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El Chuzo BBQ: Late-night Colombian eats in Carrollwood

By Carlos Hernandez on Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 9:30 am

The inside is quite small so we opted to eat outside by our car. The menu had a variety of Spanish options, most of the food being smoked. They had steak, burgers, chicken wings, and a variety of other signature dishes to choose from. Most items on the menu were under $10. I decided to have their steak burger with a Coke. I received my soda first and upon observing the crowd, I found that almost everyone around me had a Postobon Apple Soda. It was immediately apparent that I was not a local or frequent visitor here. I have never tried Postobon, I would like to try it in a future visit.

The wait was about ten minutes and then I was given my steak burger. The size of the burger was huge for the price and it was served with Spanish-style french fries. The burger was quite tasty, the meat had been smoked but it still retained a great flavor to it. It was not dry or rough in texture. The sauce on top tasted similar to thousand island. They put small fries and cabbage on top of the burger. After just a few bites I found myself to be quite full.

Late-night options with authentic Spanish cuisine in this town are few and far between. El Chuzo BBQ was a nice experience into a hidden gem in Tampa.

7101 North Armenia Ave. Tampa, FL 33604 (813) 374-9184

Follow Carlos on Twitter @carloseats

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El Chuzo BBQ is a late-night Colombian restaurant that has been in Tampa since 2008. The restaurant is open until 2 a.m. during weeknights, until 4:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and until 11 p.m. on Sundays.

The owners had their start with nothing more than a mobile cooker and tent, but have now been able to purchase their own building after becoming a popular spot among locals in Carrollwood. After hearing about this restaurant from a Colombian friend, I decided to investigate.

I arrived at around 3 a.m. on Saturday night. The place was booming with customers, I would go as far as to say that there was more people crammed inside and outside this restaurant than the ever-popular Taco Bus at this hour.