Sal & Pimienta

One Saturday afternoon, I was looking for something different to try in the area. Colombian food sounded good and we would normally head to Noches for that, but Sal & Pimienta came up while searching for restaurants. The menu looked good and it was located fairly closeby in Teaneck.

After parking in a public lot around the corner, we walked along Cedar Lane. The restaurant is small and casual with some cute decor on the wall. We sat at a table near the window.

Looking over the menu, it was very similar to Noches. You won’t see pictures of the food though. The waitress came by and handed us a couple menus. She was very nice, but there may have been a bit of a language barrier. We had to repeat our order a few times and one of our sides was not what we asked for. It was fine though.

I was really hungry at this point and could not pass up on a couple appetizers. We ordered a couple Pan de Bono, a Colombian cheese bread.

I was expecting them to be a bit softer, but they were still good. You don’t visibly see the cheese, but you can definitely taste it. Just be warned, this bread tends to soak up every last bit of saliva you have and we did not get our drinks yet.

The homemade lemonade arrived soon after. It was like a lemonade slushy. It was really good and super refreshing.

The other appetizer we ordered was the Empanada Trio. It consisted of 3 beef empanadas and 3 chicken empanadas.

The empanadas were very tasty. They were hot and freshly baked. I loved the flaky buttery crust that they use instead of the cornmeal one that other places use. Both the beef and chicken were delicious. They were a perfect finger food size as well.

It was time for the main dishes. The grilled fish fillet was smothered in white sauce with mushrooms. The fish was tender and the white sauce was yummy.

Every dish comes with a choice of two sides. The grilled fish was accompanied by a simple salad and tostones (green plantains). We actually wanted the sweet plantains, but the waitress misunderstood us. No biggie.

The tostones were crispy and not oily at all. The salad was simple but still dressed a bit more than other places. The small mango chunks were a nice touch.

I ordered the breaded fish fillet with a side of yellow rice and yuca (cassava).

The fish was a decent size. It was soft and flaky with a thin crispy coating. I really enjoyed it.

The yellow rice and yuca were good too. Sometimes the rice can seem old and clumpy, but this was not the case.

The food was great. It just needed a little something something. I asked the waiter for hot sauce and he mentioned that they have a homemade sauce. Yes, please! It was very flavorful and not overly spicy. It was good on everything.

I was so tempted to try their Tres Leches cake, but that will have to wait until next time. We were given a piece of Colombian coffee candy with the check.

Lunch was great and I would definitely come back whenever I’m craving Colombian food. It may actually be slightly better than the place we usually go to. I’m still thinking about those empanadas and lemonade!

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Sal & Pimienta Colombian Restaurant
477 Cedar Lane
Teaneck, NJ 07666
(201) 357-4897
Website