14 Best Restaurants in Southwest Colombia, Colombia

Altos de Yerbabuena Cafe Restaurante

$$$ Fodor's choice
Just outside San Agustín, this is the perfect place to stop after your tour of the Parque Arqueológico de Tierradentro's archaeological treasures. The perfectly cooked meat dishes are the best of the menu, particularly the local classic, lomo al trapo, where the fillet is salted and wrapped in a cloth before being tossed on the fire. There are some excellent vegetarian options, and the ingredients are all fresh and tasty, many coming from the backyard vegetable garden. The restaurant is perched right on the roadside and easy to miss; keep an eye out for the rustic red-and-white farmhouse.

Café Jesus Martín

$ Fodor's choice
Just off the plaza, this tiny, family-run café serves its own brews as well as those sourced from 10 local farms. Take the time to chat to the fantastic baristas at the counter, and don't miss the pastries. It also offers the area's best coffee tour.

Empanadas Obelisco

$ Fodor's choice

Although you can dine inside, try to snag one of the tables across the street on the bank of the Río Cali. Here, a tiny restaurant serves up the best empanadas in the city, some say, in the entire country. Get your empanadas with a lulada, a classic caleño drink made of crushed lulo fruit.

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Mora Castilla

$ Fodor's choice
Popayán is famous for its local delicacies, and you'll find the best of them here, like the salpicón poayense (a drink of crushed ice and fresh blackberries) or empanadas de pipián (fried empanadas with a potato filling served with a spicy peanut sauce). Portions are small, so try a bit of everything.

Platillos Voladores Restaurant

$$$ Fodor's choice
This elegant home turned restaurant is one of the city's smartest dining options, offering carefully prepared dishes with a contemporary twist. Seafood is the highlight, with dishes that brilliantly blend the main ingredient with local fruits or plantain; don't miss the risotto or creamy coconut-based soups that are a coastal tradition. Interior murals by artist Carlos Andrade add color, but it is the calm, leafy patio that is the prize spot. Service is excellent, but the place is hugely popular, so reserve ahead and don't be in a rush.

Restaurante Italiano da Ugo

$$ Fodor's choice
Just about a mile out of town, you'll find the cozy Ugo. The pastas, freshly made in-house, are the stars of the show, with influence from Ugo’s native Verona. The selection is good, and a few decent wines are on hand to make the perfect end to your day. Save space for the tiramisu.

Restaurante Ringlete

$$ Fodor's choice
There's simply no better place to try local Vallecaucana cuisine than from the hands of talented chef Martha Jaramillo, in this colorful, restored home. Many of her recipes are built on those of her grandparents and are slow cooked with rich, wholesome flavors like the classic arroz atollado (sticky rice with various meats) or the cola endiablado (beer-braised oxtail spiced up with three local chilies). Wash it all down with a lulada.

Antigua Contemporanea Cafe

$$$
This delightful café is set inside a restored colonial home–cum–wildly eclectic interior-design store with items that range from Buddhas to desk lamps. Dishes are light and mainly Mediterranean; come for juices or coffee and something sweet during the day. In the evening, the space takes on a romantic vibe, with live music on weekends. Flowing white curtains separate the tables, adding to the feeling of having been whisked away to another place entirely.
Mediterranean Lunch Dinner $$$
Calle 2 #9–08B, Cali, Valle del Cauca, 760044, Colombia
2-893–6809
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.

Bosques de Cocora Donde Juan B

$$

If you're in Salento, head out to the Cocora Valley, where restored fincas now serve as country-style restaurants and guesthouses. The Bosques de Cocora is the pick of the bunch, offering sumptuous dishes of the local delicacy, trout, and set against a cloud-forest backdrop. At the restaurant, inquire about accommodation in their guesthouse, Finca San José.

Café Bernabé Gourmet Restaurant

$$
Just off the main road, this cozy space aspires to raise the level of dining in Salento, and for the most part, succeeds resoundingly. The menu ranges from meat dishes with fruit- and coffee-based sauces to simple pastas and vegetarian dishes. The tables in the backyard are the best, with fantastic views over the valleys behind town. The coffee and coffee cocktails are reason alone for a visit.

El Falso Olivo

$$$
A good wine list and professional, amiable staff make El Falso Olivo the city’s best choice for international flavors. Bathed in light from floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook a plant-filled patio, this contemporary Mediterranean bistro has high ceilings with long pendant lights, wood paneling, and polished cement flooring that complete the sleek modern aesthetic. The menu is distinctly Iberian, with tapas style-dishes like crispy polenta, Andalusian gazpacho, or pulpo a la gallega (tender octopus in olive oil and paprika), but don’t miss the sublime fish mains or the tender ribs or lamb.
Mediterranean Lunch Dinner $$$
Calle 16 #103–00, Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
2-555–8250
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.

La Cosecha Parrillada Restaurant

$$
There are plenty of restaurants in and around the center that have decent offerings, but La Cosecha stands out for quality and service. You can expect generous portions of well-cooked beef and some superb examples of local favorites like lengua a la criolla (beef tongue in a creole tomato and onion sauce).

Makao Restaurant

$$
Owned by two young Spaniards, the food here is a step above a majority of the town's options. The tapas choices are inevitably good, and the mains on the short menu are all hearty and well prepared; the trout al ajillo (with a creamy garlic sauce) is one of the best in town. A funky soundtrack and solid, rustic, wooden tables make this a comfortable choice any time of day.

Restaurante Italiano

$$

The name may be basic, but you won't forget the food served at this small, two-level restaurant catercorner to the Iglesia de San Francisco. There's a good selection of pizzas, pastas, salads, and excellent cremas (cream soups).