Noches de Colombia
By Susana Restrepo
Look around Hoboken. Look at the diversity of the restaurants here. We have: American food, Asian cuisine, and non-Qdoba, non-Chipotle authentic Mexican. At first glance, you revel at all these food options. It’s all the food you’d ever need and want! Yeah, I thought so too. But I was wrong.
My family is Colombian. I was actually born there. Growing up, I was influenced heavily by Colombian culture. That includes Colombian food. For those of you who don’t know, not all Latin American food is the same. I will not be satisfied if brought to a Mexican restaurant. Likewise, a Mexican wouldn’t be satisfied if brought to a Colombian place.
Anyway, as the semester passed, I grew more and more deprived of the food I had grown up with. I caved in and searched for a Colombian place, thinking that there might be one in Hoboken. There wasn’t. The closest one was two miles away in Union City. I picked which nearby restaurant would be the best to go, and went with Noches de Colombia, since I had gone to other restaurants in the same chain.
Noches is close to three miles away, also in Union City, which was around an hour walk, so I had to take a bus there. That wasn’t too bad. Once I entered Noches, I felt at home. Actually, I think I seemed more like a child in a candy store. The music was the kind that you grew up with but never knew the name to. My parents used to play a lot of these songs on road trips when I was younger.
I don’t know if I can objectively describe the food. It was delicious. It was what my mother used to make us for dinner. The desserts on the menu were things my sisters and I used to beg our parents for when we were younger. The whole experience was like being at home without actually being at home. I guess what I’m trying to say is that it was very nostalgic.
I’d definitely recommend going to Noches de Colombia. For one, it’s an authentic Latin American chain; it’s not a Chipotle calling itself Mexican. If you’re into trying new flavors, you better check it out; I’d especially recommend guava and cheese empandas for someone trying to change it up. The Noches de Colombia I went to was on 4329 Bergenline Ave, Union City, NJ, though they have other locations in West New York, Fairview, Englewood, Clifton, and more.
