La Colonia is a small bodegone with a parilla near Casa Palermo. The owner was born in the building. When we first started lunching here, the clientele was almost exclusively taxi drivers. See the photo of a typical lunch crowd of drivers in 2005; everyone in the photo is a taxi driver except the owner (guy in the blue shirt, standing) and the moza (waitress). The food was simple, tasty and inexpensive (i.e. about $20 pesos for two, including wine). On our first visit, in September of 2005, it was clear that they were not accustomed to seeing gringos and this status caused some attention. But times have changed with adjacent Palermo Soho bursting at the seams. Soho clientele have been spilling over Scalabrini Ortiz in search, I imagine, of authenticity and the owner has decided to take advantage of the situation. He revised the menu, offering a wider selection, albeit at a much higher price. Of course, the taxi drivers can’t afford the higher prices and no longer frequent La Colonia. Nevertheless, for tourists, it’s still perfectly affordable and the food is good. On this last visit, the people at the next table were 30-something Canadians and nobody was interested that they were speaking English. In addition to grilled meat, there is a full menu and they have good pizza. Location: Julián Alvarez 1674 esq. Gascon.
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