You have three or four nights in Cartagena, and every list names the same twenty places. The walled city and Getsemaní sit ten minutes apart but price very differently, and the table most people want takes a week to book. So where should you actually eat? Book Celele in Getsemaní for one night, Carmen inside the walls for another, and keep a third evening free for a ceviche counter and a street cart.
- Celele is ranked No. 5 in Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 and No. 48 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
- Main courses run about COP 55,000–110,000 (US$13–27) at the best-known restaurants, and COP 28,000–62,000 (US$7–15) at neighbourhood places.
- Getsemaní is cheaper than the walled city for comparable cooking — roughly a third less on main courses.
- A 10% service charge (propina voluntaria) appears on most bills and is optional.
Where these numbers come from. Prices, opening hours and addresses below were read from published sources on 12 August 2026. Rankings and awards come from The World’s 50 Best. Price bands and hours come from The Cartagena Guide, published April 2026 and updated May 2026, using an exchange rate of about 4,100 COP to US$1. We have not eaten at these restaurants ourselves; see our editorial policy. Colombian menu prices move with the peso, so treat the dollar figures as a guide and the peso figures as the number that matters.
Best restaurants in Cartagena at a glance
Fourteen places worth a table, with what a main course costs and whether you need to book. Areas are El Centro (inside the walls) and Getsemaní (just outside them).
| Restaurant | Area | Cuisine | Mains (COP) | ≈ US$ | Book? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celele | Getsemaní | Colombian Caribbean | 65,000–95,000 | 16–23 | Recommended |
| Carmen | El Centro | Caribbean / European | 75,000–110,000 | 18–27 | Essential |
| La Vitrola | El Centro | Cuban / contemporary | 80,000–140,000 | 20–34 | Essential |
| Marea by Rausch | Getsemaní waterfront | Seafood | 90,000–140,000 | 22–34 | For sunset |
| Quebracho | El Centro | Argentine grill | 70,000–130,000 | 17–32 | Recommended |
| Don Juan | El Centro | Bistro | 75,000–120,000 | 18–29 | Recommended |
| Santo Toribio | El Centro | Contemporary / seafood | 60,000–100,000 | 15–24 | No |
| La Cevichería | El Centro | Ceviche | 55,000–95,000 | 13–23 | No |
| Salou | Getsemaní | Contemporary / seafood | 55,000–85,000 | 13–21 | Recommended |
| El Boliche Cebichería | El Centro | Ceviche | 50,000–85,000 | 12–21 | No |
| La Cocina de Pepina | Getsemaní | Costeño | 38,000–62,000 | 9–15 | Dinner only |
| Caffé Lunático | Getsemaní | All-day café | 38,000–60,000 | 9–15 | No |
| Demente | Getsemaní | Tapas / pizza | 28,000–55,000 | 7–13 | No |
| La Mulata | El Centro | Costeño lunch | 28,000–55,000 | 7–13 | No |
Best restaurants in Cartagena Colombia: Getsemaní
Getsemaní sits immediately outside the walls and has become the more interesting place to eat. The same quality of cooking costs noticeably less here than inside El Centro.
The same gap shows up in room rates — see where to stay in Cartagena for what each area costs.
Celele
- Ranked No. 5 in Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025, and No. 48 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
- Won the Sustainable Restaurant Award 2025 from The World’s 50 Best, for regional sourcing and work with local producers.
- Chef: Jaime Rodríguez Camacho. Cuisine described by 50 Best as “Colombian-Caribbean fusion with sustainability at its core”.
- Address: Calle del Espíritu Santo, Cra 10C #29–200, Getsemaní.
- Tasting menu COP 320,000 (about US$78); à la carte mains COP 65,000–95,000.
- Open Tuesday to Saturday, 12:30–15:30 and 18:30–22:30. Closed Sunday and Monday.
If you book one restaurant in Cartagena, this is the one. It is also the one place on this list where a walk-in on a Friday is unlikely to work.
La Cocina de Pepina
- Costeño cooking — the food of the Caribbean coast rather than a tasting-menu interpretation of it.
- Mains COP 38,000–62,000 (about US$9–15).
- Callejón Vargas #9A–06. Monday to Saturday, 12:00–15:00 and 18:30–22:30. Closed Sunday.
- Small room; booking is worth it for dinner, not needed at lunch.
Demente
- Tapas and wood-fired pizza on Plaza de la Trinidad, the square where Getsemaní gathers in the evening.
