Colombian BBQ Overdose

We didn't really feel like going out for dinner on Saturday night so we decided to order in some food. Instead of the usual Chinese or Pizza & Wings, we thought we would give this Colombian BBQ place a try. They slipped their menu under our door a while back and we have been wanting to try the BBQ from this place since then. Newark (especially the Ironbound District) and it's surrounding areas are well known for the Brazilian and Colombian BBQ. So, we called in to place our order.

The name of the restaurant is Columbia Parrilladas Restaurant. Parrilladas means BBQ in Spanish. Ordering food from this restaurant is no easy task. Firstly, more than half of the menu is in Spanish. When Kevin called to place the order, nobody in the restaurant seems to understand English. He was passed from one person to another and he could hear them talking in Spanish among themselves in the background. At last a person who could speak a little English came on the line and took our orders. Nobody could speak English..maybe the food would be good and authentic then? :P

Within half an hour, the delivery guy was at our door with a whole bunch of food. The food was still nice and warm. Very impressed. Oh and another good thing about this restaurant is that they offer free delivery and there isn't a tax. What you see on the menu is what you pay.

After we opened up the food from the brown bags, we were shocked by the amount of food!! It looks as though there was enough food to feed a party of 10! We ordered a Bandeja Paisa ($17) and one portion of Costillas De Cerdo ($7). The total bill came up to $24, excluding tips.

This is the Bandeja Paisa. It's a mixed BBQ tray for two people. For two people? I think it can feed 6 people, at least! You know the kind of trays caterer's use for buffets? That's the size of the tray! :P There were 3 large pieces of beef steak, one giant home made pork sausage, one pork crackling, 3 fried eggs, sliced BBQ plantains, two avocado halves, french fries, a whole tub of beans and yellow rice packed in that tray. I cannot believe the amount of rice they gave us, it lined the whole bottom of the tray..all packed in! So, we know that the portion size passed the test, but what about the taste? Welll....it's great! I do not know what they used to marinade the steaks but it was just so flavorful and good. The pork crackling wasn't as crispy as I would like it to be but it was alright too. The star of the night was the home made pork sausage. Really really good. It was so full of flavor, you can taste little burst of spices in each bite.

Costillas De Cerdo is actually Grilled Pork Ribs. That came with a huge amount of yellow rice and fries too! After tasting the super yummy Bandeja Paisa, the grilled pork ribs didn't really quite meet the mark. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. Yes, it was juicy and stuff but the intense flavor of Colombian BBQ just wasn't there.

Overall, I think the food is good, portions are huge and the pricing is pretty affordable. I would definitely order from this restaurant again. Maybe I'll just order about 100 bucks worth of home made pork sausages! They are soooooooooo yummy! :P

Columbia Parrilladas Restaurant
65 Washington Avenue,
Belleville, NJ 07109
Tel: (973) 450-4500
Open Tuesday - Sunday ( 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM)