Click Clack is one of the most stylish hotels in Medelli­n, and even if you’re not staying there, it’s worth a stop. They have 5 different dining areas, to suit every mood or each part of the day.

• La Deriva: Situated on the rooftop, offering coastal-inspired cuisine with panoramic city views. 
• Mekong: Located on the second floor, this restaurant specializes in Thai cuisine, featuring dishes like slow-cooked Angus rib with Thai spices and Gai Yang, a roast chicken marinated in sweet chili and orange.  
• EGEO: Found within the hotel, EGEO draws inspiration from the taverns of the Aegean coast, serving Mediterranean dishes with a local twist.  
• Naufrago: Also located within the hotel, Naufrago offers a menu inspired by Colombian biodiversity, utilizing native ingredients from regions like the Amazon, Pacific, and Caribbean.  
• Click Clack Kitchen: Situated on the ground floor, this venue serves all-day breakfasts, healthy dishes, and international-Colombian classics.

You can go stop by Click Clack Kitchen on the first floor for something non-committal or if you need to log on. It’s kind of like a coffee shop that serves breakfast.

If you’re day drinking, the rooftop bar La Deriva is where it’s at. You’ll exit the elevator at a pretty small pool area, but past that is a bar / restaurant / evening club scene. It’s great for a sunny cocktail during the day with panoramic views and beautiful people milling about, and on into the night if that’s your jam. It has sleek furniture, chill music, and curated chaos.

While the food isn’t a focus here, it’s perfect for pre-dinner drinks or a laid-back afternoon buzz. And if you’re hungry and just want good food, honestly they have that too – their menu is outstanding.

Price: Varies by restaurant, but all are good value

Vibe: Trendy, design-forward establishments

Google Rating: 4.7/5 on Google, based on 5,802 reviews

Reservations: Walk-ins welcome

Good for: Day drinking, views, hotel hang, digital nomad homebase

Neighborhood: El Poblado

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This might be the most unique dinner experience you can have in Medelli­n. “The Forest Was Pink” is a literal name. You drive just eight minutes up the hill from El Poblado, but everything changes in eight minutes.

In this whole new world, the forest glows pink at night, reflecting off the trees in surreal, cinematic ways (think: Avatar). Time your dinner for sunset so you can see the transformation from forest to evening dreamscape.

Bring a jacket because it gets chilly, and come ready to drink – the cocktails here are so good that I considered just being drunk for the rest of my life, but settled on 7 of the Bosque del Desierto instead. They’re mezcal, honey, and magic.

On the way down, you’ll pass Medelli­n’s makeout point, where teenagers sit in parked cars on the cliff’s edge doing whatever teenagers do.

Price: Last time I went, I took 15 people, so we had to pre-order dinner and drinks, and the total after tax, tip, and a lot of drinks was $98.81 per person.

Vibe: Mystical forest

Google Rating: 4.7/5 on Google, based on 1,159 reviews

Reservations: Recommended

Good for: Sunset dinner, magical bohemian vibes, cocktail lovers, getting out of the city without actually getting out of the city

Neighborhood: Via Las Palmas (8 min up the hill from El Poblado)

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O.C.I. walks the line between elevated and approachable. It’s the kind of place where you can show up in jeans and feel totally fine, but the food will still wow you.

Everything here is carefully thought through – from chargrilled meats to seasonal specials – and the open kitchen adds a cool, industrial energy. The space is warm, modern, and just upscale enough that you could bring a date or your in-laws and feel like you nailed it.

Price: ~$25–35 per person with drinks

Vibe: Elevated but unpretentious, botanical

Google Rating: 4.7/5 on Google, based on 2,350 reviews

Reservations: Recommended for dinner. Lunch you can just walk in.

Good for: Casual date night, business lunch, first-timers

Neighborhood: Provenza | El Poblado

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Mamba Negra is Medelli­n’s swanky rooftop stunner – equal parts date spot, rooftop, speakeasy, and design flex. It’s about 15 minutes outside the El Poblado core, but well worth the detour for a night that feels elevated in every sense of the word.

Black tile, dramatic lighting, and deep house beats are the vibes here. The cocktails are as beautiful as the space itself, and the food is refined without being too try-hard. It’s the kind of place where you go to feel a little sexy, eat something delicious, and linger over one too many mezcal drinks under the stars.

