Bogota

The fascinating city of Bogota is the capital of Colombia, a metropolitan melting pot of history, culture, and traditions along with superb culinary delights. The culinary capital of Colombia with its traditional dish “Ajiaco” flavored with “guasca” a locally grown herb. The city features a fascinating contrast of cuisine mixing native Colombian, African, and Arabic to create diverse and unique dishes. Talented chefs have opened up restaurants around the city in recent years to create a thriving culinary capital with gourmet establishments such as El Cielo and Leo receiving international recognition. Bogota captures elements from each of the six distinct Colombian regions cooking styles creating a spectacular dining experience with wonderful dishes. Local staples in the city are made up of delicious grilled meats, flavorful soups, and hearty stews, and lots of cheese!

Must Savor Specialties: Ajiaco (signature dish, a steamy soup with chicken, potatoes, corn, avocado, and herbs, served with rice), Almojabana (Colombian bread made with yuca flour, and costeno cheese baked until golden brown), Bollo (Colombian bun made with corn, yuca, or potatoes), Tamales, Changua (a hearty milk and egg soup served calado bread), Arepas (Blancas, Boyacenses, and Choclo), Caldo (hot soup made with beef, potatoes, and coriander), Aromatica (fruity herbal tea), Refajo, Chicha (traditiaonal indigenous beer, made from fermented corn and honey), Obleas (round wafer cookies with a thin layer of arequipe “dulce de leche” and an assortment of toppings), Hot chocolate, and soft cheese (a custom in Bogota), Empanadas (half-moon pockets of dough filled with various meats, potatoes, rice, and cheese deep-fried), Pandebono (airy cheese bread, crips on the outside, and fluffy on the inside, made with cassava starch, cornmeal, fresh cheese, and eggs), Bunuelos, aji criollo sauce (a chunky mix of onions, tomatoes, cilantro, vinegar, and the local aji pepper), patacones (tostones, or smashed and fried unripe plantains), Papas Rellenas (mashed potatoes rolled into a ball and stuffed with various fillings such as meat, rice, peas, and hard boiled eggs), Pastel de Pollo (a salty triangle of puff patry filled with shredded, seasoned chicken).

Cartagena

The charming colonial city of Cartagena is a well-known culinary destination boasting a large number of world-class restaurants dishing up delectable Colombian cuisine. The city is blessed with the perfect location sourcing an extensive variety of ingredients from quality Caribbean seafood, mountain-grown herbs, jungle flavors, and mouthwatering meats. The crisscrossed cobblestone streets of Cartagena are the perfect place to feast on the best street food in the country, with unique and traditional food on offer on every corner. There are some incredible restaurants and such diversity of food to enjoy in the sparkling city, whether it is freshly caught seafood served at a beachside restaurant, exotic tropical fruits blended in a smoothie, or local fare served at a charming, traditional establishment, Cartagena earns the award for culinary capital.

Must Savor Specialties: Amasijos (a cross between a tortilla and a pancake, the nation’s signature snack, cooked a number of different ways with a plethora of fillings), Mojarra (a popular fish, pan-fried and served with patacones, rice, and salad), mondongo (thick, hearty stew with chunks of meat, served with avocado or banana on the side), Pan de Bono (savory pastry made with yucca flour and cheese), Posta Negra Cartegenera (juicy round roast cooked in a delicious black sauce spiced with cumin, cloves, coca-cola, and raw sugar), Empanadas (a corn shell filled with tasty ingredients then deep-fried), Tres Leches Cake (made from three different kinds of milk, evaporated, heavy cream, and sweetened condensed), Coconut rice (a coastal specialty served alongside most seafood dishes), Colombian Coffee, Mote de queso (traditional Colombian soup with yams, costeno cheese, onions, garlic, scallions, tomatoes, cumin, and lime juice), Arepas (flatbreads stuffed with cheese and served with spicy sauce, guacamole, or sour cream), patacones (fried green plantains with heavy garlic), Ceviche (raw and cooked seafood doused in herbs and spices), fresh fruit juice (fruit such as watermelon with water, lime, and sugar added), bollos (boiled hominy, taro, or yucca packed into dense buns and wrapped in banana leaves).

Medellin

Medellin is the Coffee capital of Colombia, not only known for its fresh ground aromatic coffee but also its outstanding cuisine. The city features some delicious traditional Colombian dishes such as bandeja paisa made with ground meat, beans, rice, carne asada, chorizo, fried egg, arepa, and chicharron. Colombian cuisine consists of some of the most passionate proponents, it is hearty, filling, and mouthwateringly flavorful with soups, stews, deep-fried arepas, and empanadas. In Medellin, foodies can find a variety of international cuisine including Indian, Italian, Chinese, French, Spanish, African, Arabic, and Asian.

Must Savor Specialties: Lechona (roasted, stuffed suckling pig filled with herbs, peas, rice, onions, and spices), Bandeja Paisa (heaping portions of meat, red beans, rice, avocado, plantains, fried pork belly, blood sausage, and arepas), Ajiaco soup (chicken and potato soup served with corn on the cob, avocados, capers and drizzled sour cream), Mondongo (tripe soup with cow or pig’s stomach, slow-cooked vegetables, and coriander), Arepas (maize flour patties cooked with butter, then fried or grilled filled with cheese), mazamorra (a pudding-like dish made with crushed maiz, soaked in water and soda lye), frijoles Antioquenos (made with red or Cargamanto beans, tomatoes, scallions, cumin, plantain, and hogao sauce), Sancocho (different types of meat with potato, plantain, cassava, with cilantro, tomatoes, and corn on the cob).

Cali

The city of Cali is filled with fantastic foodie destinations, the cuisine in the Valley of Cauca is an extraordinary blend of several different cultures and influences passed down from the indigenous tribes of the region. The result is a unique blend of exquisite dishes such as sancocho de gallina, a tasty chicken soup with corn, plantains, coriander, yuca root, and other seasonings, usually served with rice and fried plantains. There is such as vast cuisine in Cali with empanadas being another staple on the menu, delicious fresh exotic fruit like chontaduro, and juices, sweet pastries, and other versatile, rich, full-flavored items. Cali’s streets are abuzz with an unforgettable food scene, tempting food stalls, tropical heat, and a party vibe, after all, it is the salsa capital of the world.

Must Savor Specialties: Sancocho de gallina (a rich soup made with hen broth and meat, rice, corn, yucca, patacones, avocado, and spicy peppers), Tamal valluno (corn dough filled with chicken, and beef with a mixture of vegetables, wrapped in a banana leaf), Arroz atollado (similar to paella, a rice stew with pork ribs, bacon, chicken, sausage, veggies, and sometimes egg), Empanadas (corn dough filled with beef and chicken, potatoes, garlic, and onion, and deep-fried), Marranitas vallunas (plantain dough filled with pork skin and deep-fried), Aborrajados (a dessert with a crust made from plantain, eggs, and flour, filled with white cheese and deep-fried), Bandeja Paisa, Tamales.

Providencia Island

The Sea of Seven Colors is the nickname for Providencia Island with the freshest most delicious fish, and seafood being the main culinary delights to try here. Beachside restaurants are the go-to here with popular places such as El Divino Nino, Restaurante Arturo, and Roland Roots Bar, all offering delectable dishes, tasty tropical cocktails, and unsurpassable views. Providencia offers the quintessential island experience with some of the freshest seafood in teh entire Caribbean including the rodon, a seafood dish made with coconut milk, fish, conch, cassava root, sweet potato, white yams, pumpkin, seasoning, and herbs. The cuisine along Colombia’s Caribbean coastline is some of the most delicious in the entire country.

Must Savor Specialties: Rondon (seafood dish with coconut milk, fish, conch, cassava root, sweet potato, white yams, pumpkin, herbs, and seasoning), Crab Soup (a delicacy similar to rondon without fish), Black crab meat (an island delicacy, tender meat), caracol (conch, large sea snail, typically grilled, fried, or stewed), Fried plantain slices (crispy smashed plantain chips), local lobster (sweet, flavorful meat, grilled with a bit of lime), Lionfish, crab patty, conch ball sandwiches, fried fish platters.