A review of various Colombian spots in Barranquilla and Bogota, such as Crepes & Waffles and Frisby. We also visited a variety of other restaurants and tried a ton of different foods! All of these were visited around June-July 2026.
Crepes & Waffles
Visiting Crepes & Waffles was an experience to say the least. They specialize, as the name suggests, in crepes and waffle dishes, both savory and sweet. Our overall experience was mixed.
First, the place was crowded, and it was clear they didn’t appear to have enough servers. With that, the service was incredibly slow throughout the entire experience. From getting seated, placing the order, waiting, and trying to order more food, our server could disappear for dozens of minutes at a time. As a result, we spent well over two hours there just placing a few basic orders.
The all-you-can-eat salad was a disgrace. Their salad bar was already nearly empty when we arrived (around dinner time) and was only partially refilled once after an hour or two. It also looked like several people complained to the staff about it before they actually noticed. Unfortunately, throughout dinner and up until close, the salad bar was left nearly empty. Had it been filled, it would have provided a good experience as it had different types of lettuce, fruits, nuts, and other advertised toppings.
Up come the two crepe entree orders: Sombrero Vueltiao and Pollo Trufa Mexicano. They looked good enough, though it seems much of the glamour was put into their appearances. It wasn’t that they were bad; more, it was simply well-seasoned chicken and beef dishes wrapped in a thin, bland crepe that served as a shell, oozing their filling when you stuck your fork in. The beef reminded us of traditional Colombian carne. The addition of hogao was nice, but there wasn’t much of it, which ultimately left the crepe simple and lacking nuance. It was shaped sort of like a sombrero, cool, I guess. Anyway, similarly, the chicken truffle crepe offered well-seasoned chicken and was notably creamy from the thick sauce, though, again, nothing to really write home about.
Now, after waiting for what seemed like an hour, we flagged down our server for desserts and placed an order of Mini Waffles Frutos del Bosque and a Waffle order of Chocorochelle.
The mini waffles were small, Belgian-style, with a slight crunch on the outside and a reasonably soft interior, soft enough to almost slide your fork through. The flavor of the waffle itself, however, was mostly plain, so what you were left with was its toppings: fruit, blackberry ice cream, and whipped cream. Needless to say, it was a fruity mix and, despite being a dessert, wasn’t overly sweet, leaning more toward refreshing. Overall, we weren’t too crazy about it.
What we were crazy about was the extra chocolately waffle we ordered. This waffle, unlike the minis, was bigger, much thinner, and a little crunchier — not better in this regard, as the minis felt more satisfying. The flavor was where it shone, though. It was a semi-sweet dark chocolate, with all of the flavor coming from the generous helping of chocolate sauce and a backing from the chocolate ice cream and whipped cream. Really, that chocolate sauce made that waffle; it was thick and gave it a very sweet, rich, non-bitter dark chocolate flavor. Coupled with the slightly less dark ice cream and the creamy whipped cream, the entire combination made for an ultimate chocolate experience. Definitely something we would get again!
Overall, Crepes & Waffles is a good enough place if you know what to order. Personally, I would suggest going for their dessert-based dishes over their regular entrees. Unfortunately, their entrees, while tasty, were basic Colombian dishes wrapped in flavorless crepes. Perhaps at the very least, request them in a waffle form if your location has them! On the other hand, their desserts were excellent, and despite us going for their waffle-only versions, the crepes would likely fit right in too. Lastly, Crepes & Waffles needs to improve their service game and at minimum, keep their salad bar topped off!
Update: We went back a few days later for an early-afternoon lunch, and the service was equally poor and slow, even though it wasn’t busy. And the salad bar, while initially full of ingredients, quickly dwindled and was seldom refilled.
Anyway, we tried the Thai Salad alongside making our own. Basically, the standout of the Thai dish was the chicken and the mustard dressing. The chicken is mildly seasoned, though, which reminded me of sliced deli chicken in both its feel and flavor. The dressing is additionally light and provides a refreshing taste. Paired with the other ingredients, it creates a pleasant, well-balanced Thai flavor vibe that isn’t overwhelming or hard-hitting. Further, it’s not at all spicy, which is unfortunate because Thai food generally is. Not to mention, Thai food in general is much more flavorful than this. Anyway, my biggest grievance: there was barely any lettuce! Really, can you actually call this a salad with just two thin lettuce leaves?
For a dessert, we tried the Tartin De Limon. Needless to say, the presentation looks really cool: the layer of strawberries, the scoop of ice cream next to the whipped cream, then topped with the thin, crunchy round pastry, and finally, all couped up in an unnecessarily huge cup!
In terms of flavor, the bulk of it comes from the ice cream and a generous amount of strawberries. And, well, this ice cream is pretty good! It’s clearly lemon and noticeably creamy in both composition and flavor. Basically, it’s as advertised: a lemon cheesecake-tasting ice cream. It’s rich, not sour, and has an especially smooth, creamy, and moderately sugary sweet lemony cheesecake taste. On top of this, literally, is the extra crunchy round wafer pastry that throws you a super-sweet coconut-honey-like taste and complements it all nicely. Then, as we dug to the bottom, there was a decently sized, thin-ish shortbread cookie that also worked well, though it was a little hard, likely because of the cold ice cream.
This was a good dessert and a highlight among the dishes we’ve tried. Echoing my previous thoughts: Crepes & Waffles does its desserts pretty darn well!
Frisby
From Frisby, we ordered the Classico with coleslaw and fries, and a side of honey, Frisby sauce, and Platano Maduro.
Immediately digging in, we noticed the fries were just… fries. They were plain, perhaps lightly salted at best, and were similarly soggy to fast-food fries you’d find elsewhere. They really need more crunch and more salt, to say the least. Now, regarding the other side order, coleslaw, it was decent enough. In comparison to KFC’s, it was less sweet and less creamy. Instead, this has a bit more crunch and feels slightly fresher, likely all due to the lack of mayo. Overall, it’s not just less creamy, it’s also not as punchy as it simply comes across as more plain, but to its benefit, less offensive, especially if you’re prone to sweet or punchy coleslaws or foods.
The main showcase, chicken, was just okay. It was mildly juicy and reasonably meaty, and definitely a bit less greasy than KFC’s. It tastes reasonably fresh, almost as if it were grilled and then quickly fried. In my opinion, Frisby chicken is better than KFC in this regard, though it’s clearly less flavorful and salty because of these differences. And then, with the addition of honey, it was a nice sweet touch to the chicken, but it was just honey on chicken—what’s the big deal? Nothing really to write home about here–overhyped in this regard.
The famous Frisby sauce was disappointing. It is nearly identical to ketchup but has a slightly less punchy tomato and sour note, with the addition of other mild seasonings. It’s pretty good and resembles a “this is a differently-branded yet decent ketchup” flavor. But honestly, it’s so close to ketchup; I wouldn’t go out of my way to try it — this is another thing that wasn’t too crazy or outstanding, just like the honey on chicken.
Lastly, the dessert, Platano Maduro (plantain with bocadillo (guava paste) and melted cheese), which may have been the most disappointing of everything.
It’s much more bland than it lets on. Really, it looks like a mouthwatering, super-thick, greasy soft yuca, with a thick slice of half-melted yellow cheese on top. Yum? Well, not really.
It was super easy to bite through, providing a uniform, thick, soft mouthfeel. Unfortunately, however, I physically didn’t see much of any of the guava, just little splashes of red liquid here and there, yet at the same time, there was still an essence of it in terms of taste, which was interesting. The bulk of this Platano Maduro dish was the plantain and cheese, both of which were bland. In fact, if you blindfolded me, I wouldn’t have even guessed there was even a cheese flavor, let alone cheese itself on it! It blended in too much with the equally soft plantain. Not to mention, the plantain itself needed something else to really bring it out. It sat there, flavorless. To summarize, this side dish was all bark and no bite.
Overall, Frisby tastes like a slightly fresher, less greasy, and less flavorful KFC. In a way, Frisby feels like a slightly healthier KFC, with the trade-off being flavor and overall fast-food fulfillment and enjoyment. Personally, as someone who wants flavor and punchy flavors, especially in fast food, I’d stick with their competitors.
Juan Valdez
From Juan Valdez, we sampled their black Americano, caramel latte with oat milk, and a pan de bono.
The sizes here are so small compared to the US! Really, their small size is nearly a shot in US sizing, and don’t get me started on the medium and large! Flavor-wise, it’s mostly your typical coffee, specifically their black Americano. I liked it more than the usual burnt-tasting Dunkin and other coffee shops, though I still ultimately prefer Starbucks. Nonetheless, it’s close — Juan Valdez does a good enough job.