Price: Our no-expense spared group dinner was $73.15 per person

Vibe: Sleek rooftop, sultry and stylish

Google Rating: 4.6/5 on Google, based on 604 reviews

Reservations: Required on weekends

Good for: Fancy rooftop nights, dates, group hangs with taste

Neighborhood: Near Envigado (15 min from El Poblado)

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Karol G fans, this one’s for you: Colombian superstar Karol G has a new three-part Medellin takeover, which includes 3 new spots located in a single building in El Poblado.

The food is solid and leans fusion-y with a Colombian base – expect sushi rolls alongside bandeja-inspired bites and plantain-forward small plates. But the scene is what you’re really here for – local celebs, tourists, influencers, and yes, the occasional Karol G sighting.

Carolina: A glamorous, Caribbean-inspired restaurant with Havana vibes, live music, and decor that nods to Celia Cruz–perfect for salsa lovers and stylish dinners.

Provenza: An open-air rooftop bar designed for chill drinks, sunset views, and that coastal escape feeling, all set to a laid-back playlist.

El Callejan del Gato: A reggaeton-fueled nightclub made for perreo and wild nights–Karol G calls it the spot for the best memories and best dancing of your life.

Price: Carolina: ~$11 to $25 for mains, Provenza: ~$15 to $30 for mains, $8 to $25 for cocktails, El Callejan del Gato: ~$10 to $18 for drinks and bar bites

Vibe: Carolina: Upscale, Caribbean-inspired, Provenza: Feminine, rooftop, Instagrammable, El Callejan del Gato: High-energy nightclub, reggaeton-heavy

Google Rating: 4.4/5 (1,034 reviews)

Reservations: Recommended for dinner and weekends

Good for: Birthdays, girls’ night, influencer selfies, Karol G superfans

Neighborhood: Provenza

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Tony Roma’s inside the Dan Carlton Hotel is the most old-Medellin establishment – in the best way. It’s comfort, nostalgia, and it famously rotates once every hour, offering panoramic views of Medellín from a bygone era. Yeah, it’s kitschy, but it’s cool to see the city.

This place screams that it was created by the boomer generation of Colombia, serving steak and lobster, with buttoned-up servers who treat you like a VIP. It doesn’t really try to be hip or relevant on the scene, holding firm as a place for low-key power lunches, family birthdays, or a throwback dinner with a view. And yes, there are still occasional hush-hush meetings going on in the corner booths.

Price: ~$30–40 per person with drinks

Vibe: Old-school Medellín, slow-spinning city views

Google Rating: 4.4/5 on Google, based on 1,373 reviews

Reservations: Not required, but it’s good to call ahead for the window seats

Good for: Grandparent-core meals, steak and lobster cravings, nostalgic vibes, 360-degree view every hour (and getting lost when you go to the bathroom because your table has moved)

Neighborhood: El Poblado (inside the Dan Carlton Hotel)

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You’re not allowed to leave Medelli­n without eating here.

Mondongos is an institution – both ultra-casual and ultra-historical. This was Pablo Escobar’s go-to lunch spot, and while the vibes are way more family-friendly now, the food remains iconic.

Their namesake mondongo (tripe soup) is what locals swear by, but tripe is gross, so I get the ajiaco. Its base is a chicken potato soup, which sounds boring, but when it comes on a massive tray with all the toppings served separately in their own dish: plantain, cilantro, avocado, rice, crema, corn, capers, and arepa, it’s so wholesomely filling. It’s $7.50 for a huge portion good enough for 2 people. I used to survive only on this, pineapple, and papaya when I lived in Medellin, no joke. I love ajiaco and I made everyone who goes to Medellín try it so we can talk about how great it is.

They dont have any fancy drinks; like not even craft beer, and if you go on Sunday, you’ll wait in line because Paisas traditionally go there after church.

Price: $7.50 for ajiaco (enough for 2-3 people) and $8.90 for mondongo

Vibe: Classic Colombian lunch hall

Google Rating: 4.6/5 on Google, based on 12,331 reviews

Reservations: Not taken – expect a wait on weekends

Good for: Hearty lunch, cultural immersion, hangover recovery

Neighborhood: El Poblado

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While Medelli­n isn’t exactly known for sushi, Moshi is a hard exception. Tucked into a chic little space, adjoined with Carmen by both a wall and the Grupo Carmen hospitality group, Moshi serves up Japanese-Peruvian fusion with serious attention to detail.

