Cartagena, Colombia, the land of seafood, pork, and beef – well at least that’s what it seemed like! 

I traveled to Cartagena with a group of five people. Each with our own food and drink preferences and a shared wish to indulge in Colombian fare. 

One of our group members was a pollotarian; meaning she mainly eats a vegetarian diet but also eats chicken. To our surprise, most of the restaurants didn’t offer chicken options on their menu. However, they each had at least one vegetarian dish. 

Now, onto the restaurants that we enjoyed in Cartagena. 

1. DOÑA LOLA comida del caribe 

On our first night we ventured to DOÑA LOLA in Getsemaní. This fine-dining restaurant is highly reviewed by many people on Google so we had to try it.

The restaurant is part of the Casa Lola Hotel. For lunch, they serve you in a courtyard and for dinner, you sit in a very decoratively chic dining area. 

I ordered the Castillo de San Felipe drink and the Grilled Octopus entrée – both were delicious. We also ordered espresso martinis that were very strong!

Imagine you’re eating dinner and a trio of violins come out playing Dua Lipa’s Levitating. That’s exactly what happened to us! The live entertainment was great. The food was delicious. And the vibes were immaculate. 

If you’re celebrating your birthday here, you can expect a big sparkler on top of a piece of cake! The cake we got was delicious too. It tasted like a combination of chocolate and ginger. 

For vegetarians/vegans, they could change two of their ceviches into a vegan diet and they had   a goat cheese appetizer and a classic spanish tortilla. 

2. Café del Mar 

At Café del Mar, you can watch the sunset over the ocean while sitting on top of the city’s walls while listening to a DJ and watching performers. Everyone says to do it and believe them because it is so beautiful. 

We only got drinks here because reviews said you could skip the meal. However, don’t expect this to be only an hour adventure, you also have to wait in line and since there are a lot of people, a longer wait for your drinks to arrive.

I ordered the Pirates of the Caribbean drink – it was very good and strong. 

If the weather appears cloudy on the day you planned to go, I still recommend going because the sunset will be beautiful regardless. And you will get skyline views of Cartagena too. 

3. Carmen Cartagena

Carmen is a fine-dining restaurant that we went to after Café del Mar. 

I ordered Chicharrón which was so yummy! The pork belly literally melted off my knife and it was paired with a sweet purée. 

Their reservation policy was strict, requiring me to not only put my card down but if we didn’t arrive or arrived late, they could charge my card $500,000 COP or $125 for the table. We were a group of 5 so that could mean $100,000 COP for each person. 

If you’re celebrating your birthday here, it is a modest celebration with a small candle in a cake. We also ordered the strawberry shortcake which was to die for. 

For vegans or vegetarians, they offered one vegan entrée “Steak de Lentejas” or Lentil Steak that looked so yummy I almost ordered it myself. 

4. Soloio Bistro

Soloio Bistro is a café serving Mediterranean cuisine in the Walled City. 

This place is a great option for lunch. The food menu looked delicious, but we only ordered drinks here. I ordered the Red Berry Margarita and Cherry Lemonade and my friend ordered a bottle of white wine.

We stopped her to take a break after walking and shopping around the area. The café is a beautiful open air courtyard that’s decorated like an earthy oasis. They have fans to help you cool off.  

5. Restaurante Sambal, bistro caribeño 

Located in Getsemaní, Restaurante Sambal had one of my favorite meals the whole time we were in Colombia! 

I ordered the Morrillo Braseado which was a slow cooked beef brisket (8+ hours), roasted bud lettuce, white bean purée, baby onions, and cherry tomato confit meal. Words can’t comprehend how much I loved this meal.

For the table, we ordered the Croquetas de Cangrejo. We were also given a fermented sweet potato drink and polenta dish to consume before the meal too.

For vegetarians, they offered a Veggie Five Course Tasting menu. 

6. Buena Vida Marisqueria

Buena Vida Marisqueria had to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing restaurants .

They serve a variety of seafood and far from the sea meals. I ordered the Buena Vida Seafood Crab Meat. I also got a smokey margarita because it came  in a clay drinking glass with a mini sombrero.  

Other notable meals were their oysters. They were HUGE! I don’t think I’ve ever seen an oyster so large in my life.

 

7. La Cocina de Pepina 

La Cocina de Pepina is in Getsemaní and is open for lunch and dinner. 

This restaurant was highly recommended by almost everyone that we ran into. We ordered the 9-course tasting menu which gave us a half portion of each entrée.

I recommend going for lunch because the meals are light but filling. One of my favorite entrees was the mashed zucchini. For a drink, I ordered Corozzo juice. 

My friend said it reminded her of an Arabic meal. She also ordered one of their delicious soups.

8. Quiero Arepas 

So good we went back twice! Quiero Arepas is the best place to get a quick bite or late night snack. It’s like a hidden gem just a couple blocks away from the main action of Cartagena. 

They’re open 24 hours so you can go any time. We went after long, all-day activities. 

The Porta Arepa is their most popular arepa filled with a mixture of chicken and beef, cheese, and avocado. I ordered it both times we went. I normally try to venture and try new things but I couldn’t resist!

I also ordered a sweet and refreshing cherry lemonade.

9. Demente Bar Tapas 

This budget-friendly restaurant had a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals.

Most of us ordered from their pizza menu which included spinach and gorgonzola cheese, artichoke, margarita, and pepperoni. 

While this restaurant doesn’t give the most Colombian essence, the service was quick and the food was good.

Tips on going to restaurants in Cartagena

What time do people eat dinner in Cartagena? 

Late! If you go to a restaurant around 6 PM, you will likely be the only group of people there until 8 PM, then the restaurant will start to fill up. I’d say most people start eating around 8 or 9 PM.

Give yourself a lot of time! 

The restaurants move at a slower pace. If you’re booking a reservation before an activity, avoid rushing your meal by giving yourself at least 2-3 hours to get to the restaurant, eat, and enjoy the meal. Don’t rush. 

It’s easy to split the check

Many of the restaurants can easily split or separate the check. Only one restaurant limited the amount of cards we could put down on a table. Make sure to let your server know if you’d like to separate the checks before you order so they can plan to split it up ahead of time. 

What I like to say is: “La Cuenta Separada, Por Favor.” The staff normally understands what I’m asking when I say this.

For more tips before you head to Cartagena, read this blog post: 8 Things to Know Before Your Trip to Cartagena, Colombia

Now that you’ve seen all of the restaurants to try, make sure to carve time out of your itinerary to try a street food tour! There are so many vendors serving up foods that we didn’t see in the restaurants. And if you want to make sure you’re going to trusted street food vendors, try a tour like this one that we did.

Looking for things to do in Cartagena? Check out 9+ Must-Do Tours & Activities in Cartagena, Colombia with Reviews – May 2024

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