La Frisolera - Carmen de Viboral

Just rough. The tables are so old that they live cockroaches in them. The washroom is also disgusting. Just don't go there.

La Frisolera is a landmark in the Antioquia pueblo of Carmen de Viboral. The restaurant is situated at the corner of the idyllic town square and offers a picturesque view of the pueblo from its second floor dining area. The restaurant gets its name from the campesino word, frisoles, ... slang for frijoles. The restaurant is famous for its renowned Frijoles Bostonianos Boston Beans . La Frisolera in Carmen de Viboral is about a 45 minute drive from downtown Medellin. The pueblo is known for its beautiful handmade china and other ceramics. After a morning of browsing the many ceramic factories in Carmen, a hearty paisa lunch will certainly hit the spot. THE FOOD: The menu is strictly no frills, traditional paisa cooking. In addition to the tasty casserole of Boston beans, sausage and bacon, La Frisolera offers a variety of platters including grilled chicharron bacon , skirt steak, beef sirloin, pork loin, trout, snooker and chicken filet, and bandeja tipica. Breakfast is also offered, and includes calantao rice and beans with meat, arepas and cheese as well as snacks such as empanadas, salchipapas and papa fritas. The food is fresh, well prepared, and portions are generous. All of the platters are accompanied by rice, plantain, coleslaw, and an arepa. The house specialty, Boston Beans, comes out of the oven in a cast iron bowl... and is delivered to the table while the concoction is still bubbling. The Boston beans are not the sweet, viscous variety that most are Americans are accustomed to... rather the beans are lightly seasoned... and may seem somewhat bland to the typical American palate. Various salsas are available, upon request, to kick the dish up a few notches. I 've dined at La Frisolera half a dozen times, and always found the food tasty and filling. THE SERVICE: The staff at La Frisolera is cheerful and efficient. Our waitress, Liliana, was delightful, and made sure we enjoyed our meal. I was impressed by the speed at which our orders arrived... it took only 4 5 minutes for our meals arrive. I believe the restaurant also has take out and delivery service as well. A bar serves local beer and liquors at very reasonable prices. THE ATMOSPHERE: The best way to describe the atmosphere at La Frisolera is traditional and provincial, romantic and family oriented. The restaurant reflects traditional rural architecture, and can easily accommodate several hundred patrons at one sitting. The first floor dining room is spacious and adjacent to the country style kitchen. In the front of the restaurant is a small, unpretentious bar. There are plenty of outdoor tables to accommodate bar customers... or those waiting for a table in the dining room. The second floor dining room is much smaller and cozier, and offers a fantastic view of the town square and parts of the pueblo. I would highly recommend using the second floor dining room if your intention was to impress someone special. The restaurant is clean and spotless. The facility and furnishings are well maintained and in excellent condition. VALUE: You can get a very good meal for relatively little money. Prices for a complete meal start out at 9500 pesos $4.50 US and top out at 21,000 pesos $10.25 . In my humble opinion, this is excellent value. Good, reasonably priced food and plenty of it ... with excellent service... is enough reason for me to highly recommend La Frisolera.

Nice place to come with our family (pure and tidy). it is really nice, good prices and excellent Colombian tips food.

The frisolera is a place to enjoy typical dishes. Located in the central plaza of Carmen viboral is beautiful, the service is good and fast. The food is delicious and clean...

I had a meal last week with my friend and his family. The food was typical Colombian fern, such as Bandeja paisa, beans, various types of meat, etc. The portions are generous and usually served with French frits and/or rice, beans, salad etc. I had the Trucha (trout a la plancha, which was huge (hard all bones, served with a decent tartaric acid, and the Pommes were also good. No one in our group tried their Boston beans that are supposed to be famous in the area, and I tried to order the empanadas chilenas that were on the menu, but they did not. Apart from the food and the entire service, I discovered that they pay their server/staff only 3,000 pesos per hour (USD $1, and do not offer any benefits (health, pension, etc., required by the government, so that they essentially work illegally (and in this respect work unethical). I am sure that this is very common in other similar restaurants, but this kind of practice should be called out whenever discovered. People deserve an honest wage and the benefits provided by the law.