Smokin' Chokin' and Chowing with the King: Eating BIG in Bogota

Thursday, April 30, 2026

Eating BIG in Bogota

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- A Quick Trip to The Fridge

We made a somewhat impromptu visit to Bogota on our trip to Peru at the end of last year. Because there are no non-stop flights to Peru we had to make a layover and one of the options was Bogota. The airline allows you to stay in Bogota for two nights and we also had a voucher from American Express for a two night stay just about anywhere so we chose to check out Bogota and stay at the Four Seasons while doing so. We only had two nights but we arrived at the crack of dawn giving us two full days. But even still I found it hard to crack Bogota in such a short amount of time. It's probably the hardest city I've ever tried to tackle in terms of eating and seeing my way through it. The main reason for this was the short amount of time but it didn't help that the traffic here was about as bad as I've experienced. I had a bunch of local favorite type of places I wanted to go eat at but the uber rides were always 40-60 minutes one way and it just didn't make any sense to spend that much time in an uber when we had such a short time to begin with. The highlight of our quick visit was a quick trip up to the very top of the city. The first thing we did upon arrival was ride the cable car up to the top of Mount Monserrate which was a real sight to behold. But after that and a visit to the iconic fruit market we mostly kept to the area around the hotel which is filled with nightlife and and shopping. It took me a day to get my bearings straight but by the time they were all aligned it was time to go. So consider this a sneak peak of a future trip as I really started to get comfortable right as it was time to leave.

Pics from Bogota
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Empanaditas de Pipian

Empanaditas De Pipián was high on my list of places to try and I lucked out in that there was an outlet a short walk from our hotel. This local chain specializes in Empanaditas De Pipián which are a classic Colombian street snack popular in Bogotá though their roots actually come from the southwest of the country in the region around Popayán. At their core, empanaditas de pipián are small, deep-fried corn pastries filled with a distinct mixture called pipián. The dough is made from corn (maize) and filled with a mix of mashed papa criolla (a small yellow Colombian potato), roasted peanuts, onion, tomato, and spices like achiote. They're a popular snack as they’re small and affordable and fried to order. We got a handful and noted how similar the taste was to hash brown but with a much deeper potato flavor.

Empanaditas de Pipian at Empanaditas de Pipian
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Plaza de Mercado de Paloquemao

After an early morning trek up to the top of Monserrate Mountain we ubered over to the Plaza de Mercado de Paloquemao which was at the top my list as far as sightseeing. Plaza de Mercado de Paloquemao is the iconic food market in Bogotá. Fruit is the big draw and so I read visiting here is a full-on sensory experience and cultural snapshot of Colombia all under one roof. The colors and the smells and the sounds were similar to other markets I’ve visited in Latin America but the fruit vendor section was a sight to behold in terms of all the different options. We thought about hiring a guide but it’s not that big in terms of size and we really lucked out by randomly meeting a Colombian girl from North Carolina who was visiting family in Bogota. She noticed we were visitors and asked where we from and she happens to love Chicago so she took us around and showed us some of her favorite fruits to eat before taking us to her favorite place to eat when she comes back to Bogota. It’s a stall at the market called Jugos y Ensaladas Vero and it’s exactly the type of spot that makes a visit to Paloquemao special. It’s here where you can grab a seat next to a local and grab some of the freshest fruit juicesin the city. We tried a few kinds like we were sampling wines which was a fun experience you won’t find many other places. They also make great Colombian arepas with melted cheese and a wonderful corn flavor. Arrive early and make this stand your first breakfast in Bogota.

Arepas and Fresh Squeezed Juice at Jugos y Ensaladas Vero
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Diosa

Bogotá has a genuinely strong cafe culture, but it’s a little different from what you might expect given Colombia’s global coffee reputation. Colombia produces some of the world’s best coffee beans, yet for a long time those beans were exported and locals drank simpler, lower-grade coffee. But that’s changed especially in Bogotá where modern cafes are all the rage these days. Diosa Café is a low-key, design-forward café in Chapinero Alto that’s built around very chill vibes. I’m not a coffee drinker so the reason for our visit was to try some of the pastries including a very nice selection of arepas.

