Brian W.

I've been eyeing this place for quite some time and was able to finally get out to it this weekend. We arrived just around noon on a Saturday and it wasn't too busy (which is surprising!) The interior of the restaurant is also really nice and clean - it looks like a quiet, nice sit down restaurant even though there is no dress code our party (and other patrons) were wearing normal home clothes or hoodies. It was very comfortable and clean without being uptight at all which I really enjoyed. But as nice as the restaurant is, the real star of the show is the food. After just one meal, I can absolutely say that I will be back (again and again and again), as the food we ordered was really fresh and delicious, and the helpings were extremely generous for the price. On top of that, their entire menu looks incredible and there are so many dishes I'd like to try (most of the breakfast items, the cazuelas, fried trout with mushroom cream, salmon a la plancha, and chicken churrasco, to name a few). What I did try today was: Ceviche de Chicharron ($7.50) - I wasn't sure what this was at first since I thought it would be fish ceviche with crispy pork bits on top, but it actually ended up being loads of crispy pork belly in a ceviche style with tangy onions. cilantro, and fresh lime juice. It was served with a lot of acid and two large fried plantains, which mixed incredibly well - fat and acid always do. If I had known what this was before ordering, I may have not ordered it, but it really surprised me - the fattiness mixed with the lime and onion really balanced out quite nicely and as strange as it is to say, this fried pork belly dish was refreshing. For $7.50, this was a really great find! Bandeja Penol (Penol Plate) - Grilled steak, pork belly rind, fried egg, rice, beans, sweet plantains, and corn cake with Colombian sausage ($18.50) - this was my main dish, and it was a LOT. The amount of food and variety included for this price was definitely worth it and a great deal. It actually didn't come with the corn cake today, but it was still enough for me to take home and have almost a full second meal with the leftovers. Let's break it down. Grilled steak - This was seasoned well and actually surprisingly tender for how thin and cooked it was. It was still juicy and tasty despite being a very thin piece of meat, and it definitely left me satisfied for my steak craving. Pork Belly Rind - This was BEAUTIFUL. It was cut into small chunks all held together by crispy skin, and it was hot, fresh, crispy, juicy, and fatty - everything you'd want in pork belly. Each piece of this was a true treasure and I'd go back just for this in the future. Fried egg - Standard, but nice and over easy. Runny yolk which added a lot to the rice and steak that it was paired with. Rice - Standard rice, no issues here. Beans - The beans have pork in them! They were nice and smoky with a lot of great flavor and pieces of meat and fat mixed throughout. Just this with the rice would have been very tasty, but with everything else involved in this dish it really was something special. Sweet plantains - I'm not sure how to eat these or mix with the meat, but I had them on their own and they were deliciously smoky with a nice sweet aftertaste. It wasn't too sweet by any means, and it also wasn't as dry as some of the starchier plantains. A nice addition! Corn cake - this was on the menu as included but was not on my plate. Still, the meal was very filling Colombian sausage - This was very hearty and dense. The flavor was wonderfully meaty and salty, and it mixed nicely with the egg yolk and rice and beans. All I can say is - WOW. This place is amazing. The restaurant is clean and comfortable, the menu is packed with attractive dishes, the food is tasty and fresh, the portions are humongous, and the price is extremely affordable (especially for what you get). This will definitely not be the last time I come here, and I'm so happy that this is in the neighborhood. 5/5 - will absolutely return!

Diana L.

All my Colombian friends love coming here. I've only checked out the Brookline location. I'm Salvadoran so I trust their judgement over mine, but I've also enjoyed everything I've tried here. The Bandeja Paisa - a classic nice sampler of so many flavors. Huge plate! So get if you are hungry or share with someone. Get Arepas, yuca frita, and Tostoncitos con guacamole to share. Carne Asada was decent - I prefer Mexican style Carne Asada but it was good. My friend loved her sopa de pescado.

My boyfriend and I love El Peñol! They truly never disappoint - the staff are very welcoming, the food is delicious, hearty and comforting. I haven't eaten a bad thing here. It's one of our go tos, especially on a chilly Boston day!

