21 best restaurants in Medellín (2026)

Click Clack is one of the most stylish hotels in Medellín, 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.

This might be the most unique dinner experience you can have in Medellín. “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 Medellín’s makeout point, where teenagers sit in parked cars on the cliff’s edge doing whatever teenagers do.

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.

Mamba Negra is Medellín’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.

Karol G fans, this one’s for you: Colombian superstar Karol G has a new three-part Medellín 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.

It’s a longtime Poblado favorite, and it recently moved to a new space, so double-check the address before you head over.

Order the Krudo Rainbow, get something fried on the side, and let the destilados do their thing.

Tony Roma’s inside the Dan Carlton Hotel is the most old-Medellín 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.

You’re not allowed to leave Medellín 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 Medellín, 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.

Not a restaurant so much as the German bakery you’ll keep finding excuses to walk back to. AlePan bakes proper masa madre sourdough, warm soft pretzels, apple streuselkuchen, and a basque cheesecake that vanishes faster than you’d like. Grab a loaf and a bretzel for the road, or pre-order a cake for the group.

Consider it your carb detour between all the ceviche and tasting menus.

Skip the flashy sushi chains — Japonería is the real thing. Chef-owner Yuka Tomita grew up in Gifu, Japan, and brought this place to Colombia on a mission: real Japanese cooking, and a quiet correction to all the misinterpreted “Japanese” food floating around Latin America. Six years in, she’s still behind the nigiri, working with fish tied to the seasonality of the Colombian Pacific — some dishes come and go with the catch, so trust whatever’s freshest.

This is your sushi night in Medellín. The toro salmón and kanpachi nigiri are the move — grab a seat at the bar, order a sake flight, and let her feed you.

Chef Pablo Naranjo grew up between two families — his mom’s side Hungarian, his dad’s side Paisa — with Saturday lunches at his Antioqueño grandmother’s table and Sundays at his Hungarian one. He fell for the whole ritual of gathering people around food, then chased it across the world: Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, ten years in France cooking everywhere from a scrappy corner brasserie to three-Michelin-star kitchens, then five years building cafés in Mumbai.

Then March 2020 happened. He flew to Medellín to visit his parents for 20 days with one small backpack, his visa got cancelled at the Mumbai airport, and he never left. “I never made the decision to stay,” he told us. “Life made it for me.” He cooked a different lunch for his parents every single day for eight months, started hosting private dinners out of an apartment he furnished by hand in organic Colombian pinewood, and — after two and a half years of quietly refusing to open a restaurant — finally caved. Zombra is just over a year old.

Everything on the plate is Colombian: San Marzano tomatoes grown organically in Santa Elena, fish sent daily by sustainable fishermen on the Pacific coast, curuba (a passion-fruit cousin most Colombians only ever juice). Almost every dish hides a whisper of Indian spice, a souvenir from Mumbai. And the sourdough? The starter has traveled with him for six years — he takes it on vacation and feeds it oxygen on walks through nature. “It doesn’t make the bread better,” he shrugged. “It just makes me happier.”

Here’s how it works: the tasting menu runs until your appetite is satisfied. You flash one of four hand signals to tell the kitchen how hungry you are, and they cook to match. Order the tomato homage and the tuna crudo in smoked-coconut tiger’s milk, and do not skip that bread. A chef we trust sent us here with a warning — everywhere else is show and so-so food, but Pablo is one of the only ones actually delivering a full experience of taste and product. He’s still under the radar, so go now, before he’s booked out and twice the price. (That soup I had? One of the best of my life.)

El Social is the most fun you’ll have that feels the least like a tourist trap. It opened in 1969 as a tienda mixta — one of those old Paisa corner shops that sold soap, coffee, and cold beer to the neighborhood — and it never really stopped being one. Today it’s a heaving, open-air bar where the whole point is aguardiente, picadas, and salsa loud enough to feel in your chest.

Think of it as traditional Paisa bar food: empanadas, chicharrón, papas, and picadas built to pick at while you drink. This isn’t a sit-down dinner — it’s a shot (or six) of aguardiente, a plastic stool, and a Tuesday that somehow becomes a whole night.

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 Medellín’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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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

⭐ 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

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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