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    El Paisa Restaurant

    3.7 (356 reviews)
    ModerateColombian, Empanadas
    Closed 10:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Order El Paisa Restaurant Takeout or Delivery

    El Paisa Restaurant Photos

    EL PAISA RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - El Paisa Restaurant

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    My mom and I, very happy.
    Rosemary M.

    I just celebrated my birthday here with family and friends. Food was on point! Delicious. They went out of their way especially Andy & Mitzy. They gave me a special birthday hat to wear, put up a banner, recommend balones, didn't charge a plating fee for cake. It was so authentic and a 10 out of ten! They went out of there way to make sure my elderly mom was doing ok. She's usually very passive, but she asked to speak to the manager to compliment the service.

    It's FRIJOLES CON GARRA but no beans LOL   NO NO NEVER AGAIN CHECK YOU PRICE MACH WITH INTERNET

    I been at this place before many times Never feel like I need to do a feedback MENÚ IS FAKE please check your online prices don't let the guy with many rings and BS blin blin play with you money my bill was $40 and he was changing me almost $50 he came with the BS the price when up I was like WHEN? He just want more money I LOOK IT UP AND HE JUST CHANGE THE PRICE TO MUCH BE CAREFUL DONT LET THEM FOOL YOU OUT NEVER AGAIN Check you price online I noticed something was wrong

    PONYMALTA

    Service, food and environment are soooo good, this place truly makes me feel like i am back home I will be coming back to this place, they have the best bandeja paisa ever Also the music selection is authentic and really good

    Advertised tamale on the menu on the left. What was actually served on the right. Tasted just as nasty as it looks.

    I've been wanting to try this place for a while. My Columbia friend was in town so I decided to finally try the place out. The server was extremely rude. My Spanish isn't the best but I can get by pretty good. But he chose to ignore me the entire restaurant experience, only addressing my Columbian friend whose Spanish was better. Her food came out and it took an additional 30 minutes to have just one tamale come out for me. It wasn't until I went up to the counter, the one tamale finally came out. But to my disgust they served me this overcooked, extremely watery tamale. I took a bite and it tasted so disgusting, watery and bland. I immediately showed the server the picture of the tamale they have advertised on their menu, compared to what they served me. My Columbia friend even told the server that's not what it's supposed to taste or look like. As he continued to dismiss me and not talk to me, even tho it was my dish. I just told him I didn't want anything else to reorder. My friend finished half of her dish and reported some of the flavors are off. But we ended up walking down the street to the Salvi restaurant and got exceptional food and service. Would not recommend this place! To the servers surprise it must have been when he tried to give my friend the bill to pay and I took it as I was the one treating. Let's just say his tip reflected his service. ;) ***ALSO, NO PRICES ON THEIR MENUS***

    Patacon con crema.
    Stephen C.

    If you're in Long Beach and are in the mood for Colombian food, go no further than El Paisa! Ordered a PICADA! It had everything blood sausage, empanada, fried plantain, sweet plantain, fried yuca,potato, and a cheese Arepa! What kind of sauces did they have? I'm not sure, but they tasted very good. One was spicy one was not. It was in between breakfast and lunch, so we were the only ones there however, it looks like it could be a good nights spot as well!

    Julian R.

    After a long wait and I have been following this place , major fail. The owner is rude and sarcastic! The food was not worth it and would not recommend. I will not return or refer anyone to this place . The owner does not appreciate or value his guest . I would give 0 stars if I could .............

    Seating
    Ann D.

    The food here was great. It was my first Colombian restaurant. The churrasco steak was good. I was able to share the food with my friend. It was a lot. On the menu there are no prices which is kind of weird. The service was outstanding. The ambiance was well decorated with paintings. The maduro appetizer was very yummy. I would recommend coming here. They have a small parking lot for customers too which is good.

    Exterior (side).

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    5 months ago

    Always, the best place for Colombian food and the owner is an amazing person, they have good service too

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    10 months ago

    The food was okay. The service was slow and we didn't have the best experience over there.

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    2 years ago

    Came for the game and whoever was in control of the sound SUCKED. Couldn't hear anything and ruined the halftime show. Don't come here.

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    El Paisa Restaurant Reviews in Other Languages

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    Selva was a great dinner experience! I came in for date…read morenight with my boyfriend and we loved everything. My family is Colombian so I was happy to see that they had refrajo on the drink menu. ( it's Colombian beer mixed with Colombian soda - it's amazing!) We ordered the arepas with chicharron, steak, and ceviche. Everything was super flavorful and delicious. The butter that came with the steak has sooo much flavor, I put that on everything. Our server Jake ( I believe that was his name) was super friendly and informative. Overall great experience, and will be back.

