Best Latin restaurant! Theo prices are good for the portion you get. Make sure to get the fried plantains, they are to die for. Also their corn cakes with the red dipping sauce that comes with it are so delicious. If I could, I would order from here like every day! The staff are very friendly and polite. If you need anything extra or on the side, just ask them :) read more

I appreciate a great variety of choices for food - but there is a considerable wait for the food to be served. Our server forgot the plantains my wife ordered. I had the Bandeja Paisa - very filling. My complaint though when we got the bill was the mandatory 20% gratuity on the bill - for my wife and I eating together. Gratuities should always be optional It is not even posted on their menu or websites. We are reporting this restaurant to the department of consumer affairs nyc.gov/dca and we will also call 311. Not fair to customers. They reprinted the bill and took out the 20% required gratuity. They claimed - we are first one to complain about this which I do not believe read more

Words can't describe how amazing this food is. Born and raised in Colombia, the authentic flavor of everything is overwhelming! Whether looking for something simple or having a feast, I wouldn't think twice about it. Keep up the great work! Paisana in the kitchen is running a great boat! read more

Moliendo cafe - Colombian Near Me - Albany, New York

Delicious comfort food! Clean fresh taste with homemade ingredients. We will definitely be ordering again!

One of the best Colombian restaurants that I've been to in awhile. Went to celebrate my friends graduation with the family and the restaurant went above and beyond with details. They put some balloons on the table without being asked and made the overall experience special. The food and service was amazing being that we were a party of 13. Overall a great experience! Can't wait go back. read more

I think the food is as authentic as you can get so far away from Colombia! My arroz con pollo was really good and tasted just like mi mama Colombiana makes The only thing we had that I wasn't a big fan of was the arepa. I know there are many different kinds of arepas and I think I'm just partial to arepas paisas read more

We have dined here twice and the food has been consistently delicious. I was surprised by the huge portions, affordability and sweet staff. The manager greeted and took care of us like we were family. The soups are refreshing, the meals are hearty and you will most likely leave with a ton of leftovers. Save room for some tres leches or take it to go. Thrilled to finally have a family owned Columbian restaurant in Albany. read more

See all

Never had such good Colombian food outside of Colombia. Everything is fresh, and portions are large. I highly recommend you go! read more

Moliendo cafe - Sobrebarriga - Colombian Near Me - Albany, New York

See all

My parents and I went to Moliendo Cafe in August 2022. We are Colombian and love to go to Colombian restaurants for a taste of home. We have gone to at least one in each state of the East Coast. We have never had a terrible experience with Colombian food until today. The food to put it simple is terrible. The steaks are dry and have no flavor, the eggs and dishes that contain eggs need salt, the chicharrón (pork rinds) were somehow drier than the steak, and the beans are sweet? I'm totally down when a cook wants to create their own recipe or their own changes up OG recipes but this was terrible. It is very clear that whoever is cooking or came up with these recipes is not Colombian. And we are not picky either. The staff however are nice but forgetful. The only good thing was probably the french fries, grilled chicken (amazing), and rice. However not amazing enough to ever see a penny of my money again. When we got the check I think my family and I died a little inside, the prices do not match the quality. We will be happily never returning! We also tried some of their pastries and they were decent -old and on the dry side. I'm sure if you bought them fresh they would be great -same goes for the cakes. It was probably the highlight of our meal. Despite this review I encourage many to go and try Colombian food it is amazing as long as it is not this one! Save yourself the money and time. read more

Excellent service and great food. Our order was pretty large. The beef and chicken cooked perfectly. Yucca fries and tostones were prefect. I will definitely go back and try other menu items. read more

Wowwwww WOWWWW this place just opened and I've already been here twice. The owners are incredible. They just moved to the area and opened up this restaurant. This is completely traditional, very delicious Columbian food. My Columbian friend first showed me this place and I fell in love. The meals seem expensive, but they are enormous. You'll have enough food for 3 meals. Definitely take your leftovers home. It's hearty, healthy, and so far, I've left very happy every time. Get one of their juices. They're so delicious. I'm very happy with this place and grateful they're open. read more

