Colombia’s food scene has exploded in the last few years, and there’s plenty cooking in Cartagena’s foodie scene right now. Grab a tenador (fork) and start filling your boots with scintillating ceviches, naughty-but-nice street food treats and fabulously freaky fruits.
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Video
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This Is What We Love
- Learning about the big fish from the little swimmers on a carefully curated Ceviche experience
- Stuffing your travel diary with scrumptious food and drink recipes that you can impress your friends with back home
- Savouring a foodie experience with a hooked up bilingual guide to show you the best places to eat and drink in Cartagena en route
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What You Need To Know
- Cartagena’s most famous restaurants get booked up quickly. Reservations are recommended, especially on the weekend.
- If you want to accompany your local foodie background with some mixology know-how, check out a tasty Cartagena Cocktail Tour
- For a full line up on the gourmet culinary experiences in Cartagena, check out our Gourmand Guide to the best places to eat in Cartagena
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The Details
Hours and Days: Mon-Sat: 17:30-20:00 ?Address: Meeting point: Centro, Calle Sargento Mayor, Calle 38, Cra 7, No. 6-107, Of 104, Cartagena, Colombia
Rating: TIC User Rating
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THE LOWDOWN
Our Full Review
Let’s start with Cartagena’s juiciest asset: Seafood. Ceviche is an obvious must-do for pez-passionate travellers wanting to compare how Colombia’s offering fares to Peru born-and-bred ceviche status. For the best introduction, try a tasty Ceviche Tour.
If you’re looking to do more than stand in the sidelines, a Traditional Cooking Class is the perfect opportunity to roll up your sleeves and diving straight into the local foodie language.
Perfect for families, couples, groups or solo-travellers looking to learn a tasty skill for life, you’ll make delicious dishes from scratch, paying homage to Cartagena’s boundless fruit, veggie and seafood culture.
For a food education that goes straight into the nitty gritty of Caribbean cuisine, history and culture, turn to Game-changing chefs, Jaime Camacho and Sebastian Giraldo, whose Secret Suppers will leave your head spinning.
Built around innovative, extravagant dishes brought from the mercado a la mesa (market to table) their 7-course menu is unveiled upon arrival, and never fails to be anything less than outstanding.
Sweet toothed travellers needn’t feel left out either because Colombia just happens to grow some of the world’s best chocolate.
To discover the high-brow world of Cacao (trust us, you’ll never eat a Hershey’s bar again), book a Chocolate Making Masterclass with your very own bilingual Willy-Wonka to show you the ropes.
LOCATION & MAP
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Centro
Cartagena's nerve centre serves up breathtaking colonial architecture, the city's top attractions, finest hotels, eateries and drinking dens as well as being the administrative and cultural heart of the city.
Constructed on one of three islands that are now connected to the Colombian mainland, the historic walled city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
Ever since UNESCO made the announcement the money has poured into restoring the incredible architecture contained inside its historic walls. Wandering aimlessly through Cartagena's historic center is without question it's one of the highlights of any trip to Colombia.
Centro has lost none of its importance over the last three centuries, thanks to the universal allure of its colonial pomp and the concentration of government buildings, hotels, tourist attractions, bars and restaurants in the area.
While the riches of the region no longer flow through Cartagena on their way from Colombia, Peru and Ecuador to Spain, the city has maintained its position as the colonial gem in Colombia's Caribbean crown.
Cartagena's best hotels and restaurants have taken over the uber-casas built by slave traders and Spanish plunderers in the 17th century.
The richest residents knocked up stunning two and three-storey mansions by the westernmost tip of the walled city, where they bagged the sea breeze, added security, papal pardons and the chance to get an early first whiff of pirates.
While it was home to the slave traders of yesteryear, today not much has changed with only those at the very top of Colombia's rich list able to afford to maintain these opulent houses in their original residential state.
As well as hosting the most opulent churches and principal tourist landmarks, Centro is home to the best bars and restaurants in Cartagena.
Standout foodie destinations include restaurants Don Juan, La Vitrola and Maria and bars and nightclubs like Alquimico, Cafe del Mar, La Movida and La Jugada.
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