12 Best Restaurants in Bogota
From $1 empanadas to world-class tasting menus. Curated picks across 4 price tiers, with must-order dishes and reservation tips.
How to Use This Guide
These 12 restaurants cover the full spectrum of Bogota dining \u2014 from $1 street food to $80 tasting menus. Each pick is a place we'd send a friend to. We've included the area, price range, must-order dish, and whether you need a reservation. For a broader food overview, see our Bogota food guide.
Street Food
$1-3Empanadas del Mono
Bogota’s favorite empanada chain. Crispy corn shell, well-seasoned filling, served blazing hot. The aji verde is addictive. Perfect for a quick lunch or late-night snack. Multiple locations across the city, but the Chapinero branch is the classic.
Area
Chapinero (multiple locations)
Price Range
3,000-5,000 COP
Must Order
Empanada de carne (beef) with aji sauce
Reservation
No — walk-up counter
Tip: Go at lunch for freshest empanadas straight from the fryer. The aji (hot sauce) is the star.
La Puerta Falsa
The oldest restaurant in Bogota, operating since 1816 in a tiny doorway off Plaza de Bolívar. Famous for ajiaco (Bogota’s signature chicken-potato soup with capers and cream) and tamales. The hot chocolate with cheese is a must. This is history you can taste.
Area
La Candelaria
Price Range
8,000-18,000 COP
Must Order
Ajiaco + chocolate santafereño
Reservation
No — first-come, first-served
Tip: Open since 1816. Go before noon to avoid the queue. Tiny space, shared tables, fast service.
Mercado de Paloquemao Stalls
Bogota’s largest and most vibrant food market. Not a tourist market — this is where bogotanos shop. The fruit section is overwhelming (50+ varieties). The lunch stalls in the rear serve almuerzo corriente (rice, beans, meat, plantain, juice) for under $3. The freshest, most authentic food experience in the city.
Area
Teusaquillo
Price Range
5,000-15,000 COP
Must Order
Fresh fruit juice + almuerzo corriente (set lunch)
Reservation
No — market stalls
Tip: Go before 10am for the full experience. Try fruits you’ve never heard of: lulo, guanabana, uchuva. The lunch stalls in the back are the best value meal in Bogota.
Mid-Range
$5-15Salvo Patria
Creative Colombian tapas in a beautiful Chapinero house with a garden terrace. The menu changes seasonally, focusing on Colombian ingredients prepared with modern technique. Small plates designed for sharing. Excellent natural wine program. The kind of place you’ll come back to multiple times.
Area
Chapinero
Price Range
25,000-55,000 COP
Must Order
Any sharing plate + natural wine
Reservation
Recommended for dinner
Tip: The terrace is the best seat. Their natural wine list is one of Bogota’s best. Great for a date or catching up with friends.
Andrés DC
A Bogota institution. Andrés DC is part restaurant, part spectacle — colorful, loud, and festive. The menu covers Colombian classics done well: grilled meats, bandeja paisa, seafood. The lomo al trapo (beef tenderloin cooked in a salt crust) is legendary. Not subtle, but unforgettable. There’s a reason every bogotano has been here.
Area
Zona T
Price Range
30,000-60,000 COP
Must Order
Lomo al trapo (salt-wrapped beef tenderloin)
Reservation
Recommended on weekends
Tip: It’s a restaurant, bar, and party venue in one. Go for dinner and stay for the atmosphere. Weekends get loud and festive.
La Hamburguesería
When you need a break from Colombian food, this is where bogotanos go for burgers. Locally-sourced beef, house-baked buns, creative toppings. Simple menu, exceptional execution. The Chapinero location is small and always busy — a sign of quality. Pair with a local craft beer from BBC.
Area
Chapinero
Price Range
25,000-45,000 COP
Must Order
Classic burger with truffle fries
Reservation
Not needed
Tip: Best burger in Bogota, no contest. Lines form at weekend lunch. The truffle fries are worth the extra 8k COP.