Their caramel latte tasted “different.” Not in a bad way. It’s as though the caramel they used was a different kind. Maybe it was an arequipe version? It was richer in a way and tasted different; it’s hard to explain. Anyways, the entire coffee remained quite sweet, comparable to most US lattes.
The pan de bono is light, soft, and airy, with a small amount of infused cheese in the center. Biting in, it’s not thick as it’s mostly empty space and starts to flatten as you begin to eat through it. The overall flavor is a tad buttery and bready, with a smooth, mild Colombian cheese addition. None of it is plain, and the entire experience is pleasant and enjoyable. Notably, not as bold, crazy, or heavy as an American-based coffee pastry!
El Punto del Sabor
We ordered several different Colombian-style pizza flavors from this spot. Funnily enough, the pizza box states this is America’s favorite pizza. So, was it? Long story short, probably not.
The dough is just different, especially compared to US pizza. It feels more like a less-grilled flatbread, a little chewier, softer, and denser, too. Surprisingly, it’s not doughy or plain tasting for some reason. Basically, you don’t get that flour-like dough taste. Another surprise: Not really much of any salsa, either; in fact, you can barely see any! Of course, that also means you don’t get the traditional salsa-and-tomato flavor. So, how does it make up for it?
The thin layer of thick cheese and fresh-tasting toppings sticks out more because of all this. In a way, the pizza feels more fulfilling and hearty. On the other hand, I can definitely see people wanting the more traditional, greasier, fluffier, and garlicy American-style pizza. Personally, I don’t think I’d bring this to a party; I’d definitely opt for the American version.
Overall, it’s a good enough pizza, tastes fresh, and is seasoned and salted just enough as not to overwhelm you. I didn’t have a favorite among the four types here. Frankly, these are mostly common toppings even amongst the American version. If anything, the pizzas do benefit from hot sauce to help accentuate the flavors. Lastly, as a personal note, I definitely prefer the bolder, more flavorful, doughier, and loaded American-style pizzas!
Septimo
Septimo isn’t too bad, but it’s definitely way overblown.
It presents itself as a fancy, upscale restaurant where you have to dress up and pay high prices. Despite all of this, the portions are exceptionally small. For example, the salad was simply a few pieces of lettuce with a line of lean grilled chicken. The chicken was good; however, it was nothing crazy. Lean, easy to bite through, cooked perfectly, and lightly seasoned. But it was quite boring for what it’s advertised as, especially considering the dish was supposed to be a salad. Similarly, the beef and steak dishes were the same story: A few well-cooked, lightly seasoned pieces of meat and a side dish. One included truffle fries, but it was just a few small fries with hardly any topping! How can you mess up French fries? Again, not bad, but it could have been so much better!
The best part of everything was the mini burgers: medium-rare, juicy, and just enough sauce to deliver a flavorful burger experience. I also loved how thick they were. In a way, it’s interesting to see an upscale restaurant do fast-food items like burgers so well yet fail on their advertised fancy entrees.
Lastly, the service was fine. Servers were mostly attentive if you sought their attention, and the overall atmosphere was quiet, dimly lit, and clean.
I don’t think I’d come here again, although it was fun to try a supposed upscale Italian restaurant in Colombia. Wait, Italian? What made any of this Italian?!
Afaix
We tried the cayeye with beef liver, orange juice, and jugo de corozo. The orange juice didn’t have pulp, which is a strong preference of mine, yet it was stupidly refreshing and tasted homemade. Moderately sweet, smooth–perfect! Similarly, the bottled corozo tasted like a light tropical berry, making me want to throw it into a smoothie. It’s a flavor I hadn’t experienced before; all I could think was “tropical, berry-like, yet not punchy; refreshingly light and fairly sweet.”
The cayeye came with a side protein of higado en bistec (liver). The liver was soft and not very chewy despite some fatty portions. It sported a light, beefy flavor, not quite as strong as regular beef nor liver; it was milder, and the complementary tomato, onions, and sauce it came with provided a welcome seasoning.
The bulk of it, consisting of the meat’s base — the mashed green bananas — reminded me of lightly seasoned, soft mashed potatoes mixed with butter and a pinch of salt, topped with shredded cheese. Really, if you blindfolded me, I’d certainly have guessed a slightly softer, creamier, and less potato-forward version of mashed lol potatoes — think instant mashed potato with some mild texture. Lastly, the white sauce, suero, which was bottled and could be doused on your food, was runny and added a tinge of sourness. While I wasn’t crazy about it, it somehow kind of worked to wrap everything up nicely. Put simply, mixing it all together was awesome!
