dueño conoce a todos los que entran por nombre y también es muy atento a los que no conoce!
The food was delicious, the service was really good. Don Lalo the owner greets everyone by their name and he leaves a good impression to those he does not know.

The food is amazing! First experience of Colombian food however the service is terrible. The owner is very nice and polite but the lady at the front could not care less about your experience there. Will go back but only to pick up food.

Delicious place for typical Colombian food! If you are Brazilian you MUST go and have picanha! Best beans I’ve had in the Dallas area, reminded me of my grandma food. The Pan de Queso is also a must have. We also had blackberry juice (jugo de mora) and jugo de graviola. The owner (Lalo) is very friendly. I will definitely go back!

The food awesome. That’s why the reviews. If the place is busy. It’s the worst experience ever. Completely disorganized. People arrive and sit at the tables without ordering. Or one person will order while 3 or 4 more people have not shown up yet. For better or worse, very latin. I don’t care about the food if the rest is a very bad experience. Had brought people from out of the country. Pretty embarrassing.

WOW! I went to this restaurant for the first time at 4:29PM and was told they were completely out of food! What a big disappointment! I’ll never go back!

When I lived in FL, one of my employees from Columbia would always bring me the cheese bread roll thingies. Well this place brought back those memories of those delightful smackerels! The staff was very nice and patient. I asked a million ques, what’s this, what’s that, what’s in it, and the gentleman was very nice to me. The food was pretty good but I like the empanadas and pastries the best.

So my best friend is Columbian and I haven’t had her mom’s cooking since I was in middle school (life of a military brat). This food was so good I ate every single bite, except for the bite my husband took while my back was turned. If you want authentic Columbian food, check this place out for sure!

Awesome authentic food!!! Very good for the price too! Not a big place so not good for groups over 6 just FYI. Highly recommend

Love this hidden gem. Arepas and ropa vieja were great. Thank god it’s two blocks away

You owe yourself to try the guava and cheese bread. They definitely got it right and will definitely make you crave for more. If you come and they are out of it, then most probably I just beat you to it since I usually take all… :-)
They have added new items to the menu. If you want to try some Colombian meal, check out the Bistec A Caballo (flank steak with tomato & onion sauce) and Pollo Ala Plancha (grilled chicken with rice and salad). I like them better than the Bandeja Paisa. Their daily soup specials are pretty good, too. Enjoy!

We’ve driven by this place dozens of times and never saw it tucked away. Amazing food and welcoming atmosphere! Don’t drive by; Stop in. BYOB!

Hace años que he tenido oportunidad de comer comida de mi país. Pero mi vida ha sido mejorado por mi experiencia aquí hoy. Desde mi primera palabra con los señores que trabajan aquí hasta el último sorbo del tinto… excelente.
It’s been years since I’ve had the opportunity to eat food from my country. But my life has been made better because of my experience here today. From the first word with the guys who work here to the last sip of my Colombian coffee… excellent.

Well done excellent service, great atmosphere
The food lets put it this way it brought great memories from my natal country

Amazing Colombia Joint. Enjoy the Arequipe empanadas along with a bandeja Paisa. And the most traditional Colombian Lunches.
It is a restaurant to come for a coffee break as well as for a full meal!
Simply Delicious!!!

I have been to cartagena, Colombia so I wanted to find a nice Colombian place to fulfill my craves. Well this place is small and cute with Colombian touches here and there. I loved the service. Guy behind the counter was funny.
Coming to the food I am addicted to the cheesy bread with a hint of sweetness. Empanadas were good and the chicken soup was delicious. But big disappointment with arepas. Nothing like I tried at Colombia. It was hard and looked like Papusa bread with chicken on top. Nah I will keep on looking for the original street style arepas De heuvas!!!

This place is a gem! A cute Columbian Bakery that I just can’t find enough good things to say about this place. First off, it’s a soccer lovers paradise, have soccer on both tvs, they have the World Cup books and trading cards, trading parties on Wednesday nights prior to World Cup– how fun!
We haven’t eaten here yet, but did have some coffee and pastries, which my toddler devoured so they must’ve been good. It’s a small place that makes you feel right at home. My kid was kinda roaming the place, obsessed with the pastry counter, trying the charm the staff into getting her treats. She wasn’t bothering anyone and they didn’t mind saying hi to her. It was precious and felt really good to be right at home in a place that we’d never been to before.
The coffee was good, the pastries too. The vibe– Awesome! Can’t wait to go back.