El Paisa Restaurant — Restaurant in Long Beach

Usually I don't write reviews, but this one I can't just let it go, Sat about 3pm discover El Paisa restaurant and I thought, I'm hungry let's give it a try! I'm not going to talk about service because lots of reviews cover that, plus I order to go, waited 25min for my order and there was only one person doing everything, now the food was just sad, I order Picada, no arepa 1/2 Chorizo, hard overcooked pork meat, no tostones, it did had tajadas, chicken and beef, but way to many platano verde cut and fried like tajadas(platano verde is for tostones and patacones not tajadas), greasy papitas amarilla, everything tasted the same and was the same color like it was fried all together in old oil, they packed it in a aluminum container and covered with plastic wrap, went to my car try the yuca and it was Ok crunchy, everything else not good and when I got home 15min later it was worse everything was damp and ají not impressive, that picada was not colombian at all, this restaurant overcharge for non authentic food, told my experience to my sisters and brother that went before and they have worse stories about this place, won't ever go...

OMG!!!...Being a descendant of Colombian parentage and not having had the pleasure to eat traditional Colombian cuisine in many years, it came as great joy to have come upon this fine establishment...the ambiance was and felt very Colombian...from the music playing in the restaurant to the decor as well...the waiters/waitresses were very friendly and attentive...and most of all...THE FOOD...it was top notch...it transported me back to a time when I lived in Colombia for a couple of years as a child and all the wonderful memories...but mainly it brought back strong memories of my grandmother and mother who cooked all these wonderful dishes...so so good...regretfully I lost them both back in 2013...so yea on one level it was I guess bittersweet...feeling their loss at that moment but the joy the visit brought to me in being able to enjoy the cuisine of my grandmother and mother after so many years made it very much worth it...and trust me I will be returning to enjoy more of it and often at that...soooo if you wish to enjoy and experience great and traditional Colombian cuisine...head over to this...

El Paisa is located in a local neighborhood with ample parking behind the street facing building. We walked in right when they opened. The place still smelled like floor cleaning solution (why the atmosphere had 3 stars). This restaurant can easily seat more than 100 people it seems. We were quickly shown a seat and our waiter was very friendly. My BIL is fluent in Spanish and was able to help w our orders. Drinks and appetizers were not a long wait at all. We got their fried yuca(sp?) and fried ripe bananas as starters - SO delish! We ordered a soup, carne and a fish dish. All were well cooked and seasoned very well. The fish may have been a tad bit overcooked but other than that, all the dishes were great. The servings were big portions as well and well worth it This was our first taste of Colombian cuisine and glad it was at El Paisa. Highly recommend this place and would...