Chef Roberto Garcia

Roberto comes to us from ICI, Night of the Cookers and Spring Natural. That plantain crusted chicken you love so much? He came up with it.

Alex Bitar: Photo Exhibit at Bogota Bistro

Thanks to photographer Alex Bitar, who showed up early on in the construction phase of this restaurant, Bogota has beautiful photographs taken in Colombia to display on its walls. Here Alex puts them up just minutes before opening on Thursday.

So Good, So Far

Last night, Friday, was day # 4 and we were packed.

It's very exciting watching people just walking into the restaurant and even more exciting to see people who ate here the night before come back again.

People love the space, the staff, the color, the ambience, the music. They love the food and they love the drinks. Our biggest selling drink: the coconut mojito.

The comment I keep hearing repeatedly: "We needed a funky latin place in this neighborhood. This place is great." The latino's passing by and through repeatedly give me a thumbs up when our eyes meet.

Even though it's only 4 days into Bogota, I feel that our objectives have been met so far. Our employees and the neighborhood totally get what we are trying to achieve here.

From all indications, we have a hit on our hands. This is not to say that we have been without our share of mistakes and unhappy customers. We have and we are looking at those mistakes to rectify them. Hey, this is our first restaurant. All things being equal, there are worse and there are better. There is always room for improvement but for the most part, we are on to something. Even the most seasoned restaurants experience problems. I know this from my experiences having worked at the Russian Tea Room, the Sheraton Russell on Park Avenue and Le Palm on E. 61st Street.

Directions to Bogota Latin Bistro

Want to know where we're located?

I always like to tell people, "We're at 141 5th Avenue. Right across the street from 'Los Pollitos' and down the block from the 'Key Food'."

Bogota Featured in Time Out New York

Latin lesson: After a year of documenting their ordeal building a Latin American restaurant, bloggers Farid Ali and George Constantinou (www.BogotaBistro.com) can finally cover opening night at Bogota Bistro. The neighborhood joint is an inviting place with a bright-colored interior and a back patio painted with a portrait mural of Latino greats. The menu is a lineup of Latin American favorites inspired by the owners' travels and by Constantinou's Costa Rican cooking: Mexican mole poblano, Cuban ropa vieja, and Brazilian-inspired Caipirinha-glazed shrimp share the table with arroz con pollo made from mom's recipe. 141 Fifth Avenue between Douglass and DeGraw Sts., Park Slope, Brooklyn (718 - 230 - 3805). -- JJ Goode

Bogota Latin Bistro Restaurant Weblog

Yesterday, July 5th, was Opening Day. It was beyond my expectations. It wasn't without it's hiccups and bumps but we had a packed house in here.