The food here was AMAZING! I am not Colombian nor am I the best judge for their food but I ate everything off my plate. I had the Arroz con pollo which is shredded chicken with rice, I had fries and a salad on the side! To drink I had a fresh guanabana juice Which was also delicious. The service was great. The lady helped us and explained everything to us, she was waiting on a lot of tables but she was quick and efficient! The ambiance was cool, a lot Of televisions in the restaurant playing soccer games, cartoons and the news! Definitely can't wait to go back again!! read more

We just finished eating a Philly Cheesesteak next door, but I couldn't resist coming here to try some Colombian arepas! I must have had a brain fart or something because right after I walked in, the worker greeted us and immediately told us they had empanadas. He said they had chicken, beef, and cheese empanadas. I immediately ordered three chicken and three beef. I forgot about the arepas. The guy said it would be ten minutes. So we browsed their store. As soon as you walk in to the business, the small place looked like it is set up to ship packages. It has a small grocery store in the back, and has a kitchen on the side. The whole store was small, but clean. There was no seating in this place as it is not a sit down restaurant. Food orders are placed to go. Almost ten minutes exactly our empanadas came out. We took them to our car and ate there. We wanted to eat them fresh and hot and boy were they steaming hot. I loved the crispness of the shells. The filling was very flavorful and moist. I dipped them in the salsa and they had had a nice kick. They were delicious!We were able to polish off four. After we arrived home some thirty minutes later, the empanadas were still warm and surprisingly still crispy! I ate the last two. I will definitely return to try their arepas! read more

La Tiendita Colombian Restaurant - Delicious Chicken (3) and beef (3) empanadas! - Colombian Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

Buena comida. Pedí pollo en salsa de champiñones y bandeja paisa; solo que fue nuevo para mí que la carne de la bandeja paisa era mechada. Lo único: las empanadas, deliciosas, aunque a mí me gusta el picante y el ají le faltaba un poco más de picante. Buen servicio read more

La Tiendita Colombian Restaurant - Colombian Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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My husband and I came here for dinner. I requested a limonada. The waitress failed to tell me their limonada was panela. When she bought the drink to the table I shared I did not want it as it was not what I expected based on previous visits to this restaurant. I requested a Coke instead. The waitress took the panela drink however when I received the check I noticed I was charged for the panela I did not drink. I don't think this is good customer service. I have decided I will no longer patron this place due to poor customer service, poor food quality, smaller portions and higher prices. If I could rate this a zero I would. I rather give my business to Parilla Latina Colombiana in Phoenix! read more

I had the Bistec a Caballo and an Arepa with chicharron! Also had a refreshing guava drink. The service was quick and attentive. The food was very good and homey. The beef was a little dry but the flavor made up for it. I definitely will be back to try more foods! read more

La Tiendita Colombian Restaurant - Arepa with Chicharron - Colombian Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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I'll keep it short, food was good, service was fine, my husband was very happy that he found a Colombian restaurant to eat while we were visiting, but I was very disappointed to see in my bill a charge for a single can of coke for $8. El jugo de maracuyá was $4.50, which it's fine, but not $8 for a soda. Make sure you check your bill prior to paying. "Me vieron la cara" I should have known better since I'm Colombian. read more

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Service was horrible. We arrived and waited standing outside in line for 35 minutes because there was no host checking people in, and we didn't want to lose our spot. After we finally sat down, they took the orders of people who had just arrived--even though we had been there 40 minutes before them. We then waited an hour for our food, and when it came out, my plate was missing. They told me it had been taken to the wrong table and it would take another 5-10 minutes to remake it. When it finally arrived, the food was ice cold in the middle, like it had just been microwaved. They offered to remake it again, but I just had them take it off the bill. They offered nothing for the inconvenience and just kept saying "qué pena." DO NOT GO HERE. El servicio fue horrible. Llegamos y esperamos 35 minutos parados afuera en la fila porque no había nadie recibiendo a las personas ni anotando a los que estaban esperando, y no queríamos perder nuestro lugar. Después de que finalmente nos sentamos, tomaron las órdenes de personas que acababan de llegar, aunque nosotros habíamos llegado 40 minutos antes. Luego esperamos una hora por la comida y cuando salió, faltaba mi plato. Me dijeron que se lo habían llevado a la mesa equivocada y que tardaría otros 5-10 minutos en volver a prepararlo. Cuando finalmente llegó, la comida estaba helada por dentro, como si la hubieran calentado en el microondas. Me ofrecieron volver a hacerlo otra vez, pero solo pedí que lo quitaran de la cuenta. No ofrecieron nada por el inconveniente y solo seguían diciendo "qué pena". NO VAYAN AQUÍ. read more

