El Humero

An excellent taste of Colombia. Very reasonable especially for such large serves of meat. We dined as a party of 4 with 2 shared appetizers and everything we had was distinct and tasty. Entrees of empanadas and chicharron where very nice. For mains I had the beef short ribs which you could see slow cooking on spots over a wood fire next to the grill. The combination of fall off the bone tenderness with the char grilled edges they get from finishing the ribs on the grill was amazing. My wife had the pork shoulder which was very tasty with juicy umptous mouth feel. The sirloin steak was impressively smokey and and the beef joint was nicely cooked strips of tastyness. Not the sort of food I could eat every week but I will certainly be going back.

Popped in here for a Saturday afternoon late lunch. Great ambience, outstanding food. The mains looked like big portions. Will be back.

Oh, wow. We ate here tonight and I was just blown away. We split two dishes — the beef ribs and the combination platter — and I swear there was a subtly adversarial mood at our table as we wordlessly raced each other for the food. I haven’t had food this good in quite awhile. The ribs were just spectacular. A modest-​size serving but the meat was out of this world: so tender and delicate, literally falling off the bone, and slightly to the ‘rare’ end of the spectrum, which is how beef should be. It was cooked in some mystery manner that gave it the most divine skin: almost caramelized. We opted for a side of plantain with this one, as I’d never tried that vegetable. It came in slivers, deep-​fried, and was decadent even if I couldn’t really discern the taste of the plantain itself.
The other dish, the mixed platter, was larger in size, and everything on it was likewise superb. There was a large serving of pork (in fact this was the ‘main event’ on the plate) which, while less flavoursome than the ribs, was still delightfully tender. I found that the best bits were at the bottom, where the meat had come into contact with whatever sauce/​oil they’d drizzled on the plate (which had pooled around the base of the ‘pyramid’ of meat). There was blood sausage, which, next to the ribs, was my favourite item of the evening: closely rivalled by another variety of sausage, I forget which exactly, that was also on the plate. The chips were to die for in their own right — large, rustically-​cut, sinfully oily.
I loved the idea of choosing your preferred sauce to go with each dish. We opted for guacamole for the platter and tamarindo for the ribs, though we drizzled a bit of each over both dishes. They gave an already decadent feast that final accent of flavour. Even the side-​salads were delicious.
The ambiance was lovely, the place is so elegantly done and a very pleasant space for a meal and a chat, especially seated in the rear courtyard as we were. The staff were fantastic too. The girl who served us clearly has a passion for the menu. You get a sense that it’s a very ‘house-​proud’ restaurant in that the servers all hail (by the looks/​sounds of it) from Latin America and so they’re selling something they’re familiar with and that’s dear to them.
Everything about this place is perfect! I left pleasantly sated but at the same time pining for a whole heap more simply by virtue of how delicious it had been. And they’re not greedy about the prices either, even though they could probably get away with it with food this good. $ 25 for the admittedly smallish rib dish, and $ 30 for the generously-​sized combination plate. Totally worth it.

Have eaten here twice and both times the food was great.
The pork belly just fell apart and was very tasty and the ribs are my personal favourite. If you are a meat lover this is the place for you. My partner had the Chicken which was a little dry so I would recommend keeping to the Pork or beef dishes as they hold up to the BBQ cooking better.
All meals come with a Side of your Choice, the sauce of your choice and a side salad so pretty good value.
I will be returning.

I don’t eat a lot of the meats they had on offer but the BBQ chicken breast was a tad dry. I’m all for trying out South American cuisine but nothing really stood out to me except the entrée and corn meal flat bread. The condiments of salsa (hot and mild) were good. Nothing to tempt me to return. Sorry — not for chicken lovers.

Alex and I had a lovely shared lunch here, last Sunday. We were warmly greeted by the staff and engaged in conversation about the menu. After ordering, we chatted away at the bar. The atmosphere was strangely relaxing, even though we were seated amidst a cacophony of activity! The noise from the chefs at work, the laughter from nearby tables and the vibrant folkloric sounds playing in the background, seemed to just add to the charm of this place!
As for the food — I’m a fan! The pulled beef empanadas are delightful. They are made from cornmeal, which sets them apart from the other South American flour empanadas. These guys know how to heat things up — just right, too! The Ají sauce made from diced tomatoes, cilantro, chopped green onions, lemon juice and, of course, ají or habanero peppers, works brilliantly with their grilled meats, empanadas, and arepas. Their black pudding sausages where, however, my favourite! Succulent, moist and full of texture — simply the best!
I can’t wait to go back for more!!!

Holy smokes… the beef short rib is absolute heaven. Tender, smokey, meaty goodness chargrilled to perfection. And those cassava fries… delicious! I’ll admit, I’d never heard of cassava before but the chef tells me it’s a root vegetable that thrives in the hot countries around the equator. He even showed me a picture. It looks a lot like a parsnip. Anyway, they twice cook their’s. First boiling them in a vegetable stock and then deep-​frying them for that added crunch.
I also highly recommend their empanadas, which are made with corn as opposed to pastry (I wonder if this a regional thing?). They’re filled with potato and slow-​cooked beef and are incredibly moreish.
As for vegetables., well, do potatoes count? No but seriously, they’re not big on them. Their main dishes do come with a side salad that’s a-​ok but nothing to write home about.
Also, heads up these guys are still waiting for their liquor license. It should be coming the next couple of weeks but until then it water or soft drinks!

I stumbled upon this newly opened eatery in Takapuna’s new laneway, Fortieth & Hurstmere. Nestled alongside Dante’s Pizza and Bird on a Wire, El Humero offers traditional Colombian bbq, large cuts of meat are skewered and cooked over manuka flames, grilled over coals or slow cooked until tender. I tried a couple of entrees — the beef pinchos (grilled skewers with onion and capsicum) and empanadas (filled with pulled beef and potatoes, encased in a cornbread style pastry). I also tried the guacamole and a chilli, tomato sauce. All freshly made and delicious. Lots of choices for mains on the menu with the added bonus of being able to choose one side dish and one sauce. I’m keen to try a traditional schnitzel dish next time. The staff are very friendly and happy to explain the menu. I hear there’s even Colombian beer on the way to add to the experience. I’ll be back.