ECONOMICAL RESTAURANTS CARTAGENA
Colombian cuisine is as diverse as its landscape. The aromas and flavours around the Colombian coast are heavily influenced by African and Arabic origins.
With vibrant colours and an equally spirited city, Cartagena is a port city located on Colombia’s Caribbean coast.
The beautiful cobblestone streets and kaleidoscopic colonial buildings will dazzle and entrance any visitor, even those who have traversed this ancient city previously.
As a consequence Cartagena is one of the more expensive cities in Colombia. However, when compared to Europe or the United States, Cartagena is still a relatively reasonable city to enjoy.
Cartagena, being one of the most important tourist destinations around the coast, this colonial city is home to some incredible restaurants. Nevertheless, as a result Cartagena can also be relatively pricey and this is particularly true with regard to the amazing gastronomic attractions.
Thus, so as to not break any budgets, but still be able to appreciate the very delicious cuisine on display in Cartagena, we have compiled our top selections for low to medium price range restaurants.
From street vendors to the finest of cuisine, there is a plethora of excellent dining options throughout the city. In addition to traditional Colombian fare such as coconut rice, fried fish and patacones, available too are Asian, Italian, Spanish and many others.
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There are four levels of restaurants in all of Colombia, including Cartagena:
- Small food stands in plazas and on the corners of many intersections offer excellent street food, including the omnipresent empanadas and arepas. This a most economical and delicious option.
- Popular paisa (country) restaurants, ideal for breakfast and lunch for a simple but complete meal, usually comprising soup, main course with salad and soft drink.
- Good restaurants with better service and more refined offerings generally for lunch and dinner. These can be found in the busier sections of Cartagena.
- High end restaurants occupying beautiful locations, sublime ambiance and exceptional international cuisine and fancy wine lists.
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Street food
If you are traveling on a budget, or simply keen to try Colombian street food, Cartagena’s old town is a dream. Throughout the streets you will find small stalls selling arepas, fresh fruit, cerviche and any amount of fresh fried fish as well as delicious empanadas and arepas. Street food stalls are the go to for a satisfying and economical experience.
Cartagena has many restaurants from which to choose and most will have someone standing outside with menus beckoning you to dine with them for either lunch or dinner. Your budget can rapidly collapse eating out three meals a day in Cartagena, so here are some options for economical, sustaining food that is delicious, within the walled city and surrounding neighbourhoods.
Though many restaurants within the Walled City exhibit Manhattan or London prices, an inexpensive meal is not impossible to find. There are still a few mom-and-pop restaurants featuring set (cheap) lunches for locals who would balk at paying over $20,000 COP (US$5) for their midday meal.
Pezetarian
A self-styled Colombian, Japanese and Peruvian fusion offering fresh food, full of flavour, colours and texture. An interesting restaurant whose dishes are unique and creatively and colourfully presented. With a clean, minimalist design the service is fast and casual and unbeatable value for money.
A great selection of sushi, cerviches, salads and excellent vegetarian and vegan options. Do not be put off by the fast food style as this is high quality dining at mid-range prices.
La Mulata
A bustling eatery, next door to a hostel, that has a very vibrant atmosphere, it is young and hip, a lunch break favourite for working Colombians and tourists alike. They keep things casual and good with four daily main courses serving breakfast and lunch only. There is a pleasant patio in the back.
La Mulata is the Afro-Caribbean mermaid whose portrait hangs over this hipster haven in the old town.
This fun, low-key eatery is decorated with colourful murals, painted fish and other works of art as well as objects found on the beaches such as green beer bottles repurposed as lighting fixtures.
Lively and affordable, the food is similarly artful, with coconut rice arriving in the shape of a little pyramid along with a spiral of chopped avocado and tomatoes gracing most plates. The menu is not extensive, so every dish should be considered a specialty. Each plate that comes out from the kitchen looks totally amazing – Caribbean dishes including sautéed fish, garlic shrimp, grilled lobster and other treats from the sea.
All meals start with a delicate fish soup (included in the price) that is so amazingly fresh and drinks that are fruity, with exceptional service. The restaurant is not that large, so you might have to wait for a little while but be assured, it will be worth it.
Townhouse Boutique Hotel and Rooftop
Fortunately The Townhouse Boutique obligingly opens their rooftop to guests who are staying elsewhere.
The buzzing bar serves happy hour cocktails to droves of locals just as the sun sets over the domes and churches of Cartagena’s skyline.
The Bar food is exceptional and includes nachos, cerviche and many fresh fish options are designed for sharing, so do come with a group or prepare to make friends. This is tremendous value for a wonderful night out.
Alquímico
The interior spaces as well as the incredible rooftop at an amazing former mansion in Cartagena’s historic centre are the setting for the Colombian Caribbean’s most talented bartenders. The cocktails mixed here are magic potions that transform whiskey, vodka, gin and rum into stunning elixirs, always with a local lilt. Choose from evocatively named options like El Laboratorio, Inquisición or Basilico Punch.
The food menu provides fresh, healthy and tropical fare, with plenty of chicken, seafood, beef, fish and vegetarian options. The kitchen also serves a few Colombian classics like arepas, carimañolas and tortas de choclo (corn cakes).
