Really delicious Bolivian food in Van Nuys recommended to us by word of mouth. We ordered: * cheese empanada * beef Salteñas - this was really spicy with potatoes and peas and came with a green salsa. Super tasty * Silpancho - thin breaded and fried beef with over easy eggs, potatoes, white rice, and purple onion and tomato salsa. Super tasty. This was my favorite dish * picante de pollo - chicken stew with white rice, potatoes, and purple onion. This was flavorful and the chicken was nice and tender * alfajores - Carmel cookie with coconut shavings. This was a flaky, buttery cookie with Carmel in the middle and coconut shavings on the side read more

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Food: 2.5/5 Service: 4/5 Ambiance: 4/5 I had an appointment nearby and wanted a snack before going home so decided to try some saltenas, aka Bolivian empanadas. It was a cute hole in the wall, and I could see someone hand kneading and rolling the dough in the kitchen, which was heartwarming to see. I love different cultural foods that make LA what it is today. I ordered: Beef saltenas (3/5) - dry overall, sweet and savory veggie beef stew inside; comes with a watery green sauce Chicken saltenas (3/5) - similar to beef saltenas Cheese empanadas (2/5) - 90% bread with a bland, thin spread of bland cheese. It was puffed up and empty. Rollos de queso (1/5) - so dry, almost choked, little to no cheese & all bread Cuñapes (1/5) - tastes like a sweet version of the brazilian cheese bread appetizer at fogo de chao, except this is one is super dry as well and makes you cough for water I really wanted to like this place but unfortunately missed the mark. For a little over $20, it was definitely worth trying but I wouldn't go back. read more

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Small hole in the wall restaurant off van nuys blvd. It's your mom & pop Bolivian owned homemade cooking. I'm don't know much about Bolivian food but was invited by a group of friends. I ordered the sopa de mani & found it to be tasty. The empanada was not what I expected, bit dry & sweet but I think this is normal for Bolivian food. My friends ordered this plate that has potatoes, onions, meat & sausage it looked good. There isn't a lot of seating inside so I would not go with more than 2-3 people. The service was quick. If your up to trying something different this would be it. Happy eating! read more

Pao's Pastries & Cafe - Empanada - Cafes Near Me - Van Nuys, California

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Once again, back in Southern California, we stopped in to enjoy some Bolivian food. We had a dish called papa rellena with beef....very tasty and it reminded me of when I was a kid. We also picked up some salteñas and maní soup to take with us as we head back up north. The food never disappoints, and we'll definitely be back the next time we're down south. read more

Really cute and delicious cafe near the Van Nuys courthouse. We stopped in for coffee and pastries. It's a small family owned place serving Bolivian pastries and small bites. The owner was super welcoming. They have a small dining area if you would like to eat there, or you can take your food to go. They had sweet options, as well as savory. It was the perfect stop for a quick bite to eat. read more

Pao's Pastries & Cafe - Pastries and empanadas - Cafes Near Me - Van Nuys, California

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La comida me lleva a casa. Servicio increíble, gran ambiente. ¡Las saltenas son deliciosas! Food takes me home. Amazing service, great atmosphere. Saltenas are delicious! read more

Pao's Pastries & Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Van Nuys, California

Very hospitable service! I wanted just one potato ball and they accommodated me. The place is small but very clean. And they kitchen is open so you can see them cook with fresh ingredients. read more

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Delicious homemade food. Get the salteños! Wonderful warm service too. We'll be back!

Their salteñas are the BEST! Not sure if my dad requested it but they didn't put olives, raisins, OR egg. Egg is fine but I never eat the olives in my salteñas and I don't like my salteñas sweet (with raisins). We had their chicken salteñas as part of our Thanksgiving feast and everyone was raving about them. They were so good. The sweetness of the bread and the savoryness of the filling was a perfect combination. I could say they were as good as my grandma's. Sorry abuelita! Don't haunt me! Yours were the very best! If you're looking for some good salteñas or if you've never tried Bolivian cuisine, you must try Pao's! read more

