Traditional Food in Medellín: What to Try

Traditional food in Medellín at a glance

Traditional food in Medellín means Antioquian, or paisa, cooking: beans, corn, pork, plantain and arepas at almost every meal. It is hearty food with roots in the diet of the 19th-century muleteers (arrieros) who crossed the mountains of Antioquia and needed meals that lasted all day.

These are the dishes you'll see on most paisa menus:

• Bandeja paisa, the region's signature platter.
• Frijoles antioqueños, slow-cooked red beans, served alone or as part of the bandeja.
• Sancocho paisa and mondongo (tripe soup), both lunch dishes.
• Chorizo and morcilla (blood sausage), often ordered as a starter.
• Arepas, from breakfast to dinner.
• Mazamorra, a corn drink-dessert that rounds off lunch.

On a short trip, aim for one bandeja paisa at lunchtime, one breakfast with arepas and one mazamorra with panela. That covers the essentials of the local table.

Bandeja paisa: what's on the plate

The most common version of bandeja paisa puts ten things on one large plate: red beans (often the cargamanto variety), white rice, finely ground beef, chicharrón (fried pork belly), chorizo, morcilla, a fried egg, sweet plantain slices, avocado and an arepa. Some places add hogao, a tomato and onion sauce, for the beans.

The dish in its current form is younger than many people think: it doesn't appear in cookbooks before 1950, and it grew out of the older Antioquian "seco" plate. In 2005 it was even proposed as Colombia's national dish.

Tips for ordering:

• Portions are huge. Ask whether there's a half portion (media bandeja) or share one.
• Order it at lunch. Locals eat it at midday, not in the evening.
• Traditional drinks with it are mazamorra with milk, guarapo (sugarcane drink) or a blackberry or guava juice.

Prices vary a lot: a market stall costs far less than a restaurant in El Poblado, so check the menu before you sit down.

Airport bus with COMBUSES

Arriving hungry? The COMBUSES airport bus drops you at San Diego or at Hotel Nutibara, next to Plaza Botero and a few blocks from downtown's home-cooking restaurants. Buy your ticket online, no reservation needed.

Book your ticket →

Arepas, breakfast and afternoon snacks

In Medellín people eat arepas every day, at any hour. The typical local one is the arepa tela: thin, made from white corn and usually unsalted, so it tastes plain on its own. Locals top it with butter and fresh cheese or use it to scoop up whatever is on the plate.

A paisa breakfast usually brings an arepa, eggs, hot chocolate or coffee and sometimes beans left over from the day before. One breakfast dish to look for is migas: yesterday's arepas, soaked, crumbled and fried in butter or oil, often with egg. It started as a way not to waste leftover arepas and still shows up on many traditional menus.

In the afternoon, Medellín bakeries sell parva, the local word for small breads and fritters made with corn or cassava and cheese: pandequeso, pandeyuca and buñuelo. They're best fresh and warm, with a tinto (small black coffee) or hot chocolate.

Supermarket arepas are fine in a pinch, but try one grilled to order at a traditional restaurant or market stall to see why locals care so much about them.

Mazamorra, natilla and paisa sweets

Mazamorra antioqueña is hulled corn simmered in water for several hours until very soft. It comes in a cup or deep bowl with milk, plus a piece of panela (unrefined cane sugar), blanqueado or bocadillo (guava paste) to bite between spoonfuls. The cooking liquid, called "claro", is also drunk cold as a refreshment.

At home and in traditional restaurants mazamorra is the after-lunch treat, and many places offer it alongside bandeja paisa.

Other sweets you'll come across:

• Natilla with buñuelos: natilla is a set custard made with corn starch and panela, and together with buñuelos it is the Christmas dessert in Antioquia.
• Arequipe con brevas: figs in syrup served with arequipe (dulce de leche).
• Arroz con leche (rice pudding), on most home-cooking menus.

If you're visiting in December, look for natilla and buñuelos at bakeries and corner shops: they're everywhere during the Christmas lights season.

Where to try traditional food in Medellín

Neighbourhood restaurants serve good paisa food all over the city, but these three spots concentrate a lot in one place:

• Plaza Minorista José María Villa (Calle 55A #57-80, near downtown): the city's big food market, with tropical fruit stalls and small restaurants serving bandeja paisa and home cooking. Go during the day and arrive by taxi or public transport; avoid walking around the surrounding streets after dark.
• Mercado del Río (Calle 24 #48-28, by the river near El Poblado): a food hall with many stands under one roof. Handy for groups when everyone wants something different, from paisa dishes to international food.
• Pueblito Paisa, on top of Cerro Nutibara: a replica of an early 20th-century Antioquian village, opened in 1978, with food and craft stalls and a wide view over the Aburrá Valley.

Downtown, around Plaza Botero and Parque Berrío, small restaurants serve a set lunch (menú del día), the cheapest way to eat like a local. Ask the price of the set menu before ordering.

Places on the map

Frequently asked questions

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Photo: Bandeja paisa, plato Colombiano.jpg — Wilfredor (CC0)