Donde El Paisa: The Foxon Road spot where East Haven goes for bandeja paisa, empanadas and warm pandebono

Under a sign with a cartoon Colombian farmer in a sombrero and a thick mustache, a small storefront at 851 Foxon Road has become a go-to in East Haven’s Foxon neighborhood for bandeja paisa, empanadas and trays of warm cheese bread. Regulars say the lights come on early and the place stays busy.

It is the kind of place locals drive past for years before stopping, then keep coming back to. Here is who runs it, how it connects to a sister bakery in Hamden, and what regulars say you should order.

A taste of Medellín on Route 80

The name says it all. In Colombia, a “paisa” is someone from the Antioquia region around Medellín, and “Donde El Paisa” roughly means “the Paisa’s place.” The restaurant’s own menu cover carries the slogan “Tomémonos un tinto… seamos amigos!” — let’s have a coffee and be friends — and bills it as a Latin restaurant serving “deliciosos platos y productos colombianos.”

State business records list Donde El Paisa Restaurant and Bakery LLC as an active company at 851 Foxon Road, registered in September 2014, with Alexander Pereañez as its principal. A December 2023 story in the New Haven Arts Paper described brothers Alex Pereañez and Jhovany Pereañaz Betancor as chefs from Medellín. Pereañaz Betancor, who came to the United States in 2011, told the Arts Paper he worked alongside his brother at Donde El Paisa on Foxon Road, where he “grew to love the kitchen,” learning and creating his favorite dishes.

In 2022 the brothers opened a second spot, Delicias El Paisa on Dixwell Avenue in Hamden. The name was chosen to honor both places, the Arts Paper reported: “El Paisa” as a nod to the original in East Haven, “Delicias” for the new one. The brothers told the paper that they test family dishes until they are right, which is why the bandeja paisa is “so beloved” by customers.

“I always wanted people to come, and leave happy they had come,” Pereañaz Betancor said.

Restaurant, bakery and buffet in one room

Walk in and the bakery cases come first, running along the left wall and stacked with pastries, breads and cookies. Colombian flag banners hang above the counter, and the dining room fills the rest of the space with simple tables and metal chairs. A television usually has something on; one reviewer enjoyed watching a telenovela over lunch.

There is a steam-table buffet line for diners who want to point and go, plus a full menu. The restaurant’s menu page groups the food into appetizers (entradas), bakery (panadería), Colombian breakfasts (desayunos colombianos) and “platos de mi pueblo,” the hometown platters. Its Google listing also offers online ordering for pickup and delivery.

What people say

Donde El Paisa holds a 4.4-star rating from 718 Google reviews. When Google sorts those reviews by topic, pandebonos come up most often (14 mentions), followed by empanadas (11), the buffet (9) and portions (7). Sancocho, pastries, plantains and buñuelos also make the list. The short summaries Google pulls from reviews praise the “great variety of food, from fish to meat, vegetables and soups” and “very good portions and great selection.”

Joshua went straight for the national dish. “The signature dish, Bandeja Paisa, was excellent. It’s always the first thing one should order at a Colombian restaurant,” he wrote. He liked that the cooler stocks Club Colombia malt, which he says isn’t always easy to find, and added: “The service was also friendly.”

Clayton was blunter, in both directions. The place, he wrote, has “the absolute worst parking lot with potholes but they have the absolute most amazing food in the world I highly recommend going there. They open very early and they are always incredibly busy.”

Valentin stopped in for a weekend meal with friends and left with a bag from the bakery. “Great experience and the food was amazing,” he wrote. “I got some fresh baked bread after my brunch with the homies and my wife and daughter loved it!”

Other reviewers point to value. One takeout customer wrote that plates ran about $10 to $15 and called the buffet an easy way “to get in and out,” with staff who walked them through each dish. Another recommended the sancocho, the hearty Colombian stew, and the buñuelo, the round fried cheese bread, and wrote that the kitchen was willing to adjust orders for vegetarians. Google puts the typical spend at $10 to $20 a person.

What to order

Bandeja paisa

This is the plate the restaurant is named for. A bandeja paisa traditionally piles together beans, rice, fried pork belly (chicharrón), sausage, beef, a fried egg, sweet plantain, avocado and an arepa, and the version here comes out loaded on an oversized plate. Bring an appetite or a friend.

Empanadas

The second-most mentioned item in reviews. The golden, crescent-shaped empanadas sit in the warmer by the counter, ready to grab with a coffee or add to a plate.

Pandebonos and the bakery breads

Pandebonos, the small, chewy cheese breads, are the single most talked-about item in the reviews, and buñuelos, their round fried cousins, are close behind. They sit in a warmer by the counter, with some breads bagged to take home. Get them warm.

Grilled steak with patacones

For a simpler plate, look for grilled steak with patacones. The version pictured on the restaurant’s Google listing pairs the steak with white rice, avocado, a fresh tomato-and-onion salsa and patacones, the smashed and fried green plantains that stand in for fries at a Colombian table.

The buffet and the soup of the day

If you are in a hurry, the buffet line is the move: point at what looks good, from yellow rice to stuffed potatoes to meats, and add a bowl of soup. The Arts Paper reported that at the brothers’ Hamden spot, the chef’s go-to recommendation is the daily soup.

Before you go

Where: 851 Foxon Road (Route 80), East Haven, in the Foxon section. The mailing ZIP is 06513.
Phone: 475-202-7509.
Hours: Reviewers say it opens very early. Google listed it as open Thursday morning and closing at 8 p.m.; call ahead to confirm hours, especially on holidays.
Parking: There is a free lot out front. Reviewers warn about potholes, so take it slow.
Menu: The restaurant posts its menu categories on its menu page; for prices and daily specials, call or check the ordering link on its Google listing.

Have a favorite plate at Donde El Paisa we didn’t mention? Tell us, and we may add it.