If you want an authentic Colombian restaurant and store this is the place!!!! The owners are amazing and the service is so good. They will help you with recipes and ordering. This food brought so many memories of being young and having Colombian food. The atmosphere is quiet and good for groups. Plan on being adventurous with your ordering, the food was so tasty and tastes like home cooking. read more

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Authentic DELICIOUS Colombian food. Our server was great! They have a grocery store next door where you can take some things home. They also sell the empanadas frozen to take home and put in the air fryer. I had the limonada to drink, and a chicken and a beef empanada to start. Both hot, fresh and good. I had the arroz con pollo and it was good, flavorful, tender meat and the slaw that came on the side was even good. I definitely plan to come back and try some other dishes. read more

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I took my Colombian father in law here as a belated birthday surprise during a road trip to Mesa. The food was great. Service was top notch and it definitely is unapologetically Colombian. We even bought snacks and candy at the tiendita. I got myself a Bandeja Paisa. It was delicious. The empanadas were quite good but a bit smaller than I'm used to. Don't forget to put the aji salsa with it, it's a must. read more

This was a great whole in the wall Colombian restaurant. We are Colombian and we're very excited to try this place. We ordered several items on the menu and all were delicious! They even have a small grocery store with frozen premade food such as arepas, tamales and empeñadas. We loaded up and took some home. I was barely able to fit everything in the freezer. It's a hit far in Mesa but worth the trip. We will make this a monthly visit to get our fix. read more

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Good flavorful food. Good menu selection. Courteous and friendly servers. Not too loud in dining area.

Couldn't name a better place for authentic Colombian food. There's not one bad thing on this menu. & I promise you it's just like as if you were in Colombia, my parents born and raised in Bogota would totally agree. One bite of an arepa or pan de bono and it takes me back to my childhood. The staff is always ever so loving and the food always comes out fast and perfect! I've never had a bad experience here. I highly recommend the parrilla to split with someone if you're hungry. It will have all of your favorites! read more

Que rico!!! Me encanta muchooo. La Bandeja Paisa es autentica y mi favorita. Si estas buscando por autentica comida Colombiana, vienen aqui! La restaurante es una chimba! Chao read more

I really wanted to like this place as I am Colombian and there isn't many Colombian restaurants in the valley but it was a hard miss for me. My mom came into town during a time when I lost my baby and we were excited to have a homey Colombian meal. The waitress wasn't very attentive nor did it feel like she cared at all then when the food was served it tasted half cold and wasn't good at all. I was very very disappointed. Wish someone would open up a Colombian restaurant in town because if you're looking for authentic Colombian food that's not just heated up this place ain't it. bummer. Definitely try Arepa Babe at the farmers market though, she's amazing. read more

I'm in heaven!! I'm so excited to have found a Colombian restaurant. Even if it's a 40min drive from home, it's totally worth it! From the traditional Colombian decor, to the store filled with all the necessities to make our traditional Colombian dishes, this is an amazing find! I was also excited to see they actually had VEGAN options on the menu! I always just end up ordering a bunch of sides when I visit Colombian restaurants back home, so I was excited to be able to order an actual dish! We ordered: Mango con Leche and Mora con Agua bebidas (fresh and delicious); pan de Bono, Empanadas de papa, carne, y Pollo (potato, beef and chicken). Hubby ordered the Bandeja Paisa, my cousin ordered the Sopa de costilla, and I got the vegan Cazuela de Frijoles, a side of yuca and an arepa con queso. Everything was absolutely delicious and brought me back to eating with my family back in NY. The staff is all friendly and speaks Spanish and English, and the food was spectacular. We will be back for sure, and I will be coming back to stock up on ingredients from the store! read more

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Why can't we get better Colombian Food in Phoenix!? The stadium was full of Colombianos during Copa America. How is this a reality. The fact that I need to travel to California for flavorful Colombian cuisine is a shame..... The service here is atrocious. They hung up on me when I asked for take out. Upon arrival, the greeting was diminishing.... Ownership needs to do better! read more

we traveled from out of state only to find out they are closed on Fridays and then were turned away before the posted closing time after we drove over 30 minutes to get there. I guess they must not really need business since they can just dec to close early and turn people away. Dont think we would even attempt to go again. Such terrible service to turn customers away during posted business hours. read more

I've been here a few times and had forgotten to check in! That being said it was quite a while ago and not in the times of Covid... so we'll keep that in mind. Staff was all wearing masks (properly I might add) and they do have a few tables for dining in. This place was busy when I went. The entrance opens up to a restaurant portion and to your right there is another room that is like a mini-Colombian shoppe. It has a long shelf of Colombian snacks... plantain chips, cookies, candy, pop, flour, and things that can make any Colombian get really giddy about really quickly. They have three large freezers back there too with some things to bring home, moras, other fruit native to Colombia, drinks, some frozen foods like sancocho and pandebono... and one of them is solely dedicated to arepas! All in all great setup for the nostalgic Colombian that wants to bring some home back or the enjoyer of Colombian treats that relishes in trying true local Colombian staples. I will make a mention, it ain't cheap. All the little snackies add up, I left there with about 2 grocery bags full and a 6 pack of pony Malta and it was close to $80 do I regret it? Not in the least! #VivaColombia read more

This is one of two Colombian restaurants in PHX. It is located on Main St in Mesa. We went here because we have a Colombian friend who recommended and it was Great! Just remember to check the hours because they close a little early, like on Sunday at 6pm. When you look at the menu, you will not see things you expect or recognize. The servers and workers were very friendly and helpful. We got the La Tiendita Platter (see photo) since it was named after the restaurant. Bandeja Paisa was really good, its a sample of a few different things including pork belly, sausage, ground beef, and plantains. I would recommend this for sure. Arroz con Camarones - rice with shrimp was good and had a Cajun flavor to it. Apparently this is common along the coastal areas of Colombia. Arroz con Pollo - rice with chicken was excellent. This was my favorite one. The rice had a different flavor to it, different from the rice with shrimp. It wasnt Cajun like but really good. It did not have alot of protein in it like Bandeja Paisa but the taste was very new. The blood sausage and empanadas (see photos) was good as well. Very nice workers there. They also have a small grocery area attached to the restaurant (see photos). Definitely will be back for the Arroz con Pollo and Bandeja Paisa as well as to try out some other things. read more

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Potential, yes. Tons of potential. Does this establishment try to sell a decent, authentic tasting, and authentic looking version of Colombian food? Yes and no, it's complicated. It all depends on whom you ask. For an outsider, this food is tasty and seems home cooked, somewhat. For a Colombian, the bandeja paisa lacked flavor (sazón). The bandeja left a ton to be desired. The ahi that I was given was old, stale, and the cilantro inside the ahi was funky smelling and tasting. Can they do better? Yes. Now will they? The answer is no. Owners simple will do what is profitable, with little if any regard of what their customers really want. This is a business to make money. Owners sell an inferior product and they know it. Good luck changing their old stubborn ways. Move over, and take your hard earned dollars elsewhere. Good riddance. read more

Cozy little place. Food was great, got the Bandeja Paisa. Everything was cooked and seasoned well. Server took some time to come even though they weren't busy had to call them over to order then again to pay. read more

La Tiendita Colombian Restaurant - Bandeja Paisa - Colombian Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

I loved my experience at La Tiendita, a family owned restaurant. The servers were very attentive and kind. The Colombian culture shines through the food, decor, music, and staff. They truly care about your experience, the sky is the limit for La Tiendita! 10/10 would recommend read more

