15 Traditional Colombian Foods and Drinks To Try on Your Next Trip

It might not look like much, but this hearty soup (also known as ajiaco santafereño) is a must-try if you’re looking for the best Bogotá food experience. In fact, you’ll be very grateful to tuck into a bowl of ajiaco once the sun sets and you start to feel the Andean chill in Bogotá. Made with shredded chicken, three potato varieties, and a unique Colombian herb known as guascas (sometimes called gallant soldier in English), ajiaco is the ultimate comfort food.

Insider tip: The soup typically comes served with avocado, capers, and thick cream, which you should add to your bowl for maximum enjoyment.

Cazuela de mariscos is a much-loved seafood stew originating from Colombia’s Caribbean region. It can be made with a variety of ingredients but generally features prawns, shrimp, clams, squid, and maybe even lobster (if you’re lucky), along with vegetables such as carrots, onions, pepper, and tomatoes. These are all cooked in coconut milk with mild spices. It’s a perfect dish to enjoy during a dinner cruise along the beautiful Bay of Cartagena.

This hefty plate of food is for those with a big appetite. It’s named for its birthplace (bandeja means platter and paisa is the word for people from Antioquia) and is made up red beans, rice, avocado, plantain, and a variety of different proteins—usually some combination of ground beef, fried egg, morcilla (black pudding), chorizo, and/or chicharrón (fried pork belly). No foodie visit to Medellín is truly complete until you’ve tried a bandeja paisa; just make sure to schedule time for a nap afterwards.

Hot chocolate is the ideal drink to warm your bones when at high altitude, and Colombians have a trick for making it even heartier and cozier: adding chunks of cheese. It’s not as bizarre a flavor combination as it might sound; the cheese is mild and served on the side, for dipping or dunking, and it adds a thickening creaminess to the chocolate. All in all, this treat is the perfect thing with which to reenergize yourself while you’re exploring in the fresh mountain air (on foot or on horseback).

Most Colombians adore chicharrón, a rich food made from deep-fried pork belly cut into cubes while still attached to a strip of pork skin. (In fact, it’s so popular in Latin America that variations of this snack are popular across the region.) In Colombia, chicharrón can be found at lots of street food stalls and as well as at local canteens. It’s often added as a component of other meals, like bandeja paisa (see above) but is also popular as a standalone snack.

This dish is called by a variety of slightly different, regionally-specific names, but it’s a delicious snack no matter where you try it. Patacones con hogao is made of smashed plantain slices that are fried into medallions—the patacones—and are served with hogao (also known as guiso or refrito in some regions), a sauce made with tomato and onion that sometimes also includes garlic, oregano, cumin, and/or cilantro. French fries pale in comparison.

Colombia and Venezuela both claim to be the birthplace of these tasty, pan-fried cornmeal patties, which were originally made by Indigenous communities in the pre-Columbian era (and therefore pre-date today’s national borders). Many Colombians enjoy arepas daily and in a variety of forms. They can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and can be stuffed with cheese, topped with ingredients including cheese and avocado, or filled with an egg and deep fried. You can find them all over the country, but if you want to try preparing your own, you can even take an arepa-making class in Cartagena.

This warming dish comes from the province of Nariño, which borders both Ecuador and the Pacific Ocean and is known for its trout-filled lakes and for the picturesque Las Lajas Sanctuary, a Catholic pilgrimage site. Locro nariñense is full of cheese and potatoes with a milky broth that is often brightened with cilantro and parsley. A big bowl makes for a substantial, creamy, and comforting meal.

Simple but oh-so-delicious, this dish of fried fish with coconut rice is a staple in Colombia’s coastal communities. The sweet coconut and salty fish is a combination of flavors that tastes like the ultimate beach vacation and is best enjoyed within view of the ocean. The dish is also served with a slice of lime, so you can complete the tropical seasoning yourself.

Colombians really know how to throw a party, particularly at Christmas time, when communities celebrate together and cities including Medellín create impressive light displays. And no festive holiday celebration in Colombia is complete without buñuelos, not to be confused with the different Mexican snacks of the same name. These deep-fried dough balls are made from cheese and corn flour, and the best achieve an artful balance between a crispy shell and fluffy inside. You can sweeten them by adding a fruit-based sauce, made with ingredients such as pineapple or blackberry, or simply gobble them up on their own.

More than just a dish, sancocho is an excuse for a gathering of family and friends. The base is a hearty broth that varies by cook but typically includes at least one type of meat—either pork, beef, or chicken—and the soup usually includes yucca (a starchy root vegetable), plantain, pumpkin, carrot, onions, celery, and tomatoes, plus garlic and cilantro. It’s a nutritious and wholesome dish that Colombians love to share with both loved ones and new friends alike—and that might be tried on a food tour.

If you have a sweet tooth and like a bit of crunch with your sugar kick, you’ll love obleas. These thin, crispy wafers can be filled with almost anything; popular options include chocolate sauce, arequipe (a caramel-like spread also known as dulce de leche in other parts of Latin America), jam, fresh fruit, and even salty cheese (for those who like a savory kick). The result is a sweet, crunchy, dessert sandwich that makes a perfect mid-afternoon snack to reenergize you while you’re out exploring.

Lulada is a smoothie-like drink made using the refreshing lulo fruit, a tropical fruit that looks like an orange tomato and has a sweet-sour flavor that some compare to citrus, pineapple, and kiwi. Vendors blend the fruit’s flesh with lime juice, water, and sugar and also often add chunks of fruit to the glass. It’s the perfect beverage for rehydrating in the tropical heat, especially if you’ve been engaging in one of the area’s favorite activities: salsa dancing.

These three savory breads, made in similar ways, are enjoyed across the country as a breakfast or snack. Pan de yuca is, as its name suggests, made with yucca flour (also called cassava flour or tapioca starch) and is filled with cheese. Pan de bono is essentially the same thing but often contains some corn flour and can be shaped like a donut, with a hole in the middle. (It’s sometimes also filled with jam.)

Almojábana is also similar to pan de yuca but is made with corn flour, rather than yucca, and milk—a combination that often results in a fluffier texture. While it can be confusing to figure out which bread is which, when it comes to taste and texture, they’re equally delicious—especially when freshly baked and still warm from the oven—and might be enjoyed as part of a brunch and paint tour in Cartagena.

This anise-flavored liquor is Colombia’s answer to spirits such as anisette and arak. While popular, it can be quite divisive; some people love it while others can’t stand even a whiff of it. Aguardiente comes in varying percentages of alcohol and is often mixed with fruit to create sweet cocktails—which might be enjoyed on a nightlife tour. Sometimes affectionately referred to as guaro, this spirit can be sipped cautiously or gulped greedily pretty much anywhere, from busy cities to rural villages.