The Colombian Menu

Bogotá

Bogotá's signature soup — a hearty chicken broth with three types of potato, corn on the cob, capers, cream, and avocado. The ultimate comfort food on a chilly highland afternoon.

Medellín

Colombia's national platter — red beans with pork, white rice, ground beef, chicharrón, fried egg, plantain, arepa, hogao, and avocado. A mountain of flavor from Antioquia that fuels the paisa spirit.

Villa de Leyva

Grilled corn cakes stuffed with melted cheese — the backbone of Colombian meals from breakfast to midnight snack. In Boyacá, try them fresh off the charcoal with a hot chocolate.

Salento

Fresh rainbow trout from the coffee region rivers, pan-fried and served with thick fried green plantains (patacones) and hogao. A Salento lunch staple after hiking the Cocora Valley.

Barichara

Sun-dried beef seasoned and grilled, a Santander specialty served with yuca, arepa, and pepitoria (rice with goat offal). Barichara's restaurants keep this colonial-era recipe alive.

Tatacoa Desert

Whole roast pig stuffed with rice, peas, and spices — a Tolima tradition. Slow-cooked for hours until the skin is impossibly crispy. Served at festivals, roadside stands, and every celebration in the region.

Cartagena

Fresh shrimp cured in lime juice with onion, tomato, cilantro, and a kick of aji. Served in a cocktail glass along the walled city walls. Cartagena's quintessential street food with deep Caribbean roots.

Cartagena

Sweet coconut rice cooked until lightly caramelized, served alongside fried fish, patacones, and salad. The Caribbean coast's staple side dish — the slightly sweet crunch is addictive.

Santa Marta

A rich seafood stew of shrimp, fish, squid, and crab in a coconut cream sauce. Served bubbling in a clay pot at beachfront restaurants along Santa Marta's Taganga bay.

San Andrés

The Raizal community's signature dish — a slow-cooked coconut stew with fish, conch, yam, breadfruit, and dumplings. San Andrés's most authentic taste of island culture.

Santa Marta

Crispy corn-dough pockets stuffed with seasoned meat, potato, or cheese, deep-fried golden and served with aji sauce. Found on every street corner and eaten at every hour of the day.

Providencia

Fresh Caribbean lobster in a creamy coconut sauce, served with coconut rice and fried plantain. Providencia's pristine waters yield some of the finest lobster in the Americas.

Cali

Cali's beloved chicken soup with plantain, yuca, corn, potato, and cilantro. A Sunday family tradition served with white rice and avocado on the side. The ultimate hangover cure after a night of salsa dancing.

Cali

Shaved ice topped with fresh tropical fruits, condensed milk, fruit syrups, and a scoop of cream. A sweet, colorful Cali street treat perfect for the Pacific coast heat.

Cali

A refreshing iced drink made from lulo fruit, sugar, and lime, with chunks of the tart fruit. A Cali original that you won't find anywhere else in Colombia — tangy, sweet, and unforgettable.

Leticia

Grilled Amazonian pirarucú (arapaima) — one of the world's largest freshwater fish. Firm, meaty, and served with yuca and a tangy aíaji. A unique Amazonian dish you won't find anywhere else in Colombia.

Leticia

Fresh juice made from the Amazonian copoazú fruit — creamy, tart, and unlike anything else. Leticia's market stalls offer a parade of exotic Amazonian fruits you've never heard of.

Tatacoa Desert

A large banana-leaf wrapped bundle of corn dough stuffed with pork, chicken, egg, carrots, and peas. Steamed for hours, this Tolima specialty is Colombia's answer to the Mexican tamale — but bigger and heartier.