Medellín Living, Founder’s Way: Insider Guide to My Favorites

Hi everyone! Your friendly neighborhood face again 🙂

As I always get questions about recommendations and such, I thought I’d write it all down here. For those of you who don’t know me (yet), I am originally from the Philippines who traversed across continents and found home in this beautiful city we all fell in love with. I personally didn’t like Medellín right away (for another story) but somehow it made me love it enough to have stayed 5 years. In that time, I’ve pinned down a lot of favorite places for food, activities, and even where I shop for essentials.

My personality type is not about parties and clubs, tampoco drinking out so if that’s what you’re looking for, this article isn’t for you. Below, I’m going to write down my favorite:

🥗 Menu del día spots
💻 Cafés for coworking
🥐 Brunch spots
🍝 Favorite restaurants
🥑 Shopping for essentials (think markets)

Tip: Click on the item to jump to the list

If there’s anything you’d like me to add to the list, feel free to email me and let me know 🫶🏽

Menú del día is such a lifesaver. It’s fast, it’s a full meal, and it’s cheap. It always comes with a soup, a salad, a main protein, rice, and a drink. Some places offer a dessert. Some places even offer options between the protein and the drink! But it’s essentially that: fast, full, and cheap. I lived in the Laureles/Estadio area for 5 years so I’ll be able to recommend places there. Otherwise, just walk around and look for signs to see what they have but these are my favorite:

⭐️ Saludpan – hands down the healthiest choice you’ll make if you decide to take that route for your meal.

    ⭐️ La Sazon de mi Negrita – says it all! FLAVOR. The cooks are from the coast so you can trust their food is delicious.

      ⭐️ Sal y Pimienta – this was a random find turned favorite instantly. They have HUGE portions with the best soups I’ve had and with great options for protein, packed with flavor, too.

        💻 My favorite cafes for coworking in Medellín

        Coworking in cafes can be quite tricky as you want a good combination of comfortable seats, plugs, good coffee, and a generally good vibe. I don’t think there’s one perfect cafe for everything but each cafe has their ups and downs, and even peak times to avoid and peak times where it’s just the best spot to work for an hour or two. Here are places I frequented:

        ⭐️ Delmuri Café – this has gotten mixed reviews from my peers, mainly because the service can be too relaxed but that’s actually exactly why I like it. It feels like you’re in a friend’s house and their cousins work there so it’s a casual vibe with the staff. You don’t get bothered by them if you stay the whole day. Best part is that they have great food, coffee, and desserts. This was definitely my top 1. They also have options of being inside where it’s a bit more secluded, a patio for a bit more of the fresh air, and the upstairs where it’s a bit more relaxed. Fair warning, mosquitoes apparently are around. I’ve met a few people complaining about this but they never bit me!

        ⭐️ Rituales Café – this is always a cafe I can “trust” — one to be open early enough, open on holidays (usually) and on holidays. Still best to check google maps for their schedule but I always went there if I ever wanted to work on an “odd” day. Coffee is great, the vibe is amazing, plugs everywhere, and good food. It’s a commercial vibe compared to Delmuri but still cozy enough.

        ⭐️ Semilla Café – I have a love-hate relationship with this café. Food is average but the setup is quite nice as they are meant for coworking. But another but downside is that it’s always so full and packed to the point of just overstimulation. I also remember a very annoying waitress who was always bothering you for orders even if you just ordered something. I don’t know if she’s still around but she always put me off. But on a slow day, I quite like working here.

        ⭐️ General Café – this café is all about VIBES 🎶 It’s not the most quiet nor relaxed place but if you’re up for some beats while working in a stylish cafe, this is your spot. And on the occasion I find myself in Poblado, this is my oasis. I sometimes feel like dancing while I’m working here haha!

        ⭐️ Urbania Café (Calle 8) – this is another oasis of mine when I “accidentally” end up in Poblado. Just honestly one of the best coffee I’ve ever had. Comfortable enough to stay for a couple of hours, good food.

        ⭐️ Café Namazzi – this is a recent favorite! I really love the space, it’s so perfect for coworking. There’s a lot of natural light and it’s cozy enough. One thing I don’t like it how loud it can get when they grind coffee and make drinks (I wish this would change) but I would still recommend it, just bring noise canceling headphones for this one!

        ⭐️ Almost any Pergamino Café – My personal favorite is in San Lucas as it’s far enough that it doesn’t get too crowded. The one in Laureles used to be my favorite but it’s just swarming with people now so it just ruins the vibe. The second floor is manageable but it’s a little too dark for my liking. I’m all about good space and light! I think the best thing about Pergamino locations is that it keeps in mind digital nomads so you’ll have comfortable enough seats and plugs around, amazing brunch food, and good coffee.

          🥐 My favorite brunch spots in Medellín

          ⭐️ Hija Mía Nomada – if I ever had to really choose my #1 for brunch food, it’s Hija Mía. You just have to get almost anything and you’ll love it. It’s in a hostel neighborhood so it’s always filled with tourists and a younger crowd always ready to party so it has a certain vibe but the food is just so good!

          ⭐️ Pergamino – this place is a no-brainer for brunch food. In fact, if I ever have guests come to the city, I make sure to take them here for brunch to get, specifically, the Yuca Waffles with Pancetta and Eggs (I love how they name their dishes with just exactly what it has). Their seasonal corn pancakes were also fantastic, any dessert they have, and the calentado special were some of my favorites.

          ⭐️ Smash Avocadería – if you’re into health food, this is it. It has a range of healthy smoothies, juices, and bowls to choose from. My personal favorites are: Acaí Boost (with protein), the Smash Bowl (chicken), and the Chili Mango-Salmon Wrap.

