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What to eat in Medellín: Typical dishes and recommendations
Discover the various foods in Medellín you can try, from traditional dishes to drinks, and the best places to eat them for a complete culinary experience.
The City of Eternal Spring will win you over not only with its climate and mountains, but also with its traditional cuisine. If you’re wondering what to eat in Medellín, this guide explores the best typical regional dishes, desserts, and drinks, but be prepared, many of these come with quite substantial portions!
Prepare your taste buds for delicious food, and charge your phone so you can use your travel eSIM to get online and find the best places to eat in Medellín.
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Typical must-try dishes in Medellín
From the traditional bandeja paisa, with an explosion of flavors, to freshly made arepas from a street stall, homemade sweets, or 100% Antioquian coffee, Medellín invites you to discover the Paisa culture through its tastes and aromas..
Bandeja paisa
The first thing to eat in Medellín is the signature dish from the Antioquia region, or the whole Coffee Axis. The bandeja paisa is served on a large plate that includes rice, beans, chicarrón (fried pork belly), ground beef, chorizo, fried egg, arepa, avocado, and ripe plantain.
Designed to provide energy for long days of work in the fields, this is a very filling option to try!
Our recommendation? Grab your bandeja paisa at Mamasita Medallo or any other traditional restaurant in downtown Medellín. You’ll find reasonable prices and a menu packed with delicious local dishes there.
Tip: Avoid eating bandeja paisa in restaurants at very touristy places, such as Guatapé, you’ll miss on the traditional flavors other restaurants offer.
Antioquian arepas
Arepas are a staple in the Paisa diet and Colombian cuisine. You’ll find them as a side dish at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Antioquian arepa is the most traditional, simple, thin, made only of corn, and slightly toasted.
Other versions, which include cheese, butter, or are filled with eggs, are also available. You can even find the so-called “arepa de choclo” or “chocolo,” which are made with ground tender corn and are usually filled with cheese and covered with “lecherita” (condensed milk).
Empanadas and buñuelos
On every corner in Medellin, you can try a paisa empanada: They are made with corn flour or processed corn dough, fried in hot oil, and filled with meat or chicken, along with potatoes.
Buñuelos are small balls of dough made from cassava starch, cornstarch, and grated cheese. They are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, a result of being fried in oil, typically sunflower oil.
Buñuelos are usually eaten at Christmas, but truth be told, you can find them all year round.
Recommended restaurant: If you want to learn more about the Paisa region, go to “El Peregrino” in Sabaneta, a town near Medellín. You’ll also find shops selling buñuelos and empanadas all over El Poblado and in Medellín downtown.
Mondongo
No list of traditional Colombian food is complete without Mondongo. It is a thick, beef tripe soup made with potatoes, yucca, carrots, and peas. It’s usually served with white rice, avocado, and arepa.
It’s one of the favorite local dishes typical of Medellín, and is served during family lunches, especially on Sundays.
Recommended restaurant: Mondongo’s.
Antioquian sancocho
Antioquia sancocho is also a thick, comforting soup or stew, made with meat (chicken, beef, or pork), green plantains, potatoes, yucca, and corn. Like mondongo, Antioquian sancocho is typically eaten with rice, avocado, and homemade hot sauce
This is another traditional Sunday family meal, and also popular during the locally called “paseo de olla.”
People from Antioquia, or Colombians in general, often go for a walk to a river or the mountains and prepare sancocho while sharing the day with their families.
Recommended restaurants: Best restaurants in Medellin for this dish include Medellín es Sabor, Hatoviejo, and Desayunadero La 10.
Calentado paisa
The typical breakfast dish from the Antioquia region: Made with leftovers from the previous day’s meal (rice, beans, meat, or egg), all reheated and served with an arepa. It’s a testament to local culinary traditions.
You can order your calentado, or calentao’, with chicken, beef, meaty chicarrón, or just with egg.
Where to eat it: At restaurants in Medellin serving traditional Colombian food, such as D’André Restaurante, Sancho Paisa, and El Rancherito.
Traditional sweets and desserts from Medellín
For sweets, there’s a wide variety to choose from, including simple strawberries and cream or buñuelos filled with dulce de leche, blackberry jam, chocolate, or other fruits. But here are the most popular when it comes to Medellín food:
Wafers (Obleas)
These are two thin sheets, which can be described as a cross between communion wafers and cookies, typically filled with dulce de leche or jam. You can add anything from whipped cream to grated cheese, with traditional fillings such as condensed milk, peanuts, and canned fruit being other options. These are the perfect street food desserts!
Many Colombian dishes and desserts include cheese, but don’t worry, you’ll be surprised by how much flavor it adds to meals and desserts!
We recommend ordering your wafer with everything so that you can enjoy the authentic Colombian cultural experience. Buy them at “Obleas Relincho,” or at any street wafer stands around the city.
Bueños and natilla at Christmas
Natilla is like a cornstarch flan, and it’s a traditional food to have during the Christmas holidays. You can find this mixed with coconut flakes, and it’s usually served with freshly fried buñuelos.
Desserts with tropical fruits
Medellín is full of fresh fruit: soursop, lulo, passion fruit, and blackberries are the most common. These are used to make juices, mousses, ice creams, and artisanal desserts to refresh any hot afternoon.
Don’t know what fruits to eat while in Medellín? If you’re looking for local fruits that aren’t found in Spain, Mexico, or any other Latin American country, visit the city’s wholesale market and ask for exotic fruits like gulupa, uchuva, tree tomato, granadilla, borojó, and chontadura.
But beware! Some of these fruits are acidic, so ask about their flavors before buying. Options like the chontaduro even require special preparation. So, always ask for advice from the vendor or your Colombian friends; they’ll surely help you out.
Tip: Regarding juices, you’ll be asked if you’d like yours with water or milk, so the choice is up to you. With milk, these get a milkshake or malted milk flavor, while water keeps the traditional juice style.
Mazamorra (Porridge)
Not done with desserts? Good! Traditional food in Colombia is packed with wonderful sweets. Local mazamorre is a traditional dessert made with white or yellow hominy, milk, and sugar or panela. It’s very nutritious, and some people even enjoy it with guava paste and cheese.
You’ll find these at all Colombian restaurants in Medellin serving typical Colombian food.
Typical drinks of Medellín
Keeping up with the best food to eat in Medellín, we can’t forget about the region’s traditional drinks, which are an essential part of Colombian cuisine:
- Agua panela: Described as a sweet tea prepared with “panela” (unrefined, brown, whole cane sugar with high mineral content). This beverage is sweet and comforting, and when served cold with lemon, it is refreshing.
- Hot chocolate with cheese: The debate over hot chocolate with cheese is a common online topic, as foreigners often find this combination to be a strange custom. Our opinion? Try it! Cheese usually melts inside the cup, but ask for your chocolate with milk, because it might taste bland with water.
- Migao: This “drink” might be considered a dessert. It’s a drink made with panela water or chocolate, and you can add cheese bread, buñuelos, arepas, quesito (unsalted cheese with a creamy texture), cuajada (a gelatinous dairy product similar to cheese), sweet cookies, achiras (crispy and traditional biscuits), and many others.
- Coffee: Colombia is one of the world’s largest coffee producers, and Antioquia is a coffee land. Tasting 100% Antioquian coffee is a must-have experience, which applies to taking a coffee tour at a coffee farm or visiting the best coffee shops. Recommendations? Single-origin artisanal coffees like Pergamino, Urbania Café, or larger producers like Café Quindío, Juan Valdez, and Tostao’.
- Antioquian aguardiente: The anise-flavored drink, perfect for sharing at celebrations, is the most popular liquor in the region. It’s available in traditional and sugar-free versions, starting at 250 ml.
Tip: After a meal, order a “tinto” or “tintico” at the Colombian restaurant. What is it? A small cup of strong, black coffee to help with digestion. How to drink it? Take a sip without sugar and savor the aromas and flavors, so that you can experience how different Colombian coffee is from the rest of the world.
Where to eat in Medellín
Let’s go to where to eat in Medellín. We prepared the best options so that you can choose and enjoy the Medellin food like a local.
Markets and food squares
Usually, you can pay with a card, but we recommend some pocket cash for markets and food courts. Some places worth visiting are:
- Plaza Minorista José María Villa: Perfect for finding tropical fruits, juices, and typical dishes while enjoying the local atmosphere.
- Mercado del Río: A modern space with restaurants, gourmet stalls, and innovative offerings. It’s an excellent option if you’re unsure of what to eat in Medellín, as you’ll find everything you can possibly need.
Gastronomic areas and restaurants
These are more touristy areas, but they are common meeting points for many Paisas, especially when it comes to nightlife and fine dining restaurants.
- El Poblado and Laureles: This area offers a diverse range of restaurants, from traditional Colombian food to international dishes. Areas like Provenza and Manila also offer fine dining, traditional, and international restaurants, but prices here are higher than average.
- Calle de la Buena Mesa (Envigado): Envigado isn’t located in Medellín, but it’s part of the city’s metropolitan area. Bordering Medellín and featuring places like Calle de la Buena Mesa, it’s an ideal spot to savor grilled meats, beans, and traditional Colombian dishes in a family-friendly atmosphere.
Street stalls and popular restaurants
- In neighborhoods: You can find street food stands selling empanadas, juices, and arepas. Eating on the street in Medellín is safe, inexpensive, and delicious. In downtown Medellín, you’ll find plenty of traditional restaurants with excellent prices and a wide variety of dishes.
- Avenida 70 in Laureles – Estadio: Being one of the city’s main avenues, it offers a good selection of cultural, entertainment, and traditional Colombian food options. It’s better to go at night, as it offers a more vibrant atmosphere and you’ll find plenty of street food to try.
- Popular restaurants: La Matriarca, Hatoviejo, Mondongo’s, Hacienda Junín, Mamasita Medallo, Fidelina, El Rancherito, and El Llanerito are popular options in Medellín. You can find them on Google Maps and visit one if you’re close.
Tips for enjoying the food in Medellín
- Eat like a local: Try the traditional Colombian cuisine in family-run restaurants or at market squares spread around various locations.
- Take your time to explore: Medellín’s food variety is wide, ranging from traditional dishes to signature specialties, like molecular gastronomy and new restaurants with international options. Ask if your chosen place has a tasting menu.
- Stay online: With the Holafly eSIM for Medellín, you can access real-time recommendations without relying on roaming or any expensive internet service in Colombia.
- Check the entry requirements: Double-check the travel requirements to Latin America or Colombia required by Immigration. That way, you can avoid an unpleasant situation, like missing a vaccine or an entry visa.
- Travel in the off-season: Save the most by visiting Colombia during the off-season, it’s a perfect way to dive into local culture and enjoy your stay a lot more!
- Travel to the coffee region: Still craving for more delicious Colombian food? Travel to the coffee region for a more natural experience, or visit the best beaches in Colombia to discover the Caribbean coast paradise and mouthwatering dishes.
Discover what to eat in Medellín with Holafly
Enjoying the local cuisine is a must on any trip to Medellín. With a Holafly eSIM for Medellín, you can keep the momentum by looking for local restaurants, reading reviews, finding food markets, and sharing your experience with delicious dishes without paying high roaming charges.
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Frequently asked questions about what to eat in Medellín
When looking for good, affordable food in Medellín, our recommendation is visiting traditional restaurants in the city’s historic center. Restaurants like Parmesan and Crepes & Waffles are local favorites, offering delicious and affordable Colombian food. If you’re looking for fast food like burgers or fried chicken, Frisby or Tierra Querida will do the trick.
It depends a lot on your culinary tastes, preferences, and budget. The best options in terms of food quality-price are: Il Forno, 37 Park, Cambalache, Della Nonna, Crepes & Waffles, Alambique, La Avocaderia (everything is made with avocado, including the drinks), among others.
A must-eat in Medellín is cazuela paisa (smaller than the bandeja paisa), bandeja paisa calentado, tamal, bandeja paisa, pan de bono, torta Maria Luisa, buñuelos, obleas, empanadas, mondongo, sancocho, tropical or exotic fruits, and natilla if you’re traveling during Christmas. Ask for a tasting menu if it’s available to discover what you like best.
Eating in Medellín depends on the restaurants and the area where you’re eating. On average, you’ll usually spend anywhere from $40,000 to $120,000 Colombian pesos (~$10.42 to $31.26 USD) per person.
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I first started my content creation journey as a freelancer in 2019, before connecting with Holafly in 2021. At Holafly, my travel and tech interests come together in one place as I craft high-quality articles about the eSIM and related markets. My content aims to help travelers stay connected, wherever they are.
