Decided to try this spot during Restaurant Week and we were pleasantly surprised. Fresh margaritas…read more(not that fake pre-made stuff), pastelitos perfectly fried (not greasy), and a platter of mixed grilled meats and other delicacies. Truly, hard to imagine this place isn't packed all the time! If you haven't had Venezuelan food, you really need to try this spot. Cachapa is the corn pancake you never knew you were missing! I would also order this to go, though I fear the items would steam and lose their crispiness on the ride.

Sabor Caribe was on the list to visit. It is advertised as a mixed Caribbean and Venezuelan…read morerestaurant. There are about 4 parking spots in the front of the restaurant. Per owner, there are parking spots in the back. There are other parking lots that you can park at, but it's like a block away. Upon entrance, there are about 8 tables inside. There is also patio seating outdoors that is covered. FOOD: Sampler Plate (3/5, Combination of 2 each of empanadas, arepas (per owner, this is like a pastry "pop"), patacones, and pastelitos): Empanada: These were good, simple chicken empanadas. They are savory corn turnovers filled with various ingredients. Arepa: Arepas are a grilled corn pocket with various ingredients. I didn't want to get the arepa dishes because they were a bit pricy for one. I did not think these were in the sampler; however, they are the circular pastries, slightly sweet with a cinnamon twist. Patacones: These were two quarter-sized bites of the chicken patacones, which did not do justice. I highly recommend getting the plate. Pastelito: I thought the pastelitos were the cinnamon pastries at first. However, these are the circular turnovers that had a spoonful of beef in them. Patacones Plate (5/5, Two fried plantain sandwiches with chicken and pork with cabbage, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese): If I had to explain this, this is like a burger with plantain as the buns. It is so good with the two sauces they have: cilantro green sauce and spicy orange sauce. I tried the chicken and pork, which had good flavor. You also have the option of black beans or beef. The service is good. The food comes out in a timely manner. The water never touched bottom. They also advertise a karaoke room here! Would I come back? I enjoyed the Patacones plate. I'd come back for that... maybe for the burger!

Stopped by to try their pupusas. It's about the only game in town apart from 1-2 other options for…read morea sit down restaurant with Salvadoran food, so I appreciate their presence. Their chicharrón con queso and loroco pupusas were spot on. The curtido and salsas were done right, a must when enjoying the perfect pupusa plate. Service was good. The restaurant is very family-like, so don't expect the latest trendy notes inside. Also the Salvadoran horchata was tasty, and the agua de jamaica was on par with most other places. I'll be back.

I've been coming here since I was 14. They know my face, and remember little details about me! It…read moregoes to show they care about their customers. Their pork/cheese pupusas are to die for. This is my favorite restaurant in Memphis. #hardcorefan

Oh man this place is super cool!!! I loved all the decor on the wall. It was very unique. I think…read morethey also have karaoke or live music in the evenings because I saw a corner with some of that stuff for it. I haven't had Columbian food before so I knew I wanted to check this place out when we were in the area. I am not familiar with Columbian food so I wasn't sure what to try that was authentic to the culture. I went with empanadas and hubby got a chicken and rice dish. The empanadas were ok but not much flavor. The guac was good but didn't come with any chips to eat it with. The Horchata was good but stronger than I was used to. I didn't realize what I get is usually more watered down. Hubby's chicken and rice tasted like it would anywhere else. I wouldn't mind coming back but I'd def want to know what to try that's more authentic. The service is good but I feel bad for the waitress whose job it is to tell everyone not to park in front. We thought it was a sign like saying only customers could park there but instead it was actually the owners parking spot. We were really confused because we have never seen a spot dedicated to the owners. It was weird. Also they automatically added gratuity even though it was just the two of us.

Funny how now Yelp asks when you put two stars "what can be improved?" Let's start with the…read morereserved parking spots that say you will be towed. We assumed those were for paying customers but NOPE. They're for the owners. But it doesn't even say that. Reserved parking is usually for the paying customers keeping the business afloat. We had a waitress come out, who we can tell has had to say this a lot, come ask us to move our car. I can tell she's tired of having to tell people not to park there. I've never seen a restaurant have parking reserved for the owners at the front like that. I didn't know this was a corporate headquarters. So now for the food. Walking in I would've thought it would be very authentic. Turns out a lot of the food is very Tex mex. Only a few items are Columbian even though this is a Columbian restaurant. I ordered chicken and rice and cheese dip and it tasted like any other non authentic Tex mex place. You can tell it all comes from the same food supplier. But it was more expensive than other places. The owners here include the gratuity on the bill. Usually this is done for a large table. It's also only 15% when usually it would be 18%. We verified this is done by the owners. We didn't see anywhere say this we just happened to notice when the bill was more expensive than we expected and were looking over it. Our waitress did a good job so there was no way we were only going to leave 15% so I'm glad we realized it. The waitress and the decorations are what kept this from being a 1 star. This place looks like it would be a fun hangout place especially at night and weekends. It looked like they had karaoke and a dance floor.

