Colombian restaurants in Madrid are small gastronomic embassies for the more than 200,000 residents of the American country in the region. From vibrant Bogota to the Caribbean coast, Colombian dishes have a wide variety of influences that form a common denominator: Creole cuisine.
Being one of the fastest growing populations in Madrid it is easy to understand its culinary expansion in the city, which includes internationally awarded restaurants and good examples of paisa comfort food. Of course, the fight over which country has invented the arepas we leave it to those in the know.
1. Quimbaya
Quimbaya opened its doors in 2021 with the premise of being the first Colombian restaurant to make signature food in Madrid and a year later their intention was corroborated by the Michelin Guide, which awarded them a star that they have kept.
This signature cuisine, in fact, has its own name, that of chef Edwin Rodriguez. In their menu you will find dishes such as plu con pla which, besides being a reggae band, is a typical food of the Colombian Pacific, based on a small fish, the plumuda, and plantain.
💶 €€€€€
Calle de Zurbano, 63 (Chamberí)
2. Patacón Pisao
The patacón pisao is so important in Colombian culture that even songs have been dedicated to it. It’s not really a dish per se, it’s a piece of crushed and fried plantain served as a side dish. In this restaurant they have, of course, a special section in the menu and you can eat with 11 different elaborations. This does not mean that other classic dishes, such as bandeja paisa or ajiaco (a chicken, potato and corn soup), do not have their place.
💶 €€€€€
Calle de las Delicias, 10 (Delicias)
3. Aguapanela
Aguapanela is a Colombian restaurant in Chueca that takes the gastronomy of its country very seriously, so much so that Charlie Otero, ambassador of Ibero-American Gastronomy for the World Tourism Organization, the Ibero-American General Secretariat and the Royal Academy of Gastronomy has done the “gastronomic curatorship” of its menu.
The décor envelops every corner with obvious tropical references, which match their refreshingly acidic dishes and drinks.
💶 €€€€€
Calle de San Marcos, 26 (Chueca)
4. La Poderossa
La Poderossa has been in Embajadores since 2007, and is a good example of Colombian street food . In addition to hearty dishes such as arepas, they have an unexpected protagonist: fruit salad with ice cream, dulce de leche and wafers, whether it is a dessert or a main dish is up to each person to decide.
💶 €€€€€
Calle de Embajadores, 92 (Embajadores)
5. DarPapaya
DarPapaya’s slogan says: “calm the craving with us” and it convinces. The most homemade creole food takes shape with its sancochos de gallina (a corn, potato and chicken soup, similar to ajiaco) and arepas. You can accompany these dishes with a Club Colombia beer, natural juices or coconut lemonade.
💶 €€€€€
Juan Duque Street, 9 (Imperial)
6. La Rochela
La Rochela is both a restaurant and a coffee shop, in case you were missing a nod to good Colombian coffee in this selection. La Rochela is usually in the top three for Colombians in Madrid because of the authenticity of its recipes. They also have a lunch menu from Tuesday to Thursday for 13€.
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Calle del Cardenal Cisneros, 58 (Chamberí)