On a hill above the Beltline between Park Street and Rimrock Road lies El Pollo Rumbero, a place where you can dance to DJs and enjoy some Colombian food.
Those items are found in the “Tipical Colombian Dishes” section of the menu (with the misspelling), most of them consisting of multiple meats. For example, the tierra mar y aire ($29.99) comes with chicken, steak, fish and shrimp, while the bandeja rumbera ($29.99) comes with steak, pork loin, chicken and pork belly.
I opted for a single-meat dish, and it was still a ton of food. In this case, it was the frijol con garra ($20.99), and you get two plates: one was corn cake, rice, avocado, plantains and crispy pork belly, and the other was a bowl of beans, veggies and pig’s feet (basically, pork and beans). As you can imagine, I was immensely full afterward.
If you prefer your meat to be breaded, you’ll find that on the menu, too. I settled on the pescado empanizado ($17.99). You get two big fillets that are tender and flaky inside with a crispy and crunchy breading on the outside. The fish was a little bland, but fortunately, the homemade sauce that comes on the table really enhanced the flavor.
The steak section had more than just carne asada, such as the churrasco ($30.99, steak with chimichurri sauce) and carne el caballo ($19.99, steak in tomato sauce with two eggs). I got the lengua a la criolla ($26.99), and the beef tongue was tender and deliciously beefy in flavor in a tomato-based sauce. You get several large cuts of it, plus rice, beans and plantains.
For an appetizer, try the tostones fiesta ($18.99), which consisted of green plantains pounded thinly and fried, topped with guacamole and beef or chicken. I enjoyed all aspects, including the crispy plantains, the outstanding guacamole and the sauteed chicken.
Other menu items include roasted chicken, pasta dishes and a whole Mexican section.
El Pollo Rumbero serves lunch and dinner every day.
Tags: Colombian, south side