La Tiendita Colombian Restaurant - Colombian Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

We got empanadas beef and chicken. They were bland no flavor. Arepas were good. Waitress tried to say we hadn't paid but we did showed her the receipt. Won't be back read more

Colombian!! That says it everything!! Colombian food is flavorful. It's creative. It's delicious and amazing! I'm not saying it because I'm Colombian. Well, maybe I am a little. But I really mean it. This may actually be the last and only Colombian restaurant standing in Az. And that got to be special. They got everything! Even a little market on the back. Full of all the goodies one may miss to make your very own dishes. I got the empanadas, and a Colombian beer. But also got pan de Bono and goodies to go. Next time I want to be back for a full meal. Service is homey. The kind of hospitality you would find off you were to visit my country. So there's no way out of it. Seriously, the place to go! I don't mind the drive, and plan to be back. read more

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I am extremely disappointed in this restaurant. I saw all these 5 star reviews and thought it must be good. I was wrong!!! The reason I am even giving this place 3 stars is because the empanadas were good. We ordered the Bandeja Paisa which was rice, beans, ground beef, egg, chicharron, blood sausage and plantains. The rice and beans were good nothing special. The ground beef had a funky taste and the meat was so dry. I am thinking that is on purpose but I didn't care for it. The blood sausage was good but was suspect as all hell if it was cooked properly. The chicarron is basically pork underbelly and it was dry and tasteless. The plantains were good. We also ordered the corn griddle cake and even that was dry and hard. We ordered a strawberry and blackberry juice drink. They were freshly squeezed but they were room temperature. I got some flan which is one of my favorite desserts. It was super thick and not the style that I like. My wife ordered the Colombian coffee and when it came in a full size cup I knew it wasn't going to be good and it wasn't. This place could have been good but everything seemed over cooked and dry. Even as I write this my stomach doesn't feel right. I can't recommend this place. read more

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Still one of our go to's! What to eat: see previous reviews What to drink: a pitcher of Refajo (Colombian soda with beer, we recommend Stella) and shots of Aguardiente Blanco **definitely be sure to have a designated driver!! **aguardiente is strong and hits you after the fact so drink slowly read more

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Food tastes great. My husband is Colombian. Prices are a little high but I guess inflation.

Not sure why it took me sooo long to make my way to La Tiendita! I am half Colombian and sometimes you just want a taste of some of your favorite food and when there are few to none, it's nice to find a gem (the only one*). When you walk in, you automatically feel the Colombian presence and it was so nice! The servers and welcoming and greet you right away. I started off with my favorite Colombian soda, "manzana" and with some beef empanadas - absolute perfection! Crispy on the outside and inside filled just right w/ beef and potatoes. My husband enjoyed the bandeja paisa (traditional Colombian dish) and I'll just say this, he left the plate empty! And I enjoyed the quarter chicken dish which was perfect and reminded me of my favorite Colombian restaurant back at home! We ended with a stop at their little market/store for some goodies to bring back home. If you are willing to try some new Hispanic cuisine, La Tiendita is the place! I may be biased, but Colombian food always hits the spot! read more

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I was introduced to this place by a friend of mine who was born and lived in Columbia for 12 years. He always got the empanadas. The beef is soooooo good. I also loved the arapas de la casa. We only order the appetizers when we go cause they are just so good and stand on their own for a meal read more

So good! I ate the Arroz con Pollo and it was very good. The server was very friendly. The food came out very quickly. The restaurant was pretty empty when we arrived but quickly filled up for lunch. I am really excited I found this little place, can't wait to go back and try more and check out the little shop they have. read more

Stopped in here for lunch and LOVED it. We were going to eat entrees but filled up on the appetizers. We had the arepas de la Casa which were so good. I know it's a Colombian restaurant but it reminded me of the time I spent in Venezuela. We also had the arepas. They were also good. Different than Venezuelan style but good nonetheless. My husband had the arepa con carne and arepa con pollo. I tried them both, both were quite good. I ended the meal with platano maduro. It was so amazing! The sweetness of the platano and the cheese they used went so well together. One opportunity for improvement would be to work on the timing so the food comes out together. We got it all at different times but it was so good that we didn't care. I will definitely be going back! read more

