La Casona Colombian Restaurant

Delicioso
Good service, food fresh and met expectations for authentic Colombian food.

Very authentic. Liked that it was true to its roots. Only 4 stars because I like my plantains a little firmer. Price was right. Service was good. Speaking Spanish will help you with the menu. Recommend to anyone who likes good authentic food

I been to this place twice. And the 1^st time I was there the food was ok. I ordered the mini bandeja paisa. Which has beans rice steak and chicharon. It seemed like the whole thing was just plain. Not enough flavor or spices. The second time I was there I ordered the same thing, but this time it was a little better. So pretty much its a hit or miss kinda place depending on who is preparing your meal. Overall the place is clean and nice atmosphere.

This was my first visit. Everyone was polite and the place was very clean. And, the arepas are delicious, huge, and fairly priced. You won’t be disappointed.

I’d had this place on the radar for a while, and was very happy to go check it out with a friend. Unfortunately, we unknowingly arrived an hour before closing. The place seemed kind-​of dark on the outside, and I wonder if they turned off their signage in preparation of winding down. Still, that did not stop them from serving up a really good meal to us. Staff was friendly and helpful throughout, even as we were the last ones in the place that evening.
«La Casona» translates to «the large house.» Indeed, it’s a big room. Clean and spacious. And they serve some generously large portions of some delicious Colombian traditions. This is quick, authentic Colombian food. And it was tasty. We each had the Bandeja Paisa. I had the larger one. **Unless you are either the size of Andre The Giant, or at least really, really freakishly hungry, you do not need the larger one.** You will have enough to share. But I do highly recommend this platter. The Bandeja Paisa is a variety of meats served on top of a platter of rice and beans. You’ll get chicharrones, carne asada, a sunny-​side egg, an arepa, some avocado, and some maduros. Delicious. And again, too much for one person.
After that massive platter, I managed to squeeze in a spoonful of some really stellar flan. Rich and dense and caramel-​ly sweet in all the right ways. It was a nice way to end that meal.
There is quite a bit to choose from on this menu, but I do recommend the Bandeja Paisa as a starter. I was surprised to see some spaghetti dishes on the menu. I want to go back and try the arepas as a stand-​alone dish. And the hen soup sounded really fantastic. Holler if you’re coming with.

I’ve in Miami and Traveled to Colombia this was not colombian food. I asked for churassco and I got a massive under seasoned steak. I dont recommend

If there was a Little Colombia neighborhood in Atlanta, this would be its flagship.
BANDEJA PAISA:
This was seriously amazing. The steak was thin, well done and amazing. This would be my recommendation if you are coming here for the first time. Next time I’d like to try their beef tongue. If you like spicy stuff, simply request a couple grilled jalapeños on the side. The beans were delicious, the pork skins were crispy and avocado was perfectly ripened.
THE BOOZE:
So this is where I wondered a little, why is there no Colombian beer? Corona was the southernmost beer to be found on the menu polluted with bud light and Heineken.
THE FOLKS:
Everyone working was awesome and attentive. The restaurant was actually packed on a Saturday afternoon, which came as a bit of a shocker.
Overall, solid place to enjoy a beer and some authentic food.

Surprisingly very good. I tried the lengua which was good but will be back for San cocho and the meat dish eveyone raves about. Good quality food and very nice waitress considering I have never really tried Columbian food.

You can find La Casona Colombian Restaurant on the short access spur right after you cross under I285 onto Buford Hwy, just before the new QuickTrip and almost right across the street from a newer Colombian restaurant, Delicias de la Abuela (which occupies the old Del Taco on BufHi).
The front of this place looks like a big pnkish/​rose house, which makes sense considering the name means «house.» Parking is right in front with most of the spaces on a hill — it can be a bit difficult to get in and out of, especially during busy times. You might want to visit at slightly earlier or later times (than lunch or typical dinner) to avoid any difficulties in parking.
If you haven’t tired Colombian food yet you’re definitely missing out. As with other Latino cuisines, Colombian has some familiar elements and other components that you’ll find unusual — it’s this latter that makes the cuisine unique and enticing. Along with the typical beef, chicken and pork, you’ll also see fish (and in particular whole fried talapia) on the menu. My favorite Colombian dish, and it’s the one platter I always order when going to a Colombian restaurant as a bit of a litmus test, is the Bandeja Paisa.
They offer both the big platter and a «Mini» version for those who think it’s too much food, and year at La Casona the big platter is indeed big. If you order this and you’re still hungry at the end then you might consider seeing your doctor — it’s massive! It includes grilled steak (a bit like pounded carne asada), pork skin (chicharron), fried egg, sweet plantains (maduros), avocado, an arepa (Columbian style so it’s more like a corn cake) all piled on rice and beans. The large platter also comes with a big hunk of sausage (like chorizo) and a bit larger portions. This was all delicious and I’d recommend at least the mini to anyone who wants to try Colombian for the first time.
On this occasion we ordered the Bandeja Paisa, a Mini Bandeja Paisa, A flattened arepa with chicken and avocado and mango smoothies (this last is very similar to a mango lassi). All were quite delicious.
I’ve also on occasion had the empanadas (they’re thicker skinned than other Latino style I’ve had), the Sweet corn soup, the whole fried fish, and the shrimp soup (fantastic!).
In all you’ll leave quite stuffed and satisfied. There’s a subtlety to the spices that provide a richness without heat (they do provide some heat if that’s your thing as hot sauce) that makes Colombian food different. They also like to use some smokey flavors in their cooking that I like quite a bit. Try this if you haven’t — you’ll like it!
(also posted to my food blog)

Love the food. Very friendly was worth the drive of 30 mins. The chicken pasteles was amazing.

