Where to Eat in Medellín, Colombia: A Local’s List

As Colombia’s “City of Eternal Spring,” Medellín is always in bloom. With the city’s own immense natural bounty and its central location pulling in the best from across Colombia, the markets of Medellín are an explosion of tropical fruit, mouth-numbing spices from the Amazon, and fresh vegetables unique to the microclimates of the surrounding Andes. Still, for years, the city’s culinary scene largely stuck to the greatest hits, like bandeja paisa—an entire tray of regional favorites like chicharrón, chorizo, sweet plantains, and beans—and steaming bowls of sancocho stews, both of which this region is known for.

If menus felt surprisingly homogenous when I first visited Medellín over a decade ago, the past year and a half in which I’ve called the city home has made it clear that the new generation of Colombian chefs is bursting with renewed creativity—and they have turned their attention to the bounty in their own backyard. The classics remain, but the big bang of Medellín’s gastronomic growth is expanding in all directions.

These are the essential places to eat in Medellín right now—and why it is one of Condé Nast Traveler’s Best Places to Eat in 2026.

Boro

Neighborhood: El Poblado

Price range: $$$

Must-order: Honey-glazed oysters with pineapple chimichurri; San Pedreño pork with orejero stew and seasonal vegetables

If Jaime Rodríguez’s Celele is an exploration of the ingredients of the Colombian Caribbean and Ahíto offers an elevated take on some of the most well-loved dishes from home kitchens across the country, his newest restaurant Boro is the best of both worlds. Boro is an investigative take on Colombian ingredients in a contemporary bistro-style setting that stays true to the wellness focus of Wake Medellín (the new hotel-slash-restaurant-slash-wellness center it is located within) by using all-natural sweeteners and eliminating ultra-processed ingredients. Sleek glass and red brick walls are warmed by candlelight, making this the type of place you’ll want to linger over dishes like confit duck terrine in corozo wine sauce with sweet potato purée and sage, or Colombian long pepper and dark beer-braised leg of lamb.

Carmen

Neighborhood: El Poblado

Price range: $$$

Must-order: Pez palma with coconut rice risotto and chontaduro sauce

Carmen Ángel rewrote the fine-dining script in Medellín when she opened Carmen nearly two decades ago, creating a Colombia-first, ingredient-forward experience that is fun rather than fussy. Savory and sweet à la carte favorites include crab and shrimp-stuffed empanadas with soursop ají and vanilla bean sauces, and ceviche with Meyer lemon shaved ice, but the tasting menu is where Ángel shows off her full culinary chops—go all in if you can. The drinks menu is equally devoted to local flavors, and landed the restaurant’s bar, Bar Carmen, on the list of the World’s 50 Best Bars, spotlighting cocktails like Siembra featuring tropical fruits like lulo and Afro-Colombian distillates like the fresh sugarcane-based viche from the women-owned brand Viche Canao.

Ajiacos y Mondongos

Neighborhood: El Poblado

Price range: $

Must-order: Ajiaco chicken soup and beans

It doesn’t get more true to tradition than Ajiacos y Mondongos, so renowned for its classic Colombian fare that it can eschew slick branding: its name simply represents two of its most popular dishes. Ajiaco chicken soup and tripe-based mondongos soup come with fixings like avocado and homemade sauces—but there are also steaming bowls of tender beans accompanied by arepas for less adventurous eaters. Either way, wash it all down with a refajo (a surprisingly delicious mix of beer and Colombiana soda). This no-frills eatery, whose walls are covered in signatures from patrons past, is open only for lunch. Get here early for a table alongside the locals who come for their most filling meal of the day.

Sambombi Bistró Local

Neighborhood: Provenza

Price range: $$ – $$$

Must-order: Fried plantains with tuna tartar, sweet pepper, and eggplant; roasted potatoes with ponzu and pico de gallo

Eight years of working directly with small farms and local producers to source the freshest ingredients has landed chef Jhon Zárate’s Sambombi Bistró Local on the list of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants, and rightfully so. Zárate’s frequently rotating menu has made it a local favorite for return visits, one that feels just as apt for a date as it does for a catch-up with friends over dishes like chicken pipián and seafood rice with beans, at bar-style seating facing the kitchen or in the cozy dining room. Sambombi’s wine list is among the city’s best, rivaled only by Baravan, Zárate’s new wine bar-style spot across town. Both get busy, so reservations are recommended.

