10 Best Restaurants in Medellín, Colombia
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Traditional Antioquian cooking means hearty peasant fare—plenty of meat, beans, rice, and potatoes. But Medellín is full of high-quality restaurants where you'll find many cuisines.
Carmen
One of the forerunners of Medellín's gastro boom, Carmen serves fresh, inventive cuisine in one of the city's best settings, where clever design integrates the surrounding garden with the dining areas, and wood and exposed brick complement the green, airy style. Choose a seat in the glass conservatory, on the soothing patio with its central water feature, in the modern formal dining room, or in the upstairs salon, which has a clear view of the open kitchen. The dishes, while Colombian at heart, have plenty of Asian influence and contemporary flare---try the 12-hour cooked pork belly with a tamarind-and-cane-sugar glaze, sweet-potato puree, and charred Szechuan-style green beans with ginger and wild Colombian "mint" vinaigrette.
Ocio
Considered one of El Poblado's most stylish joints, Ocio's high-end kitchen whips up refined, bistro-style comfort food with a meat-loving paisa heart. Tall, vertical gardens, stenciled walls, and plenty of low-hanging Edison bulbs suit the young and trendy crowd that regularly fills the place. Chef Laura Londoño delivers a short but serious menu that focuses on slow-cooked meats. Star dishes like short ribs and ham hock are cooked for over 12 hours before being crisped under the broiler. The starters are creative and modern, using plenty of local rarities and often have an Asian touch---think a ceviche with avocado, local gooseberries, and cured jalapeños, or a green mango salad with thinly sliced beef and a tamarind vinaigrette.
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El Cielo
With El Cileo, chef Juan Manuel Barrientes brings a highly conceptual, contemporary tasting menu to Medellín in a clean space with bare wooden tables that become the canvas for the 13 courses he calls "experiences;" a meal here is equal parts theater and dinner. The small portions are Colombian at heart, with an array of curious local ingredients. The experience won't appeal to all, but for those it does, expect quality avant-garde cuisine at a bargain prices.
El Hato Viejo
Generous portions draw locals to this second-story restaurant where waiters in Panama hats serve you on a balcony overflowing with plants or in the large dining room with terra-cotta floors. This is a great place to try a range of traditional Antoiquian dishes, especially the monstrous bandeja paisa, a dish heaped with beans, finely ground beef, fried pork chicharron, sausages, egg, and arepas. Come in a group so you can sample various local hits, like the sopa de guineo (plantain soup) or the cazuela (stew) before sinking your teeth into lomito (tenderloin). Finish your feast with brevas con queso (figs with white cheese). There's also a branch in Las Palmas, near the Intercontinental Hotel, which is more rustic and has fabulous views of the valley.