This place is amazing and very unassuming. Located well off the strip and away from the hustle and bustle of town. Small little cafe located in the Ponce hotel. We've eaten here twice now and have loved every dish we've ordered. The staff is super friendly too. They have the tiniest bar (like four stools) and the restaurant is small too. Extremely fresh and flavorful. I know we will return on our next visit to town. read more

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We went on Tuesday morning just as they opened. The food was fresh and delicious. All the meat choices were juicy and tender. We highly recommend this restaurant. It's located inside the lobby of a small hotel. They are also very friendly and nice. read more

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So secretive that most people do not even know that this hidden gem is in the The Ponce. The De Leon Cocina is a small but mighty eatery. Super casual but the food more than makes up for it! We ordered the beef empanadas, the eleven eleven burgers and the ponce chicken sandwich - and everything was 5 stars across the board! Can't wait to try more of their salads, bowls and entrees! The food and ingredients used are fresh and flavorful! Highly recommend to all the locals. A lot of food in restaurants in town are hit or miss and taste more like frozen food. But De Leon Cocina is authentic down to the bare bones. I cannot rave highly enough about everything we had! Come for the food, or to pick up the food, it is worth the price and the visit! read more

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It was a very good place to eat. They had good hospitality, hot food. It was very very very good. They gave you a lot and I would recommend anybody to go there because it is well worth it, and the food was fresh. read more

After a day out in downtown St. Augustine we wanted to get some food. We went to De Leon Cocina. The food and service is always amazing when I go. The food tastes like back in Colombia. I recommend the Chuleta Valluna!!!! It is my favorite. read more

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I've been to this spot several times & I love the food. Before I go any further I will say- their service is not the best. They can be slow, forgetful and all over the place. However they are always hospitable and very sweet. I personally love most of their dishes, except their beans. Since I am Puerto Rican it could be because we do out beans differently. Yet everything else is delicious. Their prices are great and the portions are very generous. It's most certainly a lunch and dinner spot. Parking is quite easy but can be a little confusing getting in because it's part of a hotel, which kind of makes it hidden. Greatest part is that parking is free. The restaurant is small, but very nice and certainly carries the hint of the Colombian Culture in the decor. read more

De Leon Cocina - Caribe Bowl - Latin American Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

We stayed down the street so a quick drive to this little spot inside a hotel. I ordered one american breakfast to go & a delicious columbian breakfast w/ chorizo & beans & fried cake & chicharron. A side of thier hot sauce makes everything even more absolutely delicious. I highly recommend this little spot but it's only sat & Sunday for breakfast....I haven't had delicious columbian food since Germany. read more

De Leon Cocina - Rice & beans & soft fried egg w/ chorizo - Latin American Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

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Great service good food at almost closing time , they were very nice even it was time for them to leave . Good was amazing. Going again for dinner tonight. read more

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Food with a Columbian influence and service were wonderful. Wait time was long. We will return when in the area.

This is definitely the place where all the Colombians in the area go. As non-Colombians, we did not feel very welcome. Having been to Colombia several times, the place does not have the vibe I was hoping for. The food is good. Mains are pretty authentic. The juice selection is great. The starters we tried were bland. The empanadas were obviously mass-produced frozen food they buy. Not worth trying read more

Not veggie friendly despite being advertised so. Very very slow service. Loud and unpleasant atmosphere.

Only my 2nd time there but this place has easy surpassed my expectations every time. I love it so much. I tell everyone about it and recommend everyone come here on their trips. We got the veggie empanadas, the black bean arepas, the Inca bowl and the Caribe bowl for our entress and omg were they all delicious. The portions were great! For dessert we got the cheese and guava empanadas and the tres leches cake. Unbelievably delicious! I got a mimosa and it was made perfectly not to mention everyone was so nice! read more

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My best friend and I ate here while on vacation. We're both Puerto Rican and we were so happy to have delicious Latin cuisine while enjoying birthday celebrations! The food here is fresh, well prepared, and seasoned beautifully. She got the Truca Arcoiris and I got the Cubano. Both are very different, one being a bowl the other a platter, but they are absolutely delicious. The fish and ropa vieja are tender and bursting with flavor. The tostones and yucca are well made as well. I highly recommend asking for the sofrito dipping sauce, and their pique or picante (picante is much hotter, and I recommend to those who enjoy spice) as it just elevates the flavor of the dish. We visited twice during our stay and filled ourselves to the brim both times. Totally worth that "too full" feeling the cafe is amazing too. Definitely do yourself a favor and try this place, it's worth a visit! read more

