The old town in Cartagena de Indias has become a great place for fine dining. There are all kinds of restaurants with excellent menus to choose from. Here we will recommend the restaurants we have been to and liked very much; we don’t get paid for this article, so you can trust our judgement! The order of this list has nothing to do with the quality of the restaurants, it’s aleatory.
*** MOST OF THE PICTURES USED IN THIS POST WERE TAKEN FROM THE RESTAURANT’S WEBSITES. NO COPYRIGHT VIOLATION INTENDED.
DONJUÁN
Once again we recommend this restaurant as it is one of our favorites in the city. The place is beautifully decorated, the service is excellent, cocktails are very good, they have nice wines and the food is absolutely delicious.
Local fresh fish and seafood, great variety of colombian meat cuts and vegetables and fruits grown here in Colombia; this are the ingredients which chef Juan Felipe Camacho uses to create unique and flavorful dishes.
Ceviches, octopus, lobster tails, hearts of palm, beef wellington, risotto… everything here is delectable. Please try their desserts, you can thank me later 😉
https://restaurantedonjuan.co/
Address: Av. Carlos Escallón Cra 8 # 34 – 01 Centro Histórico
Phone: +57 317 501 14 15
Monday to Friday from 12:30 to 15:00 and 19:00 to 23:00
Saturday from 19:00 to 23:00
Sunday closed
ALMA
Alma is located on the ground floor of Hotel Casa San Agustín, a beautiful white colonial style building with wooden balconies and colorful flowers on a lovely square.
Chef, Heberto Eljach specializes on caribbean style cuisine and creates mouth watering dishes with local ingredients. Tuna steak, seafood cazuela, coconut rice, seafood risotto and snooky de coco are just a few examples of the marvels you can taste in this restaurant.
Address: Calle de La Universidad # 36 – 44, Centro Histórico
Phone: +57 605 681 00 50
Monday to Thursday from 12:00 to 15:00 and 18:00 to 23:00
Friday to Sunday from 12:00 to 23:00
MAREA
This restaurant isn’t inside the old town but literally just across the street, at the Convention Center. It has a beautiful terrace overlooking the sea and the city, plus the food is really good.
Here you can enjoy delightful dishes like crab mini burgers, fish tacos, ceviches, grilled octopus, ravioli di mare and for dessert a flavorful salted caramel cheesecake.
https://www.mareacartagena.com/
Address: Centro de Convenciones, Calle 24 # 8A – 344, Getsemaní
Phone: + 57 322 678 8400
Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 17:00 to 00:00
Thursday to Sunday from 12:00 to 15:00 and 17:00 to 00:00
Mondays closed
HARRY’S BAR
On the main patio of the spectacular Hotel Charleston Santa Teresa, you will find this fantastic restaurant. The owner is a very popular chef, Harry Sasson, who owns a restaurant in Bogota as well. The site is unbeatable, the decoration elegant and the food is perfect. I love this place.
The crab nachos are a must! I eat them every single time I visit this place. The morcilla de Burgos and the huevos estrellados are incredible too. There is a New York Steak grilled to perfection and a couple of seafood rices which are very tasty, and for dessert the chocolate banana bread pudding is wonderful.
https://www.hotelcharlestonsantateresa.com/dining/harry-s-cartagena-restaurant
Address: Hotel Charleston Santa Teresa, Cra 3 # 31 – 23, Centro histórico
Phone: +57 605 650 10 15
Monday to Sunday
Breakfast: 6:30 to 10:30
Lunch: 12:00 to 17:00
Dinner: 17:00 to 22:30
MISTURA
The vibe in this place is fantastic! There is live music and the ambience is very cheerful. They have an amazing bar where you can seat and enjoy some cocktails while your table is ready.
Mistura has a peruvian style kitchen. Fish tacos, tiraditos, ceviche, tostadas de camarón, chaufa rice and lomo saltado are some of their specialties. The Pisco sour cocktail is quite good as well.
https://mistura-1.cluvi.co/mistura-cartagena-2/menu-digital/home
Address: Cra 8 # 36 – 151, San Diego, Centro Histórico
Phone: +57 301 570 25 70
Sunday to Thursday from 12:30 to 23:00
Friday and Saturday from 12:30 to 00:00
AGUA DE LEÓN
Very close the the Plaza de Santo Domingo, you will find Gua de León. They also have a clothing store on the same street, so check you are at the restaurant 😉 This modern mediterranean restaurant has a cool rooftop, so if you like dining “al fresco” you will love this place.
Brisket cannelloni, arroz de lata and asado de tira saltado are some of our favorite dishes. For dessert try the goat cheesecake and the smores, you won’t regret it.
https://qr.precompro.com/?source=aguadeleon.precompro.com
Address: Calle de Ayos # 4 – 46, Centro Histórico
Phone: +57 315 278 05 17
Monday to Sunday from 12:00 to 00:00
1621
In the patio of the Sofitel Legend Santa Clara Hotel, you will find this stunning restaurant. Surrounded by tropical plants and colonial architecture, you can experience fine french cuisine and the true old town experience. The elegant atmosphere and the magic of this former cloister will make your dinner unforgettable. This is one of the most beautiful restaurants in Cartagena.
Sancocho de pescado (traditional local fish soup), ceviche and fresh catch of the day are always a good choice; seafood rice too. Desserts are very original and tasty. You can also try their tasting menu, ask when you make your reservation.
Tip: Before dinner, please watch the sunset at La Botica rooftop bar, just upstairs the restaurant. It’s worth it.
https://www.sofitellegendsantaclara.com/restaurants-bars/1621-restaurant/#the-restaurant
Address: Sofitel Legend Santa Clara Hotel, Centro Histórico.
Phone: +57 311 491 23 08
Wednesday to Sunday from 18:30 to 23:00
CANDÉ
If you are searching for the complete Cartagena experience, this is your place. Here in Candé you will find the most authentic folklore and gastronomy. The menu is all about “Cartagenian” food and they have live shows and music related to the culture. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.
You can start with a mesita de fritos, which is a starter where you can taste the typical fried specialties of the caribbean coast. Personally, the arepa de huevo and the carimañolas are the best!
Coconut rice is one of Cartagena’s signature dishes and when it comes to the side of the traditional posta cartagenera (slow cooked beef with panela reduction, peppers and red onions), there is nothing left to say! This is one of the most traditional dishes of Cartagena’s gastronomy.
Fish is also a very good choice here in Candé. The pescado envuelto en hoja de bijao (red snapper cooked in a Bijao leaf with coconut milk and vegetables) is very typical too. The ceviches are delicious, you should try the trilogía de ceviches so you can taste a bit of each.
Desserts are all amazing.
https://restaurantecande.com/menu/main/en/index.html
Address: Calle de La Serrezuela, Cra 10 # 39 – 02, Centro Histórico
Phone: +57 311 697 88 35
Monday to Wednesday from 7:00 to 23:00
Thursday to Saturdat from 7:00 to 23:30
Sundays from 7:00 to 22:00
Reservations are held only for 10 minutes. No sleeveless shirts (for men), flip flops or swimming suits allowed. No pets.
LA VITROLA
Located in a gorgeous colonial house, this cuban restaurant is one of the most traditional in the old town. Live cuban music everyday and terrific food! They have a very strict dress code; no flip flops, short pants for men and no children under 15 years old allowed.
I must say that this restaurant is one of my favorites. The lively atmosphere, the beauty of the place and the excellent cooking makes it a very pleasant place to have dinner. It’s also very popular among locals.
Cuban dishes, fresh fish and seafood, nice meat cuts and the best coconut pie in town! Here you can’t go wrong.
No website, check their Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/lavitrolacartagena/?hl=es
Address: Calle de Baloco # 2 – 01, Centro Histórico
Phone: +57 605 6600 711 or +57 315 664 96 76
Monday to Sunday from 12:00 to 15:00 and 19:00 to 00:00
QUEBRACHO
If you fancy some excellent meat cuts, don’t hesitate to come to Quebracho. This is an argentinian parrilla where you will find the best meat in town. The place may not seem as charming as other restaurants here in the old town but the food is totally worth it! They have the best barbecue, guaranteed!
Gizzards, provoleta, chorizo and chinchulines are a great way to start this argentinian experience. As a main course, the lechoncito al asador is a must if you like pork, otherwise you can go for the rib eye or churrasco. For dessert try the pancakes with dulce de leche, truly argentinian!
https://restaurantequebracho.com/
Address: Calle de Baloco # 2 – 69, Centro Histórico
Phone: +57 605 674 81 53 or +57 315 712 55 36
Monday to Thursday from 12:00 to 15:00 and 18:00 to 23:00
Friday to Sunday from 12:00 to 00:00
UMA CANTINA PERUANA
This is a newer restaurant that caught my eye (and my belly!). The decoration of this site is beautiful and the food is quite tasty. If you feel like eating peruvian food, you will enjoy your visit to Uma.
Conchas a la parmesana and pulpo a la parrilla make a good starter. Tiradito al ají amarillo and causas are very peruvian too. Ají de gallina (chicken in yellow pepper sauce), lomo saltado (sauteed beef), arroz con pato (rice with duck), seafood rice or black pasta can be great main courses to try. For dessert I loooove the sticky toffee!
Please don’t leave without having a pisco cocktail, they prepare them very well! On thursdays they have pisco nights with live dj from 19:00.
Address: Calle del Curato # 38 – 99
Phone: +57 302 462 26 65
Monday to Sunday from 12:00 to 23:00
LOBO DE MAR
In Lobo de Mar, seafood is the main ingredient. They use fresh products to create delectable dishes. We recommend sharing some starters so you can taste plenty of them.
We suggest the taco de pulpo and taco de langosta to begin with. Tuna tartare and a goats cheese salad are a wonderful choice too. As a main course the encocado de langosta (lobster) or risotto marinero will blend perfectly with the starters.
Address: Calle del Santísimo # 8 – 15, Centro Histórico
Phone: +57 318 615 04 34
Monday to Thursday from 12:00 to 15:00 and 19:00 to 23:00
Friday to Sunday from 12:00 to 23:00
Would you like to explore restaurants outside the old town? Check our post onRESTAURANTS IN CARTAGENA for a few recommendations.
