9 Colombian cuisine dishes to eat in Bogotá (2024)

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Tamales, traditional Colombian dish. Image by freepik from Freepik

Nixtamalization, or steeping something in a mixture of water and alkalis (from wood ash or limestone), is one more of those cooking methods that leave you wondering how on Earth could someone come up with an idea like this. Yet, this mixture is the key to making masa, corn dough for tamales, a dish known and loved throughout Mesoamerica.

Tamalesare double wrappers, with masa forming the outer shell, meats, veggies, fruits, all sorts of cheese, or a raving mix thereof being the fillings, and banana leaves or corn husks encompassing everything as the exterior hull that keeps it all together while the deliciousness-to-be is cooked in hot steam. This is a very ancient recipe: its roots are traced back to circa 8,000 BC. Mayans and Aztecs used tamales as food for the road, since it stays edible for a long time and packs a punch of carbs and proteins to replenish energy of a weary traveler. Nowadays, tamales are cooked for several occasions, including the birth of a child, but outside of their ceremonious function, these wrappers make a good breakfast that will fill you up for a day of exploration in Bogotá. Well, until lunchtime, anyway.

La Puerta Falsa Restaurant

#217 of 41396 restaurants in Bogotá, Colombia

Tamales

It's specially prepared corn dough masa with a filling of meat with a spicy sauce. And all this is collapsed into the leaves of corn cobs.

Best tamales in Bogotá restaurants

Ajiaco, traditional Colombian soup. Image by Bernard Gagnon. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped from original

All countries of South America and what is called Mesoamerica share numerous customs and traditions, including those that underpin the most prominent items in their cookbooks. Using pepper liberally is one of them, and supporting meat with herbs and root vegetables is another. Ajiaco, a hot soup or stew cooked and loved in Colombia, Peru, and Peru, is a good example of how these three habits combine to yield a staple lunch dish.

Bogotá has its own variation of ajiaco, called ajiaco santafereño. It is a thick soup based on chicken broth and meat, incorporating three varieties of spuds (in South America, potatoes are a much bigger deal), and completing the flavor part with Galinsoga parviflora, a herb known here as guasca, and hot pepper, of course. The combination, typically served with slices of avocado, some corn, and/or cream, is a must-eat dish in Athens of South America.

El Gato Gris

#247 of 41396 restaurants in Bogotá, Colombia

Ajiaco

Traditional Cuban soup made from pumpkin, corn, sweet potatoes and seasonal vegetables on meat broth.

Best ajiaco in Bogotá restaurants

One of the numerous variants of quinoa salad. Image by timolina from Freepik

If “healthy lifestyle” isn’t just a couple of words for you, quinoa is definitely something that you know and use in your cooking (healthy lifestyle naturally entails making your own food) quite often. The cereal – pseudocereal, in fact – is well-known among the adepts of “eating the right way” for its nutritional value. Science supports this choice: quinoa delivers protein, fibers, zinc, folate, and antioxidants, all while being gluten-free, which is often important for the said adepts.

Regardless of your attitude towards health considerations in relation to food, you can’t skip on quinoa in Colombia. It’s a component found in many dishes served here, withquinoa salad being one of the most common among them. In Bogotá’s restaurants, you’ll find numerous variations of this starter/side, many of which will have the pseudocereal mixed with zucchini, bell peppers, garlic, onions, black pepper, and olive oil. All ingredients of such a salad are locally sourced, so this one is a real representation of the tastes of the country. A piece of advice: look for quinoa con vegetales asados in the menus, this is an option that has grilled or roasted vegetables inside, utterly delicious even for a thoroughly carnivorous foodie.

Quinua Y Amaranto

#41 of 41396 restaurants in Bogotá, Colombia

Quinoa salad

Quinoa salad is a nutritious and versatile dish, packed with a variety of fresh vegetables and quinoa, a high-protein grain. It is typically tossed in a tangy vinaigrette dressing. Depending on the recipe, it may also include elements of sweetness from fruits or a crunchy texture from nuts.

Best quinoa salad in Bogotá restaurants

Lomo saltado, the salad to eat in Bogota. Image by HugoMon. Licence CC BY 3.0. Cropped from original

As mentioned above, countries of South America share a lot in terms of customs and gastronomic ways. Some dishes, even those not really old, managed to transcend national borders here and win considerable audiences in the neighboring states. One of the most vivid examples of such culinary viability is, arguably, lomo saltado, a Peruvian salad you have to eat in Bogotá, even if you do have a trip to Peru planned for the near future.

The recipe is part of the chifa cooking tradition, which brings together foods available in South America, Peru in particular (this is where it was born), and Chinese approaches to processing them. Lomo saltado, which means beef stir-fry in English, unites thin slices of marinated steak with tomatoes, onions, and rice, all seasoned with soy sauce and vinegar, and served with French fries on the side. Quite filling, lomo saltado makes a hearty breakfast, a delicious light lunch, or a dinner starter in Bogotá.

De Una Travel

#2419 of 9846 pubs & bars in Bogotá, Colombia

Lomo saltado

This is a Peruvian stew - sharp, tender slices in a traditional vinegar-pepper sauce anticuchos. You need to eat them, grabbing tidbits from each other from a plate and drink with chicha corn beer or red wine. Lomo saltado is part of the Chinese cuisine of Peru.

Best lomo saltado in Bogotá restaurants

Carimañola, Colombian deep-fried pastry to eat in Bogota. Image by Jdvillalobos. Licence CC BY 3.0. Cropped from original

People have been making pastries since times immemorial. This is a very much overused phrase, but what else can you say if it’s true? Once the idea of grinding certain grains into flour (an uncommon one, admittedly, but less bizarre than nixtamalization), mixing them with water and then baking to make bread caught on, it spawned a couple dozen related concepts, with carimañola being a realization of the most prolific of them.

Popular in Colombia and Panama,carimañolas are torpedo-shaped fried pies stuffed with seasoned meats and cheese, plus many other ingredients in localized variations of the recipe, which revolve around what’s available there. The meats are typically beef or chicken, seasoned; the hull of the small torpedo is made of yuca, a South American root vegetable resembling potatoes, which is boiled, mashed, and stuffed. Deep-fried, carimañolas are a popular breakfast or afternoon snack in Bogotá, served by fine-dining restaurants and street food stalls alike.

Origen Bistro

#294 of 41396 restaurants in Bogotá, Colombia

Carimañola

Carimañola is a fried meat-pie, made with yucca (cassava) dough filled with cheese, seasoned ground beef, or chicken. It is typically served as a breakfast or snack with a spicy sauce or salsa for dipping in Colombia and Panama.

Best carimañola in Bogotá restaurants

Ceviche, the one and only seafood plate. Image by Picanteria karol. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped from original

Seafood isn’t very common in Colombia’s capital. The reason is obvious: Bogotá occupies over 300 kilometers squared (minus its metropolitan area) in the heart of the land, about 500 kilometers from the nearest coastal town of the country, which is Buenaventura. This means that when you come upon a meal revolving around fish in the City of Everyone, there’s no way you can refuse it.

About 2,000 years ago, when it was invented,ceviche could be called a Peruvian dish. Today, however, it’s something common throughout Latin America, and popular all around the world. In Colombia, ceviche, which often revolves around shrimps, can have coconut, pear, fennel, mango, even licorice, all dressed in a sauce made of mayo, lime juice, ketchup, olive oil, and onions. Finding a cevicheria in Bogotá is not really difficult, so, whenever you feel it’s time for something more healthy and yet filling and delicious, go for ceviche.

Cevichería Cartagena

#191 of 1911 seafood restaurants in Bogotá, Colombia

Ceviche

Ceviche is fresh fish or other seafood marinated in citrus juice with various additional ingredients. The dish originated in Peru, however, there are different variations of ceviche all over the world. Its name means "food" in Spanish or "dish" in Quechuan.

Best ceviche in Bogotá restaurants

Sancocho, a hearty stew to eat in Bogota. Image by Caldobasico. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped from original

If you visit Panama or the Dominican Republic, you may well hear that sancocho is their dish. Colombians have a similar opinion, i.e., they believe this flavorful stew to be rooted in their culinary tradition. Although, when national pride is put aside, they all acknowledge that sancocho was brought to the New World by Spaniards back in the 15th century, when the colonization of Latin America began.

The word "sancocho" comes from the Spanish "sancochar," meaning "parboil," which reflects the approach: the ingredients are partially cooked before being simmered in a flavorful broth. In Colombia, a pot of thereof typically includes chicken, beef, and goat meat, plus corn (pieces of cob), green plantains, spuds, and yuca. There’s a gourmet variation of this stew here that’s called sancocho de costilla: it’s made with beef ribs. Usually served with rice, avocado, and hot chili pepper sauce, this Colombian cuisine staple is so good you’re likely to cook it at home.

Sanalejo Cafe Bar Restaurante

#161 of 41396 restaurants in Bogotá, Colombia

Sancocho

This thick rich soup can be called a ragout from different kinds of meat (beef, pork ribs, chicken, ham, and sausages), with vegetables and various seasonings. Chili or Tabasco is usually added to this dish, which makes it quite hot.

Best sancocho in Bogotá restaurants

Arroz atolado, Colombian rice dish. Image by Aleat88. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped from original

In Colombian cuisine, rice isn’t as common and ubiquitous as in Oriental culinary traditions, but the crop has actually been cultivated in Latin America for over 4,000 years, according to some evidence, plus, at least two varieties of the cereal are endemic to the region, i.e., it originated therein. Thus, don’t be surprised to see menu items that cite rice as one of their components. And when you come upon arroz atollado, take your chance to enjoy this gastronomic masterpiece.

Simple on the outside – basically,arroz atollado is a matter of pork and chicken, rice and potatoes, and sweet pepper with onions – the recipe shines with a variety of seasonings and herbs that it can accept without compromising the tastes of any of its core ingredients. Moreover, its typical company – hogao (tomato and onions sauce) and patacón (plantain pancakes) – complete the meal to a hearty celebration of Colombian gusto.

Petronio Cocina de autor

#33 of 41396 restaurants in Bogotá, Colombia

Arroz atollado

It's a very tasty dish from rice, pork and sweet pepper. The meat is tender, and the rice is saturated with gravy and acquires a wonderful taste.

Best arroz atollado in Bogotá restaurants

Cholado, the refresing fruit dessert. Image by C arango. Public domain. Cropped from original

There’s a healthy desserts section in any Colombian cuisine cookbook worth the paper it’s printed on (ok, in the age of recipe websites and apps, this sounds a bit outdated), but one you certainly need to eat in Bogotá is cholado, or cholao. This treat is very popular here: there are shops that specialize in this sweet deliciousness, and you can find it on the menus of most of the restaurants.

Also known as raspao, this dessert is basically slices of fresh fruits (kiwi, apple, banana, papaya, mango, soursop, etc.) mixed with crushed ice or shavings thereof, and topped with condensed milk and/or syrup. Cholado is typically served as ice-cream or a milkshake, in a tall glass; cheese, wafer cookies, and whipped cream often complete the picture of a sweet and cold dish that can crown any dinner on a hot night in Bogotá. If you somehow succeed in resisting a serving of cholao, please let us know how in the comments below.

Roca Pan y Helado Artesanal

#12599 of 41396 restaurants in Bogotá, Colombia

Cholado

One of the most popular drinks in Colombia, Cholado is a popular dessert made from shaved ice, fresh fruit, and condensed milk and served in a tall glass with a spoon and a straw. It is often topped with coconut flakes, a maraschino cherry, and a drizzle of fruit syrup.

Best cholado in Bogotá restaurants

Colombia, as mentioned in the intro, is the world’s fourth largest producer of coffee. You would expect a local culture of brewing the ground beans, but it’s a case of a cobbler without shoes: Colombians actually drink the lowest quality coffee, exporting the nuanced Arabica from its diverse terroirs abroad.

This doesn’t mean people here don’t enjoy a cup of joe. They do! Below are the four approaches to coffee favored by locals in Bogotá and elsewhere in the country.

Tinto

Tinto coffee in Bogota. Image by Edgar Zuniga Jr. Licence CC BY 2.0. Cropped from original

Tinto is the most common way to drink coffee in Colombia. The word itself, in this particular case, means “ink,” and the drink itself is black, as you understand. Locals can have it with and without a small amount of sugar (panela), always in tiny mugs, chatting one thing after another, and occasionally snacking on small desserts. You’ll be offered tinto often in Bogotá, but, considering the miniature cups it’s served in, there’s no harm in accepting it every time.

Café

Cafe, Colombian coffee with milk. Image by ProtoplasmaKid. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped from original

This may be misleading, but in Colombia, a café is not a place where you can eat and drink. Well, it’s that, too, but in most cases, when you hear “café” here, it’s about coffee with milk. Many Colombians prefer their joe this way, but, truth be told, it’s more of a milk with coffee deal and not the other way around.

Pintado

Pintado, Colombian take on the capucino concept. Image by KamranAydinov from Freepik

Pintado means “painted”; this is the closest thing to cappuccino or latte in Colombia. When you want a taste that’s more or less familiar, grab a pintado from a nearby stall, you won’t be disappointed.

El Carajillo

Carajillo, a stronger coffee. Image by Gordito1869. Licence CC BY 3.0. Cropped from original

A word of caution: don’t ask for El Carajillo in the morning. Yes, it’s coffee, but not in its pure, boosting form. This drink can actually have the opposite effect, since the recipe thereof includes a healthy splash of rum, aguardiente, or other strong beverage. Thus, “courage” (this is the meaning of the word “coraje,” which the name of the drink stems from) is better reserved for evenings in Bogotá.

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