Colombia

Shauna and I scoured Elmhurst in our dead end search for a specific authentic Afghan restaurant, which we later learned had been closed awhile. After hearing this we gave up and decided to go to a Japanese restaurant instead. On our way to our new destination we bumped into this little place called Aguapanela’s Restaurant.

Located at 86-16 Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst, Queens, Aguapanela’s is a nice, authentic Colombian restaurant and bar. As we entered, we were greeted by the warm, rich colors on the walls, which were decorated with a variety of Colombian artifacts and images.











Not long after, we immersed ourselves in the great menu our lovely waitress presented us. The passion fruit juice we ordered was a familiar tropical taste for us. I have to say, this was so authentic; it was like having the actual fruit. For our appetizers, we chose tripe soup with white rice and sweet plantains and grilled homemade chorizo with a corn cake garnished with a lemon. The tripe soup was simply divine. A whirlpool of flavors filled our mouth. Although well seasoned, the taste wasn’t overpowering. When the soup was eaten with the plantain and tasty rice the blend was just right. El chorizo seemed to have been made on the premises as you could see the color of the herbs inside of the sausage once it was cut. The great taste balanced well with the corn cake.










We asked our waitress to suggest the dishes on the menu that would best represent Columbia and we ordered accordingly. Our entrees were even more succulent than the starters. Shauna had the Bandeja Tipica, which consisted of grilled meat, rice, beans, pork skin (deep fried, crispy heaven), poached egg, avocado, sweet plantains and a corn cake. I had the Lomo de Cerdo, which was breaded pork, rice, beans, sweet plantains and salad. The grilled meat was slightly crispy but not chewy, a perfect balance. The avocado was as if it had been picked ripe from the tree and put on the plate. Although neither one of us cared much for poached egg, the rest of the dish was a great compliment to the grilled meat. El Lomo de Cerdo was pretty darn good too. The pork was perfectly done and complimented by a shell of seasoned, breaded goodness that also went great with pepper sauce that was offered to us. Sweet plantain, rice and beans seemed pretty on our plates and tasted great. The salad seemed to be more of a garnish than a part of the meal. It added a great splash of color to the dish but it was just okay for me.



All in all, this Colombian experience went very well. Good service and great authentic food, carefully seasoned for optimum flavor. Aguapanela’s gets a solid B- for authenticity. There seemed to be a slight lag in service as there was only one person at the front taking orders and processing payments. Also, my initial beverage request was unavailable given the hour, but there was no indication of that within the menu. Despite the minor setbacks Aguapanela’s Restaurant is a lovely little Colombian getaway that is definitely worth a sit in.