Top 10 must-try dishes

  1. Ajiaco: chicken potato soup, the Bogota signature dish
  2. Tamal santafereno: corn dough with chicken, pork, peas, carrots, wrapped in banana leaf
  3. Arepa boyacense: sweet corn cake with cheese, not to confuse with Paisa arepa
  4. Empanadas de pollo: fried corn pastries with chicken and potato, dip in aji
  5. Changua: milk and egg breakfast soup with scallions, polarizing but local
  6. Fritanga: mixed plate of grilled meats, chorizo, morcilla, chicharron
  7. Obleas: thin wafer sandwich with arequipe (caramel) and jam
  8. Almojabanas: cheesy corn bread, best with hot chocolate
  9. Chicha: fermented corn drink, try it at Chorro de Quevedo
  10. Tinto: small black coffee, the social currency of Colombia

Best food neighborhoods

  • La Candelaria: traditional lunches, La Puerta Falsa, Chorro de Quevedo
  • Paloquemao market: breakfast, fresh juices (lulo, mora, curuba), market lunch
  • La Perseverancia market: traditional slow lunch, less touristy
  • Usaquen: Sunday flea market, brunch spots, laid back
  • Chapinero (Zona G): gourmet new-wave spots, fine dining

A one-day food tour plan

Start at Paloquemao market for breakfast (tamal and a fresh lulo juice). Mid morning: Chorro de Quevedo for a small chicha. Lunch at La Puerta Falsa in La Candelaria for tamal and ajiaco. Afternoon coffee and obleas in Usaquen or Chapinero. Dinner in Zona G at a modern Colombian spot like Mini Mal or Leo.

Drinks to try

  • Tinto: plain black coffee, 1,500-3,000 COP
  • Chicha: fermented corn drink (mild alcohol), 2,000-5,000 COP
  • Aguapanela: sugar cane water with lime, hot or cold
  • Lulo, curuba and maracuya juices: unique Andean fruit flavors

Book a Bogota food tour

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Frequently asked questions

Ajiaco: a hearty chicken and potato soup made with three types of Andean potato, corn on the cob, chicken, capers and guascas herb, served with cream and white rice. The Puentes de Los Hermanos and La Puerta Falsa are classic spots.

Paloquemao market for breakfast and fresh juices, La Perseverancia market for traditional lunches, Plazoleta del Chorro de Quevedo for chicha and empanadas, Usaquen Sunday market for a laid back food crawl.

Yes if you pick busy stalls with high turnover. Stick to fresh fried food and hot soups. Avoid raw fruit cut in advance and street-ceviche during rainy months. Bogota tap water is safe to drink.

Guided street food tours cost 25 to 50 USD per person for 3 hours with 5 to 8 tastings plus a drink. La Candelaria, Paloquemao and Usaquen are the three main food tour routes.

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