Good food, culture on tap at Colombian eatery

WAUKEGAN – There aren’t many places in Lake County where you can taste authentic Colombian food.

That’s precisely why Colombian-born Luz Osorio chose that area with her sister, Nidia, to be the place where she would begin the culinary endeavor of opening her first restaurant, Bocados Colombian Restaurant and Steakhouse in Waukegan.

“The dream is to have a chain of Caribbean Bocados,” said Osorio, proudly gazing at the fiery orange walls inside the establishment.

It took Osorio, her sister and other siblings and friends 18 months to get the restaurant ready for the grand opening on May 5.

Now, Osorio said, “It’s just right.”

The Caribbean theme with faux palm trees, a large aquarium greeting patrons at the door and a saying above the bar that Osorio painted herself and reads – Como Te Quiero Mi Colombia (How I Love My Colombia) – is what Osorio calls “just right.”

But she’s also quick to say that for the business as a whole, she has much to figure out and finalize, such as who some of the vendors will be.

As of now, some of the ingredients that are used for the meals come directly from Colombia.

“You can’t find some things we use to prepare with,” Osorio said. “We want our customers to get that authentic taste.”

One menu item with that authentic taste is called Bandeja Paisa, which is comes with food such as rice, frijoles, sunny side up eggs, avocado, pork belly, steak, corn bread and fried banana.

"This is what the workers on the field, or campesinos, eat in the state of Antioquia, Colombia," Osorio said. "It's a plate that leaves them full and satisfied so they can put in a good day's worth of work."
That's another service Caribbean Bocados has been providing for its patrons since its opening –  a lesson on the culture of Colombia.

According to the staff, they are constantly asked about what part of Colombia the meals are from and why things are eaten in a certain manner.

They’ve all been surprised to learn that some people don’t even know where Colombia is located on the map.

“We’ve had people ask what Colombia has anything to do with the Caribbean theme in here,” Osorio said. “It’s by the water!”

In fact, the Caribbean Sea and the South Pacific Ocean border the country of Colombia.

Others just want to try something new at a good price.

“They give you a lot of food for the money,” Waukegan resident Wanda Garcia said.

Garcia recently ate at the restaurant and returned with her family – husband, William, and 7-year-old son, Jay – to try other dishes.

The family agreed that the variety of food is good to have in Waukegan.

Want to learn more?

• Carribbean Colombian Bocados Restaurant and Steakhouse, 3101 Grand Ave., in Waukegan is open for dining, catering and to-go meals from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The restaurant provides people with the opportunity to get on the dance floor and enjoy Colombian rhythms, such as the cumbia, ballenato and salsa on Friday and Saturday nights from 9:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Learn more at www.bocadoscolombia.com or call 847-672-7437.