Colombia - Cartagena, Bogota, Santa Marta. Cheap/Authentic Eats?

[lovexdreamer]

Hi all,

My boyfriend and I will be in Colombia at the end of July for two weeks and wanted some recommendations of places to eat. We are interested in authentic Colombian food and are looking to stay with mostly cheaper meals with a couple "nicer" meals ($30+).

I read about Andres Carne de Res but am worried because it is 40 minutes outside of Bogota. Does anyone have experience on how to get back to Bogota in the early morning? Is a cab safe?

We both really love fish and would love some great ceviche recommendations.

Thanks!

[streetgourmetla]

There's an Andres Carne de Res in Bogota.
http://www.streetgourmetla.com/2010/0...

[lovexdreamer]

thanks so much! i realized after posting that there is one in bogota...

in terms of where we are staying, i believe near the city center (near the gold museum?) we haven't really decided just yet. though if you have recommendations that would be great!

[streetgourmetla]

I usually stay in the Zona Rosa, Hamilton Court works just fine, and there are a range of price options in that area. Also very close to a lot of great eats.

[bunnylicious]

Re: Andres carne de res, we hired a taxi to take us there and pick us up. We set a time with the driver and didn't have any problems. I found out later on that the restaurant actually offers a taxi service to drive people back to Bogota (and I think to the restaurant as well). Best bet is to ask when you call to reserve. I don't know if reservations are essential, but the place was packed and we got to keep our reserved table for the entire night.

In Bogota, la Puerta Falsa is a small locale serving tamales with traditional hot chocolate with cheese. It's cheap and quite traditional. If you go to the Usaquen market on Sunday (which I highly recommend), you can get lots of great street snacks. Lots of spots have nice lunch menus where you can get three courses for a very reasonable price. Whatever you do, make sure you try some ajiaco. This potato chicken soup is available all over the place and it is addictive. My favourite version was at the Gold Museum, though you can certainly find great, less expensive versions. There are lots of little bakeries where you can get all sorts of treats, like pandequeso (cheesebread), pastel gloria (guava and cheese pastry), etc.

Not sure which part of Bogota you'll be staying in, but I'm happy to help if I can!