11 Best Restaurants In Cartagena Colombia

Cartagena, Colombia, is one of the most renowned destinations in Latin America. Known for its beautiful destinations, but also known for its delicious food. Indulging in the cuisine of Cartagena is sure to add a little flavour to your trip. Try some of the best local dishes and learn about the city’s culinary culture. Here are some of our hand-picked, tried and tested best restaurants in Cartagena.

 

1Celele 

Best Restaurants In Cartagena Celele Restaurante

Opened on December 20, 2018, Celele Restaurant is the materialization of a dream of the two Colombian chefs Jaime Rodríguez and Sebastián Pinzón. Celele Restaurant now sits in a historic building with high wooden ceilings and exposed stone walls in the Getsemani neighborhood in the historic district of Cartagena de Indias.

Enjoy a coconut G&T at the outside bar before diving into Celele’s dishes explore unique tastes offering everything from seasonal blue crab and toasted coconut rice, conch with corn to goat kebab to lobster tartare and coconut sorbet. Chefs Jaime Rodríguez Camacho and Sebastián Pinzón Giraldo spent years exploring the Caribbean coast of Colombia to perfect their proposition before opening, meeting indigenous people and discovering flavours and ingredients they had no idea existed.

 

  Website : elelerestaurante.com

 

 

 

2Carmen Restaurant Cartagena

Carmen Restaurant Cartagena

Situated in a beautiful, elegant and intimate colonial house downtown, Carmen offers contemporary cuisine with an emphasis on Colombian flavors. Carmen Angel, one of Colombia’s most known chefs, operates two namesake restaurants in Medelln and Cartagena. Offering Colombian inspired contemporary Cuisine, Carmen is one of the best restaurants in Cartagena. Modern techniques and creative preparations give life to delicious dishes inspired by local Caribbean ingredients like crab, lobster, red snapper and pork belly ‘chicharron’. The attention to detail is evident not just through the food but also through the service, their award winning wine list and innovative craft cocktails

 

  Website : carmencartagena.com

 

 

 

3Mar y Zielo Restaurante

Mar y Zielo best restaurant in cartagena

Mar y Zielo, a chic Caribbean gastro bar, is located in the heart of Cartagena’s colourful old centre. A gastronomy endeavour that celebrates Colombia’s actual heros: its people, culture, products, and heritage. Spread over several levels, here you find a sophisticated main dining room, an intimate cava dining room, and a tropical rooftop bar, with views of the cathedral. Reserve a table for dinner or stop by for drinks at the rooftop, that also hosts a DJ. You’ll have an outstanding experience whether you’re on the terrace or at one of the two bars offering a variety of intriguing drinks and a vast selection of liquors.

Mariano Cerna, a Peruvian chef, devised the menu, fusing the DNA of his country’s cuisine with Colombian ingredients. The concept started as a project that has made known the tradition and richness of Colombian cuisine and its products. Its gastronomy is inspired by the tours made in the Colombian territories, it focuses on traditional food, visiting its market squares, rescuing local products, learning from the midwives and their recipes, finding the best techniques to represent them at your table.

 

  Website : maryzielo.com

 

 

4El Arsenal: The Rum Box

If you’re looking for the best restaurant in Cartagena  home from home on your Colombian vacation then El Arsenal : The Rum box is the one to visit. Tucked away in hip and happening Getsemaní, Colombia’s coolest neighborhood, this friendly drinking den has two nearby venues working in tandem to create superior culinary experiences and exceptional cocktails.

Home to the biggest collection of Colombian rums in the world. Here you can taste the rich and golden fruits of Colombia’s local liquors and rich, culinary traditions. An evening in The Arsenal: The Rum Box is as memorable for the smiling staff as the taste sensations on the table. There’s no more welcoming way to slide into a Caribbean groove.

 

  Website elarsenaltherumbox.com

 

 

51621 Restaurant

1621 Restaurant

Tucked inside the Sofitel Legend Santa Clara, one of the most outstanding luxury hotels in Cartagena. As one of the best restaurants in Cartagena, the 1621 restaurant merges the refinement of French haute cuisine, the best of local products, a detailed kitchen full of surprises and a pure invitation to the “Gourmandise” that can be delighted with the tasting menu in various experiences for the palate and the senses for an unforgettable culinary experience.

Based in a 400-year-old dining room, the dining experience has become the theatre of elegance, where the Chef invites you to delight in a tasting menu and to experiment with the best local products, detailed cuisine, and full of surprises to live an unforgettable moment. In addition, the head Sommelier has developed pairings designed to highlight the flavors on your palate, with a large selection of wines from our wine cellar awarded by Wine Spectator.

 

  Website : sofitellegendsantaclara.com

 

 

6Harry Sasson

Harry Sasson Cartagena

Harry Sasson, located in the courtyard of the Hotel Charleston Santa Teresa, serves what is considered one of the best Colombian Caribbean restaurants in Cartagena. A menu is designed exclusively for Cartagena, from the fresh ceviches, the seafood, with traditional dishes of the region like arepa de eggs, posta from Cartagena, grilled fish and seafood, soupy rice dishes, and steakhouse-style meats and fish dishes to the wonderful crab nachos.

 

  Website : www.harrysasson.com

 

 

Related: Best Beaches in Colombia 

 

7La Cevichería

La Cevichería

Taste some excellent Peruvian-Colombian fusion cuisine La Cevichería. Anthony Bourdain’s favourite restaurant in Cartagena is one of the best places to eat in the Old Town of Cartagena.  Featured on the American food and travel show, No Reservations, La Cevicheria is a hotspot for those who know and appreciate outstanding cuisine. Expect fresh seafood, bold tastes, plenty of lime, and some pretty tasty drinks. The lobster ceviche that is drenched in a citrusy broth and served with saltine crackers comes highly recommended. Despite the fact that it is often crowded, you may get a seat at one of the outside tables during lunch and enjoy the ideal people-watching.

 

  Website : lacevicheriacartagena.com

 

 

8Alma Restaurante

Alma, located in the Hotel Casa San Agustín. Looking into the past of Colombian Caribbean gastronomy, where the flavour of each product on the plate has its moment to shine on the palate. It is the vindication of local flavours, where the riches of our land and our sea are the protagonists. It is a place where ingredients such as coconut and passion fruit along with tubers from the Caribbean dance to the sound of the elegance and exclusivity of Cartagena de Indias.

 

  Website : almacolombia.com

 

 

9 Buena Vida

 Buena Vida

Expect a relaxed vibe mixed with chic Caribbean design. A popular brunch spot, Buena Vida spreads over 3 floors. The first 2 floors are dedicated to the seafood restaurant, while the third-floor is a rooftop bar overlooking the historic centre while music plays in the background. The menu is inspired by traditional dishes with a Caribbean influence.

 

  Website : gela.co

 

 

10Candé

Candé best restaurants in Cartagena

 Candé perfectly captures the flavours of Cartagena through its colours, aromas, magic and its people, numerous sensations that take to the essence of a culture. It is not just about the food at Candé, it lives and breathes Cartagena. With live traditional dance and music every night and an authentic menu, Candé offers you an opportunity to enjoy one of the best restaurants in Cartagena with all your senses, through its music and dances, cuisine, colonial architecture and warm service.

 

  Website : restaurantecande.com

 

 

11Juan del Mar

Juan del Mar,

Located in the charming old town, Juan del Mar offers a blend of Italian and Caribbean cuisine. Indulge in the seafood, fish, dishes with a Cartagena touch, gourmet thin-crust pizzas and many more around live music, Caribbean atmosphere in a republican house in the historic centre. Juan del Mar has an infectious energy, with outside tables spilling onto the lovely Plaza de San Diego.

 

  Website : juandelmar.com