A Quick Guide to Food Delivery Apps in Medellin

Too lazy to read? Rappi is the best food delivery app for getting all your meals delivered to your door.

Hungry but feeling lazy, hooked on a binge-worthy series on Netflix, or struggling to order food because your Spanish isn’t up to a phone conversation yet? There’s an easy solution in the palm of your hand.

Like almost everywhere else on earth, food delivery apps in Colombia have taken off, especially during the lockdown. 

While there’s no replacement for discovering the city’s culinary charms by eating in situ, you can now easily explore Medellin’s foodie scene from the comfort of your Casacol hotel, vacation rental, or long-stay apartment. 

So, are you ready to order some grub back to your hotel? Here’s what to know about in terms of food delivery apps in Medellín.

Rappi to the Rescue

The king of Colombian convenience in Medellin is the Latin American super app, Rappi.

Rappi, has established itself as the country’s first unicorn ($1B+ company valuation) by connecting its users to whatever they need rapido (or fast). The app has the same “ask me for anything” approach that has made the Chinese super app, WeChat, so powerful in Asia.

Whether you’re in Medellin for a few days, weeks or months you should download Rappi. With it, you can:

• Order take out from the top restaurants around Medellin
• Get some shopping from the biggest supermarkets in the city
• Order medicines from the pharmacy
• Book yourself tickets to some of the hottest happenings in the city. 

Everything you need will be delivered to your door with the option of paying in cash or by card.

All of your orders will be handled by one of the multitudes of “Rappi Tenderos” (the hard-working employees that work for the company).

Rappi has even explored the use of robots to deliver food in Medellin at the height of the pandemic!

The app is easy to use – set up like a supermarket where you can explore the different sections or “shops” and find what you’re looking for. Plus, you’ll enjoy easy communication at all times (albeit in Spanish) with the Rappi Tendero assigned to you for your purchase.

Popular App-Quisitions: Rappi Trade Partners

Okay, so you know about the delivery app options. And, you know that Rappi is likely your best choice. But what kinds of partnerships will you find on the app?

Let’s take a look.

Supermarkets

The largest grocery stores and supermarkets in Medellin – Carulla, Exito, and PriceSmart (annual membership needed) – all have a presence on the app. They sell pretty much everything you can find in their stores online.

And, if you’re wanting to find creature comforts that you miss from home? Try PriceSmart! This shop is great for comfort food that you might be missing from the US.

Restaurants

Nearly every restaurant in Medellin is now using the app to connect with clients that don’t want to leave their Medellin vacation rental to “eat out”.

It’s not just the fast-food chains shipping their fare online, either. You’ll find some of the best restaurants in Medellin listed on these apps with a wide variety of options for every taste and budget.

Just remember – if you want to help the local restaurateurs recover from being hit by the pandemic, then ordering directly will help put money into their pocket rather than feeding big tech.

Most of the restaurants on the list will have their own delivery service hooked up to their Instagram feed. Plus, some may even offer a discount if you order with them directly to avoid having to pay up to 25% commission to Rappi!

Pharmacies

As well as delivering your food fix, you can cure your hangover or headache and avoid a trip to the drug store with an online order at one of the biggest pharmacy chains in Medellin.

La Rebaja and Farmatodo both operate 24 hours a day.

You’d be surprised about what you can order over the counter in a Colombian drug store.

Cash

f you need money for something and can’t leave your Medellin vacation rental for whatever reason, then you can request it online. The Rappi Tendero will withdraw the cash and bring it to your apartment for you to pay with your credit or debit card.

Rappi Prime

If you’re thinking about staying in Medellin for a month or longer, the super app offers its super users discounts and free delivery if you sign up to Rappi Prime.

All you have to do is pay a small monthly subscription (less than US$7) and make payments with your credit card (including almost all foreign cards).

Other Food Delivery Services

Rappi currently accounts for almost two-thirds of food delivered via an app in Colombia. However, there are other smaller rivals out there that do the same thing, including:

• Domicilios.com
• iFood
• Uber Eats

Now, while you’re more than welcome to use these apps, we have a recommendation. If you‘ve found a place in Medellin that you love and want to support, cut out the middleman.

Most of these businesses have set up Instagram + Whatsapp and have teams dedicated to food delivery.

When you use their dedicated Whatsapp, you actually save yourself (and the business) money!

Delivery App Service Areas Around Medellin

Most delivery apps have a pretty good service radius around the city.

You might have more trouble ordering food if you are staying far to the south or way out in Rionegro, however.

The advantage of staying in any of Casacol’s hotels, vacation rentals, long-stay apartments, or Airbnb options in Medellin is that you’re always within a 20-minute radius of the best restaurants in the city. 

Staying with Casacol guarantees a superior food delivery experience than if you were to stay outside Poblado or Laureles.

With nearly all of the top restaurants in Medellin having branches in Poblado and Laureles, your food should arrive as fresh as you could possibly hope for from a food delivery service.

Delivery App Health and Safety Precautions

All restaurants on the app take their food hygiene and health safety measures seriously and will wrap your food to ensure minimal contact.

Pandemic rules and regulations sometimes mean you have to collect your food from the reception of the building or ask them to leave the delivery inside the elevator and send it to your floor.

Otherwise, it is a door-to-door service.

Take Advantage of Food Delivery Apps in Medellin

If you’re feeling lazy and you want to stay home but eat out, download the app, set the table for two or more, and sate your culinary cravings from the comfort of your luxury Casacol apartment. 

Bon appetite from the Casacol Team.

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