La Fonda Paisa

We got there at 7 pm. (1 hour before close) I asked before ordering if the kitchen was still open. Their reply was that the kitchen is open until 8 pm. (Wednesday night) THE FOOD: I ordered the Bandeja Paisa with carne asada. It comes with white rice, chorizo, 2 pieces of platano maduro, a cut of skirt steak, a cut of chicharron, one egg, and frijoles (beans). THE SERVICE: You pay when you order at the counter, and then you find a seat. The lady who took the order (she seemed to be the one in charge) lacked a little professionalism. To add, when we were done eating (7:55 pm), I went to order some arepas to go. It was another woman who said to me that the kitchen was closed. It made perfect sense since it was 5 minutes before they closed. But again, the interaction with her was less than par. THE MARKET: Yes! They have a Colombian market inside! It's filled with typical brands you would find in Colombia as well as toys and trinkets. The market itself takes up about two-thirds of the restaurant. As you can imagine, that left very little space for indoor seating. (By the way, no outdoor seating) The food and the market helped give it an additional star from the 3 that are based on the service.

I used to go there because it was the closet place to get Colombian food. I ordered 24 empanadas and took them to a get together, I regret not checking them when I got them but the empanadas were hard and burnt. The worst empanadas I have ever had. So sad because I love supporting small local businesses.

I think the only thing I liked from this place was the arepa with chicken and cheese the other ones I had were arepa with butter, this one was hard and tasted funny, the other one I had was one with an egg inside, it was hard as a rock, and my friend had the bandeja paisa she shared her meat with me and it wasn't as good. I usually don't give bad reviews but this one was not a good experience, also the cashiers are not very friendly. Or maybe they where in a bad mood that day. Also theirs one in downtown Silver Spring and that is way better.