NOTE: This establishment is now closed. To save on site resources, we have deleted the images on this post. For details on other amazing food establishments, you can click here.

Filipinos are rice-eating people. We have this mentality that we need rice in order to be full. Sandwiches are snacks. But once you’ve seen and tasted the sandwiches of Colombia Zone by Bistro Avenue, you’ll know why Americans are crazy about their American sandwiches.

Colombia Zone will change the way you look at sandwiches.

About Colombia Zone

This American-themed restaurant is located at the Metro Events Zone in Lipa City. They opened last April 30, 2016 which means that they’ve only been opened a little over a month.

This restaurant is owned by 4 people with a culinary background. It’s owned and managed by classmates Gilfred T. Ilagan, Gervin R. Bersoto and Danica R. Catibog who are products of the Culinary Arts program of De La Salle Lipa, with their Chef Instructor Chef Billy Wilson C. Lim rounding up the impressive team.

Colombia Zone Owners
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Colombia Zone Owners (from L to R): Danica R. Catibog, Gervin R. Bersoto, Gilfred T. Ilagan and Chef Billy Wilson C. Lim

This lineup of owners is impressive, to say the least. All 3 classmates are NC II Cookery Passers with Gilfred and Danica gaining experience from their internship at Taal Vista Hotel, with Gervin gaining his at his internship at the Malarayat Golf and Country Club. Of course with Chef Billy Wilson C. Lim serving as their head chef, you just know that the dishes that they serve are products of real culinary experience and expertise.

The first thing that you’ll notice is its simple structure. It’s generally just a square white box with Super Mario-dominated graffiti. Once you see the kitchen, you’ll see why the restaurant was designed this way.

Colombia Zone by Bistro Avenue
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Professional and Spacious Kitchen

Their kitchen is massive as compared to the kitchens of the other restaurants in MEZ. This is another proof that this restaurant is owned and managed by trained and experienced chefs and cooks. They know that one of the biggest keys to good food is a professional and efficient kitchen. With a kitchen this big, they can work on their magic.

As a side note, it was a joy to watch the chef-owners at work. You can really see that they’re trained chefs even with the simple task of shredding pork for their pulled pork sandwich. Speaking of their pulled pork sandwich, of course you want to know more about their food.

American Food at Colombia Zone

First up was the Super Mario’s Pulled Pork Sliders. If you haven’t had pulled pork before, think of pork pressure cooked for a long time until it’s tender enough to be pulled apart using a couple of forks.

Colombia Zone
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Super Mario’s Pulled Pork Sliders

For this dish, the pulled pork is smothered in their very own BBQ sauce and then stuffed into bonete bread together with coleslaw. Wait, what?

Yes, the team surprises us with a little bit of Lipa fusion by using bonete bread. After a bite, I realized that bonete can be better than it already is.

This dish confuses your taste buds and in a good way. You get your favorite flavors with every bite – sweet, salty and a little bit tangy. Don’t let the small sliders fool you. Thanks to the bonete bread, every bite is packed with filling calories. If you still don’t believe that you can get full without rice, this is the dish to try. You get 6 sliders with every order. I’m sure most people won’t be able to finish the whole dish especially since it comes with crunchy chips that are filling and delicious as well.

It’s so filling that it’s an eating challenge in itself. Finish their Super Mario’s Pulled Pork Sliders within 4 minutes and it’s for free.

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich
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Yoshi’s Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich

The team also shared a Yoshi’s Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich. This sandwich is made from thinly sliced tenderloin steak smothered in a cheese sauce and served in a baguette with bell pepper and onion. Among the 5 of us, 3 declared this as their favorite and it’s pretty hard to argue against that. It is pretty good and the steak slices will fill you up; no rice needed.

After I’ve watched the movie, Chef, I’ve wanted to try a Cubano sandwich. Thanks to Colombia Zone, I finally got the chance to try it, albeit a tamer version which according to the chefs is by design so that it will fit the Pinoys’ taste preferences.

Cubano Sandwich
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Princess Peach’s Cubano Sandwich

Their Princess Peach’s Cubano Sandwich is made from Cuban pork, ham, cheese, pickles and mustard sandwiched in pressed bread that has been smothered in butter. I haven’t tried an authentic Cubano sandwich yet but after trying this version, I’m fine. Who cares for an authentic (and more expensive) version when this already tastes really good?

If you’ve been a long-time reader of this blog, then you know that my wife is a fan of chicken dishes. She also loves bacon and after seeing Bowser’s Bacon-wrapped Chicken in their menu, it’s a no-brainer for us to get it.

bacon wrapped chicken
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Bowser’s Bacon-wrapped Chicken

It’s a relatively simple dish of a huge chicken breast wrapped in bacon and cooked in their own maple sauce. It’s simple but it works. Can’t go wrong with chicken and bacon. I’m a fan of their sandwiches but if you really have to eat rice, this is what I recommend.

They also have bar food! We were able to try the beef salpicao which we loved. They use tenderloin which was perfectly cooked. It’s not that spicy unless you eat it with the chili garnish which I recommend.

We also tried the croquettes which is perfect with their sandwiches. It’s crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside.

Mojito
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Make sure to order more than one!

We washed our meals down with their Mojito drink. It’s just a mocktail so you don’t have to worry about getting drunk. It’s refreshingly-good that we had to ask for more.

I thought there’s no more room for dessert, until I saw their Hasselback Apple. It’s one of the best desserts I’ve tried and I’m not exaggerating. It’s an apple crumble dish with ice cream and a drizzle of caramel. Let this picture speak for itself.

Try Colombia Zone Today!

Give sandwiches a try today. Maiba naman. Better yet, try the sandwiches prepared by trained chefs of Colombia Zone. These sandwiches will fill you up and best of all, they will satisfy your taste buds.

Be warned though. You will be craving for more.

Contact Details

Location: Metro Events Zone, Lipa City

Operating Hours: 5PM to 11PM

Contact Number: 0917 574 3888

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