A few wks ago I was battling a cold and I was on a quest for good chicken soup — I remembered La Casona serving soup just wknds only … which naturally made me think their soup must be really good. And it was. Out of the 3 – 4 chicken soups I tried that wknd, this was probably my favorite.
HEN SOUP — $ 10
This soup has plantain, yuca, potato, corn (YUM), carrot, cilantro (wish there was more) and ¼ chicken (incl. skin). Appreciated seeing the greasy film = real chicken broth. Thought $ 10 might be pricey for soup — but their soup also comes with rice, sweet plantains (YUM), cilantro slaw (YUM) and avocado. in addition like the other entrees served at this restaurant, they provide complimentary rice pudding before your meal (yes dessert before your meal).
You can check out my previous review for other recommended dishes. They also have all kinds of arepas here. Service is great too. i came on a Sunday morning and it was packed with families. True hidden gem — located on the side street next to QT.
FYI — they close early for dinner. Open Mon-​Sun 9−8pm.

This place is authentic Colombian with Colombian expats. Casona means big house and that was about the size of the restaurant. Bathrooms were clean and welcoming. Come hungry as they feed well. We were only the third set of guests in the place because of the time we came in to eat. Most in my party had Jugo de Guanbana or Maracuya and there were many refills at the table. I had the Bandeja Paisa (a combo plate) which had sausage, steak, chicharron, plantain, rice, beans and arepa. All was delicious. Others at the table had the lengua which was wonderfully tender. The meal was not expensive for the copious food you get and the menu was expansive. Wait staff was attentive. Buen Provecho!

Bandeja Paisa!!! The best around. Large portions and not expensive at all. I also love their mango de leche… mmm delish!

Confession: I know little to nothing about Colombian food. This was my first experience.
The spot was a little tricky to find, but once I found it, it had ample parking. The restaurant was fairly large, but was not very crowded early on the Friday evening that my friends and I visited. The décor was lovely. Service was attentive and helpful.
Based on other Unilocal reviews, I tried the guava juice with milk. It was outstanding. Nothing like having the equivalent of a milkshake with dinner! We started with the empanadas and found them to be excellent, as well. My friends and I all tried the Mini Bandeja Paisa. It was a ton of food and absolutely delicious. I would recommend this spot!

The portions are great, huge actually. The service is pleasant, friendly and accommodating and the atmosphere is cheerful and comfortable. Unfortunately each separate element of the «plato fuerte», or large platter (which comes in two sizes, large and small – I had the small – still huge!) was bland and boring compared to other nearby Colombian restaurants, one across Buford Highway and another on Jimmy Carter.
My wife’s «sopa de gallina», or chicken soup was also enormous but none of the vegetables had much flavor and the chicken was devoid of flavor and very dry and stringy, as if it had been frozen for a year and/​or was an old worn out laying hen that was no longer productive.
This was a return visit to give the place a second chance. Should be 2 & ½ stars if only for the food but all else was nice, so three.

Came here on a weeknight with my boyfriend and we were the only ones in the restaurant, which was fine. The food is very good and authentic. I suggest getting several things and sharing. We got the arepa, I recommend getting the arepita, which is smaller since the arepa was the size of a personal pizza. However, it was still delicious. We also shared a a Bandeja, which honestly looks like it’s supposed to be for 2 people.
I was looking forward to Sancocho, but they only serve that on the weekends.

I came to LA Casona after not being here for years. It was my go to place for cheap healthy and hearty lunch food during my pregnancy. Those women servers were all still there, and still asking me about my daughter. After all these years I was remembered and it felt fantastic to have some familiarity and consistency amidst all of the chaos in my life this past year. They have added new menu items. On Thursday they have something called… The campesinos sudado or something like that. Dear sweet baby Jean it was amazing. It’s plantain, cassava, yam provisions in a fig leaf with stew beef and chicken served over rice with salad and plantain. It was amazing. Of course it still comes with a soup but I think they did away with the dessert. The food did not disappoint. The lulo, panela, and soups were still yummy. My bae and I each had one of each special. The other was fried ribs with lentil soup. Mine was better but his was still delicious. The service is still pretty much you get your food and check, and then they’re busy with other clients but I don’t even care. I go there to eat well, and that it what I still got, consistent delicious Colombia fare

