01 Food tours
Original food tours, curated with our local tastemakers to showcase the neighbourhood kitchens, markets and family-run eateries that define Medellin.
Medallo Meals
Medellin
A curated food tour through the streets, markets and family kitchens of the destination — flavour by flavour.
Paisa Plates
Medellin
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.
Bandeja paisa piled with beans, chorizo, egg and plantain, mondongo tripe soup, arepas thick and yellow, hogao sofrito on everything. Antioquia cooks Colombia's most abundant table.
04 The pantry
- Frijol cargamanto, plump red beans for the paisa plate
- Chicharron, thick fried pork belly for bandeja paisa
- Hogao, tomato and onion sofrito that anchors paisa cooking
- Arepa paisa, thick white corn cake griddled plain
- Panela, unrefined cane sugar for the daily aguapanela drink
05 In the kitchen
- Slow-cooking frijoles paisa with plantain and pork rind for hours
- Griddling arepas paisas thick and unfilled
- Frying chicharron pork belly until the fat is glass-crisp
- Simmering mondongo tripe soup with vegetables and yellow potato
- Blending hogao sofrito for every rice dish and stew
06 Eat this first
- Bandeja paisa, platter of beans, rice, chicharron, chorizo, plantain and egg
- Mondongo, tripe soup with vegetables and lime
- Arepa paisa, thick white corn cake for breakfast with butter and cheese
- Chicharron, thick-cut fried pork belly with hogao and lime
- Buñuelos, cheesy fried dough balls at Christmas and every morning
What happens inside a hammam kitchen
A morning with the cooks who feed the neighbourhood before dawn. Charcoal, dough, the smell of a bakery working its second oven.
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 Medellin.
Weather
City of eternal spring. Mild year-round (17–24°C) at 1,500 m. Two mild rainy seasons (April, October) but no real hot or cold season.
Currency
The Colombian peso (COP). Cash for markets and taxis; cards for restaurants and hotels. Nequi and Daviplata dominate for locals.
Language
Spanish (paisa accent is friendly and famously clear). English coverage is decent in El Poblado, thinner elsewhere.
Etiquette
Warm, friendly, and family-focused. Modest dress in churches. Be street-smart in busy areas. 'No dar papaya' (don't give anyone the chance) is a local mantra.
Getting around
The metro (Colombia's only) plus the cable cars up the surrounding hills are cheap, clean, and easy. Uber, Cabify, and DiDi all work. Taxis are cheap.
Prayer
Predominantly Catholic. Sundays fill the churches. The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a major citywide observance. Growing Evangelical presence too.