“It wasn’t just about eating, it was a beautiful way to connect with the culture and truly get to know Colombia through its gastronomy.”
— Liliana, 2026
01 Food tours
Original food tours, curated with our local tastemakers to showcase the neighbourhood kitchens, markets and family-run eateries that define Bogota.
Viejo Bogota
Bogota
Climb into Bogotá's plateau kitchen — ajiaco, tamales santafereños and changua at daybreak.
Sierra Suppers
Bogota
A curated food tour through the streets, markets and family kitchens of the destination — flavour by flavour.
02 Meet the tastemakers
The local food experts who help us research, refine and lead every A Chef's Tour.
Ajiaco chicken and potato stew crowned with capers, tamales santafereños, changua milk soup, aguardiente in the evenings. Bogota eats the cool Andean plateau.
04 The pantry
- Guasca, Andean herb essential for ajiaco
- Corn on the cob, floated whole in ajiaco broth
- Papa criolla, small yellow potatoes that dissolve into the soup
- Capers, salty berry from the coast, spooned over ajiaco
- Panela, unrefined cane sugar for agua de panela drinks
05 In the kitchen
- Simmering ajiaco with three potato varieties and guasca herb
- Steaming tamal santafereno in banana leaves with pork, chicken and rice
- Cooking changua milk-and-egg soup for the cold Bogota mornings
- Grilling chorizo santarrosano paisa sausages over charcoal
- Melting panela into agua de panela with lime
06 Eat this first
- Ajiaco, chicken and three-potato soup with capers, cream and corn
- Tamal santafereno, sturdy tamal with chicken, pork and yellow rice
- Changua, milk soup with poached egg and scallion for breakfast
- Chocolate santafereno, hot chocolate dunked with cheese
- Almojabana, cheesy corn bread from the Andean bakeries
Follow in the footsteps of Anthony Bourdain in Colombia
Eat at the same spots that the late, great travelling chef did on his travels through Colombia.
09 Recipes
A collection of authentic recipes we couldn't leave behind.
Yellow corn dough wrapped around a filling of shredded chicken, potato and hogao, deep-fried until deep gold and crackly. Colombia's small crunchy street empanada.
Poached shrimp tossed in ketchup, mayo, lime and finely diced onion, chilled and served in a cup with soda crackers. Cartagena's beachside cocktail, distinctly Colombian.
Pork belly slow-cooked in its own fat until the meat is tender and the skin has puffed to a crackling. The centrepiece of the Paisa bandeja and Medellín's proudest export.
Green plantain boiled and mashed with butter, hogao and crumbled cheese, topped with a fried egg. Santa Marta's Caribbean breakfast, cheap, filling and ancient.
Beef tripe slow-cooked with pork ribs, chorizo, potato, plantain and corn in a spiced broth. The Paisa Sunday soup, always eaten with rice and a slice of avocado.
Fresh sweet corn ground into a soft paste, formed into thick discs and cooked on a griddle until deep golden. Split open, buttered and stuffed with white cheese.
10 Field Notes
Quick field notes to help you get accustomed to Bogota.
Weather
Cool highland climate at 2,600 m. Spring-like year-round (14–20°C) with sudden showers common. Layers are essential. The altitude makes sunburn easy.
Currency
The Colombian peso (COP). Cash for markets and taxis; cards for restaurants and hotels. Amounts look huge. 10,000 COP is only a couple of dollars.
Language
Spanish (Colombian Spanish is famously clear). English coverage is decent in the historic Candelaria and Zona T, thin elsewhere.
Etiquette
Modest dress at churches. Bogotá is safer than its reputation but stay street-smart. Don't display phones or valuables in busy areas, and use Uber or Cabify after dark.
Getting around
TransMilenio (BRT buses) is cheap and covers the whole city but often crowded. Uber and Cabify are the reliable ride options. Cycling on Sundays (Ciclovía) is a joy.
Prayer
Predominantly Catholic. Sundays fill the churches, particularly the Sanctuary at Monserrate on the hill. Growing Evangelical presence too.