Cartagena, Colombia, which already has a decent selection of restaurants, has seen a surge of interesting new eateries opening up around the old city and in neighboring Getsemaní. There’s a level of culinary diversity spreading around the city, partly by local restaurateurs opening up new spaces and chefs from Bogota and Medellin expanding into the city for the first time. Here’s what is worth checking out:
Carmen Cartagena
Californians Rob Pevitt and Carmen Pevitt, who graduated from culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu of San Francisco, opened the restaurant Carmen in Medellin in 2011 and it quickly became one of the most popular eateries in that city for their fusion of Asian/California/Colombian ingredients and techniques. In early 2013 they opened a second restaurant in Cartagena, on the ground floor of the Anandá Hotel Boutique. The menu is refreshingly different from everything else in Cartagena, with Pork Banh Mi sandwiches, green plantain crusted fish, and confit duck leg and thigh with a wild mora glaze and magret chorizo. Centro, Calle de Cuartel 36-77, 57-5660-6795
El Boliche
I used to think La Cevicheria was the best spot for ceviche in Cartagena. It’s still a good option, though the prices have become a bit over the top. Now, I’m all about El Boliche. Hidden by a garden wall that makes it feel like a secret find, I probably would not have discovered this if it weren’t for a tip from my friend Rainbow Nelson of This is Cartagena. It looks and feels like a sushi bar with just a few seats. There are mostly ceviches on the 11 item menu. One is flavored with tamarindo, another uses sea snails. The Cebiche a la Piedra, a shrimp and butifarra (local sausage) ceviche is served hot, as it gets cooked when a coconut milk leche de tigre is poured over a hot stone in your bowl. There are crab empanadas and grilled octopus on a bed of coconut foam. Calle Cochera del Hobo 38-17, San Diego; 57-5368-7908
Demente Tapas Bar
Plaza de la Trinidad is the cultural center of the Getsemani neighborhood and Demente, which opened in March of 2013 in a long vacant coral stone building, has upped the cool factor considerably. Owned by Bogota native Nicolas Wiesner, the corner spot with a retractable roof is decorated with images of Steve Jobs and Michael Jackson. At one end of the bar is a chalkboard menu with about a dozen Spanish style tapas like stuffed pork cheeks and fried Aji Dulce that max out at around 16,000 Colombian Pesos. Plaza de la Trinidad; 57-5660-4226
Bohemia
New in the El Marques Hotel Boutique, a colonial mansion with modernist touches that once hosted John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the 1970’s when it was the home of filmmaker and art collector Sam Green, Bohemia is one of the more innovative restaurants in Cartagena right now. Chef Andres Hoyos, a Bogota native that spent some time at Mugaritz and was previously the chef at the excellent coastal Italian spot Vera in the Tcherassi Hotel+Spa, has a rather original menu with dishes like Robolo carpaccio with toasted purple corn, lobster with sweet corn, and Belgian beer passion fruit sorbet. It doesn’t stay open too late, but there’s also a great bar and lounge scene here, with a rather wine cellar and several original cocktails. Calle Nuestra Sra del Carmen 33-41; 57-7668-1405
Salou
Salou, near the sea wall on the western edge of the old city, shows a heavy Peruvian influence, titled mostly toward Nikkei, with a short menu of mostly small plates from Juanma Restrepo that changes often. You can expect dishes like crab claws with Kewpie mayo, a spicy rocoto tiradito, tuna tataki, or mojo verde ceviche. Centro, Calle Playa de la Artillería 36-86; 57-5664-1693
Marea By Rausch
Jorge and Mark Rausch, Jewish Colombian brothers of Polish descent, are best known in Colombia for their TV shows and cook boojs, as well as their Bogotá flagship Criterión, as well as several others. Their style is a sort of contemporary French that is becoming increasingly Colombian as they open more and more restaurants. Marea by Rausch, with a stunning waterfront location in the Convention Center in between the old city and Getsemaní, opened in 2012. The menu is seafood centric, with plates like a Mojarra Frita that has been deconstructed and deboned then put back together and fried, as well as several ceviches, tiraditos, and tartars. Centro de Convenciones; 57-5654-4205
Erre de Ramon Freixa
On the 10th floor of the Hotel Las Americas on the waterfront in Cielo Mar just north of the airport, Michelin star Spanish chef, Ramon Freixa opened this combination tapas bar and contemporary restaurant. Come for drinks and small plates in the stunning space and to enjoy the almost 360 degree views of the Caribbean and lights of the old city. Skip the tasting menu. Hotel Las Americas, Torre de Mar; 57-5672-4240
Brujas de Cartagena
A Colombian spinoff of Lima, Peru restaurant Brujas de Cachiche, which also opened in Panama City, adds yet another Peruvian restaurant to the old city’s dining scene. It’s just straightforward coastal Peruvian dishes for the most part. No surprises. Playa de la Artilleria 36-38; 57-5660-6320
Maria
The owner of Don Juan and 8-18, Juan Felipe Camacho, who spent time in the San Sebastian kitchens of Martin Berasategui and Juan Mari Arzak, named his newest Cartagena restaurant after his wife, who is given credit for the lavish interior design. The menu is lighter and more eclectic than his other spots, with dishes like oxtail tacos, lobster rolls, ramen, and pulpo al olivo. Calle del Colegio 34-60; 57-6524-7046
El Gallinero
A well light, clean corner spot that sells fritos tradicionales (traditional fried snacks) like arepa d’huevo, carimañolas, quibbes, butiffaras, pork tamales, and patacones con suero. Calle del Arzobispado & Calle de Ayos
La Paleteria
Nearby to El Gallinero is this small shop with one large freezer lined with a rainbow of paletas, Mexican popsicles, which are
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Writer and photographer Nicholas Gill is the editor/publisher of New World Review. He lives in Lima, Peru and Brooklyn, New York. His work has appeared in publications such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, CondeNast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Afar, and Penthouse. Visit his personal website (nicholas-gill.com) for more information.
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