I love supporting small, local businesses! No one will serve you better than a business owner and their handpicked employees. Great little café I found exactly when I needed one as I waited for my car repairs. My Latte was good. Didn't order anything else but enjoyed my break in the peaceful dining room. (Indoor & outdoor seating). Their food options look seductive. The Pique a lo Macho and Silpancho look alluring, just to name two lunch plates. Hope to come back. No complaints. read more

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love the salteñas, silpancho, pique macho and the passion fruit juice. serving is huge so come hungry

Food/drink were unacceptable Breakfast sandwich was horrible. Basically a Bimbo bread sandwich with some egg and Oscar Meyer meat with cheese that was glue like. Saleteña was a saucy and cold disaster. Iced latte was a glass of milk with coffee flavoring. Americano was coffee flavored water. 40 dollars for this and it went straight to the trash. So upset. read more

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Sopa de mani horrible. Las salteñas secas. El silpancho tiene mucho pan. El servicio muy pobre Extremamente decepcionada de este lugar. read more

Overall I am REALLY happy I stopped by Pao's! It's a super tiny shop and the one worker I interacted with was very nice. I went with a chicken saltena, cheese empanada, and three alfajores which totaled about $14. The cheese empanada was tasty but a bit disappointing, as my photo shows - WHERE is the cheese!? You get a super thin filling on the bottom of the dough and that's about it. But the dough itself has so much flavor I was really shocked by it, in a good way. The saltena however was to die for. It was hefty and filled so much with tender chicken, veggies, and plenty of jus. The alfajores were delicious too! Soft cookies with thick dulce de leche and crispy coconut. My only wish is that they have options without being rolled in coconut as I like it more without and would also love to bring some to a co-worker who is allergic to coconut. I'll definitely be back for more regardless! read more

Pao's Pastries & Cafe - Empanada with cheese - Cafes Near Me - Van Nuys, California

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The food here is incredibly delicious, the portions are massive, and everything is made fresh. The staff is really lovely and does everything they can to make sure you're enjoying your meal. The space is small, but there are additional tables outside, and plenty of street parking if you're picking up to go. If you haven't tried Bolivian food before, start with a beef saltena (it's a little savory meat pie) and then the silpancho (thin cut steak, breaded and fried, served over rice and sliced potatoes, with two eggs on top, and a salsa). Ask for the green salsa. It's spicy. Take a couple alfajores to go. These cookies are Argentinian, and it's two crumbly cookies with dulce de leche inside and some shaved coconut around the rim. read more

Salteñas were a tad sweet and not as flavorful as I am used to. I tried the chicken and beef. Still, decent given that you cannot find them ANYWHERE on the west coast. Shame. read more

Saltenas were so delicious!!! So flavorful and delicious! Please please try them when you are in the area! Friendly service! Thank you!! read more

Food was great. It was a nice small Momand Pop place with only three people in the kitchen. The only problem that I had was I don't think my stomach is accustomed to the food. I had very bad diarrhea a few hours after eating the food. I still believe this place is great, but I don't think my stomach was ready for it. I will be going back again read more

I got their api drink today and was so disappointed. It tasted awful. It was not fresh at all. It smelled and tasted like it was three days old. I drove one and a half hours to get there and when i got home after another one and half hour drive, i was so disappointed that i drove a total of three hours for spoil. It tastes great in the past but today it was clearly spoiled. read more

Great family restaurant and cafe. The service and the food were great and quick. Highly recommend coming and trying the Saltenas. I also ordered the Silpancho, which makes a great breakfast/brunch. I will be coming here again! read more

The food is very authentic... I like Pao's almost as much as my mom's. Service is great when Pao is around. However, I have been to the cafe when she's not. Like last night. I ordered Sopita de mani over the phone and when I came to eat, I was faced with a grumpy young man. I paid and he brought me my food. I sat down to eat and realised I wanted bread. I asked him to purchase some bread and he answered, "no there's no bread, some customer made me switch out their bread many times and that's why there's NO BREAD". I was referred to the several pieces of bread in the pastry cabinet, but he repeated again, " there is no bread". Then a young woman who also works there came over to him and asked him about a bottle of caramel that seemed to be almost empty. She was asking home something and he raised his voice, "THERE IS NO MORE CARAMEL!" I felt very uncomfortable in the presence of this young man. I like the food but the service and ambiance at the cafe has deteriorated. This is the only Bolivian restaurant within a 60 mile radius. So there is not much choice. However, several people cook at home and are always greeting you with a smile. I hope Pao can communicate to her son that cafe's are service industry and that means having a better attitude towards the customer and to other employees. I'll be looking for alternative sources of Bolivian food. Sorry Paolita, el chico tiene mala actitud e y no conduce a que uno quiera volver a tu café. read more

