“One day, you will wake up and there will be no more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now!” – Anon

Top places for foodies in Cartagena

Ask any hotel concierge in Cartagena about the things to do in Cartagena and they will probably mention the mud volcano, a party chiva bus and the castle. I did none of these activities. I spent most of my time in Cartagena eating and don’t regret it at all.  

Here is my top 10 list of the best food experiences Cartagena has to offer!

1. 

   Pizza at La Diva

   La Diva. Best pizza in the world. Seriously. We entered the small restaurant thinking we would “grab a quick easy bite” and left in astonishment at discovering the best pizza ever. I have been to Italy. In fact I have been to lots of places that claim to make the best pizza but La Diva is miles ahead of the rest of the game! I would recommend the Salami Milano (and wash it down with a delicious sangria!)

2. 

   Ceviche at La Cevicheria

   La Cervicheria. Sponsored by Anthony Bourdian, this little gem is constantly packed. We came on a mid Monday afternoon and only managed to secure the last table in the restaurant. We ordered the fish ceviche (wow!) and crab claws drizzled in mango sauce. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, we tried our first coconut lemonade. Enough said. 

3. La Vitrola. I had read about this place as being “the best in Cartagena” and instantly wanted to go however when walking past the restaurant one day I was kinda disappointed to see how fine dining it was. We prefer the more casual and quirky dining options and this looked super fancy. We went anyway to spoil ourselves. We were blown away by how fresh and delicious the grilled grouper was and it came with an awesome coconut risotto. We really liked the wine list and live music too so we ended up having a really great night!
4. 

   Coconut Lemonade

   La Casa de Sorocco. I had read about this place from another travel blog. The best advice I got was to make sure you share because the dishes are so big! Lucky we did because it is true. We had their famous seafood stew which was insanely delicious!! 

5. La Patagonia. We were reluctant to try this place because it is an Argentinean steakhouse and we had just come from Argentina. (although there is no such thing as too much steak) Glad we did – it was pricey however yum! Our favourite was the grilled chicken with lemon!
6. 

   Shepards Pie at Oh La La

   Oh La La. Raved about in reviews, I immediately want to write how amazing this place was on Tripadvisor. In fact, we even went there twice (usually a big no in a new city) and ordered the exact same thing! (Pretty embarrassing) We shared fish ceviche, shepherds pie and a fudge brownie. They sound extremely boring and simple but were so well made! Totally recommend!

7. La Perla. Nice simple atmosphere and great cocktails! Reuniting with an espresso martini kept us over the moon all night and the fresh fish was great!
8. 

   Grouper & Coconut risotto at La Vitrola

   Chicken shops. We decided to wander the local area and find some cheaper street food or takeaway and soon found a little chicken shop on Calle S. Andres. Tasty chicken and fries for $4? yes please!

9. Yogyou Natural Frozen Yoghurt. Oh my god. I cannot express how great this yoghurt is. The owner is very friendly. I would recommend just going there to say hi even if you don’t like frozen yoghurt. They have 4 flavours – greek, natural, passionfruit and milo. All were amazing and he finishes it off with fresh toppings and can also make smoothies. Don’t miss it!
10. Gelato. I am a gelato freak. I try gelato in every country and city I visit and am very critical. The best gelato I had was on the corner of Del Rosario and De Piedra. Try the pistachio!

“Travel not to find yourself, but to remember who you’ve been all along” – Anon

Top 10 things to do in Cartagena

1. Sunset at Cafe Del Mar. It is way more about the atmosphere and relaxing music than the cocktails. In fact, the cocktails are pretty poor considering what you pay, but the views are great. For those on a budget, buy a beer from the local store and sit up on the wall next door. Same atmosphere, half the price.  
2. Try passionfruit and ginger gin at Laboratorio Bar. This cool bar makes their own gin! They have all sorts of quirky flavours to choose from and have designed some great cocktails to compliment them.
3. For salsa lovers – head to Havana Bar. I didn’t do this, we preferred the bar scene here however heard from a few people that it was a very fun night out! Only open Thursday/Friday and Saturday. 
4. Listen to live music at Plaza Trinidad. Regular buskers head down here to play anything from salsa music to rumba to DJ sets depending on time and atmosphere. The square comfortably allows seating on the walled edge and a local bottle shop is across the road so you can sit with a $1 beer and enjoy the music. Bliss. 
5. Walk around the top of the old town walls. This is probably only do-able in the early morning or evening as the cement literally soaks up the heat from the sun throughout the day making it very uncomfortably hot. I got up early one morning and went for a run with my iPod and exploring the wall without the crowds. Definitely recommended. 
6. 

   Playa Blanca

   Visit Playa Blanca. Hands down one of the nicest beaches I have ever seen. You can stay overnight in a gorgeous cabana or just do a day trip. 45 minutes by car (50,000 pesos) or go by boat which takes longer (16,000 pesos). Clean beautiful sand, crystal clear water, cold beer, fresh grilled fish, music, reading and best of all – an old man comes along the beach every hour serving fresh pina coladas out of his wheelbarrow. 15,000 pesos gets you a huge pineapple skin filled with icy cold rum and coconut.  This was paradise. 

7. Try an arejpa at Bar El Sur. We stumbled across the cute French bar one night and were hungry. We were really surprised at how good the food was! An arepa is a fried corn bread stuffed with cheese, avocado and meat. t is served hot so they all melt together. Yum!
8. Eat ice-cream. 
9. Eat fresh fruit from the street carts. Pineapples, mangos, watermelons and papaya. Some geniuses also cut it all up for you to make an easy to eat fruit salad. Perfect!
10. Cool down at Bocagrande beach. Definitely no where as beautiful as Playa Blanca, but close enough to visit for an hour or 2 without it taking up your whole day. Pools are limited in the old town, and the heat from the cobblestone streets is very intense! Taxis there will take 10 minutes and should cost 6,000 pesos. You can hire a shady tent for 10,000 pesos. I enjoyed watching the sellers with tanning oil, snow cones, fresh fish, beer, sarongs etc. It can get annoying after awhile but good enough for a short break from the city.