guava tree cafe

great food. reminds me of my time in venezuela. pabellon arepa was excellent and passion fruit juice is a definite.

it takes a while for my lunch-hour order to be taken at *guava tree café in albuquerque, new mexico, but i don’t mind. it lets me peer into the kitchen and watch the fastest-moving cook i’ve ever seen. she’s a literal whirling dervish, assembling cuban-style sandwiches and venezuelan arepas, featuring unleavened corn-meal bread. the guy behind the counter isn’t much slower—taking orders, delivering food and whipping up delicious fresh tropical juices. after agonizing deliberation (i really want to order an arepa pocket stuffed with shredded beef, plantains and black beans), i opt instead for a larger pernil sandwich ($7.50). it’s a fantastic mix of slow-roasted pork, sweet caramelized onion, swiss cheese and garlic sauce, warm pressed on cuban bread. add a side of yuca crisps and a coconut flan for dessert, and i’ve got a full caribbean dining experience. my only advice: don’t be in a hurry. the staff’s got that covered for you.

pura vida is the attitude diego and mari barbosa have infused into the guava tree cafe, a latin american restaurant on yale boulevard just south of the university of new mexico. though neither are from costa rica (diego is from colombia and mari is from el salvador), they met in and lived in the scintillating central american tropical paradise for eight years. their philosophy is that “food is art and food is life.” their vision is for the cafe to be a neighborhood gathering space in which their guests can enjoy each others’ company in the spirit of pura vida while enjoying slow-cooked home-style food, the best kind. they invite guests to make this space their own and promise to have something good to eat whenever you visit.

arepas, tamales and smoothies, oh my!. feels like you are sitting in a cozy little cafe in central/south america! i love coming here with friends for a late afternoon lunch...relaxing with a yummy smoothie and watching a futbol match on the television while waiting for your order to be prepared. their tamales are a lighter version wrapped in banana leaves...we flew home with a dozen of these (plus their special sauces) and a dozen of el modelo's tamales for a fun christmas eve dinner! and have i mentioned that the staff are the nicest people..

... gave me a feeling of what i imagine walking into a sandwich shop in miami would feel like.

just go. vegetarian options are delicious. super friendly and comfy atmosphere. we say mmmmm.

dish of the day: arepas pabellon. arepas are definitely unique, something you don't find that often in restaurants or anywhere outside of south and latin america normally. an arepa is basically a masa round fried on a flat top and then filled with meats, cheeses and veggies much like a mexican gordita. this version had slow roasted beef, queso fresco, sweet plantains and black beans. arepas are a bit more crisp so the filling are generally a contrasting textures. you gotta also try a papusa if you have never had one, the el salvadoran version stuffed with cheese. the arepa came with tostone, a smashed a fried plantain chip. you can find tostones all over latin america but they are also incredibly popular in the caribbean. the guava tree was great, try one of their specialty drinks. they are not to be missed. #bjfoodblog #food #foodie #eat #foodblogger #instagood #instafood #travel #guava #tree #latin #foodforthought #foodforfoodies #tasty #masa #plantain #abq #albuqerque #newmexico #nmtrue #zomato

very cute little cafe with delicious grilled sandwiches. i had the pernil with pork, grilled onions, and a luscious garlic sauce. the lemonade drink with brown sugar is to die for.

best cuban sandwich i've had in albuquerque since i moved here, makes me miss southern florida. will definitely be coming back here, this is a must have!

the location is a bit odd with narrow hallways and for a first visit i was not sure if i should seat myself or what (you order at the counter). the music was a bit loud for my taste but the food was good the yucca fries were awesome and there special lemonade is awesome and worth the stop just to try in my opinion. the beef dishes are good but the chicken ones make them seem flavor less in comparison so i recommend trying the guava pollito. i can't comment on the pork though as i don't eat it

really good, never had cuban food before but it was really good. it has a beach hang out environment and the chef is nice and asked us how the food was. the cashier person was helpful in that she described what were the dishes on the menu. i really wished they had iced tea on the menu. but they have a great cuban lemonade.

we went to guava tree cafe for the first time today because it had such great reviews, but we were disappointed to find out what terrible service they have. we walked in and were confused about seating. the hallway leads you to a cash register, and we found menus on our own. the girl behind the counter never once spoke to us until about a half hour later when we finally were able to order. there wasn't any line when we stood at the register, but there was just one young girl working and she was busy making drinks the entire time. i began to wonder if it was even there that we order our food, let alone eligible even exist. at last, she finally acknowledged our presence and took our orders, so we were able to sit down. however, our troubles didn't end there. the tables weren't bussed and were still dirty, so we had to clean them off ourself. the music inside was so los, i cousltn even hear the person i was with who was sitting directly in front of me. we decided to look for different seating and were able to snag a table outside, where we waited for what seemed like ever to get our food and drinks. if you have a lot of extra time on your hands and don't mind terrible service and waiting for long periods, then this place is for you.

amazing!. food was so delicious! and the staff was very friendly! i would definitely recommend coming here!

twice now at the new improved richmond ne location!. ive been there for a dinner (friday's and saturdays), and lunch on sunday. as usual it was fantastic both times! usually i can't resist my old standby, arepa pabellón or arepa la del perro, but since i got a pabellon last friday, this sunday i was able to resist and tried their guava pollito sandwich. (comes sliced like a cubano speer) but wow, the sauteed mushrooms and onion and cheese complemented the moist and tender chicken, and was amazing on the oat dusted whole wheat. it was sandwich masterpiece!

flavor treat. had seen this place at the old location for a few years and finally had the chance to stop in. food was very flavorful and fresh. ordered the arepa (similar to a gordita or a sope) and a cubano. usually not a fan of cubanos because don't care for ham that much but this one was very tasty and grilled to perfection. the arepa tasted just like the homemade one that i had at a friend's dinner. very friendly and informative gentleman that may have been the owner. their new location is right in nob hill.