Food Cartagena

TYPICAL CARTAGENA

In Cartagena, Santa Marta and other cities on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, you can eat delicious food. Also in Barranquilla, the “city of carnival,” you can eat very well. Considering that Barranquilla is the city where the first immigrants set foot in Colombia, it will not surprise you that the different cultures have influenced the local cuisine. Fish is an important part of the food; with its location on both the Magdalena River and the Caribbean Sea, there is both freshwater and saltwater fish. Below we take you to Cartagena and the Caribbean coast: from the best snacks and street food to the tastiest traditional, local food.

SPECIALTIES

  • Pescado con arroz de coco; fresh fish with coconut rice. Mojarra in particular is a tasty fish
  • Ceviche: raw or cooked seafood that is marinated in lime and spices
  • Posta Negra Cartagenera; slow-cooked steak with a dark sauce of panela (cane sugar)
  • Mote de Queso; soup made from el ñame (looks like potato), with chunks of soft, white cheese.
  • Rondón: specialty on the Caribbean islands of San Andrés and Providencia. This is a coconut-based seafood stew and the national dish of Providencia.

LUNCH

Comida corriente
The lunch day menu is a popular and filling meal that usually consists of: soup or salad, meat, chicken or fish with rice, potatoes, banana, arepa and a lemonade, juice or agua de panela (drink made with cane sugar). By the way, the corriente is not typical for Cartagena, but for all of Colombia. We ate a delicious meal at the Mercado Bazurto, the local market of Cartagena. With a local guide, we strolled past the many stalls there and enjoyed lunch at restaurante Cecilia’s, in the same spot where famous TV foodie Anthony Bourdain once filmed a show.

STREETFOOD

There are many stalls where you can buy popular street food, such as empanadas and the Arepa con huevo y carne; a meatarepa to which an egg is added before frying. This is a specialty for Cartagena and the Caribbean coast.

The quality (and hygiene) at the stalls can vary quite a bit. Therefore, we recommend to try street food with an organized street food tour. For these tours, the touroperators select the city’s best specialties at the best stalls.

SWEETS

Cocada de Coco
Handmade sweets with coconut, for sale among others at the Portal de los Dulces opposite the Torre del Reloj. For more than 100 years, Cocadas and other sweets have been sold in this market.

 

SMOOTHIES

We always enjoy many fresh fruit juices in Cartagena and the Caribbean coast, a delicious thirst quencher in the hot climate. Our favorites: guanábana (soursop), maracuyá (passion fruit), mora (blackberry) and the refreshing lulo.

MICHELADA

A fresh thirst quencher of light beer sucha as Corona, served in a glass with a salt rim, ice cubes and lime juice.

#ColombiaMyWay tips

Are you going on your own culinary journey in foodie city Cartagena? Check out our tips for the best restaurants in Cartagena. General information and tips about traveling to Cartagena can be found in our travel guide Cartagena.