11 BEST Colombian Restaurants in Bogota
Don’t know where to start with Colombian cuisine in Bogota? I try everything from street food to fine dining and share with you the best Colombian restaurants in Bogota.
Colombian Restaurants In Bogota: A Food Lover’s Adventure
My knowledge of Colombian food remained limited throughout my life. I’ve never dined at a traditional Colombian restaurant nor have I actively searched for Colombian cuisine. Mistakes noted. Never again.
If you love food, then Colombian restaurants in Bogota will take your palate to a new level with hearty soups and hefty portions.
So, if this is your first time in Bogota, get ready for amazing dishes that you never knew existed. In this post, I take you through my favorite Colombian restaurants in Bogota during my five week stay in the city. If you are looking for a wider variety of restaurants, I wrote a full blog post with twenty of the best restaurants in Bogota that cover a range of cuisines.
Please note, when I say these are the best Colombian restaurants in Bogota, I mean these are the best ones I personally tried. With more time and a bigger stomach, this list would most certainly be much, much longer.
Click Below For A Full List Of Restaurants In Bogota 20 BEST Restaurants In Bogota | Best Places To Eat In Bogota
1. Restaurant La Herencia – Best Colombian Restaurant In Bogota For First Timers
I think La Herencia is the perfect restaurant for travelers wanting to try Colombian food in a familiar setting. The menu is decked out with a laundry list of traditional Colombian dishes, drinks, and desserts.
My wife ordered the Chuleta Valluna, a breaded and fried pork chop served with a fried green plantain, rice, and salad. Oh, make that TWO fried pork chops.
I am not sure exactly how they made the pork taste so amazing, but I’m guessing a marinade and high quality pork. Somehow it tasted beyond what a fried piece of pork should. I loved combining the pork with bites from the frisbee sized fried green plantain which snapped off like a giant chip and tasted slightly sweet and earthy.
I ordered the El Gran Cocido Boyacense, a traditional stew from the Boyaca region of Colombia. An absolute behemoth portion, the stew came filled to the brim with pork ribs, pork belly, chicken, two WHOLE potatoes, corn on the cob, and a mix of beans and veggies.
I can only describe the soup as ultra hearty. Like a stick to your bones kind of stew for those working hard and enduring the elements. Yeah. I’d bring this stew to a job site during winter back in my construction working days.
A few bites made me feel warm all over with the broth tasting like a homogenous mix of protein and veggies. The meat fell right off the bones, and I happily devoured every scrap of chicken and pork in the bowl. Despite my best efforts, I could only finish half of the stew leaving an unfortunate amount of beans, vegetables, and potatoes behind. Still worth it!
Restaurant La Herencia Cra. 9 #69A-26, Bogotá, Colombia
2. Abasto Quinta Camacho – Best Modern Colombian Cuisine
An institution of Bogota, Abasto is a modern Colombian restaurant featuring ingredients from around the country. Albasto takes pride in knowing the source of every ingredient and highlighting its flavors on the plate.
We started off with Corn Empanadas filled with chicken and cheese with a mole dipping sauce. Awesome in every sense of the word. Colombian empanadas are made from corn masa stuffed with a filling and deep fried until crispy and delicious.
These empanadas won me over from the more famous Argentinian empanadas that most people know about. These Colombian empanadas felt incredibly light and crispy on the outside with a power packed chicken filling.
The dipping mole sauce pulled everything together, bringing out the sweetness of the corn and the savoriness of the chicken.
For the main, my wife ordered the Creamy Rice with shrimp, which was fantastic, but my Chimichurri Chicken with heirloom potatoes captured our taste buds.
I loved how they removed the bones making it easy for me to cut the meat and chow down! The chicken tasted perfect with the right amount of oomph from the herby chimichurri. It’s what I dream about when it comes to roast chicken with crispy skin and strong chicken flavors.
The potatoes took me by surprise with a sharp, funky note from the ripened cheese, which I absolutely adored. The cheese reminded me of a nicely ripened soft French cheese but with a little more body. The potatoes tasted superb with everything I could’ve wished for and more.
Abasto Quinta Camacho Cl. 69a #9-09, Bogotá, Colombia
3. Candela y Candil – Best Colombian Restaurants For A Cheap Lunch
For the real deal Bogota food experience, all travelers should visit a corrientazo, a local lunch spot designed for the everyday working person. Throughout Bogota, corrientazos hide in plain sight with at least one situated on almost every major block in the city.
Every corrientazo showcases a Menu del Dia (menu of the day) where you pick a juice, soup, salad, protein, and a side with everything costing about 15,000 COP ($3 USD). An extremely affordable price especially with all the food they serve.
For first timers in Bogota, I highly recommend Candela y Candil, a corrientazo in a familiar restaurant setting. On the particular day that we visited, I ordered seared pork which came with rice, fried, a potato tortilla, and fried plantain served with a sweet and savory sauce on the side.
My wife ordered the seared steak with rice, fried plantains potato tortilla, and a cream sauce. Both of our meals came with fresh juice, a side salad, and a choice of soup or a fruit bowl. Yes, all of this for only $3 USD per person.
Here is the amazing part, everything tasted wonderful. It’s not just cheap food, but a true demonstration of culinary basics done right. The combinations of savory and sweet with correct searing on a flat top grill. Everything we ate was absolutely delicious.
Candela y Candil Cra. 8 #56-32, Bogotá, Colombia
4. Fritya – Best Fried Snacks In Bogota
Walking around Bogota, I always saw a hoard of people huddled around the windows of restaurants serving fried empanadas and arepas. Fritya is one of many places serving these types of fried treats welcoming everyone from around the neighborhood.
At Fritya, their main specialty is a fried arepa with shredded bbq beef with a whole egg loaded in the middle; a food that I adored and ate several times throughout my month long stay in Bogota. An absolutely delicious snack, the slightly sweet beef worked well with the whole egg, and I worked my mouth back and forth to get a little bit of both in each bite.
The best part of the arepa came from the delicate crunch on the outside. Similar to crispy rice, the outside of the arepa felt firm at first, giving way to a soft middle.
Located sporadically along the counters, you will find a few squeeze bottles and bowls full of salsa used intermittently throughout the eating process. Paired with their green salsa, I poured a spoonful on the arepa with every bite, adding a bit of acid and sweetness that rounded out all the flavors.
Fritya Cra. 16 #64, Bogotá, Colombia
5. La Perseverancia Marketplace – Eat A Variety Of Colombian Food
Famous to locals, La Perseverancia gained international recognition when Netflix featured the restaurants in the market on the show Street Food Latin America. Despite welcoming tourists, La Perseverancia still serves mostly local Colombians, with the entire food market filling to the brim every day for lunch.
We wanted to try La Esquina de Mary for her coconut fish soup featured on Netflix. Although the soup looked simple, the flavors reflected the skills of an experienced chef.
A wonderful pronounced coconut characteristic hit first with a slight seafood aftertaste. The fish fell off the bone with an ever so slight push from my spoon and added its own unique profile to the dish.
The side of coconut rice was a nice touch, adding a new component to the meal. With a few bites of fried plantains, the whole experience was packed with intricate nuances and expertly crafted flavors that had a huge impact on what I thought and knew about Colombian food.
The best $5 USD I spent in Bogota.
Next, we went over to Tolu for their award winning Ajiaco, a Colombian potato soup with shredded chicken. The soup came in a silver pot accompanied by cream, capers, avocado, and rice.
The ajiaco embodied everything I love about soup with a thick texture and unique components. The soup tasted subtle enough to accompany a warm Bogota afternoon but still hearty enough to help withstand a cold rainy day. I seriously need to make this soup at home because it’s one of my wife’s favorite soups of all time.
No matter where you eat at La Perseverancia, you will most likely need to wait and deal with crowded tables and walkways. Trust me, it’s worth it. Oh yeah, it’s cash only so come prepared.
La Perseverancia Marketplace 40, Cra. 5 #30 A, Bogotá, Colombia
6. Arepana – Best For First Timers To Bogota
Yes, more arepas, but different from the stuffed deep fried versions. These are what people recognize when they see arepas: two thick white corn cakes stuffed with tasty bits of meat and cheese.
Although I found arepas all around Bogota, Arepana makes an excellent version perfect for new travelers to the city.
I ordered the Pabellon which came with shredded beef, black beans, cooked plantains, and cheese. I muscled my grip around the one pound arepa and took my first bite. Everything about this arepa tasted perfect with richness from the beef and beans with surprisingly sweet appearances from the cooked plantain.
My wife ordered the Sifrina, an arepa filled with shredded chicken, avocado, mayo, and mozzarella. Not as hefty but still filled to the brim, this arepa tasted more subtle with plenty of creaminess coming from the mayo and avocado.
I loved both arepas we tried and I highly recommend shy or picky eaters to try these arepas first before venturing to the smaller local spots.
Arepana Cra. 11 #69-67, Bogotá, Colombia
7. El Chato – Best Colombian Restaurant In Bogota For Fine Dining
For an amazing tasting menu with fair prices, I highly recommend El Chato. Taking Colombian ingredients and creating wonderful dishes, the chefs at El Chato take Colombian cuisine to a new level.
For about $90 USD, I ate a nine course tasting menu with alcoholic drink pairings while my wife tried the tasting menu with the non alcoholic drink pairing for about $75 USD.
I wrote a full in depth review of my meal at El Chato and answer questions about the dress code, reservations, price, and menu.
El Chato Nueva: Calle 65 # 4-76 Antigua: Calle 65 # 3b - 76, Bogotá, Colombia
8. Las Cazuelas de la Abuela – Best Local Colombian Restaurant In Bogota
For a local Colombian restaurant that has it all, look no further than Las Cuazuelas de la Abuela. I happened upon this place as I walked by the open door and the delicious smells stopped me in my tracks. Yup, the aroma tractor beam sucked me in!
I went with one of the most quintessential Colombian dishes, Bandeja Paisa. Simply put, the Bandeja Paisa is a dish of mixed proteins and starches which usually includes avocado, sausage, ground beef, runny egg, fried pork, beans, rice, cooked banana, and an arepa.
I don’t care what anyone else thinks, I love the Bandeja Paisa and it feels like comfort food on steroids. The eclectic mix of ingredients all on one plate makes plenty of sense, giving me the option of mixing my flavors and textures creating new bites during my whole meal.
My favorite part of the Bandeja Paisa was the cooked banana adding a slight sweetness for contrast from the rest of the dense and fatty foods.
My wife ordered the Churrasco, a marinated steak served with french fries, fried yuca, and a side salad. A wonderful steak with a nice spice filled marinade with a few charred spots for extra deliciousness.
There were so many options on the menu and I think travelers in search of the best Colombian restaurants in Bogota should stop here for real home style Colombian cooking.
Las Cazuelas de la Abuela Cl. 59 #9 16, Bogotá, Colombia
9. Sitio Casa Candelaria – Unique Colombian Restaurant In The Candelaria Neighborhood
The interior of the Sitio Casa Candeleria was certainly eclectic with vintage radios, vinyl records, and other nostalgic electronics adorning the walls.
I ordered the Arroz Mixto which came with french fries, chicken confit, rice sautéed with vegetables, pork loin, and bacon. A delicious but confusing dish, the arroz mixto reminded me of a soy heavy Asian fried rice loaded with pork. I’m not sure how it’s Colombian, but I still really loved all parts of the dish. The confit chicken fell right off the bone and tasted perfect with the sweet glaze.
My wife ordered the Calenta O Candelaria, a dish of spaghetti and rice mixed with shredded chicken with potatoes, Colombian sofrito, fried ripe plantains, and a mini arepa. Another confusing dish that somehow worked extremely well. The starch on starch tasted amazing but the dish was loaded with delicious chicken, hypnotizing my wife into eating the whole thing.
Despite being an unusual Colombian restaurant, I found the food at Sitio surprising and wonderful. It was a nice break from the usual Colombian fare and a restaurant perfect for those venturing into the touristy Candelaria neighborhood.
Sitio Casa Candelaria Cra. 2 #11-33, La Candelaria, Bogotá, Colombia
10. La Puerta Falsa – Best Afternoon Snack In Bogota
One of the oldest known eateries in Bogota is La Puerta Falsa. Open for over 200 years, La Puerta Falsa takes pride in serving Colombian staples to both locals and tourists alike.
This tiny hole in the wall resembles more of a pit stop than an actual restaurant; a place to refuel between lunch and dinner. They only serve a few small dishes like soups and tamales with classic Colombian beverages.
We went with the Tamale, corn, and rice flour stuffed with a whole chicken thigh, pork belly, peas, and carrots wrapped in banana leaves and steamed until magically delicious. Yes, you read that correctly, a whole chicken thigh bone and all.
These tamales tasted better than any other I tried in South America. The masa stayed extra moist from soaking in the chicken juices and pork fat creating ultra delicious bites that kept me eating almost nonstop.
For a sweet finish, we ordered their famous Chocolate Completo, a special in house blend of hot chocolate served with bread, butter, cheese, and Almojabana, a cheese stuffed bread.
Why so much cheese and bread with hot chocolate? Because it’s amazing. You’ll need to try it to understand.
The hot chocolate tasted like rich dark chocolate melted in water and blended with enough sugar to balance out the bitterness. A divine drink that made smile with every sip.
La Puerta Falsa Cl. 11 #6-50, Bogotá, Colombia
11. San Felipe Candelaria – Best Lunch Candelaria Neighborhood
Walking into San Felipe made me smile with the wonderful smells of the kitchen wafting into the dining room reminding me of simple and delicious home cooking.
For lunch, San Felipe acts as a corrientazo, offering a set menu with plenty of delicious variations. Each of our entrees came with the house soup which I personally need the recipe for to help conquer those cold winter days when I go back to Colorado. The soup tasted like comfort in a bowl with a light but flavorful broth of chicken and beef with slices of potatoes and yuca thrown in for substance.
My wife ordered the Steak which came seared on the flat top grill and served with rice, fried potatoes, and a side salad topped with a mango dressing.
I ordered the simply named Chicken and Rice which came with a fried banana and fried potatoes. I know it looks plain with veggies and rice with shredded chicken, but it tasted phenomenal with deep flavor on all fronts.
The chicken and veggies didn’t taste like chicken and veggies, taking on a whole new identity completely. Whatever stock and spices they used to cook the rice really impacted the taste to create a delicious combination I’ve yet to experience anywhere.
San Felipe Candelaria Cl. 12b # 6-30, Bogotá, Colombia
Final Thoughts On The Best Colombian Restaurants in Bogota
Bogota will forever live in my memories as one of the best cities in the world for amazing food. I learned so much about Colombian cuisine and tasted the generations of history behind every wonderful dish.
I hope this list of the best Colombian food in Bogota makes a difference in your next trip and ignites that adventurous spirit to explore and eat more new dishes.
Chris Kretzer has traveled the world visiting over 35 countries and eating his way through every city. With his wife Tiarra, they explore different food cultures and create food guides, podcasts, and travel articles helping everyone experience the world through food.