New Colombian restaurant in Pembroke Pines to replace beloved soul food spot
Pembroke Pines’ newest Colombian eatery will soon take over the former site of a beloved soul food spot.
El Machetico, known for its home-cooked Latin fare and signature large portions, announced its first Broward restaurant on April 4, keeping details of its opening date and location under wraps and urging customers to “stay tuned.”
But newly posted signage reveals it will find its home where another Pembroke Pines favorite recently parted with the city: Brandon’s Bistro at 207 N. Hiatus Road.
A Facebook post added to the We Love Pembroke Pines community by contributor Shar AN shows an El Machetico flyer taped to the door that reads “Coming Soon” above another flyer advising that Brandon’s Bistro is relocating to Miramar Town Center.
The soul food spot, which opened its scratch kitchen in 2023 and boasts 4.6 stars and over 1,000 reviews on Google, closed its doors and announced its relocation to Miramar in an April 27 Instagram post.
The eatery’s team says its working on “New flavors, elevated experiences, and a space designed with heart, warmth, and you in mind,” for its new location.
Meanwhile, El Machetico’s doors are scheduled to open in May, the eatery’s head chef and owner, Juan Camilo Duenes, told VoyageMIA in March. The Pembroke Pines restaurant will mark the chain’s third location, sharing sister sites in Doral and Miami.
What to expect on its menu? Larger-than-life takes on traditional Colombian dishes such as sancocho, bandeja paisa and chicharrón.
The restaurant says it sells the nation’s “largest bandeja paisa” — a hearty platter of red beans, pork, white rice, ground meat, eggs, blood sausage, plantains, chorizo and arepas — by offering a three-tiered version and an XL version that can serve six.
Other offerings include a two-tiered sancocho, or stew, and a 3-foot fried pork belly, or chicharrón.
“From day one, my vision was to bring authentic Colombian flavors to South Florida and create a place where people could gather, celebrate and feel at home,” Duenes told VoyageMIA.
“As a graduate of San Ignacio Culinary School in Miami, I’ve always believed that combining professional culinary training with tradition is the key to creating something truly special.”
For more information or updates on El Machetico’s opening date, check the restaurant’s website or Instagram.