Tucked away in Van Nuys, Pao's Pastries & Cafe is a hidden gem for a glimpse into Bolivian cuisine. I came here on a Friday afternoon and it was relatively slow. Outdoor dining was available with two-person tables right outside. Upon entering, I could immediately tell this place was going to be legit. We ordered saltenas and silpancho - both of which are highlights of Bolivian cuisine. Personally, it was my first time having both so I was looking forward to trying them! The service was quick and friendly, and the food came out within 15 minutes. The saltenas were juicy and flavorful! The silpancho was a bit on the plainer side compared to the saltenas, but it is to my understanding that silpancho is normally prepared that way. All in all, I would definitely come back here for the saltenas! read more

Pao's Pastries & Cafe - Saltenas - Cafes Near Me - Van Nuys, California

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Ordered this place on Postmates. WHERES THE CHIMICHURRI?! doesn't empanadas have CHIMICHURRI? I saw it in the photos too. Usually whenever i order empanadas i ALWAYS get it with CHIMICHURRI sauce. But i opened my box and couldn't find it anywhere...thought maybe they hid it inside or something but no. Tried eating my empanadas without it and it's not the same. It needs it. Without it the food is boring. Idk how ppl give this place so many stars. It literally tastes like watered down dinty moore canned stew inside of these. read more

The place is very small. The Cheese Empanadas were just okay. The Beef Saltena was sensational. It is like beef stew that is stuffed inside a large empanada. The Spinach and Pineapple drink is very refreshing. I would park on Van Nuys or Friar St. I would definitely eat here again. read more

Pao's Pastries & Cafe - Spinach with Pineapple. - Cafes Near Me - Van Nuys, California

Service great. I got to ordered salteñas to go over the phone. And I love having my frozen salteñas at home.

Delicious and authentic Bolivian food in the SFV! My family is Bolivian and my grandma is one of the better cooks in my life, so we are all very critical of Bolivian food. This is the first Bolivian restaurant I've been to that's on par with my grandma's food. There is a small menu, mostly pastries and coffee. On the weekends, Pao's rotates the main dishes she offers and they're all excellent. Her silpancho is excellent, as is the chicharrón and the falso conejo. Her salteñas (Bolivian empanadas) are also delicious and some of the better ones I've had. It's a very small and simple place but the food is quintessential home cooking and the service is always warm and attentive. read more

Pao's Pastries & Cafe - Silpancho - Cafes Near Me - Van Nuys, California

They have a variety of Bolivian dishes, Salteñas, and pastries to choose from. The restaurant is tiny, with a few tables inside, and they do have outdoor seating. You can order your food ahead of time for pick up. For the Salteñas, they have beef and chicken. They also have empanadas. Make room for their Alfajores. read more

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I had said some uncharitable things about this place in the past, but the last 2 times I visited their saltena game was strong. Even my kids, who only like Bebas or Rancherito agreed the saltenas were excellent. Made me want to buy a ticket to CBBA and get my eat on. read more

It looks like a mom and pop operation which love supporting. Had the salteñas, which were really good. I did not like one of the pastries I had for dessert (it tasted kind of stale). Lady tasted it and insisted it was fine but changed it to something else regardless. read more

"Silpancho" Pan fried breaded steak, topped w/a finely diced tomato, onions & jalapeño salsa, served with roasted potatoes, white rice & topped with 2 fried eggs. read more

Pao's Pastries & Cafe - "Salpancho" - Cafes Near Me - Van Nuys, California

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Como Boliviana estuve buscando por mucho tiempo un restaurant boliviano, el mocochinchi estaba súper rico. El picante de pollo estuvo bueno pero estaba frío al igual que la sopa de maní que personalmente no me gustó y el pique macho tampoco, pero la llajua si estaba súper rica! Debo admitir que fueron muy amables :) y los precios estaban aceptables. read more