Not bad! I had a shrimp dish that was amazing. Besides that, I wasn't obsessed with other things I tried. The shrimp 100% would order again though read more

Moliendo cafe - Shrimp dish - Colombian Near Me - Albany, New York

See all

I am new to Albany and this restaurant is within walking distance and I am so glad this was my first Albany experience! I love Colombian food and I ordered the sancocho de costilla de res... It is served in a huge bowl with rice and avocado. It is fabulous!!! It was so creamy and tasty and I would have ate more of it but I started with a pollo empanada that was also tasty! I will definitely be back!!! read more

Came here for lunch with my daughter today. We were excited to try a new restaurant in the Albany area. Tried to come on Tuesday but they are closed Tuesday's, no biggie. The inside is nice and clean. Simple decor but welcoming. Sean was our waiter and he was polite and knowledgeable. We started with the chicken and beef empanadas. They were both good and great for appetizer size. I preferred the beef over the chicken. We then shared the Picada Mixta (see photo). It was a nice mixture of several of their dishes. Meats were seasoned well as were the veggies. Did not care for the blood sausage in there so we ate around it. We finished with the Tres Leche cake. It satisfied my craving. As you can see the portion size of the entree was way more than enough for 2 to share. We took a large portion home. We also had a side of rice and beans not pictured but it was delicious. Looking forward to coming back to try new stuff. read more

Moliendo cafe - Colombian Near Me - Albany, New York

See all

This is probably my favorite Colombian restaurant thus far! I live in a very remote area where not many Colombians are around except me and my kids. Therefore, no Colombian restaurants are around. In order to eat some authentic, or semi authentic, food we have to travel down state or to other states. However, when my son and mother told me about this restaurant, and how authentic it was, I thought I had to give it a try! Once my husband (a gringo) and I arrived to the place I felt I was in a local bogotano restaurant! The atmosphere and decoration reminded me of those local places I used to go while in college in los Andes university. Then came the menu! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw so many authentic dishes! Such as ajiaco!! My favorite soup from Bogotá! Anyway, we decided to give this place a try and boy we were blown away by the rich and authentic flavors of mi Tierra! My husband had papas chorriadas and I had chorizo con arepita paisa!! Yummmmm! Then the main dishes. Churrasco con chimichurri and I had sobrebarriga! With a delicious jugo de tomate de árbol en agua!! Delicioso!! And for our daughter who was home we brought her a Bandeja paisa! All of us were extremely satisfied with the flavors! We are definitely going back!! I'm so excited that I only have to travel 1h and 15 minutes to eat Colombian food! No more 5 hours and hotel stays to try it!! Yay!!! read more

Moliendo cafe - Churrasco con chimichurri - Colombian Near Me - Albany, New York

I love their sancocho! I am not an expert in Colombian food, but I know my asapao and this is the real deal. The delightful mix of root vegetables and fresh ingredients is wonderfully warming meal. It's perfect after a good workout, or just a lazy weekend afternoon. Their lunch and dinner special is pretty amazing too. read more

Moliendo cafe - Colombian Near Me - Albany, New York

I came in for the lunch special. I loved it. The service was very attentive and the food was excellent, both unique and plentiful with a nice shredded chicken soup. I will definitely come back soon for dinner with tequila! read more

I've been here twice so far. Stopped in one night for dinner. The staff was super warm and friendly. The portions were large and the food was delicious. My fiancé and I certainly could have split one dish. We enjoyed our meal so much we called in a take out order a couple weeks later. When we came to pick up the staff welcomed us back and offered a juice while we waited for our order. They offer free Colombian coffee with your order which is definitely worth taking advantage of. We also grabbed a rice pudding for dessert. This place is great. A welcome addition to the neighborhood! read more

As a Colombian-American, I can honestly say I never dreamed of finding such great Colombian food in Albany. The food here is amazing! Especially the bandeja paisa, the pescado frito, and you can't miss out on the almojabanas! I was unable to go home to study for my boards, but these guys got me through! Every week I ordered a massive amount of food to save myself time and it felt like being at home. Almojabanas/pandebono for breakfast, the picada mixta and bandeja paisa spread out over a few meals, it was perfect. 11/10 recommend eating here! read more

The restaurant is clean and has ethnic items hanging on the walls. We started with fried yuca and they where very tasty and crunchy just like I like them. We also had an empanada which could be warm but still had a good taste. Monday's soup special is sanchocho de costilla de Res. This is one of my childhood favorites so when it came out in this huge bowl I was like that's right size for soup. I was Happy to see that all the vegetables and those pieces of meat in the bowl looked like I remember eating this soup. It came with a side of rice and avocado that made the meal just right. I recommend the soup!! read more

A spectacular addition to the city of Albany, simply put. Located on a quiet street, the restaurant has a quaint, welcoming feel to it. Once inside, you taste buds are destined for deliciousness, and your wallet destined for a well-deserved rest. I went with the bandeja paisa, which was a first for me in my lifetime. What arrived in front of me was a plate fit for royalty, complete with meats, rice, avocado, maduros, and other tasty morsels. Everything was super tasty, and the gigantic beans just rounded everything together. The platter was just $17, which one could consider robbery based on what you get for it. For dessert, we went with a classic, tres leches, which left me on the brink of audible moans. The service, on top of it all, was fantastic from the moment we walked in to the moment we left. Not to mention, they offer all kinds of authethic Colombian groceries for you to buy for the road. All in all, you must, must, MUST go! read more

Moliendo cafe - Mondongo (Tripe Soup) & Bandeja Paisa - Colombian Near Me - Albany, New York

Unfortunately the food had a lot of garlic. You can't have a bandeja paisa with garlic, it just doesn't make any sense at all. The service was great tho. I won't complain about that. But they need to make the food taste more Colombian than garlicky. The plátano asado. Was just a bunch of fried slices of sweet plantains with slices of mozzarella, that's is another thing that didn't make sense to me. read more

Tasty food and very nice staff who made sure we knew everything we were ordering and how it would be prepared, which was helpful.

This place is wonderful. The food is great, the atmosphere is relaxed, our waitperson was friendly and knowledgeable. Moliendo is especially great for people with a gluten/wheat allergy. Only one dish on the menu has wheat in it (and it does not go in the fryer). I highly recommend it. read more

Wow this spot is great, my only regret is that I wish I knew about it sooner! The food is delicious and very authentically Colombian and the portions are more than generous. My server Oro was quick and attentive and the week day drink specials are amazing! This is definitely gonna be the spot for Latino food from now on. read more

Just had the most delicious mushroom quesadilla. The food was fresh and delivered promptly. Will definitely order from here again.

Great food excellent service, I would definitely recommend this place, my wife, my son and I were going to pio pio restaurant one Saturday and it was so full they told us to wait 40 minutes for a table so we decided to visit Moliendo Cafe and we had a great time, food was delicious and service was really fast. 5 stars. read more

Best Colombian weekday lunch specials in Albany.

What a great find! I was craving munedo but my go to only has it on Sunday, that's when I found this place on Saturdays they have mondongo which is similar to a chicken soup with tripe in it... omg it's amazing it has no spice so I added hot sauce which was the perfect addition. So yummy I'm sold I'll be back to try different dishes read more

Moliendo's is my top go to spot in the capital region. The service is incredible, the food is even better. The lunch specials are delicious, super filling and affordable ($8). Great atmosphere as well. Highly recommend. read more