Donna L.

My first time trying Colombian food and it was bomb. The portions here are huge. We tried their sampler for an appetizer which had a bit of everything. My favorites were the fried yuca and pork belly. We ordered the trout with cream sauce and seafood paella. Flavors were really good except the plantains tasted bland. For dessert, we got the tres leches, but it wasn't great. I hear the churros are good so I'll have to try that next time. Also I'd skip on their drinks because it's around $15 for one but I felt like I was just drinking juice I want to come back to try the other dishes on their menu though. There's a lot of tables so it's good for solo or groups.

Judie K.

Since it's fairly new, I don't know if a lot of people know this place yet but it was fairly empty when we visited. Quiet and quick attentive service. I would say the prices range from fair to a bit on the pricier end -- would say this is like an upscale Colombian restaurant. For drinks, we got the lulu and papaya milk drinks -- both were SO creamy, well blended and delicious. The lulu milk was sour and sweet in a good way and the papaya was very sweet -- and I was glad you could taste the papaya. They have these milk drinks in other flavors like mango, passion fruit, soursop and more -- definitely will be coming back to try more! I was debating between three entrees so the waitress recommended us the lengua criolla. She mentioned it's softer and moist (you could choose between the criolla aka saucy/stew-like or the plancha aka grilled but she said plancha is a bit drier since it's grilled). Y'all, this did not disappoint!! Hands down one of my new favorite entrees that I would definitely order again. The lengua was moist indeed and I was surprised how tender they made this to be. The sauce was flavorful as well. My husband got their shrimp and beef picadillo -- the shrimp was really tasty and they gave a reasonable amount in it. The beef was good but a bit stiff. My husband came once before and he really enjoyed their grilled chicken the most and said he would definitely want to order that again (over the shrimp and beef picadillo dish). Lastly, for dessert, we tried their tres leches. It wasn't bad but I wouldn't say it's my favorite. Compared to other tres leches, it is drier and more similar to a normal vanilla cake. So far, my favorite tres leches in the Boston area is at Dona habana. Otherwise, this Colombian restaurant has a lot of wonderful gems that are worth trying!

Suha L.

This spot is very unassuming amongst a wide range of restaurants in the Brookline area. I was excited to try this Colombian food because you can't find a ton of that outside of the Jamaica Plains area! Food: We got the Classic Colombian plate which came with chicharrón, chorizo, steak, plantains, egg, rice, and beans. A very hearty plate! The chicharrón and chorizo were good but the steak was too dry. The beans were very flavorful and went well with all the meats. If you like meat, this is a great dish for you and I like that it was a sampler of what they offered. We also ordered grilled fish and shrimp in a cream sauce. The sauce was creamy and delectable but a little too heavy for lunch. The shrimp was nice and plump and absorbed the flavors well. Lastly, we ordered the beef empanadas. These were simple and delicious. The filling was warm and seasoned perfectly. The outer layer was crispy and chewy at the same time. Price: Each plate was about $18-$20. My friend and I were definitely full after two dishes and the empanadas. The empanadas were $1.50 each and I wish I got 10 of them! Overall, I would definitely go again. This is a great spot for a casual meal and for expanding your taste buds!

Denisse A.

The service here is really poor. The place is not even busy and there's plenty of waitresses yet it took forever to get a drink and the check. The food wasn't good. I got the bandeja Peñol the beans were nasty, the rice was decent, the sausage was nasty. This was just not it. I was starving and the taste of this food was bad.

Eddy P.

On October 13, 2024, we had lunch at Penol 3 in Brookline with about 14 people, and our total bill came to $485.81. Despite this amount, we were asked to leave because we stopped ordering more food and drinks, and some of the waitstaff seemed unhappy serving us. We had agreed to have only one check, which caused some frustration as it took us a while to divide the bill. Even the manager, who was otherwise nice, eventually asked us to leave. This was the first time we've ever been asked to leave a place after spending nearly $500.

Jose B.

A welcome addition to the local variety in restaurants. Serving all the typical food from Columbia and very well represented give it a try.