What to Eat in Medellín: Paisa Food & Specialty Coffee Guide

Medellín eats well. Paisa cuisine is robust, generous, with a farm-direct soul. It's not haute cuisine; it's food that hugs you. Here's the local guide to what to order, where and why.

The must-tries

1. Bandeja Paisa

The flagship dish. A single platter with: slow-cooked beans, white rice, ground or grilled beef, crispy chicharrón (pork belly), Paisa chorizo, fried egg, sweet plantain, avocado and arepa. The portion is legendary — for many, two lunches in one.

Tip: eat it for lunch (Paisas eat their biggest meal at midday), never dinner.

2. Paisa arepa

Thick, salt-free white corn dough. The breakfast base. Eaten with cheese, butter, egg, hogao (creole sauce). The difference from arepas in other parts of Colombia is that THIS is the real one, Paisas insist.

3. Sancocho

Meal-soup made from meats (chicken, ribs or fish), potato, plantain, corn and yuca. Soul food. Raining? Sancocho.

4. Buñuelos

Fried balls of cheese and corn. Traditionally eaten in December with natilla, but found year-round in bakeries.

5. Chicharrón

Crispy fried pork belly. Side for bandeja paisa or street snack.

Paisa street food

• Empanadas: fried, filled with beef and potato. Ají sauce makes the magic.
• Mazorca desgranada: corn kernels, grated cheese, sauces. Sold in parks.
• Obleas: two thin wafers with arequipe (dulce de leche) in the middle. The street dessert.
• Pandebono: sweet-salty cheese bread. The coffee companion.

Single-origin coffee — A real local obsession

Colombia is the world's third-largest producer. Antioquia, where Medellín sits, grows some of the country's best beans. The gap vs commercial coffee is ENORMOUS.

How to order properly:

• Ask for café de origen or single-origin.
• Methods: V60, French press, Chemex, espresso.
• If they offer "tinto" from a thermos, that's basic hydration coffee — not for tasting.

At our MOVE Coffee & Frappés (Laureles HQ, Calle 44a #70-79, Mon–Sat 9:30 AM–6:00 PM) we only serve Colombian single-origin coffee and artisan frappés to refresh you after the tour.

The tour's gastronomic experience

Several MOVE tours include a real gastronomic stop at the restaurant in Conquistadores neighborhood. It's not tourist food: it's contemporary Paisa cuisine, designed so you taste local flavors without the heaviness of a full bandeja. Lunch included on Full, Urban and Alternative Paisa tours.

Sweets that hook you

• Arequipe — Concentrated dulce de leche, spreadable. The base of many desserts.
• Natilla — Corn pudding with cinnamon. Pure Christmas.
• Bocadillo con queso — Sweet-savory Paisa combo: guava paste + fresh cheese.
• Mantecada — Buttery cake, perfect with coffee.

Markets worth visiting

• Plaza Minorista (downtown) — colorful chaos of exotic fruits.
• Mercado del Río (Industriales) — modern food hall.
• Mercado Campesino (various neighborhoods, Saturdays) — farm-direct products.

What to skip

• English-only menus in Parque Lleras — pure touristification.
• Instant coffee — a crime in Colombia.
• Aguardiente on an empty stomach — don't say we didn't warn you.

The Paisa rule

"The one who eats and sings, later wakes up crazy." It's not literal. It means: enjoy slowly. Paisa cuisine is generous; take your time, share, talk.

Combine your plan

Book a MOVE tour with lunch included, drop by our Coffee & Frappés and grab something from the Shop as a memento. Paisa plan in tourist mode.

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Ready to taste Medellín. Book your tour with a gastronomic experience.