This place has delicious Colombian food! Very authentic and the quality and freshness was excellent. The portions are also quite generous. The interior of the restaurant is charming with cute traditional Colombian decorations. The service was top notch! Our waiter was attentive and very knowledgable about the menu. They brought a tray of delicious desserts for the table to share on the house! They also have a little array of authentic Colombian groceries and snacks you can purchase to go. I haven't had such good Colombian food outside of Colombia! It's even better than the Colombian restaurants I've visited in NYC. I highly recommend!!! read more

I moved here from Queens NY where I could always find my native foods. When I got to Albany I couldn't find anything that came close. When I finally discovered Moliendo Cafe I was complete again their food always makes me feel like I'm back home I never ordered a plate I was disappointed with. To top things off the customer service was amazing. Highly recommended!! read more

Bandeja paisa was exactly what the doctor ordered. Will definitely be back. DoorDash delivered in 20 minutes.

Not authentic Colombian. No bakery, empanadas small hardly any beef. No traditional arepas or real juices made. My maracuya tasted like Goya mixed with water. The menu prices are expensive. Parking is hit or miss. I showed up at 12:20pm and the door was locked when sign said they opened at noon. I should have left! Waited a few minutes and tapped on window then someone unlocked it. Mexican girl working there knows nothing of colombian food. Save your money and go elsewhere. read more

My family and I visited the restaurant, too expensive to be improvising, the juices are made of machine that is a mixture of Goya pulp, it is not pure fruit and please take it as a good suggestion so that they improve, Colombians know very well to be able to think . read more

Authentic dishes with fast, friendly service and welcoming atmosphere. Every element of the entree was delicious including the fresh slices of avocado and the flavorfully seasoned steak, pork & sausage. read more

We got takeout. Shrimp in white garlic sauce 4 me, the Wednesday $11 chicken soup with corn cobs and potatoes in it for her. Both came with a very generous side of delicious white rice. For $18 my shrimp dish had ten medium sized succulent shrimp in a delicious white sauce with maybe chives in it. I kept mixing in the delicious rice with my shrimp. dish. My dish came with a generous portion of plantains which I think are fried bananas. they were a little too hard to chew for me but my wife devoured them. She also ate my side salad which she said was very good. Her dish also came with a tiny container of capers and another small container of a milky white sauce neither of us could figure out what it was but it tasted okay but kind of bland. The restaurant was totally Charming although way to brightly-lit. The only problem was we were told it would take 20 minutes to prepare but we had to wait another 20 minutes when we got there even though the restaurant only had two tables to take care of but the man who helped us was apologetic and extremely Pleasant. Overall a very positive eating experience and we will definitely return. Since we do not eat beef or pork the menu choices are somewhat Limited but they do have 3 seafood dishes and 2 dishes with just chicken and a number of appetizers that don't contain pork or beef. Make sure you pick up one of their colorful detailed take out menus instead of trying to figure out the confusing online menu that misses most of the descriptive information. read more

Food was DELICIOUS! My husband had the sampler....soooo much food. I had the $12 dinner special... beef with rice, beans and sweet plantains. We had the sugar tea and tres leches...both yummy. We left with enough food for another meal. Good thing we have a microwave at home to heat up the food....cause that's the one downer....our food came out JUST warm...and we were the only people in the place. I will go back and give another try. read more

This place is amazing, I am so glad to have found it! Authentic, home-style Colombian food in a quaint setting. Their Camarones con ajillo (shrimp in garlic sauce) is to DIE FOR, seriously, and comes graciously with some patacon/tostones (friend green plantains), rice, and salad WITH AVOCADO! Their maduros (fried sweet plantains) is amazing either with cheese (queso) or without. The chicarrones are crispy and I imagine if you like pork belly you will love these (im not a huge pork person but i wanted to try it). The Tres Leches cake and Flan are both DELICIOUS! I can't get enough of this place, I ordered from them like five times the first week. One time they forgot two of my items via Grubhub, but when I went to pick up the missing items the owner graciously offered a free dessert to make up for the inconvenience. Overall this place so far is a gem and a rare find in the capital region landscape. I hope they stay around a long time. read more