{"id":3967,"date":"2012-06-04T12:41:21","date_gmt":"2012-06-04T17:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?p=3967"},"modified":"2016-05-12T15:49:07","modified_gmt":"2016-05-12T20:49:07","slug":"an-introduction-to-colombian-cuisine-5-restaurants-in-bogota-to-get-you-started-guest-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/06\/an-introduction-to-colombian-cuisine-5-restaurants-in-bogota-to-get-you-started-guest-post\/","title":{"rendered":"An Introduction to Colombian Cuisine: 5 restaurants in Bogot\u00e1 to get you started (Guest Post)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today’s post comes from our friend and fellow Official Blogger Diana from Bogota Eats and Drinks.<\/a>\u00a0Diana, thanks to her upbringing and educations, knows a great deal about food and her blog is a great source of information for where to eat and drink in Bogota (as the name suggests). We recommend checking it out. Now, over to you, our foodie friend:<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Your<\/a>
Your trusty guide on what and where to eat in Bogota<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cColombian food is bland\u201d – I hear this all the time and although I\u2019m part Colombian and possibly a little biased, I have to defend my country\u2019s cuisine. Maybe it\u2019s bland if you compare it to Mexican or Thai, but making that kind of comparison is a lot like comparing apples to oranges.<\/p>\n

Colombian food has its charm, rooted in peasant campesino culture and with frequent traces of European and African influence. It\u2019s true that there are a lot of arepas and plantains and much of the food ends up being fried, but don\u2019t knock it until you\u2019ve tried it. Keep an open mind. Colombia has been enduring decades of civil war so I believe the food here is meant to comfort and not necessarily to impress \u2013 not yet at least! You aren\u2019t just eating food; you\u2019re eating the intangible heritage that represents a nation, its people and their collective history \u2013 and this is the case in any country you visit.
\nWhile there are several Colombian regional cuisines on offer in Bogot\u00e1 and dozens of restaurants to choose from, I would recommend the following 5 spots to get you started on developing a taste, and hopefully a liking, for Colombian gastronomy<\/a><\/em>:<\/p>\n

1) La Puerta Falsa
\nCalle 11 No. 6-50 – La Candelaria<\/h2>\n
\"Tamal<\/a>
Tamal and much more<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This tiny restaurant off the Plaza de Bol\u00edvar has been around since 1816. The most popular dish is the tamal wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed. This dish is traditionally served with hot chocolate, fresh cheese, almojabana and buttered bread. La Puerta Falsa<\/a> prides itself on serving hot chocolate made with water, not milk \u2013 the traditional way in which this beverage has been prepared in Bogot\u00e1 for over a hundred years.<\/p>\n

2)\u00a0Las Margaritas
\nCalle 62 No. 7-77 \u2013 Chapinero<\/h2>\n
\"The<\/a>
The sign outside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Las Margaritas<\/strong> was founded in 1902 and serves other traditional Colombian fare that is difficult to find elsewhere in the city, such as the Thursday special – Puchero Bogotano<\/strong>. Essentially, this is a kind of stew with a variety of vegetables and meats. The vegetables and meats are served separately and covered in \u201chogao<\/em>\u201d (a sauce made from tomatoes, onions, and Paipa cheese) and the broth where they were cooked comes separately. You can also enjoy Bogot\u00e1\u2019s iconic Ajiaco<\/em> \u2013 the city\u2019s signature soup made with three different kinds of potatoes and guasca<\/em> leaves. Shredded chicken, avocado, capers, cream and aj\u00ed<\/em> (Colombia\u2019s number one spicy condiment) are then added to the soup to suit the diner\u2019s taste.<\/p>\n

3)\u00a0Piqueteadero Do\u00f1a Nieves
\nCalle 65 No. 3B-48 \u2013 Chapinero<\/h2>\n
\"Hungry?\"<\/a>
Hungry?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This place is probably the most rustic on the list and has been in the making for 65 years. The specialty is gallina<\/em> or hen \u2013 a traditional dish served mainly in the country side. This family business has strived to maintain the original way of cooking the hen and its side dishes \u2013 yucca, potatoes, plantains and an arepa<\/em> from Boyac\u00e1. The meal begins with a hen consomm\u00e9 then the friendly waitresses bring you a banana leaf-lined basket brimming with pieces of hen. Often visited by politicians and actors, the gallina<\/em> at Do\u00f1a Nieves continues to draw crowds from all walks of life.<\/p>\n

4) \u00a0El Portal de La Antigua
\nCalle 85 No. 12-80 \u2013 Zona Rosa<\/h2>\n
\"A<\/a>
A very full plate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This place isn\u2019t as old as the previous restaurants but it\u2019s a good option for sampling Colombian cuisine<\/em> if you are looking for a more contemporary setting. The highlight at this restaurant, located in Bogot\u00e1\u2019s popular \u201cZona Rosa\u201d, is the Bandeja Paisa<\/em> from Antioquia. Their menu is extensive and has dishes from various regions of Colombia. A good choice for an appetizer is the sampler basket with chorizo, morcilla (blood sausage), arepas<\/a>, patac\u00f3n, empanadas and chicharr\u00f3n (pork crackling).<\/p>\n

5)\u00a0Fulanitos
\nCalle 81 No. 10-56 \u2013 El Retiro<\/h2>\n
\"And<\/a>
And to wash it down…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fulanitos serves traditional cuisine from Valle del Cauca<\/strong>, where Cali is located. Their specialties include aborrajado<\/em> (a surprising creation consisting of ripe plantains with cheese and guava paste and then deep-fried), marranitas<\/em> (another surprising appetizer where green plantains are mashed up, studded with pork crackling and deep fried \u2013 a sinfully guilty pleasure), chuleta de cerdo<\/em> (kind of like a pork milanese Cali-style), and the beverage known as lulada<\/em> (pictured below) made with chunks of lulo fruit \u2013 tart, sweet and delicious. There are several branches of this restaurant but the one at the address above is the original and everyone agrees that the food here is the best.<\/p>\n

BONUS RESTAURANT<\/h1>\n

El Motorista
\nCarrera 50 No. 23-30 \u2013 Near the US Embassy, off of El Dorado Ave.<\/h2>\n
\"You<\/a>
You wouldn\u00b4t get this at South Mimms…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Well, if the first 5 restaurants didn\u2019t whet your appetite for exotic cuisine, you should definitely try chig\u00fc<\/em>iro<\/em>. The meat from this animal tastes like a cross between chicken and pork and is widely eaten in the plains of Colombia (Los Llanos) and Venezuela. The interesting part is that it is also the largest rodent on the planet, but don\u2019t let that put you off! It\u2019s really actually quite delicious and the experience of eating a plate-full of meat and potatoes with your bare hands is a carnivore\u2019s dream. Wash it all down with refajo<\/em> \u2013 a refreshing combination of Colombiana soft drink and beer. Buen Provecho!<\/em><\/p>\n

Diana
\nBogota Eats and Drinks\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

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