The food was amazing and very affordable! Great customer service and very clean. My wife Colombian and she said it's the same quality as in Colombia . read more

De Leon Cocina - Latin American Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

I had the Cubano bowl. It was okay but surprisingly bland. The server never came back to my table once the food was served even though I ran out of water. Disappointed with the food and the service. read more

This Colombian restaurant is fantastic. The food is second only to the incredible service. We enjoyed the Shrimp Cocktail with patacones immensely. The empanadas were amazing and my son love his Paisa Bowl. Whenever we are in St Augustine, this is a must stop for my Colombian family. read more

The meals are super tasty, Colombian food is plenty of pork, shrimps, pinto beans soup, rice and green bananas to start. We were here before once, once hungry we remember our pork yammmiiii, here we are!. The juices should receive a Grammy and a Nobel prize, the Lulo is my preferred one, order in water or made with milk, both are from another planet, they are from Latin America so they really are aliens. read more

This is the most authentic Latin Colombian you can find in Florida. The chef is from Medellin and every single dish has a unique touch. Amazing service. Very well served Gourmet Colombian food. It is located inside The Ponce hotel. read more

Amazing food and amazing service.. be careful with those moonshine slushies, they will get ya

The food is good ! Some servers are nice but tjeres a server a middle aged guy he's really rude ! But the others are nice the outside is not ideal the motel doesn't match with the restaurant vibe but overall I would recommend giving it a try ! read more

Very nice chicken and steak steak dinners. Proteins were seasoned perfectly and very tender. Sides were all over fried and hard. Service was non-existent. Young man brought our drinks, took our order, and never was seen again till he dropped off our check 1.5 hours later. We wanted another round but never saw a server. Small place. Probably won't go back. #local read more

We had a great experience. Food was delicious and had no complaints. We can't wait to return. It was a great find! read more

De Leon Cocina - Red snapper! So delicious - Latin American Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

I heard of this place on IG- not sure how but since I'm half Colombian I wanted to go see what the food was all about. Luckily I read a review on Yelp that mentioned it's hard to spot this restaurant as it's in the lobby of the Ponce hotel. Cute small restaurant, super casual. You can see the hotel pool from inside the restaurant. We ordered three different appetizers- chicken empanadas, tostones and cheese arepas. The empanada exterior isn't like I've had before- this exterior was made out of a cornbread like mixture. One cheese arepa was enough for two people and the corn meal was sweet like dessert. The tostones were served with an onion type relish. For our main we shared a meat combo platter that had steak, chicken, chorizo and crispy pork belly plus tostones, yuca, picked onion/tomato mixture and a plain white corn arepa. Everything we tried was served on cutting boards. I don't realize tostones were on the platter we ordered, if I had we wouldn't have ordered the app. Over all everything was good. The plain arepa was very bland. We both agreed we would come back and they the bowls they have on the menu. They do have a bar. Not sure if only beer and wine or if liquor too. The service was very pleasant. read more

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Discovered this place by chance. My wife and I were staying at the hotel for a couple of nights and while lounging at the pool, I decided to look it up on Yelp and noticed the good reviews. We had dinner here that night and loved ever we tasted. The poor waiter was working alone that night and he could barely stop to chat with us for a bit but did manage to recommend the "refajo" a beer and cola concoction which was wonderfully pleasant and as weird as it sounds is not sweet at all but just makes it easier to drink beer, which could be dangerous, lol. Totally recommend this place if you are in St. Augustine and like Colombian cuisine. read more

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I eat here all the time. The food is amazing and delicious every time. Authentic Colombian food at its best. From the empanadas to the chuleta, everything is flavorful. The atmosphere is cool. They have music playing and they have a nice view of the pool. The hidden gem is located inside the Ponce hotel. Everyone is friendly and it's just a cool spot to hang out or work in. I would highly recommend coming here. I will probably see you there. read more

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Fantastic service, great quality Latin American food, exactly how we remember it from our time living in Colombia! read more

De Leon Cocina - Fried fish (Pargo Frito) - Latin American Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

