Oh Que Bueno - Colombian restaurant on Semoran Blvd - Tasty Chomps: A Local's Culinary Guide

Oh Que Bueno! – Colombian restaurant on Semoran Blvd.

Oh Que Bueno! (literally meaning, Oh! How Good!)is located in a predominantly Latin American part of Orlando along Semoran Boulevard just north of Curry Ford Road and south of SR 408. Oh! How Good, definitely lived up to its name on our visit.

Inside Oh Que Bueno, posters of the old city of Medellin, still lifes of guitars, and other Colombian scenes play out on the walls. There are two sections: one for regular dining and another closed off section that includes the bar and is meant for late evening diners. We sit in regular dining.

On this evening, my guests are especially hungry but we undoubtedly picked the best place to quell the beasts of hunger at Oh Que Bueno. We begin with our appetizer: the beef empanadas ($5.00) which are fried meat patties made with shredded beef and potatoes. The golden crispy empanadas were good, though a bit starchy and plain served with the spicy habenero sauce for dipping.

Empanadas – they were okay.

The main event for me however was the zomg legendary bandeja paisa ($12.50), who some regard as the national dish of Columbia. Originating from the Antioquia Department in northwestern Colombia, the dish’s name derives from the region’s inhabitants, referred to as “paisas”.

Typically, bandeja paisa includes grilled steak (either ground or whole), chicharrón (fried pork rind), red beans, rice, chorizo, morcilla, a fried egg, and an arepa (flat corn cake). It is usually accompanied by sweet fried plantains and a slice of avocado.

The Bandeja Paisa is nutritious, and particularly rich in protein from the beans and meat, but is not particularly heart-healthy due to its large amount of saturated fat (chiefly from chorizo and chicharrón).

The bandeja paisa at Oh Que Bueno! is a magnificent, opulent glory of meats, beans, and rice. The pork rind is delectable and tasty, the morcilla (black blood sausage) is luscious and spicy as is the chorizo sausage. The steak is a bit bland but tender and nothing a dose of the habenero sauce won’t cure. I also liked the rice in this dish as it had a fragrant aroma and moist, buttery texture to it that made my tastebuds dance. This is a huge meal so make sure you come hungry.

The Bandeja Paisa: Destroyer of worlds.

My guests order other various dishes from the menu at Oh Que Bueno and one thing is for sure: there is a reoccurring theme of giant-sized proportions at this place.

My sister orders the churrasco with papas (grilled flank steak with fries) ($14.95). It is succulent, juicy and flavorful.

Churrasco! my favorite cut.

My partner’s sister and brother Andy share a punta de anca (sirloin steak) ($14.00) : it is huge and tender, though a bit on the bland side as well, accompanied by the sweet fried plantains.

Punta De Anca: Spanish for…Sirloin Steak twice as big as my head

My partner orders the Entrana (grilled skirt steak)($13.95) that was a more flavorful version of the churrasco described earlier.

Extrana – the strange one, skirt steak

A seafood soup? forgot what it was…

Lastly, our family friend Gabriel, also known as Gabe, orders the pechuga de pollo (grilled chicken breast) ($10.95). The grilled chicken was similarly huge and Gabe says that he would give it a 4.5 out of 5 tasty chomps!!

Pechuga de pollo – grilled chicken breast

All in all Oh ! Que Bueno definitely serves up the meats here in Orlando. In addition to their meat induced comas, they all serve mofongo (mashed fried plaintain dishes), mariscos (seafood), and desserts. Come here hungry and leave satisfied 😀

Tasty Chomps Rating!!!!
4 out of 5 TASTY CHOMPS!!!!