Affordable Medellín Food Guide (Updated prices 2022)

Chances are that when you are visiting Medellín you will be staying in El Poblado. This upscale neighbourhood is not only quite well located and known for its safety, but also home to many chic cafes, boutiques, and higher-end restaurants. To help you navigate the numerous restaurants, we have tried quite a few and have put together a list with our favourites. 

As this is one of the most expensive neighbourhoods, most of the places are rather in the medium price range. If you are on a budget you can either lookout for the small, local restaurants that offer a menu del dia or you venture into neighbourhoods further out, where prices get cheaper.

If you want to explore outside of El Poblado, we can also highly recommend checking out Laureles. It is a bit more residential but has a lot of restaurants that are way cheaper. We also put two recommendations for Laureles in this guide, so check them out, if you are there. 

Poblado

---

Alambique

££

This is by far our favourite restaurant in Medellín, if not even Colombia. From the quirky interior, the warm atmosphere to the creativity and the price of the dishes Alambique serves, everything is just perfect. Dishes at Alambique are to share, so you best gather a big group and try to sample as much of the plates as you can. 

We went several times, so we had the chance to try almost all of the dishes. As a starter we recommend the Canasticas de Buñuelo, a classic Colombian buñuelo filled with a shrimp cocktail and served with a shot of coconut lemonade with rum. For the mains, we really liked their staple the torta de chócolo y tres cerdos, the cheese-filled meatballs in puff pastry with pesto sauce, the ceviche the chicarrón, the brisket and the vegan falafel dish they have. 

Oh, and always get a pitcher of sangria - it is delicious, quite cheap and big. 

The share plates are around 40 000 - 50 000 COP (~£8.40 - £10.50), you will need 3 plates for 4 people, and two litres of sangria are 60 000 COP (~£12.50).

Calle10#43a-30, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia

Halong Vietnamita

££

Although Vietnam is probably on the other side of the globe, Vietnamese food found its way to Colombia. And when it tastes like the food at Halong Vietnamita it doesn’t have to hide. 

The menu is varied with really good pho, summer rolls, banh mi, an incredibly delicious green mango salad with meat or tofu and even Chinese bao.

Prices are around 25.000 - 30 000 COP (~£5.20 - £6.30) for a main and around 8 000 COP (~£1.60) for a juice.

Cra. 43F ###10-38, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia

Pizzaiolo

££

This is definitely the best pizza in Colombia, if not the whole of South America. One of the two pizza bakers is even from Naples and the other one learned how to make pizza in Naples as well. The dough is super fluffy and flavourful and the toppings are simple, but what else do you need for an amazing pizza. 

The price for a pizza is on average 26 000 COP (~£5.40).

Cl. 8a ## 37-08, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia

La Matriarca

£££

This restaurant offers traditional Colombian food in an upscale atmosphere and is often used by locals for special occasions, like birthdays or anniversaries. The dishes are very much meat-based and we can highly recommend any of their various chicharrón dishes. 

The price for a main is about 45 000 - 50 000 COP (~£9.40 - £10.50).

Cl. 8 ###43b-62, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia

Olivia

££

This is a chain that offers Italian food and most people recommended to us their pastas and pizzas. We didn’t try the pizza, but the pasta, which is quite good, especially for Colombian standards. The portion size is rather small. You might want to order a starter, a dessert or share three dishes between two people. 

Dishes are about 25 000 COP (~£5.20) for pizza or pasta, but you might want to think about dessert, if you are really hungry.

Cra. 43e ##11a31, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia

Café Zorba

££

Another place with really good pizza is Café Zorba. We like the dough at Pizzaiolo more, but the toppings at Café Zorba are a bit more experimental. We also should mention that the whole restaurant is vegetarian and they also serve vegan pizza with macadamia cheese - definitely a great place for all vegetarians and vegans.  

Pizzas are around 23 000 COP (~£4.80).

Parque Lineal de la Presidenta, Cl. 8 ###42-33, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia

Amor-Acuyá Gelato

£

Probably the best ice cream you will find in Colombia, Amor-Acuyá even won some awards for their ice cream in 2017. We admit this is a couple of years back, but the ice cream is still as delicious as the first time we tried it in 2018. 

We highly recommend their signature flavour with the same name as the shop, a passion fruit ice cream with chocolate bits. Another favourite is the lime-watermelon ice cream, which they don’t always have. But if they do, better try it!

Two scoops - and the scoops are quite big - are 7 000 COP (~£1.45).

Cra. 36 ##10b 31, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia

Laureles

---

Café Cliche

£

Venturing outside of Poblado, Laureles is a great place for having some cheaper food options and exploring the residential neighbourhood. We found Cafe Cliche while strolling through the neighbourhood and sadly were a bit late for their lunch menu (come well before 3 pm, latest 2.30 pm). As the name suggests, the food is French inspired and was a nice change to the usually very heavy Colombian food. We had a really good croque monsieur and a quiche. 

Dishes are around 15 000 - 20 000 COP (~£3.15 - £4.20) and 15 000 COP (£3.15) for the lunch menu. 

Cra. 77 #39B 45, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia

Nuovo Fiore Heladería Italiana / DiMaria Gelateria

£

On google maps, this ice cream shop is still called Nuovo Fiore Heladería Italiana, but the name changed to DiMaria Gelateria now. The owner is still the same though. 

Ask for the chocolate diMaria, a weed chocolate ice cream. Make sure to start with a small portion, as it is quite strong. 

A big cup is around 10 000 COP (~£2).

#4- a Carrera 71, #465, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia