la fogata latina restaurants

i'm so glad to know about la fogata latina, i have a delicious "arepa" with chorizo and beef. you have to try it, so good.

i have always loved this place -great food, prices and service...but have been there twice recently since new owners and their prices have increased quite a bit and their portions are smaller. i have heard this from other people i know who go there too and someone should almost tell them if they are going to in crease their prices, they should at least have bigger portions(or at least have the same size portions as they used to!).

was just there yesterday and noticed their prices have increased quite abit and their portions are smaller. we love to go there often but haven't been since the new owners and although they have added some good things to the menu, their staples like the chicken arepa just aren't the same. it was very greasy and much less stuff inside. also, the garlic mayo sauce seems to be different and not as good (which is my favourite part!) i really don't like to complain but so disappointed in these changes and hope they read their reviews and start making them like they used to. oh and the young girl who was working seemed in a bad mood or something and wasn't very friendly. the person i was there with said they felt awkward cause she was not very nice. was just overall dissappointed and will try it again i'm sure but if it doesn't change i won't be going back.

the worst latino food ever! but the joke is on victoria. having lived in central and south america, i can attest to what latino cuisine really is and i promise, it is not ketchup topped , lard fried canned corn. i tried la fogata yesterday and all i can say is never again. ketchup as 'sauce' and ketchup mixed with mayo (what they call pink sauce) on top of canned corn that's been fried in the cheapest lard (and most dangerous to the heart) becel? really victoria? this is good food to you? i had heartburn for the rest of the day. if there was more than half an ounce of greasy, fatty cheap cut beef, i'd be really surprised. i highly suspect the sprinkle of overly sweet crunch on top was either captain crunch or crispy flakes. disgusting! the food (more like really bad dorm food) is so far removed from south american latino fare but then the owner knows this. when i called him on it (in spanish), he looked sheepish and tried to change the subject - asking me about my perfume. lol. yeah, he's running game and he knows it.
but then, in a town of so few truly good restaurants, i guess one can get away with almost anything. la fogata is proof of that.

love it!. i can't believe i've waited so long to try it. the arepas are really good ! cheap cheap cheap too, $5 will make any human-sized being quite full here, yet the quality of the ingredients seems high. reward card system as well, and i know i'll be back 10 more times to earn my free meal!

still yummy. i've been back to la fogata several times and it has yet to disappoint. not sure what the disgruntled person elsewhere was on about. for my last foray, i had the mazorca with an arepa. yes, the corn/potato chip concoction is a little crazy - but it's tasty crazy. and say what you like about the 'pink sauce' - it's really good! the time before, i had the arepa with both the bacon/onion and seasoned egg mixes. it was very filling and flavourful and i'm thinking of having it again for brunch one day soon. it's not exactly health food, but it's not advertised as such. that said, the arepas are never greasy nor are the fillings - even the bacon/onion combo, so an occasional indulgence is well worth it for the great flavours. while you're there, try a postobon - sort of an apple-ish tasting soft drink which is a nice counterpoint to the meal.


-----27 feb, 2011-----

arepas = appetzing. a friend of mine came back from a posting in colombia with tales of delicious arepas which could be had from street vendors. i was walking down view st. when i noticed la fogata. i checked out the menu board to see what was up - when i saw arepas, i had to stop in.
it was not a disappointment. i had an arepa with bacon and onion. it was yummy and warm and crunchy and tasted of corn and was a delicious, inexpensive lunch. i look forward to going back and trying more of their fare.

dining at la fogata latina on a rainy day like yesterday was like taking a tropical holiday in latin america! so neat for our group of celiacs able to try deep-fried cassava, plantains or a tall smoothie of tropical juice made from guanábana – a combination of strawberry & pineapple, sour citrus notes, creamy coconut-banana finish. that and a steady stream of spanish-speaking customers made us wonder - were we really still in victoria?! owners ernesto and samy were keen to explain the ingredients - and the background of each gluten-free dish, how they were made and what was in the delicate sauces that came with them. ask for the 'pink' sauce - delicious! each dish was made from scratch, served hot and hand delivered to us with a smile! i think we tried every gf dish they offer - gf beef empanadas, chicken and beef arepas, deep-fried plantains & cassava with garlic-parsley sauce, pappas criolla (melt in your mouth nugget potatoes from colombia) and my personal fave - grilled corn mazorca! next time, i am going straight for the colombian poutine and a plantain sandwich! thank you, ernesto & samy for introducing victoria, bc to colombia! see: theceliacscene.com/places/victoria/featured-restaurant/la-fogata-latina-2/

the food tastes good but is definitely not very healthy-fried food. service is poor. they don't serve yuca fries or flan everyday, which is a little annoying. there's almost no place to sit (only a few stools)

really good experience here, it was late afternoon and i had an amazing vegetable and cheese empanada. perfectly crispy and melty. i'll definitely go back.

don't listen to losers that post reviews about hot-dogs! it's a hot-dog so go review a coffee shop or complain elsewhere. hahaha. this place is amazing if you get the food they are here to serve which is great columbian "street" style eats. arepas are so full of flavor it's shocking and the empanadas although a little slim are also exactly what you want for flavor. i eat lunch here often when i'm pressed for time.

best gluten free fast food in downtown! love the arepa, flautas and she made gf quesadilla for the kids. oh, and the green sauce!
only thing to make it better would if the food was all local and organic.

fantastic hole-in-the-wall. this is a superb small place serving up homemade fast food type latin fare. we had a pork arepa and beef empanada. both were amazing! actually the pork arepa was one of the better things i've eaten all year. if you haven't gone before, you should definitely give it a try for lunch, dinner, or late night (saw on their card they are open til 4am). it is very small with a few bar stools and a high counter--that's all. it's not a sit down kind of place. we will definitely be back for a grab and go lunch in the future.

bewildering. maybe i'm missing something, but the food here is not good. i purchased the colombian style hot dog for 5.75. seeing anything under $6 these days is exciting. unfortunately, here, you don't get what you pay for. it was clearly some terrible frozen hot dog--the horrifying pale kind that strikes fear and nausea in the eyes of anyone over the age of 7. there was a vague whiff of some bland cheese, and a not very generous portion of some bland sauces that added nothing to the experience. i wolfed it down in about a block. a campfire dog would have taken longer to get through.

i get that it's a cheap hot dog, but my god, there's no way this glorified campfire dog should cost this much.

on top of it, the music was so loud i couldn't hear a damn thing anyone was saying. dismay rippled across the establishment upon my not ordering a drink. the only seats in the house where one doesn't feel shoved (literally) in a corner were inhabited by two folks not eating who, it appears, are somehow involved with the business. sorry to interrupt and, you know, order some food, guys.

i get that this isn't supposed to be fine dining. that's totally okay but the food here is so cheap, so poorly sourced, that somehow the impossible has been achieved: $6 feels expensive in 2014

exceeded expectations. i targeted this little place specifically because i wanted to try arepa. i was imediatly greeted with a warm smile, and had the menu explained to me as it was clear it was my first time to la fogata. i decided to try the chorizo arepa with a side of yuka frita. when everything was ready, there was a nice selection of home made sauces offered in addition to a variety of hot sauces. the food was well prepared, and it is clear the cook took pride in what she was serving. i will be back, and will definitely bring friends. i think i forgot to breath while i inhaled my lunch, and normally i am a very slow eater. nice to see another great business run out of this tiny view street location.

they serverd amazing dishes empanadas, arepas. chorizo, manzana postobon everything from colombia and everything is made from ingrid's hands. oh god it's feel like from back home... muy delicious todo