Sabores Colombianos

Great food!!! We tried a little of everything, the papa rellena, empanadas, arepa de queso — all of which were amazing! For an entrée I had the Bandera Paisa which was easily enough food for 2 — maybe even 3 people! My friend had the flank steak which she also loved. Everything was wonderful– I only wish they had something vegetarian for my husband to go there with me…

Está riquísimo, pedimos una empanada para empezar, estuvo muy buena. Después una sobrebarriga la cual incluye una sopita que esta deliciosa. Pedimos una arepa con queso y de tomar un jugo de maracuya con leche todo esta muy rico. Eso sí si les gusta la yuca pídanla! Ya que nos enteramos que no la incluyen en sus platillos solo cuando se la piden :)

Your must try the Empanadas! My childhood friend, from Colombia, introduced me to this spot. It is legit! She tells me it reminds her of the food back home and is so authentic. I’m such a fan of the empanadas and the cilantro salsa it comes with! I could eat these crispy, flakey, crunchy treats all day! Every time I come to visit San Diego I beg my friend to take me here to get empanadas! The dish I had on my last visit (pictured) with the sweet plantains was also a delicious and savory. The meat was tender and juicy. I love Sabores Colombianos!

Very good food. A good ammount and a fair price. I like. I think this is the best around. Dining area and counter could be better. But hey its all about the food

Mi gusto!
Si…mi gusto.
Okay, that’s about all I can show off of my 2 ½ or 3 years worth of Spanish classes. So I’m going to stick with this review being written in English.
My first try at this place was a few months ago where I had a sit down meal with a few selected items. Quite honestly, I don’t remember too much about them all. The dishes were ordered and once they came out, I just ate them… I was hungry.
But what I do recall: a chicken dish that I had just a few bites of (I’ll insert the name once I am reminded of what it’s called) being quite tasty with the sauce. Though I was told, overall this was just done okay. Being that I was dining with a Colombian, I’ll take his word for it. Hey, what do I know. I tried the arepas which seemed to be fine, but I didn’t care too much of. Nothing great, it’s simply starch. Also had a sweet desserty thing that was too sweet for me, some other stuff and the patacones that I had some more of just the other day. Those, I liked but it’s not much to making them good to begin with. But my suggestion on what is a must here are the empanadas. I’ll tell you, I’ve had all sorts of empandas from different countries, in my life. But these Colombian ones from this spot is probably my favorite. I love the crispiness and the meat with potato combination. I can eat a few of these if I don’t stop myself. I know that they aren’t the healthiest, Paleo followers would scold me and I can feel my hips expanding after eating two. However, they’re so, so, good. Eat ‘em when they’re still warm; that’s when it’s best! Additionally, make sure you dip them in that green sauce (This too, I’ll insert the name once I’m reminded again of what it’s called) and get a lot of it. I can almost drink those straight out of the container.
I’m still needing to try their bandeja paisa. It’s a very simple dish first that I first had in Miami and fell madly in love with. I’m hoping to have that connection here. Hopefully they won’t disappoint but in the meantime… those empanadas are my definite to go to. I’ve started to come by for these to give out to friends/​coworkers. The challenge with this, is that I don’t eat ‘em while in route. Ummm, yeah… that’s happened before.

Sabores Colombianos is a newly opened Colombian restaurant (since October 2015). Pretty good Colombian restaurant (as I compare to the ones that I’ve eaten at in New York City).
Between the 2 of us:
— Arepa con Queso — described on menu as stuffed cornmeal patty with cheese
— Ajiaco Stew (Chicken Soup) — not on menu
— Lengua (Tongue) in Salsa Criolla — described on menu as cow tongue, rice, steamed potatoes, or yucca (comes with side soup)
— Picada — described on the menu as a sampler platter with deep fried meats (pork, pork grinds, Colombian pork sausage, baby pork ribs, chucks of pork loin, yellow potatoes, fried green plantains, cornmeal patty, with tomatoes, onions, and lemon wedges)
My favorites were the Ajiaco Stew and Lengua!
ENJOY! Support small businesses.

The best bandeja paisa I have had in a very long time. I especially loved and appreciated the chopped up pieces of plantain in the beans, just like how my mom makes it!

So excited this opened up so close to my house! We tried a few of the appetizers and they were all excellent. The empanadas and arepas con queso were especially good. The owner was extremely friendly and welcoming. He even gave us a few samples of other items on the menu, including the agua panela con limon which was very refreshing. The dining area is bright and comfortable, so it’s a great place to hang out. Looking forward to returning to try some of the main dishes!

Went there after a craving for empanadas and was not disappointed, they were light and crispy on the outside and stuffed with all matter of thing that I didn’t take note of before i scarfed them down. The (who I assume is the) owner was extremely nice for giving us a few extra things to try with the meal we ordered and they were all delicious.

As a Colombian, I approve! I ordered the bandeja paisa and an empanada and really enjoyed the food. Large portions and good prices, the waitress and owner were really nice. Will definitely be back. Y gracias por la mazamorra!

Cool lil joint here. Nothing short of flavors in here. Portion size I got was huge! Enough for two! Only gripe for me is that the meats were overcooked. The service is sweet. Homey feel. I’d come back. It’s comfort food.

Encantada con este restaurante. La Bandeja Paisa, los tamales, el jugo de guanábana en leche/​agua, el bistec, las empanadas, arepa con queso todo muy rico!!!
Love this restaurant. The Bandeja Paisa, tamales, guanábana juice either in milk/​water, the bistec, empanadas, arepa with cheese… everything it’s so good!!!

My new FAVORITE place! You definitely have to try the empanadas! Love the food, it’s all authentic. I will more than likely be a regular here! Lol

Excelente opción para comer comida de la tierrita, gran calidad y servicio. Muy recomendado

We ordered:
–chorizo con arepa — sausage and cornmeal patty $ 3
–papa rellena (actually it was made with yuca that day) $ 4
–Empanada $ 1.50
–Arroz con pollo $ 11
I’ve never had a papa rellena made with yuca (therefore, a yuca rellena). I loved it – part of the outside yuca part was fried til it was a bit crunchy. The filling was a hard-​boiled egg and meat. The empanada was also tasty. Both items were served with a chimichurri-​type sauce.
The arroz con pollo was tasty; moist and a good-​sized portion. It came with a bunch of thinly sliced white onions (I am more familiar with Peruvian food where you get thinly sliced purple onions. I like those better!) It also came with a big fried plantain. It came with a soup starter that was maybe our favorite thing – it had yuca and plantain. We enjoyed this warm, comforting food.
Our least favorite item was the chorizo con arepa. It was actually two items (for some reason, I thought maybe it was a sausage inside cornmeal or something…) But it was a piece of sausage and small white cornmeal patty. It was a bit dry and… just not our favorite.
Overall, we enjoyed our meal. The service was friendly. The décor is rather utilitarian, casual. I’d return if I was looking for Colombian food.

I have only had traditional Colombian food on a few occasions and I have enjoyed it each time, including the what I ate at this new location in Normal Heights. When ever I see empenadas on the menu, I just have to try them, so I ordered one that comes with beef and potatoes. For my meal, I ordered a large bowl of Ajiaco, a creamy shredded chicken, potato, and vegetable soup. All together the meal came to $ 13.
The empenadas at $ 1.50 each was bliss. The crust was a beautiful light golden brown, very crispy with a small amount of chew, but most importantly it tasted great, which should be attributed to the savory yellow dough. The beef inside was very flavorful and tender and so were the potatoes. There was a good even ration of beef to potatoes with a smidgen of red peppers in the turnover. A great start to a meal.
The ajiaco was very good. The soup was creamy and had the guayasca, a Colombian herb, blended into the soup. In where the soup could of benefited from some seasoning, they did not hold back with the copious amounts of ingredients they put into the soup, not to mention the side of condiments that came with the soup; including steamed white rice, half an avocado, a couple of chili peppers, a small salad, and a sour cream blended with milk.
In the soup came a lot of tender shredded whit chicken, loads of tender round small yellow potatoes, chopped corn, but I also add the rice, avocado, some table salsa, a bit of cream, that salad, which made for one hearty bowl of soup that could easily serve two on any occasion. In the end, the soup was great, and even better after I added a bit of salt and pepper.
If you want to try some Latin America food other than the dubious amounts of Mexican eateries around San Diego, not that there’s anything wrong with that, try some Colombian food.

Corner spot easily identifies the new restaurant.
Casual yet inviting the ubiquitous colors of the Colombian flag reminds you of the richness of the cuisine to be enjoyed.
Start with arepa con keso so tasty this flatbread .with the papas rellenas where the taste of potatoe and the filling craves for more… Not to be outdone the empanada is tops to wait for the main course!
Bandejas paisa how do I like thee? Chorizo steak porky flavor of the chops plus beans rice egg and s lot more! Big serving ready to split to 2.
Our server was nice and prepared my jugo de lulu sin azucar! Gracias señorita!
Will be back !

Home cooked Columbian entrees
Excellent, hospitable service
Flavors galore
I really enjoy this spot.
Check it out during soccer season!

Excelente lugar para sentirse como en casa, muy buena la atencion, la comida muy rica y super economica, en el mejor lugar de san diego.

Definitivamente tienes que tratar las empanadas, estan hechas como en colombia, tostaditas y rellenas de una mezcla espectacularmente calculada y adobada, acompañadas de la mas tradicional y simple salsa medio picosita que las hace sencillamente spectaculares. Sin ofender yo diria k es la competencia perfecta de los tacos.

Excelente! Buena atención, la decoracion es genial, la comida deliciosa, definitivamente el mejor sitio de mis vacaciones!!! Gracias

The food was amazing! The staff is friendly and the atmosphere was great. I tried the arepas con queso and it was very delicious. Then we try the empanadas with the sauce. Omg it was so amazing. Then I try the bandeja paisa. The plate was huge and it was so yummy. Seriously, that plate was huge that me and my mom shared. I really recommend to try this place because you will just keep on coming back. Another thing the drinks are so good ! I tried the lulo (i think that’s how you spell it) with water was amazing!

Incredible family run Colombian food. Kind of blown away how good this place is. Got an Inca soda because I haven’t seen it in a long time. I don’t drink soda nowadays, but made an exception and it was so good. Had a hard time making a choice because everything on the menu sounded incredible. Got the chorizo con arepa, empanada and carne desmechada.
The sausage with cornmeal patty was delicious. NIce chunks of rich sausage within it and the patty was fluffy and done just right. The empanada was delicious as well and made me regret just ordering one. Loved the soup they serve with the entrée. I forget the name because they make a different soup daily. It was a beef and potato soup that was just perfect. The broth was something special. It’s one of those great dishes that’s so basic, but has some magical flavors in it. Should of ordered some to go. The care desmechada was so flavorful. If you like machaca, you’re going to love this. Plantain was good. Wish it was cooked a little longer and crispier.
Great place. Going to be coming back soon for the steak and chicharones plate. The daughter that was the server was so friendly and nice. They take great pride in their food. Can’t get enough of this place. Incredible addition to this part of the neighborhood.

I love this place! The shakes, the food, the staff… all good stuff. This is a no frills spot in a no frills neighborhood, and they do it right here. I had the arepa con queso, an empanada, flank steak dish with chicken soup, and tried a bunch of their batidos. I would go back just for a couple arepas on any given day. So full of cheesy goodness, great texture and flavor. Everything was great. The chicken soup that came with the steak was awesome. Definitely try the guava shake with milk. So many awesome shake flavors with some interesting Colombian fruits to choose from. The food comes out hot and fresh, and the owner and the lady who run the register are so nice and funny. Parking is fairly easy in the neighborhood, prices are very reasonable. I’m so glad to have this place in San Diego!

Llevo cuatro años aquí en San Diego y no había encontrado un restaurante Colombiano tan autentico como este! Definitivamente una delicia! Las porciones son más que suficientes y el servicio es muy bueno! El restaurante es muy limpio y acogedor!

Food — 3 stars, Service — 2 stars… best part about going to sabores colombianos was going to the Mexican bakery down the street afterwards. Hopefully it’s just the challenge of starting a new business because it would be great to have a good, authentic Colombian restaurant in San Diego. My husband (who is Colombian) and I were excited to try this new place. We went on a Sunday afternoon, about 2:00, place had about 20 guests. We waited more than 15 minutes just to have our order taken. We ordered the basics — arepa con queso, pan de bono, empanada… at 2:00 they were already out of arepas & pan de bono… how about buñuelos? Nope, out of those too! Ok, postobon to drink? Out of that too and out of ajiaco! Ok, so we were patient, VERY patient because our bandeja paisa didn’t come out until at least 20 minutes later and the frijoles were cold. We did get our empanada which tasted good but was not served with aji. And when we asked for aji it took another 10 minutes for the waitress to tell us they were out of aji! Really? How are you out of aji? That’s like a Mexican restaurant saying they are out of hot sauce?
So not everything was bad, the empanada was good, chicharron & steak were also good. I’m not really sure what they served us as the chorizo, but it looked awful and I didn’t even taste it. My husband did and said it was really bad.
The waitress tried to make up for the wait and out of stock items by giving us a mazamora drink, but it was really bad…
I felt bad for the waitress because it seems like she was there to only bus the tables but was asked to help serve. She tried her best.
I really hope it can get better so we have a good Colombian place to go to. A few tips, stock up on basic items like aji, arepas, pan de bono, buñuelos, postobon en botella. Speed up the service. We asked for 2 tap waters and I never got mine & my husband only got his after asking 3 times. Serving tap water is pretty basic… You can even have a self-​serve water station.

The best Colombian food I’ve tasted. Great environment warm welcoming and good staff.