Pueblito Viejo Colombian restaurant is pure fun, from the campy eye popping décor and Latin dancing to the two  comedians ,the “Paisa boys”. The menu is traditional comfort food, so it’s like traveling to Colombia. It all makes for a great time!

The restaurant is the passion of  the Pereira born Gonzalo Rodriguez who,  along with his wife Gloria, son Jeffrey and daughter Kathy, are hands on owners and operators. They recreated a colorful and fantasy like home in the countryside and decorated ceilings and walls with everything and I mean everything that is evocative of Colombia:  flowers, typical shoes and mochila shoulder bags, puppets, instruments, flags, lifesize mannequins and more. Tables feature photos of patrons along with a border of pennies under glass. Waiters wear linen starched shirts with a small black scarf tied around the neck just as cumbia dancers do. Totally instagrammable.

Latin music rules in the background and certainly on the dance area where couples, singles and families move their hips to the tunes. On weekends the Paisa boys do their very funny ad lib comedy songs, roasting patrons in Spanish as they walk around the room.

We began the evening with one of their signature wow cocktails, a Caporona, a large Margarite with an entire Corona beer  in the center ($20) Besides other Latin and international cocktails and the national drink, Aguardiente, $7 , there’s a very reasonably priced wine list. We had a bottle of Marques de Caceres from Spain for $40! Wine by the glass, a good size pour, starts from $7.

With the cocktails we had one of their homemade chorizos which Mr. W, an expert on sausages, proclaimed “delicioso” ($6.50) or with an arepa ($9). With that we had a gordita, a thin arepa (corn cake) stuffed with white cheese, fried pork belly and fried sweet plantains ($6.50).

The entrees most people get are the “bandejas”, big platters filled with multiple dishes. One of the most popular is the Picada Pueblito, a platter of bite sized fried pork, sausage, chicarron green plantains, cassava arepa and tomatoes ($40). It’s easily for two or three diners. We had their tasty churrasco pueblito Viejo, Signature Grilled ‘outside-skirt’ steak, with fried sweet plantains, cassava, salted boiled potatoes and chimichurri ($55).

Another signature dish is the traditional Sancocho from Medellin. The Sancocho de Costilla de Res is beef rib stew with green plantains, yucca, corn, and potatoes served over rice along with avocado and an arepa ( $17).

Besides the sancocho, next time I’d like to get the whole fried snapper with patacones or tostones (fried green plantains, lettuce and tomato) $33.

For dessert we chose among the 12 desserts – tough choice – and landed up with the yummy Arequipe, Colombian dulce de leche ($2.50) and the tres leches, three milk cream cake ($7).

As you can see, prices are very reasonable. Expect to pay about $70 per person plus tax and tip.  After 7 p.m. there’s an average consumption charge of $45 which can include food and/or beverage.  Note there’s also a kids menu and families and groups are very much welcomed.

Pueblito Viejo,8285 SW 40th Street Miami, FL 33155, is open for dinner Wednesday through Friday from 4 p.m. and  Saturday and Sunday from Noon to after midnight. There’s valet parking for $6.