Mesa Franca — Restaurant in Bogota, Capital District

Good service, nice relaxed atmosphere, but disappointing food. I initially did not make a reservation here thinking that I didn’t have enough time during a short visit to Bogota, but found out last minute that they were open late and decided to take my chance. Thankfully they had a table open even though they seemed quite busy.

Ordered three dishes starting with focaccia. It’s not really focaccia…more like a lighter baguette, but it was very tasty. The sourness that came from the leavener, the complex umami of the tucupi butter, and the sweetness of the honey created a really complex mixture of flavors that honestly was very far from what I expected from a simple plate of bread and butter. For drinks I went with a nonalcoholic watermelon and ginger juice. Simple, straightforward, but very delicious. Next I had the crudo, which was a bit too sour for me. The green sauce apparently had smoked greens which would have added a touch of bitterness, but the citrus really just overpowered everything. Interestingly there were errant pieces of very sweet watermelon that balanced out the sourness, but there were just not enough of those to do the trick. The citrus theme was also apparent in the fettuccini achiotado, which was also overpowered by heavy handed addition of citrus. Apparently the sauce was made with smoked fish stock and matcha, which would have been interesting if they didn’t just completely fade in the background.

Service was great, with servers trying their best to describe the menu despite limited English. Their Oompa Loompa overalls though were a bit comical.

Vibe is relaxed. Not too formal, but definitely a spot for special events for the locals.

Three dishes and a nonalcoholic drink came out to 152,000COP ($39). I think that would be an absolute steal if the dishes were executed well, and I would be interested to try it again to see if the citrus issue was just an over-eager line cook that just went overboard. (I get it, it’s the end of the night and some of them probably just want...

Had some mixed reviews on this place, but it certainly is a worthy establishment.

Going from good to bad, the atmosphere was wonderful! The design on the outside models itself as a quaint home, typical of the chapinero district, while inside it presents a sleek modern design. The mood lighting is great and fits the vibe. Chairs are comfortable and people are kind.

The food was a mixed bag for our group of four with two excellent, one great and one average review. We all agreed that the empanadas were excellent and high quality. For the pork, we generally enjoyed it, but some thought it was a but dry despite the sauce, although I thought it fine. The beer was also delicious with the butter, but quickly lost its luster (in taste and appearence due to slight decomposition) which made it the generally agreed upon worst, despite fantastic initial taste. Finally the catch of the day was deemed excellent as well, but I was unable to try it (allergy restriction).

Unfortunately, the bar for service was lower than expected. As a high end restaurant it surprised me to see the waiters with such superficial care. Though they treated us kindly the results told a different story. Out of the numerous dishes they have, only one we ordered was marked as taking more than 30 minutes. Surprisingly, this one arrived first. The rest varied in lengthy arrival times; most annoyingly, the pork took well over an hour. We were even unlucky with the beverages, as a beer we ordered took over 30 minutes to arrive. This left long periods of unusual wait with no info from the servers. Service is certainly lacking here, so be prepared to do something while waiting ambiguously for food to arrive.

Despite the poor service, the wonderful atmosphere and stellar food carried the restaurant through to a four...

Disappointing Experience – Wouldn’t Return

Visited Mesa Franco on a Tuesday evening and unfortunately, it was a thoroughly disappointing experience from start to finish.

First off, we didn’t have a reservation and were seated in a rather unwelcoming area of the restaurant – not a great first impression. The chairs were incredibly uncomfortable, which only added to the overall lack of warmth in the atmosphere. It was quite chilly inside, so I can only imagine how cold it must be out on the terrace.

The menu was another letdown – the English version had higher prices than the Spanish one, which felt unnecessarily exploitative. When we pointed this out the waitress still Insisted on charging us the higher prices. On top of that, they didn’t have the cut of steak listed on the menu and offered a lesser substitute without much of an apology.

Food took nearly an hour to arrive, and when it did, the steak and sauce for the steak was cold. To make matters worse, the cocktail I ordered came long after I’d finished eating and was about 95% ice (see photo).

Between the poor service, uncomfortable seating, and subpar food and drink, I can confidently say we won’t...