Yucca Arepa at Diosa
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Afluente Restaurante

Afluente was the most interesting of the fast rising fine-dining spots in Bogotá right now. It’s a concept-driven restaurant built around Colombia’s páramo ecosystem—which is a pretty unique angle even in a city full of ambitious chefs. The Páramo is a high-altitude Andean ecosystem that basically acts as a natural water source for much of Colombia and the kitchen here explores how water, land, and ingredients are connected. Much of the product that the kitchen works with comes from páramo regions and small producers with a strong focus on sustainability and regenerative sourcing. You know the drill, native ingredients mixed with modern techniques. Lots of local fruit, herbs, and locally grown potatoes made appearances in some visually stunning dishes. I was unfamiliar with much of it but that didn’t prevent me from enjoying each and every dish - the best meal we had in Bogota.

crab - citrus foam, granadilla, cuca cookie

shrimp - plantain, chuguas, squash

rice - shrimp, balu, tubers
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Humo Negro

Humo Negro is one of Bogotá’s pioneering modern restaurants. It’s a blend of fine dining with a relaxed and creative vibe. At its core, Humo Negro is a modern tasting-menu restaurant serving Colombian dishes with an izakaya influence. Japanese techniques are adopted in the form of grilling, raw prep, and precision plating with use of Colombian ingredients like Amazonian fish and local produce. There’s a strong emphasis on Smoke (Humo) and live fire cooking which ties into the name of the place. They do have a tasting menu but we went ala carte in an effort not to be stuck there all night after a long day of travel. Honestly I thought I would like this place more than I did. The plates were pretty but it felt like they were missing flavor. The best part of the meal was the first thing we ate in the form of a corn fritter taiyaki kind of fusion. It was a texturally delightful dish that didn’t skimp on flavor. The potato croquettes were soft and crisp and had a brininess to them from what was described as a seaweed based sofrito filling. The crudo del dia was pretty in appearance but it lacked a bit in flavor. I wanted to like a sticky rice with crab and shrimp dish but it was missing something.

Dinner at Humo de Negro
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Cactus

Cactus is the opposite of places like Humo Negro and Afluente. It’s neither trendy nor experimental. It’s a Bogotá classic, the kind of spot locals grow up going to and keep coming back to for decades on end. The design on the inside draws a thin line between a cheesy western themed restaurant and an actual old school spot as this place opened in 1977. The walls are lined with pictures of Texans from another era and old menus from diners in the States. It’s a popular lunch stop for the city’s politicians and business class. I watched it fill up quickly upon being seated shortly after opening. The menu here is a what's what of American grilling favorites like steak, ribs, wings. But it was a picture of the popular roast beef sandwich (and its location) that got me in. It’s a no frills version with freshly sliced rare beef in between a nice and sturdy sub style roll with a cup of au jus plus fries on the side. I could tell by the pictures this was going to be a good rendition of a rare roast beef sandwich but what I couldn’t see was the salt was lacking big time. Luckily it was a quick fix for the sandwich and fries.

Roast Beef Sandwich at Cactus
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Obleas Bless

After lunch I took a stroll around the city and dipped into a few areas including a car free street that lasted for more than a few blocks. There were lots of interesting storefronts and stalls including this small one person stand where a friendly lady was making Obleas con Arequipe. Obleas are a thin wafer dessert commonly found in several Latin American countries, and Colombia in particular. It’s typically made up of two thin, round wafers filled with sweet ingredients such as Arequipe which is regional terminology for dulce de leche.

Obleas con Arequipe
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El Tizconcito

Upon my return I decided to try tacos al pastor from at El Tizconcito. The chain from Mexico City lays claim to being the creator of the taco al pastor. I got two tacos but unfortunately I still have yet to have a great taco outside of Mexico and the USA to boot. The meat was barely charred and the salsas were made for a clientele that doesn’t like spicy food. The better bet is going to La Lucha Sangucheria a few stores down - it's a famous sandwich chain from Lima which I was headed too later this trip.

Tacos al Pastor at El Tizconcito
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Bar Ruda

For our last meal in Bogota we met up with an old friend who’s been teaching there for more than a decade now. I came upon a newish spot from Chef Álvaro Clavijo - chef/owner of El Chato, which is ranked among Latin America’s best restaurants. It also happened to be a short walk from my friends house so it was the perfect call. Bar Ruda is the is the more casual, nightlife-driven project when compared to El Chato. It’s a bar with a creative kitchen where Chef Clavijo and his team dish out high-end, ingredient-driven dishes with a more relaxed and social vibe inside. The only thing that really annoys me about small plates is they’re usually served on small tables as was the case with Ruda. Nonetheless they put out nice plates of food starting with a simple but super good bowl of confit criolla potatoes. Growing up I was taught that the Irish are the world’s foremost potato heads but this trip showed me I wasn’t taught right. The best most intense tasting potatoes are found in South America. Aside from getting to catch up with an old friend a plate of crab ceviche was the best dish of the meal. After that we walked over to a local bar and played a fun Colombian bar game called Tejo. A 500-year old tradition similar that involves throwing heavy metal discs (tejos) at a clay target packed with small, explosive gunpowder triangles called mechas. Played in taverns across Colombia, the goal is to hit the target, cause an explosion, and score points while drinking beer. It was then and there I started vining real hard with with Bogota but we had a flight to catch in the morning.