I think I’d go here again if I wanted a lighter, homey, traditional Santa Marta breakfast.
Extermino Cundi Domicilious
A typical fast-food joint where we tried the four-meat salchipapa, an arepa, a meat sandwich, and lemonade.
The lemonade looked really neat in its glass, with a bright green straw and lime, and, interestingly, it looked like it had black pepper mixed in. It comes across as reasonably punchy, with a slight black pepper kick. It’s a unique and tasty combination, and combined with the lemony sweetness, it was a surprisingly refreshing and fun drink.
The salchipapa arepa was the star. It was absolutely covered with shredded cheese and potato, a variety of meats, and sauce–you couldn’t even tell there was an arepa until you dug in. And digging indeed yields chopped up grilled arepa pieces covered in what seems to be even too many ingredients. It is just amazing. The light corn and grilled-tasting arepa, and its texture, provided a wonderful base for everything else. The meats were well-cooked and soft, and everything was seasoned well without being greasy or feeling overly heavy. Then, adding the side of sweet pineapple sauce took it to another level!
The sandwich was decent. It was meaty, though the bread was dry and bland, which took away from the experience. It also had less meat and toppings overall, so what you essentially got was similar to the sanchipapa arepa dish, but worse in every aspect. Nonetheless, it was good enough — just grill and season the bread more, please!
This fast food joint, like many others, would be a place I’d visit again if I were around, though I don’t think I’d seek it out, since so many places are similar.
Guasimo
A fancy-looking restaurant, especially on the inside. Yeah, the outside features what appears to be a typical small brick shop or pub, making you think nothing fancy is truly here. However, walking in, it’s upscale. They hold the door open for us, it’s dimly lit, live, not overly loud music is playing, everything is clean, and they pour you complimentary water (although they only give you a little at a time!).
We started with bollo bites with a white cream (suero) on top. The bollos have a smooth, mildly sweet corn taste. Perfectly warm and a great, soft mouthfeel as if they were initially ground up and then cobbled back together several times. The white sauce on top added a touch of creaminess, although it didn’t have any explicit flavor. Unfortunately, these bollo pieces were so small — I wanted more!
Then came the entrees, which we split. A few were fish and shrimp-based, a steak, and some others. All were warmed perfectly and seasoned well enough for most people. But not me.
No flavors or dishes were particularly bold or standout. Everything was just… okay. The steak in particular was a bit tough, and the fried fish balls and shrimp were boring. Essentially, everything needed more seasoning or something to make the flavors pop more. Further, the portions were incredibly small. Were these the appetizers?!
Lastly, a dessert featuring a thick layer of solidified mango puree over a fried piece of white cheese, all topped with whipped cream. A pleasant, lightly sweet combination, but like the other dishes, nothing particularly stood out. The cheese was a little tough, the whipped cream was not at all thick, and the mango puree felt like it was from a can. And, again, the portion size is criminally minuscule.
I definitely wouldn’t go again, to say the least. Not to mention, aren’t fine dining places supposed to introduce and present the dishes to you, at least, at this price range? They simply threw the plates on the table and never even came back to check up on us. Granted, the food was gone in a few minutes because the portions were so small.
Calderon Beach
We tried fried Mojarra fish with coconut rice and patacones. For dessert, shaved ice, similar to raspao.
The fish tasted like regular fish, with a fried flavor and an oily texture, especially as you got towards the bottom. Most importantly, it was without seasoning, so it was just fine; it needed some salt, lemon, lime, or something. The mini salad was lightly salted and had a splash of vinegar — okay — and the same with the patacones: just meh, with a dribble of salt. Lastly, the coconut rice was the star. It was cooked well and most notably, had a sweet coconut flavor without being too sweet. Needless to say, as a coconut lover, this is a reason why coconut rice remains one of the best! Aside from that, the other parts of the dish are not something I’d go for again.
The shaved ice was, well, icy, and the best part? It’s so sweet! The condensed milk at the bottom and the top is strong, and it works well with the icy portions, which tone it down only slightly — I really can’t emphasize how sweet this drink is! Lastly, there is a very light, mixed-fruit background flavor, but for the most part, this drink’s flavor profile is just a strong, sugary, milky sweetness. Definitely something to get again!
Mr. Bono
These places are everywhere! I sampled the Mr. Bono, a pan de bono — my first one! I’ve only ever had their fried brethren, the bunuelos. Anyway, these pan de bonos from Mr. Bono are amazing! In terms of texture, they’re almost uniformly moist except for the drier, yet still soft, outside shell. I found them to be surprisingly dense, which helps provide a satisfying, soft, chewy, and thick eating experience. Essentially, when you bite in, it flattens a little bit because of their composition–almost like partially raw bread in a way.
Then, in terms of taste, it’s a smooth, buttery, bready-cheese combo. Notably, the cheese taste isn’t as pronounced as Colombian cheese from your typical bakery bunuelo–these taste less offensive; more smooth, basically. These also come across as softer and more chewy. Overall, they’re addictive, and honestly, I don’t have a favorite between these and bunuelos!
Popsy Ice Cream
We sampled the Belgian Chocolate, Frutos de Bosque, Milky Way, Juan Valdez, M&M, Arequipe, and Mandarina.
The Belgian Chocolate tasted exactly as advertised. It’s stupidly creamy and has a sweet, mildly dark, milky taste. Essentially, it’s exactly as advertised–a sweet Belgian chocolate candy in ice cream form! It reminds me of Friendly’s Forbidden Chocolate. Basically, think creamy and sweet, darker chocolate.
The Frutos de Bosque had a sweet, traditional, mixed-fruit taste, and the soft, varying, chewy, and tiny, crunchy fruit chunks added nuance to the creamy ice cream.
Mandarina tasted like, well, mandarin, sort of. It’s so creamy too, and the actual flavor overall is reminiscent of an orange creamsicle–if you blindfolded me, I’d have guessed that! So sweet and milky, and creamy!
The Milky Way tasted like a darker Milky Way to me. It had a mild caramel flavor, along with a sweet, semi-dark taste. It’s not super dark like the dark candy bar version; it’s somewhere in between. I appreciate that I can still taste the caramel and the overall flavor profile of a Milky Way, though I feel it’s missing some of that nougat taste (perhaps I just didn’t notice), and, not to mention, the thing that makes a Milky Bar what it is — the texture! Include some candy bits, please!
Arequipe tasted even creamier than the actual thing and captured its flavor perfectly! Nothing else to say!
The M&M flavor offered an equal part vanilla-chocolate-ish ice cream alongside a pronounced M&M chocolate flavor. It feels like the swirls of chocolate, the M&Ms themselves, and even the ice cream (which didn’t seem purely vanilla) did a good job of delivering authentic candy flavor, making it enjoyable, especially for M&M candy lovers such as myself. The light crunch of the candy bits was a nice touch, too.
Juan Valdez offered a deep, moderately sweet coffee flavor. Its coffee flavor is much deeper than that of regular coffee ice cream, as if they threw in a few shots alongside a handful of sugar. Definitely an adult ice cream for sure!
I didn’t have a favorite. All were tasty in their own ways and were very creamy, above-average ice creams. Notably, we found the flavors to be pronounced and surprisingly accurate to their descriptions. However, they should come with mixins to make them even better — only the fruit and M&M’s ones did, unfortunately, and even then, there weren’t many mixins. Basically, if you want something more loaded, you’ll have to add your own toppings.
As a side note, Popsy was much better than the Crem Helado brand.
Food Variety
Chuzo Desgranado (Jota&pe93)
So incredibly loaded! This fast food is truly the definition of fast food. It’s loaded with shredded, lightly crunchy potatoes/french fries, thick pieces of meat, shredded cheese, yuca, sauces, and punchy, salty, and deliciously well-seasoned flavors throughout. It’s stupidly addicting and mouthwatering. What makes it even better are the side sauces, especially the sweet, gooey yellow pineapple sauce–yum!
Perro Suizo
Unfortunately, I’m not sure where we got this. Anyway, a thick slice of soft, moist bread houses a Colombian-style hot dog and a bunch of different fillings. The hot dog is especially thick, and combined with all its ingredients and tasty bread, it makes a wonderful combination.
Roscon con Bocadillo
Thick globs of sweet guava paste surround the outside of this bread. It’s fun to eat–you can pull off the “fingers” from the sides, which house this guava, while the inner bread parts are simply plain, thick, semi-soft bread. Unfortunately, this is a downside, as most of this guava bread is, well, bread, with all of the guava on the very outside.
