Restaurants in Medellín
Restaurants: the best places in and around Medellín, verified one by one.
- 54 places
- 16 zones
- average
- Top ratedMar y Fuego- MedellínEl PobladoMar y Fuego is a bistro of Colombian chef's cooking with a Caribbean accent, in an El Poblado house, and its starting idea is in the name: produce from the sea and produce from the mountain, both taken through live fire.
- Top ratedRestaurante La Matriarca Viva EnvigadoEnvigadoLa Matriarca cooks traditional Antioquian food inside the Viva Envigado shopping centre, and one dish made its name locally: the chicharrón.
- Top ratedX.O. RestauranteEl PobladoRanked on the prestigious 'Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants' list, X.O. is the culinary laboratory of Grupo Carmen led by chefs Mateo Ríos, Sebastián Marín and Rob Pevitts. Its proposal revolves around a multi-course tasting menu that closely researches the coasts of Colombia, the tropical rainforest and the biogeographic Chocó, using sustainable Pacific fishing, advanced fermentation and native botany.
- Top ratedAmbar VioletazulNorte del ValleViewpoint restaurant in Pueblo Viejo with panoramic views over the Aburrá Valley, evening bonfires and signature cuisine; one of the highest-rated places in the area.
- PicanhaItagüíGrill and pasta restaurant in Itagüí rated 4.8 on Google. It specialises in grilled cuts and handmade pasta. Open Thursday to Sunday.
- Top ratedRaices BelloBelloRaíces is one of those Bello restaurants that bets on breadth rather than specialisation: grill, seafood, Italian, American, Mexican and Peruvian cooking and sushi all share the same menu.
- Top ratedRestaurante Sabor AmbrosíaCaldasThe highest-rated restaurant in Caldas: authentic Chilean cooking (ceviches, pastel de choclo, machas) in a cosy atmosphere.
- Top ratedSambombi Bistró LocalEl PobladoRun by the talented chef Jhon Zárate and recognised internationally in '50 Best Discovery', Sambombi is an intimate, unpretentious bistro that celebrates the ingredients of small Colombian producers. Its menu changes weekly according to what the land and the fresh catch offer, with charcoal-grilled vegetable dishes, house-cured meats and a curated list of natural and biodynamic wines.
- Top ratedBárbaro Cocina Primitiva sede LaurelesLaurelesBárbaro is defined by fire. The menu turns on the grill — meat in various cuts, fish and seafood, burgers — and the starters and desserts follow the same direct line, without flourishes.
- Top ratedColosal RestauranteEnvigadoHigh up on Loma de Los Balsos, on the border between Envigado and El Poblado, Colosal is one of the most impressive and sophisticated viewpoint restaurants in Colombia. Its glass architecture and cantilevered terraces offer a hypnotic night-time panorama of the whole lit valley, combined with imported cuts of meat, a contemporary sushi bar and award-winning cocktails.
- Il CastelloEl PobladoIl Castello has been a reference for Italian cooking in Medellín for years, and its difference is in the larder: it has its own pasta factory in the Manila neighbourhood, where it makes pasta the Italian way with egg, durum wheat and imported semolina.
- La Caprichosa CopacabanaNorte del ValleMexican restaurant in Copacabana with a good atmosphere and music, known for its XL nachos and its Mexican dishes.
- Top ratedLa Fiera RestobarNorte del ValleRestobar and grill right in the centre of Barbosa, focused on flame-grilled meats, cazuelas and a social atmosphere; it also works as an events venue.
- La FontanaItagüíRestaurant in Itagüí rated 4.7 on Google, in the Villa Paula area. It offers a varied menu in a pleasant atmosphere.
- Top ratedPablo ParrillaItagüíGrill restaurant in Itagüí with more than 460 Google reviews and a 4.7 rating. It specialises in cuts and roasts cooked over the coals, in a warm, family atmosphere.
- Pacho Parrilla #Los AlpesEmblematic grill restaurant in the Los Alpes neighbourhood of Belén: quality charcoal-grilled meats, fair prices, a terrace with a tropical atmosphere and live music at weekends. A favourite of local families and groups who want a good meat skewer without leaving the neighbourhood.
- Ammazza ReservadoLaurelesAmmazza Reservado is the Laureles branch of a Medellín Italian restaurant. Its menu is organised on three fronts — meat, fish and risotto — and the format is a sit-down restaurant, not a walk-in pizzeria.
- Cocorolló La EstrellaNorte del ValleWell-known Antioquian brand of hojaldras, pandequesos and traditional cooking; a classic stop on the Troncal, open all day.
- La DespensaNorte del ValleSmall, intimate and cosy restaurant serving artisan and gourmet cooking, with a chef trained in Buenos Aires; the grilled salmon is one of its signature dishes.
- La Gloria de GloriaEnvigadoFounded and charismatically run by Doña Gloria, this restaurant is a true living legend of Antioquian cuisine. It is famous across the country for serving the crispiest, meatiest and biggest chicharrones in Colombia (chicharrones up to 70 centimetres long), accompanied by country beans, morcilla, arepa and a welcome glass of aguardiente offered by the house. At weekends it draws thousands of diners.
- Malanga del trópico Laureles l MedellínLaurelesMalanga del Trópico brings the Caribbean to Laureles without falling into postcard décor: the menu works fish and shellfish with local produce, and a cocktail bar that genuinely keeps pace.
- Refugio NakawéNorte del ValleNakawé sits in the Peñas Blancas hamlet, in the upper part of La Estrella, and its format is closer to a country retreat than a conventional restaurant: tables spread outdoors, vegetation all around, and the picnic as its organising idea.
- Restaurante El TrifásicoEnvigadoWith more than four decades of uninterrupted culinary history, El Trifásico is revered by local food connoisseurs as the keeper of the best morcilla and the most balanced bandeja paisa in the department. Its name pays tribute to the 'trifásico plate': toasted meaty chicharrón, slow-cooked posta negra and soft, spiced artisan morcilla with mint.
- Restaurante Hatoviejo Las PalmasEl PobladoThe flagship and most picturesque branch of Medellín's premier traditional dining institution since 1982. Built in authentic Colombian colonial hacienda architecture with blooming balconies, serving legendary bandeja paisa, slow-simmered three-meat sancocho, and charcoal-grilled steaks.
Before you go
This is the broadest category in the catalog, on purpose: in Medellín you can eat anything from bandeja paisa and tripe soup at traditional places to tasting menus in El Poblado, by way of grills, pizzerias, Peruvian cooking, seafood and country-style roadside restaurants up in the mountains. Prices cover the whole scale, from $ to $$$$.
To get your bearings, think about the area. El Poblado concentrates chef-driven and international menus, with the highest prices. Laureles has restaurants with a more local feel, good for an unhurried lunch. The surrounding towns usually give you more for less: Itagüí has a stretch in Villa Paula with several options in a row, and in Caldas, Copacabana or San Félix there are roadside restaurants where the traditional lunch comes with a view. The Las Palmas road and Santa Elena add restaurants with a view as well.
Book ahead for places at $$$ and $$$$, especially on Friday and Saturday nights. At midday, many restaurants offer a set lunch that costs less than the menu. In Colombia the bill usually includes a suggested ten percent tip, which is voluntary: you can ask for it to be removed or adjust it.