- Small plates COP 28,000–55,000; pizzas COP 45,000–70,000.
- Open daily 17:00–01:00 — one of the few kitchens still serving late.
- No reservations. Arrive before 20:00 or expect to wait.
Top restaurants in Cartagena: inside the walled city
El Centro is where the grand colonial dining rooms are. Prices run roughly 30% higher than Getsemaní, and the two best-known rooms need booking a week ahead in high season.
Carmen
- Caribbean and European cooking in a courtyard at Calle 38 #8–19, inside Hotel Ananda.
- Mains COP 75,000–110,000 (about US$18–27). Tasting menu COP 280,000–340,000.
- Dinner daily 18:00–23:00; lunch Thursday to Sunday 12:30–15:00.
- Booking described as essential — about a week ahead in high season.
Alma
- Inside Casa San Agustín, Calle 36 in the historic centre.
- Contemporary takes on coastal Colombian dishes.
- Open daily 12:00–23:00.
- The courtyard is the reason to come; ask for a table outside rather than in the bar room.
Candé
- Listed as Restaurante Candé, and it bills itself as cocina 100% cartagenera — traditional city cooking, not coastal-fusion.
- Address: Cra 10, Calle de la Serrezuela #39–02, San Diego. Phone +57 311 697 8835.
- Menu runs to seafood, rice dishes, game meats, and soups including mote de queso and higadete.
- Folkloric dance performances run through the evening — enjoyable or intrusive depending on what you came for.
La Vitrola
- Cuban-influenced cooking at Calle Baloco #2–01, with live music from a Cuban band from around 20:00. It is the one room on this list where the band, not the menu, is the reason to book.
- Mains COP 80,000–140,000 (about US$20–34) — the highest bracket on this list.
- Open daily 12:00–00:00. Booking essential in high season.
Where to eat ceviche in Cartagena
Ceviche is the dish Cartagena does best, and it does not require an expensive room.
- La Cevichería — Calle Stuart #7–14, El Centro. COP 55,000–95,000. Open daily 12:00–22:30, often closed Tuesdays.
- La Cevichería is the room Anthony Bourdain filmed for No Reservations — the Colombia episode, series 4 episode 12, first broadcast 14 July 2008. Chef Jorge Escandón served him ceviche, octopus in corozo sauce and langostino in a Cuban-style sauce. The pavement queue dates from that episode, so arrive at noon or after 15:00.
- El Boliche Cebichería — Calle Cochera del Hobo #38–17, El Centro. COP 50,000–85,000. Daily 12:00–22:30. A small room, about ten tables.
- Both are walk-in. Go at opening or after 15:00 to avoid the queue.
- Ceviche here is usually served with plantain chips rather than corn, and often with a coconut-milk variant on the menu.
Cartagena food: the best food to order and where
- Arepa de huevo — fried corn cake with a whole egg inside. A street-cart dish, eaten in the morning.
- Ceviche — shrimp or fish, cured in lime, often with a coconut-milk version alongside.
- Posta negra — slow-braised beef in a dark, faintly sweet sauce. The classic Cartagena main.
- Arroz con coco — coconut rice, sweet and slightly burnt at the base. Ordered as a side with almost everything.
- Mote de queso — yam and cheese soup. Appears on traditional menus such as Candé.
- Limonada de coco — blended lime and coconut. The drink to order in the heat.
Best bars and rooftops in Cartagena
Alquímico
- Ranked No. 11 in The World’s 50 Best Bars 2025 — the highest-placed cocktail bar in Colombia.
- Address: Calle del Colegio #34–24, in a 19th-century mansion.
- Three floors, three separate bar concepts, including a rooftop.
- Second-floor takings fund a bartender academy and a music foundation for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds; the third floor uses produce from the bar’s own farm in the coffee region.
Eating late and walking back? The rules that actually matter after dark are in our guide to safety in Cartagena.
Planning the rest of the trip? Our guide to things to do in Cartagena has what every attraction costs and how long it takes.
Cheap eats and breakfast in Cartagena
Not every good meal here is a booked dinner. The cheapest Cartagena restaurants on this page sit at about a fifth of what the tasting menus cost.
- Breakfast is a street meal, not a restaurant one. Arepa de huevo from a cart, eaten standing, is the local version and runs a few thousand pesos.
- Caffé Lunático in Getsemaní is the sit-down alternative — an all-day café where breakfast and brunch run COP 38,000–60,000 (US$9–15).
