Food That Brings You Home (Or Takes You Far Away)

Whether you’re Pakistani in Paterson or American in Mozambique, food “like Mom’s” just means so much, but it’s often difficult to come by. Well, now Colombians in the area don’t have to travel to Hackensack or Bergenfield to get a taste of home.

At Cumbia Cafe, you’ll find one of the only –if not the only– Colombian cafes in Kearny. Now, don’t let the word cafe limit the kind of food you picture. While it does have a bakery, it also has a full kitchen offering typical plates from different regions of Colombia (and some other Latin options as well).

When you walk in, Colombian trinkets line the walls, and salsa or cumbia is playing with old school music videos, immediately creating an informal, comfortable atmosphere. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a seat in their small dining area and you can watch videos about Colombia on their widescreen TV.

Personal tangent: When I first found this place, I was very excited. I was driving home with take-out from a favorite Scottish restaurant when its distinctive red/blue/yellow sign (the colors of the Colombian flag) caught my eye. My husband grew up in Colombia and we lived in Queens for the past few years where Latin and specifically Colombian food is quite abundant. We’d been feeling a bit “homesick” for the culinary diversity of Queens, so it was a great surprise to find this place on this side of the Hudson.

But all that didn’t guarantee that the food was going to be good. And my husband is incredibly picky discerning about how Colombian food is supposed to taste.

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We went there a handful of times before we actually sat down for a full meal. We went for antojitos (little bites) such as empanadas, pan de bono, pan de queso, pan de yuca, yuca relleno, chorizo, and other little bites. Empanadas are basically corn or flour dough that is filled, folded, and then fried (about the size of your palm). At Cumbia Cafe, they are filled with potatoes and either boiled chicken or beef. At first I wasn’t overly impressed; I found a bone in a chicken empanada on three different occasions. However, the flavors are quite appealing. Often, empanadas can be too greasy or too dry, or the meat can even be undercooked. That has never been the case here. But you want to know the one thing that really makes these bite-sized treats shine? Homemade hot sauce (aji in spanish) that comes in a cute little ceramic bowl.

Chances are you have eaten bread at least once in your life, even if you may now avow even looking at carbohydrates. However, the bread and rolls from Colombian bakeries are like none I have ever tasted. Their “pan” is often cheesy-tasting (or filled with cheese) - giving them a sweet and salty flavor. They are great as is or warmed-up, or you can slather on some dulce de leche (a caramel spread like nutella or peanut butter) to satisfy your sweet teeth (who has just one?). Pan de yuca is a hard roll and almost spongy inside. Yuca (pronounced JOO-cah) is similar in flavor and texture to an Idaho potato.

Their yuca relleno and chorizo are like those at any other Colombian cafe, meaning they’re neither better nor worse. If you like Spanish sausage, you should like chorizo. Hint: Colombians squeeze lime onto theirs, which seems to take away some of the greasy feeling sausage can have and it’s not uncommon to order just a chorizo with some lime and an arepa (a thick, grilled, white corn cake).

Among their pastries, or pasteles in spanish, there are some real gems. Much of the pastries are the flaky, crusty kind with sugar on top that fall apart when you bite into them. Often they have some kind of filling - either caramel, guava, or guava and cheese. I have also had their Biscocho/Torta Negra, or Black Cake which is like a very rummy rum cake. If you go, ask for the hot chocolate (not sweet at all) and pan de bono or pan de queso (both are soft, cheesy and salty-tasting). I haven’t had their flan (custard), bread pudding or tres leches.

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Now, for the main course. Their platters are overflowing, and each comes with a choice of two side dishes: rice, beans, salad, french fries. Yes, you can have rice and fries and not look like a freak. Colombians like their carbs. Whatever you choose, I recommend also getting a side of maduros, which are fried sweet plantains (they look like bananas but are actually quite different. For one, never eat one raw; you’ll be terribly disappointed).

In addition to salads and soups, they offer a wide range of plates: Grilled Shrimp or Fried Fish; Chicken with Rice or Spaghetti; and Roast Pork, Ox Tail or Steak. And don’t get a coke - get a Colombiana or other imported soda. Or try one of their shakes. They make ones you’ll know like strawberry or banana, but go for Lulo (similiar to kiwi) or Maracuya (passion fruit). For a refreshing drink, have them made with water instead of milk.

Their breaded chicken cutlet looks like two thin pieces breaded and fried together - it barely fits on the plate. Although fried, it is not too dry or greasy and was delicious, especially when coupled with the homemade aji.If you want to get something very Colombian, order the Bandeja Paisa. Paisa is how you refer to people from the region of Antioquia (yes, paisa, not “drug runner”, “guerrilla” or “mule” as the “save-the-kidnapped-white-man-in-the-south-american-jungle” movies may otherwise suggest). The plate consists of: steak, fried egg, rice, beans, a slice of avocado, maduro, chorizo, arepa, and chicharron (fried extra thick, fatty bacon). Yes, this is meant for one person but it can be shared (just don’t expect to share with a Colombian man, who can lick the plate clean in 15 minutes). And while you may break your diet, you won’t break the bank: no platter is more than $12 and many are about $7.

They do not sacrifice quality for quantity. In fact, the food is all freshly cooked - which means it can take 25 minutes before you get it - and full of flavor. While Colombian food is not typically spicy (you won’t even see the word jalapeño on the menu), it is by no means bland.

In short - Cumbia Cafe, for its freshness, location, and home-y feel, outranks the Colombian restaurants my husband and I frequented in Queens.

Besides, it will always hold a special place in my heart for the look in my husband’s eyes whenever we go: it’s like he gets to bring his family and native country just a little closer to mine.

Cumbia Cafe
263 Kearny Ave
Kearny
(201) 997-4211

— by Donna M.
Donna is both a Jersey native and recent transplant from NYC. She is executive editor and a co-founder of GoOutJersey.

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