One of my favorite parts of visiting Colombia was how strong the U.S. dollar was. And that meant that we were able to eat whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted, and how much we wanted! FYI, I live in in New York City, which means you can almost never grab a sit-down meal for under $25…but we ate like kings in Cartagena, ordering lobster and octopus for every meal. (This isn’t an overexaggeration! I think we ate at every single most expensive restaurant in Colombia.) Essentially, we tackled all the best restaurants in Cartagena—and you should too!
Here are the best restaurants in Cartagena, Colombia.
Carmen
Carmen is my favorite restaurant in Cartagena, hands down. With only 3 days here, we managed to eat at Carmen twice! It was also our first meal after arriving in Colombia and will stay with me forever.
The sunny courtyard is lush and beautiful, but I prefer eating inside where the air conditioning is! The menu is elegant and luxurious. My favorite dish was the charcoal-grilled lobster with the Andean apple slices and green dashi—the lobster flesh is so sweet and tender, and you can REALLY taste the charcoal!
We also had the delicious octopus, the red snapper with shrimp salsa verde and coconut curry, and the spicy crab and nori tacos. Oh, and they also serve you a pre-appetizer and a changing house dessert every meal. You basically feel like an emperor.
They have a location in Medellín too, so you have two tries to go on your trip to Colombia. 😉
Alma
Alma is the other top-rated contemporary restaurant in Cartagena, set in the stylish and upscale hotel Casa San Agustín. Here is where I found my second-favorite dish in Cartagena, the octopus carpaccio. Not only is it incredibly delicious, the dish is dressed like a piece of art:
We also feasted on the seafood casserole, which was pleasantly stuffed with an abundant amount of seafood. I was also quite fond of the local bread, including this cheese ball-like crisp called dia bolin, which they make in-house!
Need a break from the food? If you’re interested in exploring the aesthetic side of Cartagena, check out my Cartagena photo guide!
Cafe de la Mañana
Okay, time to step away from fancy upscale restaurants. If you’re looking for a more local, but no less delicious experience, go to Cafe de la Mañana. They have the best juice in Cartagena in my opinion, and the prices here really can’t be beat.
My suggestion is to go for brunch since they lean towards morning foods. Get the lulo juice! It’s the best fruit that you’ve never heard of—citrusy, tangy, and refreshing.
Image from Roam & Thrive
La Cevicheria
If you’re in the food world, you probably knew this restaurant was here. Anthony Bourdain famously dined here at La Cevicheria and there has been a line ever since!
Despite the name, their famous dish is the seafood paella. We tried it, and while it’s not exactly the same as a proper Valencian Spanish paella, it’s delicious in its own right.
Image from lacevicheriacartagena.com
Don Juan
Don Juan was the priciest meal we had in Cartagena. The restaurant is set in a large, beautiful dim white space with sea-glass green accents.
We ate everything tapas-style on small plates. I can vouch for the seared tataki, beef tartare, grilled lobster tail, crab claws, and grilled octopus as great starters!
The meal was still incredibly reasonably priced for everything that we ordered at just over $120 USD for two people.
Eteka Beach Lounge
This is a bit of a cheat as eating at Eteka will either 1) require you to be a patron staying at the property, or 2) book a day pass to the private island. We were invited to stay at Eteka for press purposes, but what we weren’t expecting was how delicious all the food was!
Every meal without fail, we ordered at least one grilled octopus tail—they do it fantastically. I was also a huge fan of their ceviches, super crispy calamari, and salmon fillet.
For breakfast, they also do amazing fruit plates with local fruits as well as a pretty great cast-iron egg curry similar to a shakshuka. So you can go any time of day and have a lovely meal! Bonus points: spend the day hanging out on the beach, watching the parrots and peacocks, and really enjoy the slow living pace.
I hope you enjoyed the delicious food and flavors of Colombia. I wasn’t expecting to love the food scene here as much as I did! And the best part is, Cartagena is just the gateway to the rest of this incredibly beautiful and ecologically diverse country.
Feel free to learn more about Colombia in my Cartagena photo guide, or head over to explore the best day hike from Medellín!
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