El Fogon Columbiano

I find this place so pleasant. We first found it when we were driving up Armenia one morning, and we’re so glad to have stopped! They have the best empanadas, and at a great price!

Rich’s review below prompted me to try this tiny place I drive past several times a week. As he says, you need to try your Spanish, hand language and pointing to order… and there is a sorta menu on the wall, but you have to ask for things like the steak sandwich and soup, both of which we tried and enjoyed, along with some roast chorizo with an arepa. Most of the items fall in the «antojito» (Appetizer) category plus a deep inventory of soft drinks, both US products and jupina, materva, iron beer, malta, latin colas, etc.
Good food, low prices, good service… another Colombian option along Armenia, this one in a little strip immediately south of the Walgreens at Sligh. And since you are here… check out the Housewife’s Bakery across the street if you have no risk of diabetes.

Driving down Armenia a sign with «Columbiana» in the name caught my eye. Not sure why I had missed it before, but a quick turnaround into the parking lot confirmed what I suspected… another Columbian restaurant in the ranks of good Latin dining options on this street.
El Fogon Columbiano is located in Veena’s Plaza, just south of Sligh on the west side of Armenia. This small storefront has just 18 seats and a small counter at the back with drinks and what looked like empanada-​type baked/​fried items. There’s a flat screen TV that was tuned to a soccer game. Speaking with the kind woman at the counter, my limited Spanish revealed they had no menus, but among the choices she listed, I made out that on that day they were serving chicken soup, rice and carne asada (steak). I asked about sandwiches (as the glass in front prominently advertised), and she said they offered a steak sandwich as well.
My order for the sandwich with lettuce, tomato and red onion was served up about 10 minutes later in a huge roll, which looked like about 12+” of Cuban bread pressed extraordinarily flat and toasted. The abundant pieces of carne asada looked about ¼″ thick from a combination of thin slicing and likely a good pounding flat as well. The steak was moist and very flavorful, and the mix of lettuce, tomato and onion along with the thin toasty texture of the pressed bread made for a great mix of flavors. The steak was just a bit tough to bite through in a few places, as I’ve found in most carne asada serving less-​costly cuts of beef, but it didn’t affect any of the flavor or overall chewability.
What’s incredible is the $ 5.50 price for this gargantuan sandwich. I would have expected it to be considerably more expensive using steak, and at that price it’s a great value. If you’re looking for a beef alternative to the Cuban sandwich, El Fogon’s steak sandwich is a good choice.
I’m confident that my very limited Spanish meant I likely missed some other menu options. Next time I’ll bring my Spanish dictionary and check out some other choices.
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 4
Food: 4
Value: 5