Honestly, I found myself pulling off the bread fingers (the outside nubs) and chowing down on those for the most part because they had the filling. Notably, the bread was a bit hard, kind of like a hard-soft texture at room/cooler temperatures, but for whatever reason, I didn’t mind and actually sort of liked it! Microwaving it made it slightly softer and melted much of the guava, which, in my opinion, was a downside because the large amount of bread quickly soaked up most of the little amount of guava already in it. Either way, I honestly couldn’t find a preference; both ways of eating it had their ups and downsides.
Perro Salvaje Combinado (My Friends Fast Food)
This was even better than the Perro Suizo because it was loaded with more varieties of meat! My Friends Fast Food advertises their hotdog dish as “Hot dog sausage, chicken, beef, chorizo, butifarra, 30 cm hot dog bun, queso costeño (salty Colombian coastal cheese), crispy potato sticks, lettuce, assorted sauces.”
Right after biting in, I noticed how loaded it all was with all different types of meats–truly, a meat lover’s sandwich! Sure, it’s a little greasy, but definitely not to an over-the-top or unappetizing level. Going back to that filling: From chicken, to beef and pork, and on top of that (and mixed in), a thick, balanced, pale green looking tartar sauce, shredded cheese, and shredded potato… Just, wow! The result is a balanced, well-seasoned, and exceptionally creamy filling with a sausage hot-dog-forward flavor.
The overall mouthfeel of the sandwich is soft, chunky, thick, and easy to bite through. What’s also awesome is the soft, thick, moist grilled sandwich bun, which adds perfectly to the experience. And did I mention the sweet pineapple sauce on the side?! It’s so gooey and dense, giving this salty fast-food sandwich a super-sweet, pineapple-candy edge! Give me more of that, please! And, give me another sandwich while you’re at it, too!
Cocada, tamarind balls, and candied papaya (Santa Marta Beach, Street Treats)
The cocada is literally nearly pure melted sugar with coconut flakes. It’s super soft, and the chunks of coconut flakes add some contrast. But honestly, it’s so sweet, you don’t taste anything else–sure, there is some coconut, but even that is nearly taken over by the sugar taste. I could actually taste some lumps of sugar, as if they weren’t even fully mixed! An absolute sugar rush!
Tamarind balls remind me of a ground-up prune, then doused in too much sugar. Like the cocada, it is overly sweet, and as you bite into these tamarind balls, you encounter large, tough inner seeds that are unchewable. If you’re a fan of dates and/or prunes, especially combined with sugar, these are amazing!
Lastly, the candied papaya was exactly as it sounds. It’s super colorful and looks like gummy worms except substantially sweeter. And actually, that’s much of the flavor, alongside a light fruity papaya. In terms of mouthfeel, it’s a little chewy, and you can literally feel some of the sugar embedded throughout.
I loved all of these, with a favorite being the cocada (what can I say? I love coconut!).
Tray of Treats and Cocada, including (according to some online sources, which may be inaccurate): Orange cocada, white cocada, red cocada, candied papaya, turrón de ajonjolí, tamarind balls, sugary guava, candied nuts, and more, as well as Brevas con Arequipe and Arequipe with Powdered Sugar (Dulceria el Nino Jesus)
First off, wow, I just love the variety here, especially in that Tray of Treats with all the different types of cocadas! I just adore coconut, and in this dish, you don’t just have cocadas, but also sesame treats, tamarind balls, and more! Needless to say, I loved them; however, there were points where I thought, “Okay, there is just TOO much sugar in this!” All of the cocadas had a soft, slightly chewy texture that was so wonderful to bite into. And equally, you just can’t go wrong with sugar and coconut. The tamarind balls and all of the other treats provided an additional sugar rush.
