Casa Colombia - Review - East Austin - Austin - The Infatuation

"From the outside, Casa Colombia looks like a pretty nondescript East Austin restaurant. It could have been a bank in a previous life, complete with limestone brick walls and a dedicated parking lot. But inside, there’s a spacious dining room that’s always packed full of people waiting for some of the best Colombian and South American food in town. photo credit: Holly Dirks Don’t be too surprised if you enter the waiting area and have to make your way through families and middle school soccer teams waiting for a table. Everyone’s here for the same reason—this rare combination of affordable plates and consistent quality. And the portions are hearty enough to feed growing athletes and small families alike. Start with an order of aborrajado and enjoy the best combination of fried plantains and mozzarella we’ve encountered in the city. Then, order the bandeja paisa tipica—basically a Greatest Hits platter of Colombian favorites—and pair it with a massive 32-ounce goblet of tart, creamy passion fruit juice with milk. You’ll probably leave with a takeout box bigger than what you were able to finish, and an overwhelming desire to come back again soon. photo credit: Holly Dirks photo credit: Holly Dirks photo credit: Holly Dirks Pause Unmute Food Rundown Passion Fruit Juice All of the juices can be blended with water or milk—we like the latter. The passion fruit juice is tart, the milk is creamy, and a little bit of sugar blended in creates the perfect balance. It’s also incredibly refreshing—this might be one of the best ways to combat the Texas sun. photo credit: Holly Dirks Bandeja Paisa Tipica Take a look around the dining room and you’ll probably see this massive plate on half the tables. It’s Casa Colombia’s signature dish, and it’s basically a sampler platter of a bunch of Colombian favorites, including a strip of grilled sirloin, half a chorizo sausage, and a deep-fried pork rind that kind of looks like a crown in the center of the plate. And of course, there’s eggs, avocado, rice, beans, green plantains, and fried sweet plantains to go with it all. Everything on this plate is great. photo credit: Holly Dirks Tamal Valluno We love banana leaf tamales, and Casa Colombia’s is up there with the best. Here, the tamal is stuffed with a blend of pork, beef, chicken, and vegetables. Then it’s wrapped in a banana leaf. The end result is incredibly moist inside, with soft and tender bits of meat that have all shared flavors with each other. This is especially great with a bit of the house salsa. photo credit: Holly Dirks" - Nicolai McCrary