Food was fresh and nicely seasoned. Most importantly, it was authentic Colombian. Felt like I left…read moreMemphis and entered a family home in Colombia. Staff was super nice. I'd come back here again for sure.

Friendly waiters, fast service, delicious/authentic food, and tasty drinks. I would come back 100%…read more to explore more from the menu! The ceviche and pastelitos I tried were fantastic.

Babalu continues to be one of my favorite spots in Memphis. Every visit reminds me why I keep…read morecoming back. Great food, creative cocktails, and a staff that goes the extra mile. The lamb sliders remain my go-to. They're consistently juicy, flavorful, and cooked perfectly every time. Paired with the crispy fries, it's a meal that never disappoints. This visit, I ordered a Sidecar, but the bartender didn't have every ingredient needed for the traditional recipe. Instead of saying no, they created their own twist--and it was absolutely delicious. Sometimes improvisation pays off, and this cocktail was proof. The salmon was also excellent. I ordered it prepared the original way instead of the new menu version that includes Brussels sprouts, and it was exactly what I was craving. One of the highlights of the visit was an unexpected surprise from our waiter, who brought us a sample of their avocado ice cream. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was creamy, smooth, and surprisingly delicious. It was a thoughtful gesture that added to an already great dining experience. The only disappointment? They no longer offer the flight sampler. I was genuinely sad to see it gone because it was one of my favorite ways to experience several menu items in one visit. Overall, Babalu continues to deliver excellent food, attentive service, and outstanding drinks. Even with the flight no longer available, it's still one of my top recommendations in Memphis. 5/5 Stars - Consistent quality, excellent hospitality, and a place I'll gladly keep returning to.

I enjoyed the Galentine event. We had an amazing time on the patio. The Playlist was bomb, the…read morehosts were fabulous and the experience was a 10/10. I loved that they allowed us to also serve as mixologist if you had a ticket under your seat (which i did). The Tickets are $40+ tax and gratuity and I felt there were very reasonable. The menu for the event included Three specialty cocktails Love Potion #9: Single Barrel Corazon Reposado Tequila, peach brandy, Kim Crawford Prosecco, blood orange, strawberry, agave Spicy Peach Margarita: peach, jalapeño, tequila, TAJÍN® Chamoy rim The Hype Man: Single Barrel Corazon Reposado Tequila, Cazadores Cafe Liqueur, Rumchata served in a chocolate chip cookie shot cup. Each cocktail included a small bite which were Lamb Sliders, Carne Asada Bowls, and Avocado Ice Cream.

This was my first time trying a Honduras restaurant and I looked at the menu and it was hard to…read morechoose cause the food looked so good. The price might seem a little overpriced but you get a lot of food.

The nice woman behind the counter ran the register, waited on us and cooked our food. Her English…read morewas not great and she didn't bring me the black beans I ordered but I think she just didn't understand my order. I REALLY wanted to love this place as I love the Honduran cuisine. My friend ordered the steak and egg Baleandas and really loved it. My baked chicken with fried plantains and shredded cabbage was not bad but not worth $12.00. Neither dish was too special but not bad either. The place was clean enough but It sits on a dirty little stretch of Getwell. There is a chance I may end up there for breakfast sometime in the future but not too likely.

TERRIBLE SERVICE. we had a very young girl, probably age 12…read moreor 13, as our server. she clearly had no idea what she was doing and was as lost as who knows what. she messed up on our order and didn't write down one of our meals! After serving us our food she asked 10 minutes later if she could get us anything else and we told her we were missing the rest & she said "my mom isn't cooking no more food." Yes the restaurant was "closed" at this time but we had ordered this meal with the rest of our food. We just arrived to Memphis and as we found out they had baleadas express, we drove to eat here... biggest regret. the cashier was a bit older than our server and very unprofessional. This is clearly a family owned restaurant with terrible qualities. do not recommend what's so ever. the 12 year old is not put up to be a server. nothing was done by any of the staff to make our visit better.