Campesino Café

Neighborhood: Astorga

Price range: $- $$

Must-order: Madre Laura natural-process coffee pour-over and a seasonal fruit and granola bowl topped with homemade golden berry syrup

Campesino Coffee had already made a name for itself by sustainably sourcing its café and creating a community-focused school for coffee farmers in the small town of Jericó, all before founder Daniel Velasquez opened his coffee shop in Medellín. Now, Campesino Café is as much a spot for lingering over breakfast staples like yuca waffles with bacon, farm-style eggs, and decadent carrot cake as it is for diving deep into the region’s best brews, lovingly sourced from local producers. Upstairs is 55dB, a brand-new cocktail lounge and listening bar with a next-level vinyl collection—a refreshing addition to Medellín’s otherwise rambunctious nightlife scene.

Idílico

Neighborhood: Manila

Price range: $$$

Must-order: Arepas with local cheese, inspired by a classic Colombian breakfast

Idílico has handily earned its reputation as one of Medellín’s most beloved fine-dining restaurants, thanks to chef Yeison Mora’s years of dedication to creatively refining and reimagining some of Colombia’s most emblematic dishes. Start with an elevated take on the potato-packed empanadas de iglesia that recall those sold in church plazas around the country, before digging into dishes like fried plantain patacones with slow-cooked pork and almojábana cake topped with a sweet buffalo milk arequipe sauce and fresh strawberries. Idílico offers a pared-down à la carte menu with just seven seasonal starters, seven entrees, and three desserts at any given time—though the tasting menu experience best highlights Mora’s award-winning culinary genius.

Test Kitchen Lab

Neighborhood: El Poblado

Price range: $$$

Must-order: Chocolate with mambe, a toasted green powder made from coca leaves

Faithful to its name, Test Kitchen Lab is a culinary experience built on Adolfo Cavalie’s cheffy investigations into the entirely Colombian ingredients that make up his à la carte and tasting menus. Seasonal plates like trout and apple served lollipop-style and grilled San Pedreño heritage pork blends sourced from local farmers rotate on and off the menu, but a constant highlight is Cavalie’s small-batch chocolate tasting experience that plays with cacao percentages, milk varieties, and fermentation. Test Kitchen Lab recently relocated from Provenza to Wake Medellín alongside Boro and other local favorites like Krudo, Viches y Vinilos, Chez Migu, and Sinpar.

Zombra

Neighborhood: El Poblado

Price range: $$ – $$$

Must-order: Fresh catch served with sweet peppers and topped with a marijuana leaf

Chef Pablo Naranjo’s Zombra is a fine dining experience with none of the pretension, showcasing a sustainability-focused menu that feels deeply personal. After years of cooking in France and India, Naranjo can’t help but let familiar flavors peek into dishes like palak paneer with white fish and feijoa, or chicken thighs in mustard with chorizo. The restaurant’s eco-friendly philosophy carries into its bar program, too, with coffee liqueur and limoncello made in-house from what would otherwise be wasted. With both a shady patio space and a sleek, light-filled dining room, there’s usually space to drop in, but Zombra’s popularity is compounding as it rounds the corner towards its second year. I’d increasingly recommend making a reservation.

Plaza Minorista José María Villa

Neighborhood: El Centro

Price range: $

Must-order: Little-known native fruits like borojó, corozo, and chontaduro

To narrow down Medellín’s premier fresh marketplace to just a few favorite stalls feels impossible. The best way to visit “La Minorista” is alongside chef Melissa Ospina, who has been building relationships with market vendors here for years and guiding in-depth tours into the best that the market has to offer. Fill up on samples as you explore, or pop into eateries for treats like arepas made from heirloom corn varietals, fruit smoothies, or dishes like sancocho de bagre, a catfish soup native to Colombia’s Pacific Coast, at La Esquina de la Ricura.

