Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [116]
MIDRANGE & TOP END
El Bistro ( 664 1799; Calle de Ayos No 4-46, El Centro; sandwiches from COP$9000, mains COP$10,500-19,500; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat) This casual, German-run restaurant serves up a daily-changing chalkboard menu of Euro bistro fare accompanied by German bread prepared in-house and Erdinger served in proper ½L glassware. It’s hip without trying too hard, and the food is quite good.
BrianZola ( 664 2564; cnr Calle San Agustín Chiquita & Calle de la Universidad, El Centro; pizza COP$10,000-19,000, ice cream from COP$4500; breakfast, lunch & dinner) This is the spot to cool off with Italian gelato in a plethora of exotic Colombian flavors like mora (blackberry), arequipe (milk caramel), zapote (a type of red avocado) and guanábara (soursop). It also does recommendable pizzas. It’s attached to Juan Valdéz cafe.
El Rincón de la Mantilla ( 660 1436; Calle de la Mantilla No 3-32, El Centro; mains COP$14,000-18,000; 8am-midnight Mon-Sat) Decorated with baskets and seashells that gently wave from the rafters, this atmospheric Colombian place specializes in typical coastal fare. Service can be a bit rough.
La Dulceria ( 655 0281; Carrera 2 No 6-53, Bocagrande; sandwiches COP$16,000-19,000; lunch & dinner) If you’re escaping more chaotic El Centro for the plush suburbs of Bocagrande, this is a good option for an excellent selection of salads, sandwiches and Arab sweets such as baklava.
La Casa de Socorro ( 664 4658; Calle Larga No 8B-12, Getsemaní; mains COP$16,000-40,000; lunch & dinner) This is a good little spot to try comida costeña, the typical food of the coast. It’s a casual spot with nice design touches like paintings on recycled walking planks, and the menu features staples like robalo (sea bass) smothered in cheese and garlic, along with more adventurous fare such as snail or turtle soup.
La Cevicheria ( 664 5255; Calle Stuart No 7-14, San Diego; mains COP$25,000-52,000, ceviche COP$16,000-42,500; lunch & dinner) Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain dined at this tiny seafooder for his television show and for good reason: unconventional ceviches (shrimp with mango, passion fruit, garlic butter, mozzarella cheese and white wine, for example) offer a culinary quest into the exotic ingredients of Colombia’s coast.
La Vitriola ( 664 8243; Calle Balocco No 2-01, El Centro; mains COP$20,000-57,000; lunch & dinner) This foodie find inside a 400-year-old colonial home is revered the country over. Seafood is the main attraction, specifically mero (grouper). The Don Román version, with a tamarind and chili sauce, is superb. There’s an extensive Chilean and Argentinian wine list to go with the menu as well as live Cuban music nightly.
El Santíssimo ( 664 7099; Calle Santíssimo 8-19, San Diego; mains COP$25,000-50,000; lunch & dinner) This upscale casual spot is doing some very interesting things with the flavors and food of Colombia, and each dish is paired with a suggested wine. The obatala, a traditional costeña beef stew, is divine. Don’t miss it.
8-18 ( 664 2632; Calle Gastelbondo No 2-124, El Centro; mains COP$28,000-42,000; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat) Very innovative takes on modern costeña cuisine is immerging from the glassed-in kitchen at this intimate and trendy boutique restaurant decked out in lime-vegetation decor. The creamy calamari rice with blue cheese is thoroughly satisfying and the bull’s tail stewed in red wine is the best seller. One of Cartagena’s best.
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Drinking
Cartagena’s bar scene is centered on the Plaza de los Coches in El Centro and along Calle del Arsenal in Getsemaní, though most of the latter are of the Spring Break variety. Weekends are best and the action doesn’t really heat up until after midnight.
Ceiba (El Portal de los Dulces No 32-83, El Centro; juices from COP$2000; 8:30am-8:30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6:30pm Sun) If the street juice-stands scare you, this is a lovely sanitized version on Plaza de los Coches.