          ⭐️ Cafe Noir – if you’re leaning towards a more fancy experience, this is it 🙂

          ⭐️ Marmettina – now, I don’t really like sugary food but if I had to sate a sugar craving, I would run to Marmettina for their french toast supreme or french toast with cheese. It’s absolutely divine and yes, very sugary! I think this spot is any sweet tooth’s paradise. They also have a lot of chocolate options.

            🍝 My favorite restaurants in Medellín

            ⭐️ Bao Bei – No argument here, I am their #1 customer and #1 fan… and not because the chef is fellow Filipino! Their food just hits home when it comes to asian flavor and they’re the best at it, too. My usual order is:

            • Har Gow
            • Siumai or XLB (or honestly I’ll order all 3 dimsums usually, who am I kidding)
            • Sisig Bao
            • Inasal Chicken
            • Taiwanese milk tea OR Chai tea (you will really thank me for the chai recommendation later)

              Is this too much for one person? Absolutely, so I always make sure I go in hungry or with a friend to share some things with.

            ⭐️ Curry Lounge – if you ever just miss SPICY food? Curry lounge has got you covered. Not only that, they serve very flavorful dishes. Zaaika is their sister restaurant as well (same owner, if I’m not mistaken). My usual order:

            • Cordero Rara, which is lamb curry (and I make rice at home so it’s cheaper) or,
            • Lamb Biryani
            • Aloo Paratha
            • If I want to change it up, I order the Butter Chicken or Palak Paneer

            ⭐️ District 1 – this is my go-to comfort food because they are fast, affordable and nearby (Laureles). My favorites here are:

            • Crab rangoon
            • Gyoza
            • Fresh or fried rolls
            • Pork fried rice
            • Bo luc lac
            • Pho special
            • Arequipe lava cake!

            ⭐️ Jamaiquita – never got to go as much as I wanted but I always loved their jerk chicken and oxtail. It hits the spot with so much flavor. I have never had “proper” Jamaican food so I heard it’s not flavorful enough but honestly, to me it was perfect flavors, given the options in the city.

            ⭐️ Mercado de La America – my favorite sancocho place is somewhere inside here! I can’t remember the name for the life of me but it’s right across the Nelson Henao vegetable stand. Holy WOW the soups they have are phenomenal. You HAVE to go try it. They serve it from 11 am.

            ⭐️ Idílico – I’ve been a fan of this restaurant since I first arrived in Medellín. They vibe is casual and the food is just amazing, basically elevated Colombian food. My usual order is:

            • Corn tentacles (sounds exotic haha)
            • Pasta or beef
            • Dessert with guanabana ice cream

            ⭐️ Alambique – If I could choose ONE restaurant to showcase good food and great vibe, this is it. There are better restaurants for food but this place just has a magical vibe that showcases Colombia’s energy and the food isn’t even bad, it’s actually quite good! The usual order:

            • Buñuelos with shrimp + coconut rum shots for starters
            • Ceviche de chicharron
            • Arroz coco with seafood

            ⭐️ La Causa – ah. I can always count on the quality here. Even after 5 years of going there, they maintain quality so much. I don’t generally like large menus but for this one, I like it. It’s also probably the only place where I liked their sushi because not everything drowns in cream cheese! My top favorites are:

            • Insurgente
            • Pulpo with rice
            • Lomo saltado
            • Green risotto (I can’t for the life of me remember the name but it was the green one!)

            ⭐️ Rocoto – can’t ever go wrong here!!! Absolutely incredible peruvian food. I always get the triple dish with the rice, the ceviche and the fried seafood. Absolutely FIRE. And honestly almost anything else was good but this dish is specifically a good place to start to get a taste of everything at least. Try everything else on your second, third, fourth visits!

              🥑 My favorite places to shop for essentials in Medellín

              ⭐️ Euro – I think it’s generally more affordable for most supermarket items.

              ⭐️ Carulla – if I ever needed anything special or of higher quality, I’d come here (mostly for cheese, meats, and some items you normally can’t find in other supermarkets).

              ⭐️ D1 – you can save so much money on some shelf items here like milk, cooking oil, spices, juices, etc. Another fun secret is that bacon here is soooooo cheap compared to normal supermarkets!

              ⭐️ Mercado de La America – I always have them deliver me my fruits and vegetables (Nelson Henao vegetable stand) and they deliver for free for orders over 40.000.

              ⭐️ Saludpan – here I find some vegetables I can’t normally find like kale. I also go here for some soaps, shampoos, grain, nuts, etc. I also hear Vida Simple or Vida Integral are great places for these but I never personally had it in my routine.

              ⭐️ Rappi Turbo – I mean, I can’t pretend Rappi isn’t my go-to place to order either last-minute or just pure laziness. They have most of the things I need on a short notice.

                🎁 BONUS: Other random places not belonging to any list above

                ⭐️ Quirocorpo – best massages ever. It’s not the kind to relax with but the kind to really fix your body.

                ⭐️ Oh Nails – gel nails, cleaning, love them!

                ⭐️ Zen Depilación – waxing needs? I’d recommend this place, specifically in Laureles.

                ⭐️ Machiavelli’s – the only proper pastries in the city. Get the danish, pan suisse or croissant with goat cheese and cranberry… but really anything is good here. I also LOVE the chicken croissant sandwich! That’s a flavorful piece of chicken.

                ⭐️ Otro Bagel – the name says it all! Best bagels in the city!!!

                  I know sometimes finding your groove can take time so I hope this helps you settle into your life in Medellín! If you ever want other types of articles to be written, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Instagram @mdecommunity or our email hello@mdecommunity.com

                  Siempre con amor,

                  Mayan ✨