What is La Escalinata Pereira?
La Escalinata Cultural Food Promenade: An enjoyable place with the best gastronomy in Pereira!
The secret art-deco restaurant spot that no one, not even your nosy neighbor, knows about! Welcome to La Escalinata Pereira. The lucky ones who already know, keep it a closely guarded secret. It’s a small fantasy world created with used car parts, a ton of passion and a professional architect. La Escalinata Pereira
Address: Carrera 17 BIS Nº 21 B – 04, Lorena Casas.
See the map below for directions and location information.
Who is Edilberto Vargas Florez?
An architect who specializes in Guadua Bamboo, Edilberto has an unconventional but very eco-sustainable approach to new construction and remodeling. He describes La Escalinata as “A remodel and space expansion project to help a client realize his life’s dream.”
Using ornamental metal details created from scrap metal and car chassis, you will find many astonishing details which together make for a modern art-deco look. It is extremely functional, and has 4 nicely done restaurant spaces. The project took a year and a half to complete and converted an antique house, which was built on a hillside, into tiers of balconies. Each balcony flows into a functional restaurant space. Each restaurant has their own special art detail. These details were created through time, and creativity and/or money paid to local artists, to create a wonder world experience for the customer. Edilberto gives private contract and consultation services, for more info he can be reached via his cell: 312-244-1443
Included in the building materials are: steel plating cutout scrap, repurposed truck chassis, old style oil filters, recycled doors and windows. The result is a design that is as unique and interesting, as it is practical.
The Gourmet Cultural Food Promenade of Pereira
There are five restaurants which comprise the food promenade. We are going to present the personality, special dishes and inspiration behind each one, plus all the important information you need for your next visit!
Alex Tremo – Burger Bistro
American Beauty Hamburger with Spiral Fries! Scrumptious!
Featuring “Comida de Pelicula,” or movie food. When date night rolls around but you want to keep it casual, then this should be your first stop.
We asked Maria about how they make good hamburgers:
“Es un hamburgesa se te distingan como comida rapida, pero gourmet. Son hechas con cosas diferentes, queso diferente, la carne viene rellena. Los champiniones no son solo refrito pero con un toque de vino. Todos son hechos muy artesanal.” It’s a hamburger which is distinguished as fast food, but gourmet. They are made with different things. Different cheeses. The meat comes “stuffed.” The mushrooms aren’t simply fried, we add a touch of wine. Everything is made very artisan.
The burgers are 150-200 grams of meat depending on how hungry you are. Each burger is named after famous American movies and come with different topping combinations. Pick the one that suits your personality and taste the best!
We also weighed in with Alex about his feeling and inspiration behind opening a gourmet hamburger shop. Here’s what he had to say about it:
El sentido es que, nosotros amamos mucho la hamburguesa. Nos apasiona mucho la hamburguesa. Y, queremos dar-le la hamburguésa como un nivel mas. No un hamburgesa que es muy callejera, que es muy lleno de grass, de salsa. Con pan artesanal. Todos los ingredientes que usamos son de alta calidad. Nada de barato.” The feeling is that we love (so much) hamburgers. We are passionate about the hamburger. We want to give you a hamburger of a higher level. It’s not a street-burger full of grease and sauce. It’s with artisan bread. All the ingredients we use are high quality. Nothing cheap.
Special Offer: Buy any hamburger on Sunday or Monday and receive a free order of fries!
Owners, Alex and Maria, are Venezuelan expats who have emigrated to Pereira – to start a new life making delicious food. They are quite enthusiastic about their burgers, and we are too, after our first bite. The meat is made from fresh ground beef, stuffed with cheese and spices. We found the burger juicy and full of flavor, well-seasoned with a bit of special sauce added, but not drowning in it. For a fun side-dish, be sure to try their spiral fries, which are a cross between french fries and potato chips. You will love this new twist on an old favorite!
Hours: Open 6:00 PM – 12 PM Thurs – Mon Closed on Wednesday
Contact: Call for Domicilio (after April 7th) 301 209 9405
La Trattoria
Brought to you from Rome, Italy, Apollo and Alejandra are the business owners, and cooks of La Trattoria, Pereira. Featuring traditional homemade Italian food inspired by family recipes and Roman restaurant traditions. Apollo explained to us that he wanted something “more affordable and less formal” where anyone can come and enjoy authentic Italian food.
We also asked Apollo what inspires him to cook Italian food in Colombia, here is what he said: “I enjoy seeing the people laugh and savor the flavors of my cooking. When a child tries something he likes and his face lights up, these are moments that are special to me.”
His philosophy is to always have high quality fresh ingredients, flavorful and delicious daily recipes and everything made fresh-to-order. The food of La Trattoria is more than pasta and pizza. Their menu feature traditional plates which come with specially prepared salad and vegetables. All food is cooked with high quality extra virgen olive oil, (as per recent posts on their Facebook group). For high quality traditional Italian food, you won’t find a more authentic place.
Hours: Tuesday – Friday from 12 pm to 3 pm, and 6 pm to 10 pm. Saturday and Sunday from 6 to 11 pm.
Contact: 345 – 9380 cell 316 – 338 – 3633
Grilled Pork Chop with Italian style vegetables and salad.
Some of our favorite plates include the chicken with gorgonzola cheese, Meatballs in sauce, Steak with grape reduction and many more traditional Italian plates, that aren’t pasta. An interesting concept to be sure, as this is what we can call genuinely AUTHENTIC Italian food. Be sure to try their delicious lunch specials Monday – Saturday!
La H – Hamburgueseria
A popular hamburger shop in the Pereira restaurant scene, is La H – La Hamburgueseria is the newest arrival at La Escalinata Gourmet Food Promenade. In a world where fast food has overstepped its boundaries, you will go back to basics in a place where everything is handcrafted, GMO-Free and uses NO MSG. You will find their food prepared with fresh natural ingredients and lots of love!
You can choose from a diverse selection of gourmet hamburgers, hot dogs, and special plates like BBQ Ribs, Bacon and cheddar fries, arepa burger, chicken fillet, steak fillet and even chicken nuggets.
Where: Dosquebradas: Via Rapida – next to TCC – Opalo Local 4 Pereira: Carerra 17 #21b-04 Lorenas Casas @ La Escalinata
Domicilio: (036) 317 1740
Facebook: facebook.com/LaHLaHamburgueseria/
Instagram: @LaHLaHamburgueseria
Hours: Open Daily at 5 PM
Be sure to ask about their special doggie menu as they offer special outdoor seating where pets are welcome! With wholesome ingredients and high quality kitchen practices, La H should definitely be on your dinner radar. Prices are also quite reasonable ranging between 8,000 and 13,000 Colombian pesos per hamburger. Even a full combo will will only cost you about $5 USD.
Capture the feeling of home this holiday season at La H – Hamburgueseria!
This is an excellent meeting place of price and quality. They open every day at 5 PM – which makes this a great Sunday destination too.
Conclusion
La Escalinata is more than another food court. It’s a community vision shared by people who are ecologically conscious, and who appreciate fresh ingredients and high quality meals. The business owners of these restaurants are people who support local producers, local businesses and local artists. Their collective vision has resulted in a place that knows and understands the importance of teamwork and quality. A place where English is spoken. The food is served hot and the reception is friendly. A place where local artists drop in for philosophical chats, or where women can meet to chat in a quiet and relaxed atmosphere. This place is very special, and we hope you enjoy it!
This story was sponsored by La Escalinata Mall Cultural Gourmet in Pereira.