The brown cocada (bottom center) seemed to have a few bits of fruit, apple, and carrot mixed in, but regardless, the sugary coconut taste and mouthfeel dominate. You can taste and feel the grittiness of the sugar crystals, all combined with the soft, dense bite of the shredded coconut. Notably, the sugar is the primary flavor, followed by the coconut. This is by far the sweetest treat here. In a similar vein, the orange-ish one (top left) was nearly identical. The red cocada tasted a little less sweet, making the coconut a tad more pronounced. Also, something about it gave it a slightly different flavor; I just can’t put my finger on it. Nonetheless, it’s essentially the same texture and flavor as the brown version. The white one was the most coconut-forward one–it literally has dark pieces of coconut skin in it! It had about an equal amount of sugar and coconut — still sweet, but not as sugary as the others. Also, it falls apart a bit more compared to the others when you bite into it, for some reason. Lastly, a glob of toasted, burnt-ish-tasting coconut (top right), cobbled together with some sticky syrup. It’s moderately sweet and offers an interesting, slightly burnt coconut flavor. Interesting to say the least, although annoying to eat because it’s so darn sticky! Overall, I don’t have a favorite of the four, and most importantly, these cacadas are my favorite of everything here!
The candied papaya felt like solidified sugar. It basically melts in your mouth, like sugar that’s been melted and molded together. You can feel a little bit of the grittiness, too. The flavor is very sugary-sweet, with a hint of papaya. Unfortunately, this treat specifically isn’t too crazy despite its caramel-payaya candy looks.
The sesame square (middle left) tasted like toasted sesame in a soft, dense, slightly chewy form. It’s lightly sweet and quite refreshing, especially after eating the other treats in this tray. I love the cool, grilled-like sesame flavor; it’s so well-balanced and offers something I haven’t found in other sesame candies.
There is also a little piece of hard-ish arequipe that needs to be unwrapped (middle left). It resembles a hard candy, but it’s softer. It quickly breaks apart in your mouth, offering some crunch, then delivers a pure sugar hit. Not bad, but kind of boring. It’s literally just sugar. Another similar treat (in terms of size) was a peanut candy (middle right), where bits of peanuts were held together by a sort of sticky goo. Moderately sweet, sticky, with a mild crunch and with a decent peanut taste–not bad, not great. A welcoming, not overly sweet treat nonetheless.
The tamarind ball (bottom right) was sugary goodness. You literally taste and feel the granulated sugar around and in it. The ball is super soft and easy to bite through, except for those hard, unchewable seeds on the inside, which detract from the experience. While it’s sugary-sweet, you can still taste the tamarind, which is nice. A tasty treat, better than some of the others in the tray.
Last in the Tray of Treats is a moist piece of guava in the center. Need I say anything more? Moist, dense, sugary, and kind of plain without the addition of something else.
The Brevas con Arequipe was so unique. It looks so moist and juicy, and honestly, kind of weird! If I were even more brutally honest, the appearance looks like giant beetles, ew! Notably, they are all individually wrapped in plastic, which gives them that moist-looking, flat shine. Unwrapping them was annoying, but when you do, you’re met with a moist, gooey, sticky glob of standard arequipe with a few dark date pieces embedded on top. From the taste, it’s pretty much entirely arequipe. I love dates, but I didn’t taste or really feel them (there is barely any in them in the first place). I likely couldn’t taste these dates either, since they’re mostly sugary-sweet anyway, so they pretty much blend in; the arequipe here really dominates, to say the least. Overall, these are good, but honestly, just give me a tub of arequipe because there isn’t a difference.
Lastly, the arequipe with powdered sugar. It feels barely solidified, so it nearly melts in your mouth! It’s not at all chewy or anything like that; you simply bite right through it — it’s quite thin (like a pancake) and very soft. What this treat is is essentially regular sticky, gooey arequipe held together by the powdered sugar, which reduces its moisture (at least on the outside) and keeps it intact. When you bite in, you immediately notice it, too — this is regular arequipe, all glued together with a powdered chocolate shell — cool! Dry exterior, then super moist and dense, flat center! An interesting experience, although in my opinion, nothing too crazy. Surprisingly, I didn’t find it as sweet as it looked. It’s simply creamy arequipe, and, taste-wise, the powdered sugar doesn’t really enhance it much. Anyway, I don’t think I’d go out to get this again as there are better arequipe treats out there.
My favorite was the Tray of Treats. Unfortunately, to me, the Brevas con Arequipe and Arequipe with Powdered Sugar tasted identical, though the mouthfeel and eating experience were different. Simply put, both of those treats were simply just arequpe, nothing more. The Tray of treats offered so, so much more, with varying flavors and textures. Also, I just love coconut, especially with sugar. At times, frankly, the cocadas were too sugary, and I would have appreciated more nuance and bolder flavors of whatever else they’re made with.