Little Latin restaurant tucked into the Ponce Hotel. Was a bit surprises at first, but the music and the friendly waitress convinced us to stick around. Glad we did! For appetizers, we ordered refajo (Colombian soda and beer mixed drink), and an order of both the beef and the vegetarian empanadas. The vegetarian empanadas were made with quinoa, and tasted very fresh. The aji sauce could have been a little spicier, but that is my personal preference. For the main course, our table ordered the bandeja paisa, the trucha (fish) special, a vegan bowl, and the picada (assortment of grilled meats and starches). I was very happy with the vegan bowl, which came with a dressing on the side. The beans on the bandeja paisa are also vegetarian. I was told that the meat on the bandeja paisa could have been cooked a little more in order to be well done, which is the preference of most Colombians. By the time we were finished and were leaving, the restaurant was full of customers, and there were several people lined up as well. My family was really happy with coming here for lunch, and have made this our go-to spot when we go back to St. Augustine. read more

De Leon Cocina - Vegan bowl was really tasty! Started to mix everything before I remembered to take the picture. - Latin American Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

A great meal with with great service. My wife and I are vegan. They have a wonderful selection of vegan choices. And were very accommodating allowing us to mix and match. It's inside the Ponce Hotel so don't miss it. read more

De Leon Cocina - Latin American Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

We found this gem based on reviews. It was an excellent choice since food and service were great. Our waiter Nelson provided excellent service and helpful with all our demands. Mimosas were only $4, good price for everything and the portions were huge. Food was fresh and authentic. They also have healthy bowls that taste yummy. Overall if you are looking for a home made dish with authentic flavor, this is your place. read more

A pleasant surprise! If, you've eaten in restaurants attached to a hotel before, you know the quality really varies. I was tired after a long day, it was pouring rain out so I didn't want to go back out after checking in. I'm so glad that I "took the chance"! Simple not fancy but clean. Cute little colored ties on the napkins. Friendly welcoming staff. Excellent food! Fresh and well executed. I was on a diet but broke it for their Chicken Empanada appetizer (yes, it was worth it). And then got a Beautiful, big fresh Salad with a refreshing, not overpowering Cilantro dressing and beautiful, big perfectly grilled shrimp. I'll be back when I return to St Augustine. Hopefully, I won't be on a diet next time so that I can enjoy some of the Columbian dishes that I saw passing by to other happy diners. Oh - and very reasonably priced. read more

De Leon Cocina - My Salad w/Cilantro dressing & Grilled Shrimp at De Leon - - Latin American Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

Stopped for lunch while on vacation and found this place. The food was excellent and the service was great. I would definitely eat here again. read more

Went here due to the Yelp reviews and we were not disappointed. We shared 3 apps since they seemed more interesting than the mains. Coconut shrimp with tamarind sauce was very yummy. Chicken arepas were really tasty but very small- but then again only $6 for 2. And chorizo with an arepita was good as well. I had sangria which was refreshing and not too sweet. Bill was only about $30 (husband only had a Diet Coke) for a lightish dinner- much more reasonable than any other meal in this city! Service was good. Venue is a bit sketchy- a hotel dining room that has obviously seen better days- but seemed clean. Recommend. read more

This restaurant never disappoints! The food is fantastic and the service is no different. I would recommend almost anything especially their shrimp cocktails with tostones! read more

Great food and great service. I've been here numerous times and I've got to say the food does not disappoint! I'm definitely a foodie, I like to try anything and everything and I have not been bored of this place at all. Try the empanadas, the burger with the pineapple(good twist). You won't be unhappy when you leave. They also have different types of beer you wouldn't find at your local bar. Check it out!!! read more

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The food was amazing and the service even better. I wasn't expecting much of this place but I was in for a very nice surprise. I recommend 100%. read more

De Leon Cocina - Chuleta Can Can y bandeja paisa - Latin American Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

We ate dinner tonight because the restaurant is in the hotel we are staying at- figured it would be convenient. The food blew us away though- everything we ordered was delicious and the service was fantastic! We will be back for sure. Small and not much to look at when you walk in but the food more than makes up for it! read more

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The best authentic Columbian food. Great place to eat for casual dining. Price point is perfect. Happy hour from 4-6. Please try this establishment. Tell your friends. It is a must try. Have the empanadas!!!! read more

The food. Ohh my God. It was delicious. The attention was great. The beers where not that cold but the food. Again! It was amazing.

Unassuming little restaurant tucked in The Ponce St. Augustine Hotel. Incredible food and service. Arepas are fresh and filling. Try the Columbian ice tea and the salads. I would go back just for the latte coffee. Although there are a limited number of tables and a steady stream of diners they somehow manage to seat everyone in a timely fashion and not rush those clearly finished with their meals. Outstanding service. read more

Great food! Everything was delicious! A little bit of a wait but it was worth it and the service was excellent! Next time we visit St. Augustine we will be back! My favorite was the chicken empanadas, morcilla, and the aji! read more