The crowd is made up with sophisticated locals and hip visitors looking for respite from the usual. Music is mostly jazz, funk and hip-hop which makes for a lively evening.
Café Pavia
While Café Pavia does not appear anything special from the exterior, it is the charming shaded patio and the outstanding service that makes it a place to want to return. This is the most wonderful green escape right in the centre of the city, where it is easy to while away the hours.
Order one of the lunch specials, such as the fresh local fish prepared in coconut milk with a divine tropical juice to go with it.
The menu consists of a mix of Colombian classics such as meat, fish, fried chicken and arepas that have been described as some of the best in town.
Different live musicians take turns playing their versions of popular Latin songs, many of which you most likely familiar with. In the evening the Italian owner, who also is a musician, takes over.
The dinner menu is all about Italy with generous portions of pasta and pizzas which are renowned as being as good as anywhere in Cartagena. Café Pavia is something special and your budget is well protected.
La Cocina de Pepina
A simple, straightforward restaurant that is one of the best places to experience traditional Colombian and Caribbean fusion, a signature of Cartagena’s cuisine.
The offerings include farm fresh egg plant, tomatoes and lemon blended with fish and meats and local tropical fruits. Located in a side street of Cartagena’s neighbourhood of Getsemaní, the restaurant receives clients on a first come, first served basis given that the small venue cannot accommodate more than a dozen guests per sitting.
The menu of this endearing locale was created by María Josefina Yancés from ancestral recipes of her family’s kitchen and one inspired by her native Cordoba.
La Cocina de Pepina is a reference in Cartagena’s crowded gastro scene for authenticity and exceptional value, especially among costeños who are discerning, if not demanding, customers.
Restaurant Bar 1533
This restaurant is well recommended should you be searching for something local, good and with fast service. Located at Calle Soledad in the charming, colourful old town, 1533 is a small eatery on two floors named after the year Cartagena was founded.
Expect it to be crowded, but do not be put off as the service is well organised, so usually there is no more than a 10 minute wait, which is well rewarded.
The food at 1533 is not by any means gourmet, but it is tasty and authentic Colombian cuisine at a very competitive price.
If appetizing, local and something served without delay is what you are looking for, 1533 is a great option.
Café Lunático
A hidden gem of the bohemian Getsemaní neighbourhood, which is famous for its colourful alleys and graffiti,
Café Lunatico is a small but charming restaurant. The menu includes a range of delicious Spanish cuisine, while the chefs offer entertaining cooking lessons for those who would like to learn how to prepare any of the dishes on offer.
The Café has an intimate ambiance with well complemented artwork on the walls. They serve traditional Spanish and Colombian cuisine. Hamburgers, mussels and prawn risotto are some of the customer favourites. The ingredients they use are locally sourced and their preparations possess delicate and enthralling flavours.
This is a wonderful place for either breakfast, lunch or dinner. Try the arepita lunática for one of the best examples of the local breakfast classic. The Café is also an excellent choice for tapas in the evening.
Ingredients are of notably good quality and the Spanish owner-chef reliably impresses with a short menu that shows off some inventive and remarkably well executed dishes, ranging from a watermelon gazpacho with avocado and a shrimp brochette, to a corvina tiradito with banana and lemongrass, to a more traditional grilled octopus.
There are interesting vegetarian options as well. All around, Café Lunático offers great value for the quality of the food.
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El Coroncoro
When traveling, the best way to eat hearty, inexpensive and delicious food, is to go where the locals eat. The popular and simple El Coroncoro is always filled with cartagenos who live in the neighbourhood.
Located on one of the main streets in Getsemaní, the alternative, Bohemian area of Cartagena, you will find this, usually crowded, local favourite. Once you enter, you will feel far away from the touristic centre. Most of the diners are Colombian.
Even though El Coroncoro’s local vibe is charming, it is the food rather than the simple venue that is the main attraction.
You share big, round tables with other guests and instead of giving you a menu, the staff walks you through the options of the day.
Most of the traditional lunch classics here, such as Sobrebarriga (tender sauteed meat), grilled fish and Cazuela (a traditional soup with either seafood or meat). All of the dishes are served as traditional Colombian lunches, that is to say with soup, main course and rice, salad, juice and postre (desert).
The servings are generous and there really is no better value to be found in the city.
Di Silvio Trattoria
There is something about Italian food when you are on a seaside vacation, that just cannot be compared to any other cuisine. If you are searching for affordable food in a relaxed atmosphere, this is the place you are looking for in Cartagena.
Wonderful, authentic yet unpretentious Italian food in a clean, laid back environment. Located in Getsemaní, this little restaurant is known by locals and vacationers alike for its tremendous pizza. There is something to tempt all pizza lovers, while of course for those not having the urge for pizza, all of your authentic Italian favourites including pasta dishes as well as a variety of antipasti packed full of Italian flavours and ingredients like prosciutto, capers, parmesan and pesto are available.
Di Silvio Trattoria offers an open-air feel through the creative use of large windows and doors, high ceilings and outside seating at the rear.
This blend of atmosphere, good food and affordable prices has quickly made Di Silvio Trattoria very popular among people vacationing in Cartagena as well as locals who want to enjoy an appetizing meal without paying the earth.
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