    Selva has a very cool vibe you can feel upon entering, with its checkered floor, teal bar chairs,…read moredark wood, and alternative rock playing in the background. It also smells like amazing meat which is a huge plus for me. We didn't have reservations so had to sit in the bar area which did include high top booths thankfully. It was our first time and happened to dine during one of their collab nights. We were disappointed at first because we were craving Colombian food. But the limited menu looked promising so we gave it a go. It turned out that everything was delicious. The spare rib was fall off the bone tender and had great smoky flavor. The beans were surprisingly tasty too. (I always find beans an unnecessary and bland accompaniment). I absolutely loved the brisket stir fry. The flavors blended well and it had a nice kick. The meat was so tender and I appreciated the meat to noodle ratio. The chicken inside the empanada was deliciously smoky but not overly so and the crust was the right consistency and crisp. It came with 3 sauces which were good but would have like a more spicier option. I tried two cocktails that were in the collab menu. The black old fashioned was too strong for me. I definitely preferred the buffalo soldier which was tasty and refreshing. My favorite dessert was the Natilla. It was like a flan mousse and so good. The toasted coconut flakes added a nice texture. The oblea was fun to eat. That cream and jam were a great combo. Overall a worthwhile experience. I hope to come back to try their regular menu items.

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    OBRA HandBakery - Breakfast sandwich on a warn croissant!

    OBRA HandBakery

    4.5(1.2k reviews)
    3.7 mi
    $
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    A few visits to Obra and each time amazing. The empanada variety is incredible. It's so hard to…read morechoose that I always leave with extras. I have brought these to events and they are always a hit. They do have more than just empanadas. The pastries are quite good, as is the coffee options, sandwiches, etc. Consistency has been king here!! It's pretty much takeout with a few seats outside, but enjoyable if you can grab one on a nice day.

    This place was a nice little, hole-in-the-wall cafe for a quick bite. Seating is limited. There is…read morea small bar area inside, but nobody was sitting inside, because the line to order was kind of taking up that area. There are also three tables outside that seat four, four, and two for a maximum of ten. The place fills up fast, but empties just as quick. And their baked goods go quick, so grab them while you can! I ordered the Cuban Empanada as an appetizer. The savory rice and bean filling was a perfect compliment to the sweet ripe plantain filling and hint of sweetness in the dough. They are baked and the dough is thick and chewy, so if you're not a fan of that type of Empanada, be warned... I ordered the Cuban Sandwich as the main course. It was DELICIOUS and I would recommend it to everyone! If you're a purist, like a few of my friends and family though, be warned. Their take on the Cuban is made with Ciabatta not Cuban Bread, Mozzarella not Swiss, and is toasted not pressed... I ordered a Vanilla & Dulce De Leche Cookie for Dessert. It was AMAZING! Soft chewy on the inside, a little crunch on the outside. The taste of a sugar cookie with little sugar bombs of Dulce De Leche throughout. Perfect. And I washed it all down with a Tres Leches Latte (Hot). It was DIVINE! Very much on the sweet side, which I absolutely enjoyed to the last drop. But, if you do not like it too sweet, you can ask them to lower the sweetness level. Also, they will give you an option of dairy milk (2%), almond milk, or oat milk when you order. Overall it was an excellent experience, for me. I will recommend it to all my friends, and will definitely be back!

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    Olé Tapas Bar & Kitchen - Paell Valenciana

    Olé Tapas Bar & Kitchen

    3.9(2.8k reviews)
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    Stopped at this location after our concert. No wait time to get seated. Sat down and ordered some…read morefood and beverages. Received our food in a timely manner. Food and Service was good. We really wanted to hear some latin music while we eat. We were dissapointed since the dj or live band was set to start late. It was already 1030pm, no music to vibe too. Just to give you a heads up, there are two locations. Long Beach and Costa Mesa. The one in Costa Mesa displays shows like Flocorica dancing and live latin bands. Long Beach, not so much Overall, the food, service and latin ambience was great. I would comeback and try again.

    If you want good paella, do not come here…read more This was honestly the worst paella I've ever had, which was really disappointing because the restaurant itself had a nice atmosphere and live music. We ordered a half seafood and half meat paella, with added lobster and pork belly. Unfortunately, the actual food was terrible. Main issues: * The bottom of the seafood side was completely black and burnt instead of having a crispy socarrat. There's a huge difference between crispy rice and burnt rice. * The lobster was severely overcooked, burnt, and tasted terrible. * The pork belly was an extra charge, but there was barely any visible pork belly in the dish. It honestly just looked like tiny bacon pieces. * All of the meat throughout the paella was severely overcooked. Positives: * Our waiter was very nice. * The ambiance was good. * The live music added a fun vibe. * It was my birthday, so they gave me a complimentary ice cream dessert at the end, which I appreciated. Unfortunately, none of that made up for how bad the paella itself was.

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    El Paisa Restaurant - colombian - Updated June 2026

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