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Delicious food! Authentic! Take out was fast and friendly. Es como comer en Barranquilla o Cali. Los mismo sabores read more

So I actually wanted to eat at the Dia De Los Muertos festival but their food selections were sadly not that great so a search on Yelp brought me to La Tiendita. It had been on my bookmarks page for a long time so I figured now was a good time to try them out! The restaurant is the corner building directly visible from the street in a nondescript little strip mall. One half of the building is the restaurant while the other side offers Latin American prepackaged goods, handcrafted items and a fridge with soda and juice available. It was fairly busy when we got here in the afternoon on a Saturday but there were enough empty tables that we didn't have any wait. After browsing the menu I went for La Tiendita plate and had a few bites of the Bandeja Paisa plate. Both entrees came out after a few minutes, served on a cast iron serving dish. La Tiendita plate includes a quarter of chicken, salad, sweet plantains, rice and beans. I got a chicken breast and wing and absolutely loved the flavor of it. The meat was very tender and juicy, almost rivaling the tenderness of dark meat! The salad was an iceberg lettuce mix with a light citrus based dressing, and I liked the beans and soft fluffy rice. The Bandeja Paisa meats included a link of chorizo, a piece of chicharron, and carne molida (Ground beef). Out of the three I liked the carne molida the best due to the marinade which was citrus infused. The beef was very finely ground and chopped. Service was friendly and drinks were refilled as needed. I browsed in the store for a little bit. Some examples of the items they had for sale were chocolate candy bars, bottles of liquid smoke, and boxes of bunuelos mix. I'll definitely come back for that chicken, and maybe to try out some of their other items like their arepas. P.S. In case you were wondering, la tiendita means little store! read more

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This is a great spot! I will come here every time I go to mesa arts center. I was craving Colombian empanadas, and this place did not disappoint. I am no expert on Colombian food, but I have been to Colombia and did a lot of eating. I took my beat friend here, and we ordered a lot so we could sample a lot. Start with empanadas and the sweet corn thing covered in cheese. The hot chocolate was good. There was only one issue, and that was the a/c not being effective and it being too hot. I will be back for Colombian breakfast and bandeja paisa. read more

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Good food hood service mom and pop location that deserves many many visits. Great food

Colombian food is mediocre. Sweet plantains weren't cooked full and not sweet. Dissapointed

Went this past Saturday as follow up to a previous outstanding platter and found overall food quality to be severely lacking. My wife and I were truly looking forward to finally dining in with the same friends who brought an amazing take out platter previously. Started with yucca fries which were OK but chicharron appetizer was old, smelled bad and tasted bad. Wife ordered the Bistec a Caballo which was OK at best, meat thin and dry with egg overcooked. Friend and I went for seafood soup. Was surprised by sweetness and creamy broth. Would have been better without the cream plus I believe a mussel may have spoiled which gave a little stronger smell to the broth but flavor was decent, nothing great. Bay scallops and fish in broth were both cooked perfectly, very moist and tasty. We shared a full appetizer platter at the table too and would say the star was the blood sausage. Sadly, wife and I agreed we would not be returning. read more

La Tiendita Colombian Restaurant - Colombian Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

It's our first time here and we will definitely come back! Our friend has been raving about this place for a long time so we finally came to try it out! We ordered a plate with lots of goodies to share for 2 people. There's blood sausage, sausage, plantains, yucca fries, chicarrones, fried Golden mini potatoes and cheesy arepas! We also got the soursop drink with agua. Everything was delicious and was brought out to us super quickly. Our server she was friendly and made sure we liked what we ordered. The vibe of this place and the food you can definitely tell it's very authentic! We really enjoyed our meal here and will be coming back more often! read more

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I loved the ambiance and the food was really good, one of my favorite plates is the Ajiaco as well as the beef empanadas, everyone was so nice and helpful too! read more