Senor Pan

I was not impressed. The South American pastry I was served one Sunday morning did not taste fresh. Also, variety was limited.

I was excited to try Señor Pan, but I’m not super in love with it. This cute, casual Colombian café with a friendly staff is a place you want to be great, but it just isn’t. Maybe I’m used to Venezuelan or Salvadoran style, and Colombian style is different, but overall, the food is bland.
There’s a savory menu, plus pastries in the cases, along with juices and a small assortment of packaged South American goods. You order at the counter and staff brings the food to your table. On foam plates and with plastic utensils that you pick up yourself. Try cutting a pupusa or arepa with plastic. Plus, watch for the tiny ants running around near the wastebasket.
I ordered a pork (chicharron) and cheese arepa, yucca fries, pupusa, and donut. The arepa was huge, way overfilled, and the cheese was not melted enough. Arepas are typically smaller, with well-​melted cheese and not over filled. Almost like a panini, or pupusa with open sides. The pupusa was just lacking in flavor, though it had a nice color and was filled with cheese. Señor Pan does excel at yucca though. Texture wise, yucca is tough, so it can be difficult to cook well. The fries were thick, so I was a little worried they may have been under cooked, but they were hot and crisp all the way through. Rice and beans were supposed to come with my arepa, but did not, and since I was full and not really loving my meal, I did not bother to ask about it. They also forgot my donut, so I had to ask for that. Donut was OK, a bit bland, and I threw away most of it.
I think you can get tastier, cheaper options elsewhere.

I’ve stopped at this restaurant three times since they moved into the neighborhood and today is the first time the cashier actually acknowledged me like a real human being. Hooray!
The first time I stopped by was when they first opened to figure out what type of food they served. I felt very unwelcome so I walked out even though everything in the pastry case looked good.
The second time I stopped in, the cashier recommended that I tried the steak arepa
from the hot bar. It was supposed to come with my choice of toppings and sides, but he slopped everything together so fast that I didn’t get the chance to choose anything or ask any questions. Luckily for him, it was delicious! The steak was very tender and well seasoned.
Three times is a charm, because this morning I got to meet Deborah the GM. She answered my questions about all the different types of empanadas they offered as well as give me the low down on their other menu offerings (lomo saltado FTW). I ordered the Colombiano empanada which is a deep fried shell stuffed with meat and potatoes. It came with a vinegary dipping sauce to cut through the «fried» taste. She even threw in a few extra empanadas for me to take home. YUM! My bag was pretty much empty by the time I walked through my apartment door even though I only live two blocks away.
I’ll definitely be back now that I know that there is a friendly face behind the counter!

I live in the neighborhood, and I love this little place. The food is delicious, and the people are wonderful. I definitely recommend the hot bar. I am generally more of a savory food person than a sweet eater, but their bakery has something for everyone. Great concept, friendly staff and yummy food. What more do you need?

This unassuming South American restaurant and bakery at the corner of S. Walter Reed Drive and Columbia Pike has some of the most friendly, attentive staff of any restaurant I’ve visited. The even gave me some free delicious bread on my way out. The place is very clean and well-​maintained.
Their specialty is the «hot bar» where the staff builds a dish to your order — you pick the base (arepa, burrito, plantain tostada, salad bowl or rice), the main filling (shredded beef, chicken, chorizo, pork or veggies) and the toppings (cheese, rice, beans, lettuce, sour cream and several delicious sauces). The hot bar is inexpensive and easy to revisit considering all the various choices and combinations.
They have a relatively small, inexpensive menu with traditional dishes like pupusas, empanadas, yucca, etc. They have a couple of big, meat-​heavy entrees (if you’re vegetarian, don’t worry, they offer veggie dishes as well). I tried the Bandeja Paisa when I was especially hungry and was still not able to finish it all. The chorizo on this dish was some of the best I’ve had. The tres leche cake I had for dessert was extremely good — they have other homemade cakes as well.
The bakery offers an wide assortment of breads, desserts, pastries and cakes and I hope they’re all as delicious as the few I’ve sampled. I’m looking forward to trying the Mango cake.
I got the impression that the bakery is their main business, but I can see the restaurant side surpassing that. I plan to try their breakfast very soon.

I have mix feelings about Señor Pan. For example, the pupusa cheese is stretchy and melty inside but the flour has an aftertaste. Might be the wrong one. My veggie arepa had a great mix of grilled veggies and well done, but the flour did not do it for me. Also, the rice with noodles and the beans had that great home made taste. The roscon was lacking but the four leches was tasty with a nice crust at the bottom. My wife also liked the rice with noodles and beans. She was not too much of a fan of the chorizo arepa. The plantain sauce for the arepa is very soft and works great with the meal. Service was great and pricing is very good.

So I ate lunch at Señor Pan today, and was overall very pleased. I had the patacon (deep fried plantain «tortilla») with braised, shredded beef, a little cheese and sour cream, diablo salsa, pinto beans, and Colombian (Venezuelan?) rice.
The beef had a deep, hearty flavor and tender braised texture, with hints of tomato, cumin, garlic, black pepper, onion, possibly some cilantro.
The beans were cooked well, and fresh, but under seasoned.
The rice was a nice vehicle for the beef and beans, with tiny pieces of what I’m assuming were vermicelli cooked in.
Finally, the «base» of patacon was really tasty: crispy, slightly salty, a little oily (in a good way), and loaded with plantain goodness.
I’d recommend to anyone looking for another lunch option on the Pike.

I’ve been looking for a place to get coffee on my way to work, as there is no Starbucks in my immediate area. There’s a small independent coffee shop that somehow serves really bad coffee and two chain foodstores that serve OK coffee. I stopped at Señor Pan’s one morning to check out their coffee, and now I’m hooked! The bread creations are delicious, no matter what I order. In fact, one morning I asked for «whatever is freshest today» and she put in two bread rolls, and they were both fantastic. My favorite so far is the dulce de leche filled bread, and along with my coffee it makes my morning. I’ll be back to try their lunch and dinner meals– can’t wait!

Met friends & family for kid friendly lunch. Yum! Freshly make arepas were delicious and the beans & rice generous and tasty. We got an array of salsas of various flavors. Hard to find the spicy one but once I did I found it balanced and arresting (I regard hot sauce like others do wine).
Came back for pastries later; Amazing. Fresh, not too sweet, complex flavors and jet plain yummy.
Friendly neighborhood service. Can’t wait to go back.

Mmm mmm good! Food and baked goods are delicious! Staff is friendly and they even offer free wi-​fi! I can’t wait for my next trip back!

we just tried their baked goods and they’re amazing. better than best buns. perfect really. can’t wait to go back!

This brand spankin’ new Colombian bakery is a good addition to the Pike. The restaurant is clean, great service, and average prices.
Do you like guava? Baked into bread? With cheese? And tamarind? You will find lots of that here. Personally, I’m not a fan of guava cheese bread. But all the baked goods are fresh and neatly presented.
The burritos are delicious, but with Pedro and Vinny’s one block over, Señor Pan is going to have a hard time competing with P&V’s die had fan base.
The pupusas and arepas are some of the best quality I’ve had in this area.