The tasting menu is playful and intimate – we were the only people in the restaurant when we went, so it felt like having our own private chef. The plating is gorgeous, the flavors are balanced, and the staff makes you feel like a VIP.

It’s not a place for quick bites or California rolls – this is a sit-down, savor-every-course kind of experience. Perfect for a quiet date or a night when you want to surprise yourself (surprise! I’m at Moshi again!)

Price: $108 for the 7-course tasting menu + $40 for the wine pairing

Vibe: Intimate, modern, quietly upscale

Google Rating: 4.8/5 on Google, based on 796 reviews

Reservations: Required

Good for: Sushi lovers, special occasions, my tasting menu peeps

Neighborhood: El Poblado

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Even if the drinks were terrible – which they are absolutely not – you would still want to come here – just for the atmosphere.

El Botanico is Medelli­n’s ultimate jungle-chic cocktail bar – with towering plants, golden lighting, and creative drinks served like performance art. Botanico has been one of my favorites since day one. It’s the kind of place where you’ll end up trying something with smoke, edible flowers, or a secret ingredient they won’t disclose to you. If you’re just 2 sit at the bar and watch the magic happen.

Very important: Make sure you go to the right location. I had a group of people go to the other one and tell them they had a reservation for “Muro” or “Mesa” (the last names of the 2 people making the reservations that week). The staff (understandably) misunderstood and sat them at a table next to a wall because my friend’s last name means ‘table’ in Spanish and my last name means ‘wall.’ The counterfeit restaurant is like a fast-food place, so they didn’t have the great time that I told them they would have.

Price: ~$25–35 per person with drinks (last time my husband and I went we ate everything and had 4 cocktails each and our tab was $101.38)

Vibe: Jungle-chic cocktail bar, plant-filled, with theatrical drinks

Google Rating: 4.6/5 on Google, based on 3,229 reviews

Reservations: Recommended for weekends–walk-ins can wait

Good for: Cocktails, ambiance, pre-dinner buzz, or nightcap

Neighborhood: El Poblado

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Tasting menu girlies: put Test Lab Kitchen on your list. It’s a modern, chef-driven concept that feels experimental without being pretentious.

The menu rotates seasonally and tends to lean earthy and savory – lots of umami, slow cooking, and unexpected flavor combinations. The plate flavor profiles are more earthy, and the drinks are light and vibrant – pairing super well with each dish.

Price: Our tab was $116 for the 7-course tasting menu with drinks for 2 people

Vibe: Creative, intimate, experimental but unpretentious

Google Rating: 4.9/5 on Google, based on 105 reviews

Reservations: Required

Good for: Tasting menu fans, foodies, quiet dinners with depth

Neighborhood: Laureles

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Cuzco Cocina might just be the sleeper hit of your Medellín trip. It’s Peruvian with a Colombian twist, and while the space is stylish and buzzy, the real star is the food.

Get the coconut rice dish – served in a steaming pot tableside and loaded with shrimp and fish. It’s rich, savory, and balanced af.

Everything here feels dialed in, from the ceviche to the cocktails, and the space is lively without being chaotic. A solid pick when you feel low-key fancy and you want something upscale that doesn’t feel like a scene.

💵 Price: ~$35–45 per person with drinks

🌟 Vibe: Stylish, high-energy Peruvian-Colombian fusion

â­ Google Rating: 4.6/5 on Google, based on 2,984 reviews

🕠Reservations: Recommended, especially for dinner

🌱 Good for: Seafood lovers, share plates, dinner with friends

📠Neighborhood: El Poblado

📠Google Maps

If you want to mingle with actual Colombians and not just other tourists, this is where you go. Mamasita Medallo is what happens when a party restaurant actually delivers on the food. It’s is loud, casual, and full of life. It’s an open-air anchor of the complex, where the vibe is festive, the music is bumping, and the crowd is pure Medellín energy.

Part restaurant, part open-air dance floor, and part neighborhood hangout, Medellín’s newest hot spot usually has live music or a DJ, and the whole place feels like one big party without crossing into tourist trap territory.

The food is Latin fusion that leans Colombian-Mexican, served in a lush, neon-lit space that screams “start your night here.” The crispy pork belly tacos and coconut-y arroz caldoso are standouts, but even the guac hits harder than you’d expect.

It’s definitely a see-and-be-seen spot, but the attention to detail- both in the design and the dishes – makes it more than just a backdrop for your next photo dump.