- The menú del día, a set lunch of soup, a main and a juice, is COP 28,000–35,000 (US$7–8.50) at neighbourhood places. It is the single best value in the city.
- La Mulata (El Centro) and Demente (Getsemaní) both top out around COP 55,000 (US$13) for a main — walk-in, no booking.
- Rule of thumb: eat your expensive meal at dinner and your cheap one at lunch. The same kitchens charge noticeably less at midday.
Where to eat outside Cartagena: the islands
One kitchen worth the boat ride sits off the city rather than in it.
- Blue Apple Beach — a beach club and restaurant on Tierra Bomba, about 25 minutes by boat from Muelle de la Bodeguita. Boats leave at 10:00, 11:30 and 17:00.
- A day pass is around US$55 per person, or about US$102 with lunch included. The cheaper pass covers the return boat and a lounger, not food or drink. Rates read 12 August 2026.
- Carry roughly COP 12,000 in cash for the island port tax, which is collected separately at the dock.
- The kitchen is Caribbean and Mediterranean, and it is one of the few near Cartagena that lists vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes as standard rather than on request.
- Day trips to the Rosario Islands sold in the old town also include lunch at an island club. Blue Apple is the shorter run if you only have half a day.
What a meal costs in Cartagena in 2026
| What | COP | ≈ US$ |
|---|---|---|
| Set lunch, neighbourhood place | 28,000–35,000 | 7–8.50 |
| Main course, mid-range restaurant | 55,000–85,000 | 13–21 |
| Main course, well-known restaurant | 75,000–140,000 | 18–34 |
| Tasting menu, Celele | 320,000 | 78 |
| Tasting menu, Carmen | 280,000–340,000 | 68–83 |
- A 10% propina voluntaria is added to most bills. It is voluntary, and staff will ask.
- Cards are accepted at every restaurant on this list. Street carts and the smaller ceviche counters are cash.
- Exchange rate used above: about 4,100 COP to US$1. Check the current rate before you convert — the peso moves.
How to book a table in Cartagena
- Celele, Carmen and La Vitrola need booking — about a week ahead in high season (December to February, and Holy Week).
- La Cevichería, El Boliche, Demente and La Mulata are walk-in.
- Most kitchens in El Centro stop serving around 22:30. Demente is the reliable late option, until 01:00.
- Sunday is the quietest night: Celele and La Cocina de Pepina are both closed.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best restaurant in Cartagena?
By external ranking, Celele in Getsemaní — No. 5 in Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 and No. 48 in The World’s 50 Best. Carmen in the walled city is the usual second name.
Are there Michelin-starred restaurants in Cartagena?
No — and not because of the cooking. The MICHELIN Guide runs no restaurant selection anywhere in Colombia, so no kitchen in Cartagena, Bogotá or Medellín is eligible for a star in the first place. Michelin’s Colombia pages cover hotels only, where nine Colombian properties hold MICHELIN Keys. Colombian chefs have won stars abroad instead: El Cielo in Washington DC took the first star for a Colombian restaurant in 2021, and its Miami dining room followed in 2022. The ranking that does apply in Cartagena is Latin America’s 50 Best, where Celele placed No. 5 in 2025. Checked 12 August 2026.
Where did Anthony Bourdain eat in Cartagena?
La Cevichería, Calle Stuart #7–14 in El Centro. Bourdain filmed it for No Reservations, series 4 episode 12, first broadcast 14 July 2008, and chef Jorge Escandón served him ceviche, octopus in corozo sauce and langostino in a Cuban-style sauce. It stays walk-in, and the queue outside is a direct result of that episode.
How much does dinner cost in Cartagena?
A main course runs about COP 55,000–85,000 (US$13–21) at a mid-range restaurant and COP 75,000–140,000 (US$18–34) at the best-known ones. A neighbourhood set lunch is COP 28,000–35,000 (US$7–8.50). Figures read 12 August 2026.
Do you need reservations in Cartagena?
For Celele, Carmen and La Vitrola, yes — about a week ahead in high season. Ceviche counters, Demente and the lunch places are walk-in.
Is Getsemaní or the walled city better for food?
Getsemaní, on value. Comparable cooking costs roughly a third less than inside the walls, and the neighbourhood keeps serving later.
Is street food safe to eat in Cartagena?
Street carts are part of how the city eats, and arepa de huevo is best from one. Choose a cart with a queue and food cooked to order in front of you, and carry cash.