As we know, Cartagena de Indias is a touristic city for excellence, the food served here is good, and delicious. They will provide you the best service, be sure, the experience will be simply marvelous.
But, of course, this makes the cost be a little higher, who wants quality needs to pay for it! However, not having a lot of money doesn’t mean you can’t have those divine dishes.
There are plenty of great foods to have in Cartagena, and the diversity is wide, there is everything for everyone. Most of the places even have a vegan menu, that may be of your interest. The typical food of Colombia can be found in every corner, and people can’t hold their faces of excitement, as they see you taste it.
If you want to learn what some of those delicacies are make sure you read this post to the end. You will learn not only which foods you must have, but where to have them, how much they will be, and how delightful too.
This is the complete traveler’s guide for excellent food!
Typical dishes in Cartagena
We should start by the dishes that define Cartagena’s culture, but don’t worry, it will not let you down. However, we should know that Cartagena has all kinds of food, national and international.
Here we go:
- Shrimps with garlic: This delicacy consists in boiled shrimps in a garlic broth, butter and white wine. You will taste the Caribbean with in this dish, some restaurants even add a little of milk cream. It gives more consistency; this is really one of the best for you!
- Arepa with egg: This is one typical food not only from Cartagena, but in the whole Colombia! This is a must-try, arepas are the best breakfast in the world, made with corn and filled with fried eggs. This is really delicious, and you can find it everywhere!
- Fried fish: Now we are talking, the beset sea food at the shore of the Cartagena beaches, there nothing better than this. This is a complete fish, fried, usually served with rice, salad, “patacones” (we’ll get to that), and, of course, a cold beer!
- “Patacón”: This is another great food, that is impossible not seeing in Cartagena, cheap, fast, and tasty. The “patacón” is a fried smashed plantain served with sauces and spices, sounds simple, but is magic.
Where should i eat in Cartagena
Now, where can I get all of those delicious dishes!?
If you payed some attention you realized all of those dishes you can get them in different places. There are different kinds of food in different places!
You can get those dishes pretty much in any restaurant you go, and there are fantastic restaurants in Cartagena. Don’t forget Cartagena was, practically, born for entertainment, almost every restaurant is a great experience.
However, don’t forget about the street food, is also tasty, and sometimes it can hide its secrets! The patacón and arepa are found almost everywhere.
But the fried fish and shrimps are found in beaches, you can also eat them in restaurants around the city. But if you want to taste the real deal, you should definitely go to the beach.
Pro tip: It’s better to have the sea food in the beach, come two hours before launch, ask for a fresh fish. Then, go to your hotel, they will catch it, and fry it right in the spot, you will have the freshest fish!
How much is it for a meal in Cartagena
Ok, we are going for the frightening part of tourists: How much is it?
Unless you are rich, you will want to know where the best prices for food are, and how to buy cheap, and delicious food in Cartagena:
Generally, the food in Cartagena is cheap, you can have regular food for an affordable price. Burgers, arepas, patacones, and street food in general is around 1 dollar.
If you want to eat in a restaurant, you can have a meal for two people for 3 or 4 dollars, drinks included. These are simple foods and very typical, as rice with coconut, fish, arepas, soups, and more.
Now, if you go to a touristic restaurant you will pay around 20$ a meal, however, the experience will be a whole another level. Entertainment, beers, entry, first the soup and then the “dry”, full service. And, of course, this is gourmet food, and with extravagant service.
You can also enjoy a nice meal in a typical food restaurant, here you can have cultural Cartagena dishes for just 5$! Don’t expect high-class service of course, but the food and experience are still excellent.
Now you know it, you don’t need to have an immense amount of money to enjoy the best vacations of Cartagena, you just need to know these little tips!
