Biting into Bogotá

By Sara Gallardo Mendoza

Visitors and locals alike have long feasted on Bogotá’s rich cultural attractions – from the Gold Museum’s stunning collection of pre-Hispanic metalwork to the itinerant photography exhibitions lining the city’s narrow 16th-century streets. Now there’s another reason to visit Colombia’s 467-year-old capital: a cornucopia of great food.

If you make your way to the northern outskirts of Chía, a stop at the sprawling, kaleidoscopic Andrés Carne de Res is a must. Before chowing down, whet your appetite perusing the dizzying jumble of ornaments, artwork and bric-a-brac adorning every cranny of this labyrinthine establishment, where lingerie-bedecked mannequins merrily cohabitate with cheese graters, flying skeletons and colourful masks. (There are even sandboxes ­– for, ahem, the kids, of course.) To the delight of regular patrons, a 25-person in-house art department (seriously!) ensures the displays are constantly morphing.

Catedral Primada

Once you’ve been sated by the visual overload, your taste buds will be seduced by the flavours of Colombia: grilled meats (their specialty – the place serves 10 tonnes of beef annually), ajiaco (chicken, corn and potato stew) and papa criolla (pickled potatoes). The 1,000-seat Andrés is extremely popular, attracting both the workaday set and cultural luminaries like Gabriel García Márquez, and is only open Friday to Sunday. Will you have to wait for a spot? Probably. Will you be bored? Not in a place where the staff dress as angels.

Andrés Carne de Res, Calle 2 No. 11-94, 57-1-863-7880

It’s all about El Arca when it comes to fusion cuisine, Colombian-style. Located in Usaquén, one of the city’s traditional neighbourhoods, the restaurant features dishes with plantain as its central ingredient. El Arca currently focuses on the heat-loving plátano hartón, usually served grilled or fried, but plans to soon incorporate more of the 48 types of the starchy fruit into its eclectic cuisine.

El Arca, Calle 118 No. 5-03, 57-1-213-3272

Though the city’s Zona T is known for its nightlife, it also offers culinary specialties from around the world. Jet-setters looking for fine dining head for Taurus to savour traditional Argentine parrilla (similar to Colombian grilled steak, but using only coveted Argentinian beef). Directly next door, H. Sasson Wok & Satay Bar, offers Asian fusion courtesy of its namesake celebrity chef. A few buildings away, the formal Balzac restaurant pays homage to the French novelist with a menu of sweet and savoury crepes and delectable bouillabaisse.

Taurus: Calle 83 No. 12-29, 57-1-677-2106
H. Sasson Wok & Satay Bar: Calle 83 No. 12-49, 57-1-616-4520
Balzac, Calle 83 No. 12-19, 57-1-610-5210

Zona G, an up-and-coming area near the mountains surrounding eastern Bogotá, houses gourmet food boutiques and pastry shops. One of the biggest draws for sweet tooths is Sucré Patisserie. It’s the perfect place to stop for French pastries or traditional English tea.

Sucré Patisserie, Carrera 11 A No. 95-39, 57-1-691-0562

(Sara Gallardo Mendoza is a Bogotá freelance writer and the Colombian correspondent for Panama’s La Prensa newspaper.)

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