Restaurants in Colombia
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Crepes & Waffles
This chain of restaurants serves, obviously, crepes and waffles, plus salads and a range of desserts. It's a professional operation with a good philosophy - they only hire single mothers and women in need.
reviewed
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La Puerta Falsa
This is Bogotá’s most famous snack shop – with displayed multicolored candies beckoning you into the tiny spot that’s been in business since 1816. Grab a sticky breva candy, eggs or tamales for breakfast, or sit with chocolate completo (hot chocolate with cheese, buttered bread and a biscuit; COP$4000).
reviewed
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Salto de Ángel
Parque 93’s best location – a raised restaurant with cavernous rooms topped with bamboo poles and huge windows overlooking the park – the ‘Angel Falls’ is often full. It’s probably just as good for its setting and drinks (or an excellent slushy cantaloupe juice, COP$4000) as it is for its typical fare: steaks, salads, sandwiches, fajitas.
reviewed
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Donostia
This hip restaurant run by five boyhood friends puts a Mediterranean twist on Colombian food - adding spices to lighten up its meals. Meat lovers will enjoy the chuleta de cerdo BBQ (pork ribs grilled with a special recipe native to Mompós). You can hear live music here on Wednesday.
reviewed
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E
Restaurante Fulanitos
Fulanitos is a beautifully arranged, informal place which offers food typical of the Valle del Cauca in southern Colombia. It has excellent views.
reviewed
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Donde Chucho
Serving the best seafood on the coast, and sitting on prime real estate on the newly renovated Parque Santander. Start with the signature salad (shrimp, octopus, calamari and manta smoked in olive oil) and move on to robaloau gratin (mozzarella and parmesan). Divine. If this place doesn’t fit your budget, go Monday to Thursday between 6pm to 9pm and enjoy cocktails at 2-for-the-price-of-1. Don’t miss it.
reviewed
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Il Forno
Set in the middle of the zona rosa (nightlife zone), this open-air Italian restaurant doesn’t do gimmicks or discounts, just good, solid food at a fair price. It serves pizza and sandwiches, lasagna and ravioli, and even steak. There’s a good range of salads for the herbivores. Desserts are a mere COP$6000. It may not be gourmet, but at this price, who cares?
reviewed
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G
Café Colombo
On the top floor of the building also housing the Centro Colombo Americano, this minimalist spot serves up light meals along with stunning views of the city and mountains. Go for the set meal (COP$15,500), which changes weekly, or try the crepes, pasta, steak or trout. Its 10th-floor outdoor terrace is a great spot for cocktails early in the evening.
reviewed
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H
La Casa de Socorro
This is a good little spot to try comida costeña, the typical food of the coast. It’s a casual spot with nice design touches like paintings on recycled walking planks, and the menu features staples like robalo (sea bass) smothered in cheese and garlic, along with more adventurous fare such as snail or turtle soup.
reviewed
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Snack Bars
Plenty of snack bars all across the old town serve typical local snacks such as arepas de huevo (fried maize dough with an egg inside), dedos de queso (deep-fried cheese sticks), empanadas and buñuelos (deep-fried maize and cheese balls).
reviewed
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Pastelería Florida
Those needing a bit of pomp or history with their chocolate santafereño should make the hike to this classic snack shop/restaurant (a legendary spot for hot chocolate since 1936), with uniformed waiters serving up a variety of cakes.
reviewed
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J
Restaurante Hatoviejo
A favorite of Medellín's carnivores, this is the best place in the center for regional dishes such as plato montañero, an artery-clogging conglomeration of ground beef, eggs and fried pork skin.
reviewed
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Tapas Macarena
Run by a Dutch/Colombian couple, this cool corner spot is tiny with a play on the usual tapas, including sautéed beef with Indonesian peanut sauce, and Dutch cheese plates. Plenty of Belgian beers too.
reviewed
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K
El Burlador de Sevilla
Giant bulls' heads mounted to the wall stare down at you as you dine on some excellent Spanish treats, including paellas, tapas and jamónes (hams).
reviewed
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Comida Mexican al Pastor
One of the few low-priced restaurants in Zona Rosa, this Mexican place with a bright yellow facade serves up nachos, quesadillas and tacos to hungry partygoers.
reviewed
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L’ Jaim
This little bit of Israel transported to Bogotá serves great shawarma (chopped meat and veggies served with pita and hummus) plus felafel and baklava.
reviewed
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Quinua y Amaranto
This sweet spot – run by ladies in the open-front kitchen – goes all vegetarian, with tasty quinoa-based lunches and empanadas, salads and coffee later on.
reviewed
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Zarina
In-the-know locals vote this Lebanese joint the best eatery in town. There’s no shawarma, but you can enjoy a genuine felafel with tahini.
reviewed
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O
La Bodeguita del Medio
Eat and drink under the watchful eyes of Che Guevara and Fidel Castro in this hard-core Cuban café de la revolución.
reviewed
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P
Restaurante Vegetariano Salud Vibrante
Your best bet for a cheap veggie meal in Cali. Staff makes its own soy milk and wholemeal bread. Also sells good veggie empanadas.
reviewed
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Cali Viejo
Set in the lush grounds of the Bosque Municipal, the city park adjoining the zoo, Cali Viejo shows off Cali’s Pacific roots. Seafood is the star here – try the cazuela de mariscos (seafood stew, COP$41,000) or lobster (COP$58,000) – but it also does a great sancocho (COP$20,000). Wash it down with a champú or lulada, or a shot of the homemade aguardiente. The dining room has no walls, letting a breeze blow through. If you’re coming here from the zoo, take a taxi or flag down a passing bus; the area is a bit isolated and, hence, a bit sketchy.
reviewed
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Platillos Voladores
The food at Platillos Voladores (literally 'flying saucers') is out of this world, combining spicy, sweet, sour and savory in novel ways. A mecca for the city's foodies, the chef takes fusion to new heights, borrowing inspiration from Asian, European and indigenous Colombian cuisines. The decor, too, is both colorful and eclectic.
There's also a small store on the premises that sells bottled versions of the restaurant's complex sauces and chutneys, many of which feature exotic produce from the surrounding Cauca valley.
reviewed
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Andrés Carne de Res
Hang onto your hats. This legendary steakhouse blows everyone away – even repeat visitors – for its all-out-fun atmosphere with decent steaks and all sorts of surreal decor and designed gimmicks such as menus retracting from the rafters. For most, it’s more than a meal – but a leave-the-watch-at-home expanse of late-night rumba. Staff will get you on the floor if you resist joining in. The catch is that it’s out of town – in Chía, 23km north towards Zipaquirá. A taxi from Bogotá costs about COP$25,000 to COP$40,000.
reviewed
