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A Colombian restaurant is coming to Madison’s East Side.

Yineth Herrera, 26, is opening La Pollera Colombiana with her husband, Urbano Rivera, and her sister-in-law, Araceli Rivera.

In Spanish, La Pollera is a hencoop, chicken run, or basket for chickens.

Herrera and her husband had a Colombian restaurant in Sunnyside, Queens, that they sold to one of their three partners.

La Pollera Colombiana is going into the former OM Indian Fusion Cuisine, which closed in early 2019 after almost three years at 3579 E. Washington Ave.

OM’s owners extensively remodeled the building, which had previously held a China Buffet, and was most famously home to Shakey’s Pizza Parlor.

OM  Indian Fusion Cuisine,  3579 E. Washington Ave., closed after almost three years.

Herrera said she and her husband came to Madison about three months ago at the urging of her sister-in-law, who has lived in Madison for about three years.

“It’s very good, very quiet,” Herrera said about Madison. “It’s a nice place, different from New York.”

Herrera said she moved from Colombia to New York about 10 years ago. “I was very young,” she said. “I tried something different. I liked New York and stayed in New York.” Her husband and sister-in-law are from Mexico.

She said she’ll take care of the front of the house with help from her sister-in-law, and her husband will be in charge of the kitchen. They plan to hire cooks and servers.

Herrera said the pandemic hit her New York restaurant hard because they had recently expanded into the neighboring storefront and had gone from about 15 tables to 45. For a few months, while restrictions were in place, they could only do carryout orders.

She said she expects La Pollera Colombiana to open in about a month. They are just waiting on a health department inspection. The restaurant will have 15 to 20 tables to start, she said.

Herrera said they’ve painted the walls, replaced the tables and chairs, made small changes to the kitchen, and added Colombian decorations.

The restaurant will serve exclusively Colombian food: chicken, beef and pork dishes with rice and beans, Herrera said.

Yineth Herrera said she will be serving exclusively Colombian food at her Madison restaurant.

While there’s no other Colombian food in Madison, Herrera said her menu will be closest to the Venezuelan cuisine served at La Taguara, also on the East Side. “But the way that I make it is totally different,” she said.

“A lot of people say, ‘Yeah we need Colombian food,’” Herrera said.

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Read more restaurant news at: go.madison.com/restaurants

The restaurant will serve exclusively Colombian food: chicken, beef and pork dishes with rice and beans.

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Wisconsin State Journal feature writer Samara Kalk Derby writes about the arts and brings you the latest news on the Madison area's eclectic restaurant scene. She can be reached at skalk@madison.com or 608-252-6439.

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The 18-screen multiplex in Fitchburg was closed temporarily, but is expected to reopen Friday.

Yineth Herrera said she will be serving exclusively Colombian food at her Madison restaurant.

OM  Indian Fusion Cuisine,  3579 E. Washington Ave., closed after almost three years.

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