Gesto

Neighborhood: Rionegro

Price range: $$$

Must-order: San Pedreño pork charcuterie; fresh peas in smoked coconut milk

For Medellín-born chef Miguel Warren, it was never enough to source the region’s freshest ingredients for his menus; he wanted to bring diners right to the source. At Gesto, Warren welcomes them home to an intimate 20-seat restaurant with an open kitchen set on his own farmland, where he cultivates most of the ingredients for his tasting menus himself, from heritage-breed pork aged in his cellar to tender zucchini blossoms paired with homemade ricotta cheese. Reservations are a must for this immersive dining experience located about 45 minutes outside of the city; it is only open a few days a week.

Don Teo Trailer

Neighborhood: El Poblado

Price range: $-$$

Must-order: Fried chicken sandwiches with Amazonian pepper sauce and slaw; native roast potatoes

On the breezy hillsides of El Poblado, Don Teo Trailer has been a laid-back local favorite since it opened just over a year ago for a weekend parche (hangout) complete with fresh tuna served over enyucado cassava cakes, katsu sandwiches, and an ice-cold Costeñita beer or a spritz. Best Chef Awards-winning Mateo Rios calls his pared-down menu at Don Teo Trailer “fast good” rather than “fast food” to reflect his commitment to conscious sourcing and high-quality ingredients. Think hot dog-style bites in buttery brioche made from Pacific prawns one week, then lobster or homemade sausage the next.

Salón Centro

Neighborhood: El Centro

Price range: $$

Must-order: Fresh fish sourced from the Colombian Pacific; cacao cream dessert with tucupí and mambe

The busier downtown center of Medellín is home to creative projects like Salón Centro, a casual yet elevated eatery just as invested in showing patrons another side of the city’s most historic neighborhood as it is in innovating with local ingredients. Chef Andrés López’s menu reads like a map of the country, but makes plenty of pit stops in his native Pacific with dishes like prawns with coconut rice and longaniza sausage styled after a dish from the Chocó region. Make sure to ask for López’s recommendations for things to do around El Centro after dining, including spots like Persona for drinks by candlelight, or El Club del Jazz for live music throughout the week.

Café Dragón

Neighborhood: Astorga

Price range: $$ – $$$

Must-order: Brisket sandwich on homemade sourdough; wood-fired pizzas piled with fresh veggies

Café Dragón starts the day strong with an all-hours breakfast menu and only gets better as the day rolls on. Bartenders cut slices of decadent chocolate cake and pull sweet and savory croissants from glass cake stands on the bar to serve with coffee all day—or at least until the ever-present contingent of coworkers turns to homemade IPA blends in the afternoon. Come evening, wood-fired pizzas fly out of the oven while the sound of cocktail shakers punctuates DJ sets and live music: jazz on Wednesdays, salsa on Thursdays. There’s almost always space inside this oversized 1960s-style neighborhood home turned daylong hangout, though you’ll want to make a reservation in the evenings.

Cola E’ Chucha

Neighborhood: El Tesoro

Price range: $$ – $$$

Must-order: The Niku Sando, with slow-cooked braised beef with homemade sauerkraut and brioche

The first floor of an otherwise nondescript office building is an unlikely spot for one of the city’s most exciting restaurants. Step onto the leafy terrace or into the light-filled dining room of Cola E’ Chucha, though, and it all makes sense. Just as fit for a relaxed lunch as it is for dinner with friends, Cola E’ Chucha has ingredient-forward dishes that rotate seasonally, with classics like crudos always finding their way onto the menu of chef-owner Diego Zerpa, who sources almost everything from a single local farm. Desserts like the salted caramel torte are divine. Cocktail fans should complete a visit by heading up to the building’s 22nd floor for cocktails and city views at World’s 50 Best Bar-listed Mamba Negra.

El Barco de Buena Mar

Neighborhood: Itagüí

Price range: $$

Must-order: The cazuela of creamy seafood stew

Those who have trekked out to the residential neighborhood of Itagüí know that the reputation of El Barco de Buena Mar precedes it—this is one of the best places in the city to sample authentic cooking from Colombia’s Pacific Coast. At this simple, family-style eatery, oversized ceramic terrines emerge steaming from ovens, heaping with seafood stews, grilled fish, and rice packed with grilled shrimp, all served with fried plantains as big as your head. This is rich, stick-to-your-bones food, so come hungry.

Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler