Plaza Colombian Coffee — Restaurant in Austin

Went there on a date with my boyfriend, he’s not Hispanic but I am (Colombian). I have been to Colombia, I have eaten Colombian dishes all my life, I have visited many places that serve Colombian pastries and dishes. To summarize quickly before going into detail, the food here is by far awful and not Colombian whatsoever, the atmosphere is pleasant, the service was mixed.

Food: I don’t know why there are so many 5 stars on here when most of the actual “authentic” dishes lack any flavor, it’s just people ordering generic dishes you’d find anywhere; Hotdogs, sandwiches, that sorta stuff, and claiming it’s good when they can’t bother to try out the actual cultural dishes. I ordered a bandeja paisa, a dish I always look forward to at Colombian places, and my boyfriend ordered the playa burger. Out of all the Colombian places I’ve visited, this bandeja paisa has got to be the WORST one I’ve ever tried. Bland chorizo, the beans had no seasoning, the rice had no salt, the supposed steak was just a small portion of shredded meat, the overall portion was so small for it to be $22. The burger was mid, again, no seasoning. The drink specials (such as the bee one) were incredibly bitter along with the other cinnamon drink. If you wanna come here just come for basic coffee and whatever pastry they offer, or just go to Starbucks or McDonalds at that point. This place does not taste authentic whatsoever, and I mean this as nicely as possible, this is NOT Colombian food.

Atmosphere: All the decorations looked lovely, everything about it was amazing. The outside looked even better. The only issue was the inside furniture (tables and chairs) being wobbly and loose, we had to go from table to table just to find something that didn’t move so much. In the end, it’s just tables and chairs, no point in getting mad about that or anything.

Service: I asked for pan de bono, they didn’t have any, unfortunate (not the end of the world). I think it’s clear after the third time that I do not want an alternative pastry, stop asking me to buy more food after I’ve declined 3 times. I was a server for a good while, I know upselling is important, don’t overdo it. Service wasn’t too bad, mostly awkward...

My visit was... it was... meh. The chicken empanadas were my favorite. Delish! Highly recomendable. The steak (shredded beef really) empanadas were good. The columbian hot dog was good. The wagyu beef frank was good, the bun looks like it was specially made for them. Soft, but sturdy enough to hold the toppings and the dog all together. Not sure what the toppings were. They told me pinnapple and grilled onions, but i received a crunchy something with different types of condiments. The street dogs were again good, wagyu frank, prepared american style. Tried the matcha tea, thumbs up.

Now the service.... was where they could have improved. I paid more than $50 for four hot dogs, an arepa, and a matcha tea. My friend 3 beef empanadas, and two chicken. And two beers. Maybe i expected a little more for that price. The food was late, it seemed like they were short staffed because it was one server running back and forth taking the order and delivering to the table from the outside to the restaurant inside and back again. I personally would be wiped out if i was her. She was kind, but again overwhelmed.

Lastly, the tables outside are small! No room to really eat, and if you are there on a windy day, even worse. The table where we sat was made of wood slats, which is cool... but our beer fell due to the breeze and because the table was so small, and everything was served on lightweight takeout dishes we had to be super diligent to keep them in place and still our arepa fell. So we didn't even get to enjoy it. Napkins were all a flutter, it was a bit chaotic.

The truth is i have passed this business many a time and was drawn by the awesome outdoor eating area, but for the price i may have to really think about it before i return. I maybe back, but only for a drink so as i don't spend too much money for it to end up on the floor and too wait and wait to get my order. Well, maybe next time ill just go thru the drive thru, it maybe quicker... its...

Plaza Colombian has a lovely ambiance to it. The items chosen for decor were done with real Colombian knowledge! Of their bakery: at the time I went (about 8:00pm) they were out of all their breads except their house PCC bread. It was a sweet bread similar to the Hawaiian sweet rolls, but not as squishy. It can come with or without arequipe (similar to a caramel spread). Their arequipe was more on the fluid side, a bit different than I'd had before. May be house made? Also ordered an arepa con queso. That was so delicious by itself it didn't even need the toppings! It came with cheese on top and inside of it and was nicely salted! They have 2 sauces coming with it. I believe a spicy ají (Green), and hogao. Both tasty. We had the chance to try their Empanada Duo as well. You get 2 empanadas with the same filling (steak, hogao, and papá criolla). I liked them, the innards were blended a bit more than I personally like. Our cashier of the evening may need to practice a little more on the menu items as I had additional questions on the food being made, but I'm sure she'll become very aquainted with the menu over time! They have an idea to use a number on a block to receive your order when it is done, but it seemed this was not entirely efficient at the moment. They don't call the number out very loud and they don't bring it to you. Unless your watching the counter, it may be easy to miss your order. There are some areas that are great to sit but block the view to the counter. Perhaps they anticipate hiring a wait staff to bring your order? In the meantime, they do have a sign requesting you bus your own table. In my photos, I was initially going to take it to go, but my friend decided she wanted to sit in. Overall, a lovely experience and I look forward to when they introduce buñuelos...