What to Eat and Drink in Colombia: A Traveler's Food Guide

Why Colombian food surprises visitors

Colombian cooking is regional, hearty, and built around fresh produce, corn, and meat. Each city has its own specialties, so eating your way across the country is half the trip.

Signature dishes to try

• Bandeja paisa - the iconic Medellin platter with beans, rice, ground beef, chicharron, fried egg, plantain, avocado and arepa. Order it for lunch; it is huge.
• Ajiaco - a Bogota chicken-and-potato soup served with capers, cream and corn on the cob.
• Sancocho - a rich soup of meat or fish, plantain and yuca, popular on the Caribbean and Pacific coasts.
• Lechona - whole roasted pig stuffed with rice and peas, a Tolima specialty.
• Arepas - grilled corn cakes eaten everywhere; the cheesy arepa de choclo is a must.

Street food worth stopping for

• Empanadas with aji sauce, usually around 2,000-3,000 COP each.
• Buñuelos and almojabanas - fried cheese-dough snacks loved at breakfast.
• Arepa de huevo on the coast, with a whole egg fried inside.
• Chontaduro - a peach-palm fruit sold with salt and honey in Cali.
• Obleas - thin wafers filled with arequipe (caramel).

What to drink

• Tinto - small, sweet black coffee sold on every corner.
• Fresh juices - try lulo, maracuya (passion fruit), guanabana and mango, in water or milk.
• Aguapanela - hot or cold sugar-cane water, often with lime or cheese.
• Aguardiente - the anise spirit for nights out; Club Colombia is a solid beer.
• Refajo - beer mixed with Colombiana soda, a party favorite.

Practical dining tips and etiquette

• The menu del dia (set lunch) is the best value, often 15,000-25,000 COP for soup, main, juice and dessert.
• Tipping: a 10 percent propina is usually added; staff will ask if you want to include it.
• Lunch is the main meal; many local spots wind down by mid-afternoon.
• Tap water is generally safe in Bogota and Medellin, but bottled is wise on the coast.
• Say buen provecho and ask for aji if you like a little heat.

Stay connected in Colombia

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