What To Eat In Cartagena, Columbia
A big part of traveling, for me anyway, is trying food that is native to a location. I’m almost never going to go to a chain restaurant or even a restaurant recommended by google. The key is always to talk to locals whenever you get where you’re going and ask them where they eat for a spectacular meal. They’ll tell you all of the gems that google doesn’t know. In Cartagena, I booked a street food tour because that’s where all of the food emphasis is in this city. That’s not to say there aren’t some great restaurants; it’s just that street food is where you’ll find the standout recipes that are likely passed down through families, generations and years of tradition. In this post, I’ve tried to provide pictures where I could and descriptions of how the foods and drinks made me feel and what I could liken them to in case you decide to one day take a trip to the beautiful city of Cartagena.
Must Try Entrees
Ceviche
Ceviche is starting to show up in America, but of course it did not originate with us. It’s a Peruvian dish that consists of raw meat cured or soaked in citrus juices. Mine had shrimp in it, but it sometimes has squid or octopus. If I had to compare it to anything, it’s most similar to shrimp cocktail, which is a dish Cartagena is known for.
Fried Red Snapper
When I ordered the fried red snapper, it never even crossed my mind that they would bring out the whole fish. It was tasty, but it’s definitely a dish you have to work to eat because you’ll have to cut it and fish the meat out from around the bones. You’ll see a lot of seafood on menus but especially snapper, so it’s a dish worth trying at least once while you’re in Cartagena. At San Valentin, it came with fresh salad and tostones which are like fried plantain cakes. Those are something you’ll often see here as well.
Jugos Naturales
The natural juices are so critical here, because they’re a refreshment from the heat, because they’re natural without all of the added sugars we have in our juices, and because you can get them virtually anywhere. They are delicious, so if you can, I suggest.trying as many as you can while in Cartagena.
Lulo is a mildly sweet citrus fruit. The taste is described as a mix of pineapple and a lemon so with the juice you get the sweetness of a pineapple with the bitterness and acidity of a lemon. This was the first juice I had that was quite tasty. Mango juice was one of my favorite juices because of how sweet it was. We all know what mangoes are and how delicious they are; I buy them at home, but I know they’ll never be as sweet as they are in Caribbean/tropical locations. I had it with watermelon as part of my breakfast one morning and it made for a great paring. Passionfruit and Guava juices are a couple others to try. Soursop is a fruit I had never heard of until I went to Cartagena. The cafe I went to mixed soursop juice with milk that makes for a great drink that is similar to a milkshake. I would say the taste is similar to a bittersweet apple like a cider apple, so it surprised me that I liked it so much.
Tropical Fruits
There are so many fruits in the world that we don’t get exposed to in America simply because we don’t have an environment in which they would grow and thrive. To me, it’s so important to experience them in other countries because they’re usually delicious and they’re like a novelty in that an international trip is the only time I would get them. Mamoncillo and Soursop (also known as Guanoabana)were the ones I tried that I had never had before. Mamoncillo is what we might know as limoncello or spanish lime that has a sweet and tangy flavor. A local described that they eat these like chips and nobody can eat just one. You crack it open with your teeth and then suck the inside out. The inside is almost like a jelly and it has so much flavor. I described soursop earlier in the naturales jugos section.
Street Food
Empanada Con Pollo is a chicken empanada that I would liken to an egg roll. If you don’t try anything else, Loncheria Polo Norte is the place to go and try one of these. It’s a family owned restaurant that has been using the same recipes for years and although other people make empanadas around the city, none are as good as the ones here according to locals and now me.
Tostones or Patacon are fried plantains with a salty, savory flavor that are served as a side dish in restaurants or on the street by themselves.
Fritos refer to any fried foods in Cartagena. They even have a Festival Del Frito dedicated to the cities most favorite fried foods.
Shrimp Cocktail is famous dish in Cartagena that I was surprised to be able to get on the street. We typically only see it in restaurants as an appetizer in America. It is definitely better and more intentionally prepared here. They use ingredients like red onion and rum to give the shrimp cocktail a punch of flavor and it’s often served with crackers for a little balance of texture and flavor.
Pastel Bocadillo are like biscuits that are eaten any time of day whether for breakfast, dinner, lunch or a snack. They have a rich taste of cheese and jam inside and they’re delicious so I can see why they’re eaten at any point in the day.
An Arepa is like a thicker tortilla made with cheese and corn, which are two most important food items in Cartagena. You’ll see those ingredients in lots of dishes. Arepas have a slightly sweet mealy taste and although it was not one of my absolute favorite recipes, it was still pretty good.
Candies
Candy is drastically different in Cartagena than I’ve ever seen. Their candies are more naturally sourced so many of the ones you see in the container are made from shredded coconut and a fruit like guava or passionfruit. I’m not a huge fan of coconut so I didn’t eat very much candy, but it’s still nice to have the experience of trying them and knowing that versions of candy different than what I know exist.
Other Items I Ate
Plantains
As i’ve said, plantains are pretty important so you’ll see them in a lot of different forms in Cartagena. I ordered plantains as an “appetizer,” so to speak, at my hotel’s restaurant and this is how it was presented to me. I typically like sweeter plantains, but this was more on the savory side with the cheese sprinkled on top.
Pancakes
It’s amazing to see how basic, everyday food differs in other locations. I had pancakes for breakfast one morning and was surprised to find that their pancakes were a bit more mealy than what i’m accustomed to. You’ll also find that how a meal is served is a direct reflection of available resources in a given area, so here you likely won’t find syrup if you’re looking for it to douse your pancakes. Instead, my pancakes were served with a jam, chocolate sauce and a sage honey. With most of my meals, I found myself thinking about just how much healthier most of their food was than ours because a lot of the ingredients are naturally sourced.
Sea Bass Tacos
These tacos served at my hotel’s restaurant were delicious. I’m not usually one to go for fish tacos, but when the waitress recommended them, I went with it and was not disappointed. As I said earlier, you’re likely going to see mostly seafood on menus around the city and if you see meat at all it will likely be chicken or pork.
Restaurant Recommendations
Since I focused more on street food this trip, I did not try very many restaurants, but the thing about asking around and talking to other people who have visited a location is gathering a list of places to visit when I return. Here are the names of some restaurants recommended to me:
Epoca (Brunch)
Juan Del Mar
Fuerte San Sebastian Del Pastelilo
Mar Y Zielo Gastro-Bar
Cafe Prispi
La Brioche
Club De Pesca