La Casona Colombian Restaurant is hidden behind the QuikTrip at Buford Highway and I-​285. The storefront is located on Stewart Road and is visible from Buford Highway, particularly when heading south. La Casona is one of only a handful of restaurants I’m aware of that serves authentic Colombian cuisine inside the perimeter.
The business is open seven days a week, 9am to 8pm, serving breakfast, lunch, and early dinner. $ 6.99 breakfast specials are offered until 11:30am and $ 7.95−8.95 lunch specials are offered from 11:30am-3:00pm. Certain special dishes are available on the weekends only. Some of these dishes include sancocho de gallina (hen soup), mondongo (tripe soup), and medallones de bagre en leche de coco (fish soup in coconut milk).
The restaurant is in a standalone building with a small parking lot. The interior of the restaurant is spacious with several sections of seating. Most of the tables are four-​tops and there are a few booths. The restaurant is clean and the atmosphere is casual.
There is quite a bit of variety on the menu. It includes tostones (salty fried plantain slices), appetizers such as empanadas, arepitas (Colombian cornmeal fritters), chorizo sausage, and soups, spaghetti pasta dishes, arepas (Colombian corn-​based flatbreads), seafood, Bandeja Paisa (traditional Colombian food platter), steaks, pork, chicken, and desserts such as figs with dulce de leche and flan. Beverage-​wise, they offer many Colombian fruit juices (with and without milk) and Colombian sodas too (e.g. Colombiana).
Outside of the breakfast and lunch specials, expect to spend roughly $ 3 – 6 each for most of the appetizers, $ 6 – 7 for each arepa (they’re big), $ 10 – 15 per soup, $ 10 – 16 each for most of the meat and seafood entrees, and $ 11 – 13 each for the Bandeja Paisa platters. Portion sizes are generous and I consider this place a good value.
Here’s a rundown of the items I’ve tried:
Appetizers/​Sides:
Empanada — stuffed beef pastry
Morcilla con arepita — traditional rice sausage with arepita
Fried yuca with garlic sauce
Entrees:
Tostones with chicken
Lengua (tongue) arepa
Arepa with chicken, pineapple, and avocado
Pechuga a la Plancha — grilled chicken entrée
Mondongo — tripe soup
Bandeja Paisa — grilled steak, pork skin, egg, sausage, sweet plantains, avocado, arepita, rice and beans
Beverages:
Guanabana (soursop juice) with milk
Guayaba — guava juice
Lulo juice
My favorite dish is the Bandeja Paisa. The full version is about $ 13 and the «mini» version is about $ 11. The mini version contains all of the foods listed in the description in the list above except for chorizo sausage. Both contain a lot of food.
The grilled steak is a cheap cut, but it’s hard to complain given the price. Two chicharron strips (pork skin/​rinds) are provided, a fried egg, the aforementioned chorizo link, two maduros, a fresh half avocado slice, arepita, rice, and beans. I like the plump and flavorful sausage the best followed by the fatty chicharron strips. The arepitas (small arepas) are soft and appetizing. The white rice seems to be lightly seasoned with salt.
The morcilla is good and savory. It’s Colombia’s version of blood sausage, made with cooked and congealed bloods plus rice and spices. The empanada and fried yuca aren’t bad. The empanada is flaky and moist while the yuca is cooked to order and served piping hot.
The tostones and arepas are straightforward and look rather plain, but they taste better than they look. One order of tostones comes with four tostones (plantain slices topped with ingredients). Four tostones fill an entire plate. The chicken tostones are topped with seasoned, shredded chicken.
One arepa takes up most of a plate. The lengua arepa comes with a heaping portion of chopped beef tongue cooked with tomatoes, peppers, and spices. It’s lengua overload and perfect for those who are a fan of beef tongue. The arepa with chicken, pineapple, and avocado tastes exactly how it sounds. It uses the same seasoned, shredded chicken as described in the tostones above. The pineapple chunks taste less like pineapple and more like applesauce or apple pie.
The mondongo soup is tasty. It’s made from tripe (cow’s stomach) plus various other ingredients such as potatoes and carrots. The broth is light, slightly oily, yellow in color, and the soup is topped with a bit of cilantro. The tripe is diced. Note tripe can be an acquired taste as it does have a unique finish to it. Some may find the taste/​odor unpleasant. The soup comes with a side plate of rice, tostones, slaw, and avocado.
The Pechuga a la Plancha is a basic satisfying dish. Its sister dish, Pechuga Empanizada (breaded chicken cutlet), looks comforting as well. Both come with rice, salad, and a side.
The juices are A-​OK. Of the ones I’ve tried, I prefer the guava. The juices are on the milder side. Lulo is a Colombian fruit which looks like a small orange. The fruit also resembles a tomato, but it has a citrus flavor.
Service is very good. Gloria is excellent.

Stopped in for lunch a few weeks ago.
The empanadas were good, but nothing spectacular. We each ordered the bandeja paisa. The meat was somewhat tough. One of our eggs was overcooked so instead of being melty and delicious it was rock hard and rubbery. Not a fan. The portions are HUGE, though.
I will say the blackberry batido (milkshake) I had with my meal was A++ Creamy, fruity, and refreshing. Icy fresh and perfect for a hot day.

Just realized I wrote a review way back in 2011 and I’m still a regular visitor at La Casona today.
Original review still stands. Haven’t been disappointed yet. Visit at least once a month.