💵 Price: ~$25–35 per person with drinks

🌟 Vibe: Tropical glam meets Medellín nightlife

â­ Google Rating: 4.6/5 on Google, based on 1,600+ reviews

🕠Reservations: Strongly recommended for dinner and weekends

🌱 Good for: Pre-party dinner, birthday groups, vibey date nights, feeling like a local

📠Neighborhood: Provenza

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Criminal Taquería isn’t a drunk munchies fast food spot – although you will want to eat these when you’re drunk. But this is also a great spot to eat when you’re perfectly sober, during the day. These are really good tacos. They’re cheap af, and have a bunch of amazing toppings that are self-serve – amazing when you’re a hot sauce and pickled stuff addict and you’re embarrassed to ask for the amount of these condiments that you want.

This Provenza taco spot is fast, fun, and way better than it has any right to be. The al pastor is fire, the queso birria tacos will make you black out for a second, and the salsa bar is stacked with actual heat.

It’s got that street-style vibe, but elevated–think grafitti walls, neon signage, and reggaeton on blast. Great for a late lunch or post-bar munchies, and the portions are generous enough to share (but you won’t want to).

💵 Price: Tacos start at $1.82

🌟 Vibe: Urban taco bar with Medellín edge

â­ Google Rating: 4.7/5 on Google, based on 1,200+ reviews

🕠Reservations: Not needed; casual outdoor counter service spot

🌱 Good for: Quick eats, taco lovers, late-night cravings

📠Neighborhood: Provenza

📠Google Maps

Okay so the Menu del Día isn’t a restaurant – it’s a way of life. Jk, but it’s not a restaurant, it’s a concept. It means “menu of the day” in English (if your Spanish is that bad), and it’s really great value.

Walk a block off any touristy street during lunchtime time and you’ll see chalkboard signs advertising a full meal for less than half the price of an American latte.

For what was $3 when I moved to Colombia in 2017 and is now about $4 (actually 25% price increase, which is crazy if you think about that on the entire economy), you’ll get a soup, a main dish (usually a protein, rice, and plantain), a small salad, and a fresh fruit juice.

The food isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s good, filling-but-lite, and healthy. And it’s always made with love. You’ll be surrounded by locals on their lunch break, which is half the charm.

Want to feel like you live here? Eat one of these at noon, take a nap at 2, and you’re officially Paisa.

💵 Price: $4

🌟 Vibe: Local lunch culture, no-frills dining

â­ Google Rating: N/A (varies by restaurant)

🕠Reservations: Walk-ins only – and usually counter service

🌱 Good for: Budget travelers, cultural immersion, solid weekday lunch, people who literally just want to eat

📠Neighborhood: All of them

📠Everywhere outside of the tourist strip

Alright, now we’re really stepping outside of the fine dining scene and are basically locals.

Street food in Colombia isn’t wild or edgy and it’s really not that great, in my opinion. It’s fast, cheap, and easy. But sometimes we’re not here for culinary revelations; we’re here for fried things with cheese. Think arepas con queso, empanadas with ají sauce, buñuelos, and chorizo on a stick. You’ll find these vendors near metro stations, busy intersections, and outside bars late at night – the latter of which is the only time I’ve ever eaten Colombian street food.

It’s not Bangkok or Mexico City-level street food, but it’s part of the experience. You’ll get full for $1 and feel like you belong here, with all the other beautiful people.

Pro tip: Look for crowds. If locals are lined up, that’s where you want to be. And check out this guide on Colombian street food just to be super prepared.

💵 Price: Literally like $1 per item, max

🌟 Vibe: Casual, grab-and-go, sidewalk-based

â­ Google Rating: No one rates street food

🕠Reservations: Ha–no

🌱 Good for: Quick snacks, cultural immersion, late-night cravings

📠Neighborhood: All over, but Laureles and downtown have great stalls

📠Colombia

This list rounds up the 17 best restaurants in Medellín. While mostly fancy-ish, I implore you not to sleep on the local dishes like Mondongos, the menú del día, and the street food, and if you want to dive in with a guide, check out this bike food tour – a great way to get your bearings.

Best restaurants in Cartagena are listed here.

If you’re going to Colombia, check out the ultimate 10-day itinerary for first-timers or this list of the 33 best things to do in Colombia.

If you’re going to Medellín, specifically, make sure you do these 21 coolest things to doand stay in one of the 27 best hotels in the city.

And for the shoppers – these are the things you need to buy while you’re in Colombia.

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