We had an excellent dinner here this evening: house made chorizo, beef empanadas, arepas, and slow cooked beef. Very nice beer list as well

Four of us went for dinner on a Friday night. Atmosphere was a little quiet but picked up as the night went on. Service was good, very fast and attentive staff Nice variety of Colombian cuisine I would go back but you need to be on the right mood. read more

10/10 for food, service and ambiance. Would highly recommend for awesome lunch/dinner.

Simply amazkng, the atmosphere and the food. Takes me back home to southamerica with the great quality meat.

I only found this little gem because a friend of mine posted delicious looking pics on Instagram. After seeing them and then looking the place up I decided I must try it for myself. So yesterday my Mom and I had ourselves a yummy steak lunch. El Humero is located down a little alleyway in Takapuna off of Hurstmere Rd, that contains a string of small restaurants and eateries. It was busy for Monday lunchtime, which I always take as a good sign. We sat at the bar area on stools, which for me was a little uncomfortable as I don't like not being able to sit back, but turns out every seat in the place is a stool so it wouldn't have mattered anyway. We were given menus and had to put our bags on the floor as there aren't the usual hooks underneath. The menu is pretty extensive, and pretty cheap in terms of a steakhouse. My mom and I both got the popular eye round steak. Hers with arepa and guacamole, and mine with yuca wedges and Colombian sour cream. It took quite a while to come out as there is only one guy working the grill area, but it was fun to watch him so I suggest sitting at the bar if you can. My steak was delicious and huge. The fat was well grilled so you could easily eat the whole thing if you had enough room (I didn't). The sour cream was very tangy like it had lime juice mixed in and it went well with the yuca and the steak. My only disappointment was when the server brought our plates over she tipped mine and it spilled steak juice all over my bag, which of course was on the floor since I couldn't put it anywhere else. I really hope they install hooks for this very reason. Other than that the meal was awesome and the grill master was fun to talk to. You can tell he knows his stuff. By far the best place I've eaten since being in New Zealand. read more

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Holy smokes... the beef short rib is absolute heaven. Tender, smokey, meaty goodness chargrilled to perfection. And those cassava fries... delicious! I'll admit, I'd never heard of cassava before but the chef tells me it's a root vegetable that thrives in the hot countries around the equator. He even showed me a picture. It looks a lot like a parsnip. Anyway, they twice cook their's. First boiling them in a vegetable stock and then deep-frying them for that added crunch. I also highly recommend their empanadas, which are made with corn as opposed to pastry (I wonder if this a regional thing?). They're filled with potato and slow-cooked beef and are incredibly moreish. As for vegetables.., well, do potatoes count? No but seriously, they're not big on them. Their main dishes do come with a side salad that's a-ok but nothing to write home about. Also, heads up these guys are still waiting for their liquor license. It should be coming the next couple of weeks but until then it water or soft drinks! read more

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This place is a really delicious steakhouse and has become a regular spot for us ever since we moved into the neighborhood. My favorites are the beef bottom and short ribs (so tender!). All their mains come with a garden salad, one side, and one sauce. For sides, I always go for the paprika potatoes and the fried sweet plantains. For sauces, I recommend the aji casero (similar to pico de gallo) and the tamarind salsa, but there are several others to suit your taste. Only drawback on the food is that there are no vegetables on the menu aside from the garden salad. Usually busy, especially on the weekend. They don't take bookings on Fridays and Saturday. Good ambience, good service. Note some seats at the bar (near the grill) can be too smoky for comfort. read more

If you want to eat meat. This is the place to go. Their meat is char-grilled to perfection a is delicious (I can't stop raving about it). Also please try out their Cassava wedges, its much tastier than the potato version haha read more

I stumbled upon this newly opened eatery in Takapuna's new laneway, Fortieth & Hurstmere. Nestled alongside Dante's Pizza and Bird on a Wire, El Humero offers traditional Colombian bbq, large cuts of meat are skewered and cooked over manuka flames, grilled over coals or slow cooked until tender. I tried a couple of entrees - the beef pinchos (grilled skewers with onion and capsicum) and empanadas (filled with pulled beef and potatoes, encased in a cornbread style pastry). I also tried the guacamole and a chilli, tomato sauce. All freshly made and delicious. Lots of choices for mains on the menu with the added bonus of being able to choose one side dish and one sauce. I'm keen to try a traditional schnitzel dish next time. The staff are very friendly and happy to explain the menu. I hear there's even Colombian beer on the way to add to the experience. I'll be back. read more

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Alex and I had a lovely shared lunch here, last Sunday. We were warmly greeted by the staff and engaged in conversation about the menu. After ordering, we chatted away at the bar. The atmosphere was strangely relaxing, even though we were seated amidst a cacophony of activity! The noise from the chefs at work, the laughter from nearby tables and the vibrant folkloric sounds playing in the background, seemed to just add to the charm of this place! As for the food - I'm a fan! The pulled beef empanadas are delightful. They are made from cornmeal, which sets them apart from the other South American flour empanadas. These guys know how to heat things up - just right, too! The Ají sauce made from diced tomatoes, cilantro, chopped green onions, lemon juice and, of course, ají or habanero peppers, works brilliantly with their grilled meats, empanadas, and arepas. Their black pudding sausages where, however, my favourite! Succulent, moist and full of texture - simply the best! I can't wait to go back for more!!! read more

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Was recommended by a South American that this is the best authentic South American restaurant so come to check it out. Thought was bigger place from the pic. Both waitress and chef are ladies and seems from there. I like the beef the way they grill tastes good can't remember others . Overall is ok but maybe not a must try particularly for the South American food as the menu is quite simple same for lunch and dinner. read more

El Humero - Latin American Near Me - Auckland, AUK

I don't eat a lot of the meats they had on offer but the BBQ chicken breast was a tad dry. I'm all for trying out South American cuisine but nothing really stood out to me except the entree and corn meal flat bread. The condiments of salsa (hot and mild) were good. Nothing to tempt me to return. Sorry - not for chicken lovers. read more

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First time trying Colombian food. Dishes' presentation looked great. Food tastes delicious and fresh as you can see the chef's grill over the bar sizzling, bbqing and cooking every meal. I think experience and trying something new is what will take you there and you'll never regret it. read more

Oh soo good. Had a steak for lunch with some colleagues on a Friday. It was tops. Lovely staff, beautiful BBQ, good vibes. I'll be back soon to pig right out. read more

A gorgeous little restaurant nestled away in a side alley off the main drag. Pretty much everything comes off the barbecue or the grill situated behind the bar within the main dining area. It is an absolute festival of different barbecued meats, all very delicious. Although you could order and eat your own dish, it's clearly designed so that you order several and share amongst your fellow diners. My colleague and I sat up at the bench overlooking the cooking area which was very comfortable. The meals are not massive so for the hungrier amongst us, it's safe to err on the side of ordering that extra meal to share. None of them are particularly expensive and considering the quality, all are well worth it. Sorry, but if you're vegetarian, don't bother. There might be something there for you but this place is all about the meat so you'll be missing out if you're not there for that. Staff were friendly enough whilst appearing happier leaving diners to themselves rather than overly trying to engage in conversation. Nothing wrong with that at all. read more

An excellent taste of Colombia. Very reasonable especially for such large serves of meat. We dined as a party of 4 with 2 shared appetizers and everything we had was distinct and tasty. Entrees of empanadas and chicharron where very nice. For mains I had the beef short ribs which you could see slow cooking on spots over a wood fire next to the grill. The combination of fall off the bone tenderness with the char grilled edges they get from finishing the ribs on the grill was amazing. My wife had the pork shoulder which was very tasty with juicy umptous mouth feel. The sirloin steak was impressively smokey and and the beef joint was nicely cooked strips of tastyness. Not the sort of food I could eat every week but I will certainly be going back. read more

Popped in here for a Saturday afternoon late lunch. Great ambience, outstanding food. The mains looked like big portions. Will be back.

Have eaten here twice and both times the food was great. The pork belly just fell apart and was very tasty and the ribs are my personal favourite. If you are a meat lover this is the place for you. My partner had the Chicken which was a little dry so I would recommend keeping to the Pork or beef dishes as they hold up to the BBQ cooking better. All meals come with a Side of your Choice, the sauce of your choice and a side salad so pretty good value. I will be returning. read more

Great food and drink perfect for a rainy night. People there were friendly and welcoming, everything's authentic so what more do you want. Highly recommend the slow braised short ribs done on the open wood fire read more

Food was great! Healthier option and the flavours and selection is fantastic. Love the location , outdoor area was great to dine in. Service was a little slow,, however there was a birthday party group so staff were a little run off their feet. read more

Oh, wow. We ate here tonight and I was just blown away. We split two dishes -- the beef ribs and the combination platter -- and I swear there was a subtly adversarial mood at our table as we wordlessly raced each other for the food. I haven't had food this good in quite awhile. The ribs were just spectacular. A modest-size serving but the meat was out of this world: so tender and delicate, literally falling off the bone, and slightly to the 'rare' end of the spectrum, which is how beef should be. It was cooked in some mystery manner that gave it the most divine skin: almost caramelized. We opted for a side of plantain with this one, as I'd never tried that vegetable. It came in slivers, deep-fried, and was decadent even if I couldn't really discern the taste of the plantain itself. The other dish, the mixed platter, was larger in size, and everything on it was likewise superb. There was a large serving of pork (in fact this was the 'main event' on the plate) which, while less flavoursome than the ribs, was still delightfully tender. I found that the best bits were at the bottom, where the meat had come into contact with whatever sauce/oil they'd drizzled on the plate (which had pooled around the base of the 'pyramid' of meat). There was blood sausage, which, next to the ribs, was my favourite item of the evening: closely rivalled by another variety of sausage, I forget which exactly, that was also on the plate. The chips were to die for in their own right -- large, rustically-cut, sinfully oily. I loved the idea of choosing your preferred sauce to go with each dish. We opted for guacamole for the platter and tamarindo for the ribs, though we drizzled a bit of each over both dishes. They gave an already decadent feast that final accent of flavour. Even the side-salads were delicious. The ambiance was lovely, the place is so elegantly done and a very pleasant space for a meal and a chat, especially seated in the rear courtyard as we were. The staff were fantastic too. The girl who served us clearly has a passion for the menu. You get a sense that it's a very 'house-proud' restaurant in that the servers all hail (by the looks/sounds of it) from Latin America and so they're selling something they're familiar with and that's dear to them. Everything about this place is perfect! I left pleasantly sated but at the same time pining for a whole heap more simply by virtue of how delicious it had been. And they're not greedy about the prices either, even though they could probably get away with it with food this good. $25 for the admittedly smallish rib dish, and $30 for the generously-sized combination plate. Totally worth it. read more