Bolivia; not one of the most known countries in South America, but the food and culture is second to none! Food here is amazing, come try a salteña , a juicier version of the traditional empanada. read more

Súper excited to find a Bolivian restaurant in the SFV! The place is tiny (only 4 tables) and it seems to be family run. Tiny kitchen and staff seemed a bit frazzled and a little overwhelmed, but the dishes like silpancho, pique a lo macho and the sopa de mani were on point as far as Bolivian and were tasty. The only negative was that the meat on the pique was very tough, and the potatoes were not fully cooked and were a bit hard. The sauce llajua, had no hot spice, but it was tasty. Their pastries were lovely. I ordered a mocha latte and it took quite a while to get. Once I received it, it was not hot but only Luke warm. Perhaps it was sitting there a while and they were so busy and forgot to take it to me. Either way it tasted well. Overall, we were happy to find them and will definitely give them another shot soon. read more

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Best Bolivian restaurant by far in California. The saltenas come with beef, peas, potatoes, and eggs with their sweet savory sauce. It's almost similar to empanadas but it has more filling Jam Pack with ingredients. My favorite dish out of all it's the silpancho which is fried steak with rice and potatoes with eggs on top. The steak was crispy on the outside yet it's soft when you chew on it. The potato's filling with meat, peas, potatoes, and eggs are also very unique. The deep fried sealing the potatoes to make it crispy outside but yet hot and warm on the inside. Great food and pricing! read more

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Salteñas were 7 out of 10. I make salteñas and so some aspects of salteñas are important to me. The flavor did not fail after hours in sun lamp. Price is about $4-5 which is ok for what was served. I had a chicken and a beef. Both were good, the chicken was a bit more on point than the beef but both were good. It's very time consuming to make these, and Pao's got it right! read more

Pao's Pastries was my first time having Bolivian food. Bolivian food is very hard to find in Los Angeles, and I believe Pao's Pastries is the only existing establishment that serves it. Their specialties here are the pastries, most specifically the saltenas, but they do have quite a menu of other stuff. Along with the chicken saltena, I also got the sopa de mani (creamy chicken soup), the silpancho (thin breaded steak) and relleno papa (potato ball). All of it was great. It's very similar tasting to Central American food. What I especially liked is the large portions of the food. Even the saltena was huge, bigger than any empanada I've had in other countries. If you want to try all your basic Bolivian foods, then this is the place to go. Everything tastes fresh, and from what I researched, it's pretty authentic. It's a taste of Bolivia in Van Nuys. Even their ice coffees here are pretty amazing. The only downside is street parking, but other than that, come here to enjoy the amazing food. I shot a Youtube video of my experience at Pao's Pastries, which you can find on my channel, Rockstar Eater. read more

Pao's Pastries & Cafe - As seen on my Youtube channel, Rockstar Eater. - Cafes Near Me - Van Nuys, California

so strange i thought I had posted a review but it seems like i only posted photos. maybe i was too hungry. I get frozen Salteñas from here and from Salteña corner (OC). I feel like in three visits I must have tried just about everything on their menu and im just immediately transported back to Bolivia. I love the picante de pollo, the silpancho, the sopa de mani, and of course, the Salteñas. Cant wait to order take out again! read more

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This review is just for the Saltenas only. Very few places have this type of empanada which is Bolivian. The only other place I know is in Anaheim Ca. The Saltenas are good and the young guy at the register has great service. read more

I've been coming here since before the pandemic. As a fellow Bolivian, this place is authentic and never disappoints. I would recommend trying the salteñas, silpancho, pique macho and ají de lengua when available. Keep up the great service and food! read more

Pao's Pastries & Cafe - Pique macho - Cafes Near Me - Van Nuys, California

First ordering from here. Ordered: Saltenas- chicken and beef. It was ok, it just didn't wow me. Relleno de papa- was ok. Silpancho- was ok. Would I order again, probably not. read more

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