El Balcón de las Américas: Bandeja Paisa and House-Made Arepas on Glades Road

El Balcón de las Américas serves a full Colombian menu from its Glades Road location, built around the country's classic mixed platters, soups, and a bakery counter that turns out its own bread and pastries.

Bandeja Paisa, Ajiaco, and Mondongo

The signature bandeja paisa piles rice, red beans, steak or ground beef, sweet plantains, fried pork belly, arepa, avocado, and a fried egg onto one platter — widely considered one of Colombia's defining dishes. The kitchen backs it with ajiaco, a shredded-chicken soup served complete with rice, plantains, and salad, and mondongo, a traditional tripe soup finished with cilantro. Appetizers add chicharrón with guava sauce, patacón topped with guacamole and hogao, and arepitas de yuca served with guacamole, hogao, and queso fresco.

An In-House Bakery Behind the Empanadas and Pandebono

Beyond the platters, the restaurant runs its own bakery program, turning out empanadas in beef, chicken, and cheese along with pandebono, the cheese-filled Colombian bread that's a staple of the country's coffee-shop culture. That bakery focus, paired with artisanal grilled chorizo and a full soup menu, gives the Glades Road location a broader Colombian pantry than a typical platter-only restaurant.

Good to Know

El Balcón de las Américas is located at 9834 Glades Rd Unit C13-14, Boca Raton, FL 33434. For bandeja paisa and fresh-baked pandebono, it's one of the area's standout Colombian kitchens.