la fogata latina restaurants

have a cubano!. delicious, and open really late. this place won me over when i was wondering around downtown drunk and starving at 4am, the sign said closed, but they still insisted on serving me food, mucho gracias, la fogata

a wonderful change!. after a few minutes of stepping into la fogata, you almost forget you are in victoria. authentic colombian music and decorations, warm atmosphere, and the smell of food grilling right in front of you is amazing ... and then you get to eat!!! the arapa's are so perfect and you can go there every day for a month and have them slightly different each time with the different fillings and toppings ...highly recommended! and if you're real lucky, you'll get the place to yourself and have a great conversation with the cook!!!!

great fast eats. what can i say? it's fast food with a little extra love. the arepa is a great hand-held "sandwich" with an abundance of flavour. the soft texture of the hand made thick tortilla is melt-in-your-mouth fresh; and is set off well with the inclusion of crunchy potato chip crumblings and well-seasoned meats. the garlic mayo and guacamole add a cacophony of flavours. simple but effective "street food" style dining. a welcome addition to downtown ala hernde'z and pig preceding them in this small little view street alcove.

we decided on a chicken arepa, a sort of bready pita/tortilla thing made from corn... i’d never had one before, but it was mighty tasty.

yum. mmmmmmmm delicious arepa. it was my first foray into colombian food and it was delicioso!!! i had the pork arepa and it definitely did not disappoint!!

memorable shrimp avocado arepas!. working downtown i find there is not much variety when it comes to lunches. but at la fogata i was able to find a quick easy gluten free option in their shrimp and avocado arepas. when i saw it on this site, i had to try it as mentioend alot of my favourite ingredients. it was exactly as tastey as it sounds.

i enjoyed it so much i ordered a second one! ( as i planned not to eat dinner that evening.) they are made generously and are under 7 dollars and are available on fridays.

there are not many gluten free options that are like this in the downtown core. i would highly recommend this place, especially for those who work downtown. just a couple of blocks off douglas on view st. this quick stop is a quiet quality lunch break...highly recommended!


-----07 sep, 2011-----

wholesome street food. i really like this place, for their wholesome street food. their gluten free options are very very tastey.

you can see it is prepared with care. the owners are usually there to serve you and you feel they enjoy it. they do not pressure anyone but allow you to take in the atmosphere until you are ready. they answer any questions you have willingly and serve with a smile.

you feel like you are in a good place, plain and simple.

¡santa vaca!. daniel & beatriz are warm, fun, friendly, remarkable human beings who also happen to be able to whip up some of the most delicious and authentic colombian street food i've ever tasted outside of colombia! their establishment is full of music, laughter, artwork and love. the mouthwatering gastronomic selections they offer are a bonus! try everything, but don't miss las arepas con pollo, queso, salsa de ajo, y cilantro!! add a dash of salsa picante and you'll be instantly transported to the magical land of snow capped mountains, amazonian jungle, pristine beaches and bustling cities that is colombia!!

overcharged and frustrated.. i went to la fogata latina on canada day night to grab something to snack on while walking home. it wasn't busy, but it was loud, so i asked for the special (around $3.75) and received it quickly. i asked for the stamp card, feeling that it was a place where i could frequent since i work downtown and like to check out all the cute little eateries on my lunch break. there were none however and the clerk smiled and said that the next time i came, i could get two stamps. which is fine. in the end, i saved on paper.

my major issues with this place was that there were advertised options for my protein filling (chicken or shrimp or pork i believe), and i was not given any, nor given the chance to as the clerk quickly rang me through. i got shrimp, which given the choice i would have not chosen.

in addition, since i was rung through so quickly and handed my food almost at the same time i handed my money over, i was flustered and unable to ask about my food allergies. i'm incredibly allergic to avocados but didn't see any near the top of my snack so i thought i was good to go. and just in time, a group of people had come in waiting to be served. i got outside and down the road a bit, took a bite and realized that there were avocados and that i couldn't eat it. i gave it to my partner who was with me, and turned back down the street to get another one.

by the time i got back the eatery was louder and busier than before. it was here that i realized that i had been charged $6.50 for my daily special, and not the advertised $3.75.

all in all, the snack was given to me quickly and from the single bite that i had it tasted great going down. i would not go back however, until they lower their music so i can actually hear what the clerk has to say, ask my questions about allergies clearly and ensure that i was not being overcharged for something that i couldn't eat.

great flavour, portion problems. i was extremely excited to try la fogata, especially after reading the positive feedback. my companion & i went on a friday right after work, and we ordered a chicken arepe, beef mazorca, and the cubano (pork). we both felt the flavours were really good, but the proportion of filling to bread was way off. there is just too little meat inside every item, and because of this - the overall feeling in your mouth is bread. it was a bit of a shock visually also, since the proprietor shows us digital photos of the entrees to help us order, and the end product looked nothing like the photos. while the prices are low, i for one would be happy to pay a little more to get a decent helping of the good stuff inside. unless that happens, i doubt i'll be back unfortunately.

great latin american street food, wonderfully portioned sandwiches, ready in under five minutes for around $5...

finally!. finally some home-made colombian food in victoria. for those of you who are not afraid of tasting something new, go for the arepas. if you like more classical "fast-food" fare, try the hot dog colombian style... yes, that's the way we eat hot dogs in colombia. enjoy!

finally real latin food in victoria. i was surpriced to see this little business bursting on friday nigth; everybody was making plans to stop for a bite after drinks, so... i had to find out what all the buzz was about.
great latin food, i had ceviche arepa. mmmmmm. you have to try it. all in all it was a tasty meal for a even better price. next time colombian hot dog

what the heck. i stopped by this little hole in the wall last week for a quick snack and was pleasantly surprised by the "araipas" (sp). it was basically a tortilla cut down the middle with beef stuffed in it. the food was good but i found the service put me off. the spanish lady was talking with some other spanish ladies in the corner, saw me, but didn't take my order. i waited a bit, then the cook saw me and came over right away, explained the dishes to me and took my order. after that, the spanish lady finally came over, took my money and promptly turned her back on me and went back to chatting with her friends in spanish. not exactly the friendly level of customer service i'm used to.

on a plus side the food was great and very nicely priced so i'll probably be back to try another one of those araipas.

-foodie

the best colombian arepas!!!!. i love the arepas (thick corn tortilla filled with spices and meat).
friendly people!!!

great quick snack. i tried the pork mazorka (sp?) and enjoyed it. at first i was put off by what appeared to be just a bowl of corn, but it was great. sweet, savoury, and tasty. i really liked the pineapple sauce and crushed chips on top. the two people working (owner operators i assume) were both nice and clearly cared about what they were doing.
the only downside was their choice of to go product to serve food in. it would be nice to see something that can be recycled more easily than plastic forks and bowls.