Maria's Café

Cannot say enough nice things about the cachapas (corn pancakes) with cotija cheese (get it on the side if you're not sure, but the salty sweet is way better than maple syrup on these. Also, good Columbian coffee and other Colombian items on the menu like the Calentao con Huevo are delightful. Pablo's omlette: also delicious. Friendly staff, and often but not always busy. Sundays for brunch often there is live music.

We come here for the Colombian breakfast on the weekends. The food is good. Sometimes there is live music too. The service can be a little slow and depend on the server, overall a good experience most times.

I think the differences between the dishes listed in the main menu and the ones listed under "Colombian & Regional Specialties" were pretty vast, because everything within the latter category was a hit while most of what I had within the former were okay or simply had moments of highlights instead of consistent highlights. To start off, the chocolate Colombiano had very rich milk which definitely enhanced the experience in my opinion, because it did not taste watery at all like how a lot of hot chocolate would. Both the paisa bowl and the calentao con huevos were very similar, with one major difference as that the paisa bowl had chincharron. One couldn't go wrong with either one, because both contained a lot of food. The rice and pinto beans themselves tasted very good already, so to complement them with an egg and the ají sauce was a big plus. The paisa bowl had avocado as well in addition to the chincharron, so I think between the two, the paisa bowl would be a better choice. The arepas rellenas and empanadas were both huge hits! Flavors were on point and the amount wasn't overwhelming. One also has to dip the empanadas in the ají sauce because it would completely change the culinary experience in a very positive way. Outside the "Colombian & Regional Specialties Menu" I ordered the corn pancakes and blueberry pancakes. Both were great, and I could taste the sweet corn element in the corn pancakes. They just didn't have highlights beyond good. The huevos pericos was merely okay because the scrambled eggs were a bit sloppily made and it wasn't clear what the single piece of tortilla was for, because it definitely wasn't enough for the eggs offered. Another observation I made was that it seemed to have cheddar cheese on top of the eggs, and I am not certain if that's an accurate representation of Colombian cuisine. I could be wrong here, though. Overall, I still think this establishment is a modest gem of a place for a good brunch, especially on the weekend. One will need to follow signs in order to find the place, but the signs were pretty clear. What used to be a parking lot for the spot seemed to be under gentrification efforts building apartments, so I ended up having to park on the street when I visited in late November.

They have unique selections for pancakes, espresso drinks and breakfast menu. Nothing crazy but I love the Colombian twist to all their food. One of the best pancakes I’ve had.

We came here for brunch. Did not disappoint. Hands down the best corn pancakes I’ve ever had. Service was fast. All of the recommendations the server suggested were so good and flavorful. We came at closing and didn’t feel rushed. Street parking was just fine to find. The construction nearby can throw you off because of the building layout but still a gem. Would recommend!