The Best Traditional Colombian Restaurants in Medellin

TLDR? If you’re wanting to try some traditional Colombian food in Medellin, be sure to check out Ajiacos y Mondongos.

Medellin is famous for the bandeja Paisa, a calorific horror show on a plate for weight watchers. They’re also well-known for terribly addictive cheesy fritters (buñuelos), and frijoladas, the most delicious of bean stews, as well as a plethora of other pork treats.

You have to try them all to understand this city’s rural roots.

So, do you want to? Keep reading for everything to know about finding Colombian food in Medellin.

What to Know About Traditional Colombian Foods

The best traditional food from Medellin and most Colombian culinary treats are built to keep you going in the countryside.

In the land of the sopa y seco – a soup followed by a ‘dry’ dish that invariably involves a slab of meat, double carbohydrates (rice and chips is common), beans and a salad, it’s a wonder that the locals aren’t all built like barrels.

Sure there are a few that are carrying more than is healthy. But, in general, the Colombian metabolism is built to digest more food than would be considered normal anywhere else on earth.

In Colombia, food in abundance is a sign of love and the matriarchs of Medellin have been stuffing their kids with as much food as possible for centuries.

The restaurants on this list have been built on the family tradition of giving mum a day off from time to time.

They all get busy on Sundays when the paisa love to fill their boots with the Colombian version of brunch. Whichever day you go, be sure to have a hammock or bed lined up somewhere to sleep off the sluggish effects of eating out Colombian-style.

Ajiacos y Mondongos

You have to love a restaurant with only three options on the menu.

Two of them are in the name and the third is a frijolada, the traditional bean stew that comes with fried pork belly, diced meat, avocado, rice, and crisps sprinkled on top for good measure.

Oh, don’t forget the arepa, of course. It’s been this way since 1991 with little changing in the interim.

An obligatory pitstop for out-of-town celebrities when they’re in Medellin, this ultra-traditional eatery close to Parque Poblado offers the best ajiaco in town.

The traditional stew is made with chicken, two types of potatoes, and sweetcorn, and served with capers, cream, rice, and avocado.

The third option on the menus is the mondongo stew made with a cow’s stomach. All three are terrific and served up fast for a lunchtime crowd that wants their fill in a hurry.

The restaurant recently opened a second smaller location in Laureles and an outlet in the Olaya Herrera airport for one last hit before leaving town.

Web: Ajiacos y Mondongos
Address: Calle 8 #42-46, Poblado, Medellin

Mondongo’s

This culinary landmark has two incredibly popular venues on two of the most emblematic streets in Medellin, La 10 and La 70 in Poblado and Laureles. Both are brilliant for observing the ultra-traditional paisa families and couples in their natural habitat.

As the name suggests, they serve up the most traditional of paisa stews, Mondongo, made with tripe, yuca, or cassava. They also have everything else that you could possibly want from a traditional Colombian restaurant.

Delicious arepas, empanadas, and a bandeja paisa that will unleash all the seven deadly sins in one gluttonous lunchtime challenge.

First, there’s the greed for wanting it, the lust for pork, envy that you didn’t order something else (halfway through), intense feelings of gluttony throughout, and a little wrath (at yourself) for thinking that you could finish it alone, then pride when you finally do.

Followed by a sloth in the immediate aftermath of doing so. The original was opened in 1976 but has since moved to Calle 70. The El Poblado version has been in Calle 10 since 1995. 

Web: Mondongos

Address: Calle 8 #42-46, Poblado, Medellin

Restaurante Hatoviejo

It’s not always great when a restaurant becomes a tourist attraction but the city’s most famous traditional Colombian restaurant, Restaurante Hatoviejo, hasn’t let fame go to its head and continues to do what it has been doing so well since it first opened in 1982.

If ain’t broke don’t fix it and a colonial house high up on the hill serving traditional culinary fare is difficult to beat when it comes to enjoying a typical Colombian meal.

The setting in Las Palmas next to the Hotel Intercontinental is the best venue although they have added some extra outlets. That includes a restaurant downtown and a couple of mall outlets.

The typical cazuela, bean stew, is a keeper. And, they also serve up a special made with green beans on weekends and holidays. If you fancy testing yourself with a but-gusting, bandeja paisa for breakfast they open at 08:00.

Web: Restaurante Hatoviejo 

Hatoviejo Palmas: Calle 16 #28-60

Hatoviejo Centro: Carrera 47 #52-17

Spend a Day at the Top Traditional Colombian Restaurants in Medellin

Any of these places are a good spot for trying out some traditional Colombian food. Whether you go for paisa meals or opt for something that’s more common around the country, we’re confident you’ll love these dishes.

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