Upscale
$15-40Mini-Mal
Modern Colombian cuisine driven by ingredients from every region of the country. Chef Eduardo Martínez sources directly from small farmers and indigenous communities. Dishes showcase ingredients most diners have never encountered — Amazonian ants, Pácific coast herbs, Andean tubers. Intimate setting in bohemian La Macarena.
Area
La Macarena
Price Range
45,000-80,000 COP
Must Order
Tasting menu (seasonal, ingredient-driven)
Reservation
Required
Tip: Chef Eduardo Martínez is a pioneer of Colombian ingredient-forward cooking. The menu reads like a biodiversity inventory. Trust the tasting menu.
El Chato
One of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants. El Chato serves modern Colombian food that’s creative without being pretentious. The tasting menu is a journey through Colombian terroir. The cocktail program (using Colombian spirits, fruits, and herbs) is among the best in the country. Set in a converted Chapinero house with an intimate, warm atmosphere.
Area
Chapinero
Price Range
50,000-90,000 COP
Must Order
Tasting menu — changes regularly
Reservation
Essential — book 1-2 weeks ahead
Tip: Ranked on Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants. The cocktail bar downstairs is worth visiting even if you don’t dine. Weekend dinner is hardest to book.
Criterion
French-Colombian fine dining from the Rausch brothers, Bogota’s most recognized chefs. Classic French technique applied to Colombian products. The dining room is elegant without being stuffy. Criterion has been a Zona G anchor for over 15 years — it’s the restaurant where bogotano families celebrate special occasions.
Area
Zona G
Price Range
60,000-120,000 COP
Must Order
Tuna tartare or duck confit
Reservation
Required for dinner
Tip: Bogota’s most consistent fine dining. French technique with Colombian ingredients. The lunch menu is significantly cheaper than dinner. Zona G is the restaurant district.
Splurge
$40+Leo Cocina y Cava
Bogota’s crown jewel. Chef Leonor Espinosa’s “Ciclo-Biome” tasting menu takes you through Colombia’s ecosystems — Amazon, Pácific, Andes, Caribbean, Orinoco — using ingredients sourced from indigenous communities. Every dish tells a story about Colombian biodiversity and culture. World’s Best Female Chef award. A once-in-a-trip experience.
Area
Chapinero
Price Range
180,000-350,000 COP
Must Order
Ciclo-Biome tasting menu (the only option)
Reservation
Essential — book 2-3 weeks ahead
Tip: Chef Leonor Espinosa won World’s Best Female Chef (2022). This is Colombia’s most ambitious restaurant. The tasting menu is a 12-15 course journey through Colombian biodiversity. Allow 3 hours.
Harry Sasson
A Bogota institution for over 25 years. Harry Sasson blends Colombian ingredients with Mediterranean and Asian influences in a large, elegant dining room. The menu is vast — seafood, steaks, pastas, creative appetizers. Known for consistency, generous portions, and a celebrity-chef presence. Where Bogota’s business elite entertains.
Area
Zona G
Price Range
80,000-200,000 COP
Must Order
Colombian-Mediterranean sharing plates
Reservation
Required
Tip: Harry Sasson is a Bogota legend — over 25 years in the game. The restaurant is massive but somehow still feels personal. Great wine list. Go for a special dinner.
Celele
Caribbean-Bogota fusion from chef Jaime Rodríguez. Celele brings the flavors of Colombia’s Caribbean coast to Chapinero — coconut rice, seafood preparations, tropical fruit desserts, all reimagined with fine-dining technique. A rising star on the Latin American dining scene. The contrast of Caribbean warmth in Bogota’s cool mountain air is magical.
Area
Chapinero
Price Range
150,000-280,000 COP
Must Order
Caribbean tasting menu
Reservation
Essential — book 1-2 weeks ahead
Tip: The rising star of Bogota’s dining scene. Caribbean flavors (coconut, seafood, tropical fruits) in a landlocked mountain city. Feels like a portal to Cartagena. The cocktails are outstanding.