When I first arrived in Colombia, I was curious about its food culture. South America had already treated me to flavorful meals in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina, so I expected the same here - budget-friendly, varied, and delicious.
But Colombia turned out differently. The food is less about fireworks on the plate and more about tradition and familiarity. It didn’t become my favorite cuisine, but the cultural experiences built around it—the tours, the markets, the coffee farms—are worth sharing.
This is my honest reflection about the food and drinks I tried in Colombia and how the journey through flavors becomes part of the travel story. I will only mentioned what I have tried personally, so be aware that there is much more to the Colombian culinary scene. I travelled on a budget and with a personal interest of trying local food, which will shine through this post.
What Colombian Food Is Really Like
Colombian food is comforting, simple, and rooted in tradition. Meals are filling rather than adventurous, often built around rice, beans, meat, and fried doughs. Snacks and bakeries are everywhere, while fresh fruit and juices add colour to the daily diet.
Compared to neighbouring countries, the variety can feel limited, especially when traveling on a budget. But that doesn’t mean it lacks charm - it just speaks a different food language, one based on home-style cooking and repetition.
If you want to know more about the other countries I am referring to, you can read all about my South American adventure, covering: Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay:
Gallery of what I ate/drank and where
Sometimes it can be a real help to see some pictures of food - especially when they have names that does not make much sense. Below I have made a little gallery with some some of the snacks, dishes, and drinks that I tried on my 3-weeks itinerary through Colombia.
If you would like to know more about the places that I have been in Colombia, there is already a post about this! From all the places that I have been and what I would do differently if I should return to Colombia!
Must-Try Colombian Snacks and Bakes
If there’s one part of Colombian food I truly enjoyed, it was the snacks and baked goods:
Buñuelos: Fried dough balls, crispy outside and soft inside.
Pandebonos, almojábanas, pandeyuka: Cheese breads with different names across regions, but always warm and satisfying.
Carimañola: A yuca-based snack with meat filling, crunchy and flavorful.
Aborrajados: Ripe plantains stuffed with cheese (and sometimes guava paste), then battered and fried until golden. They’re sweet, salty, and gooey all at once
These were easy to find, cheap, and perfect for a quick bite.
Must-Try Traditional Colombian Dishes
Colombia has its national staples and part of the cultural experience:
Bandeja Paisa: Beans, rice, minced beef, chicharrón, fried egg, plantain, avocado, and arepa all on one plate. For me, it was muddy in taste, but it’s iconic and worth trying at least once.
Arepas: A cornerstone of Colombian cuisine, eaten in endless forms. For my taste, they were too dry, but they’re everywhere, from breakfast to dinner.
Empanadas: Made with corn dough and often fried, these felt too dry compared to the empanadas I had elsewhere in South America.
Trying them is less about taste and more about experiencing daily Colombian food culture.
Must-Try Colombian Drinks
Colombia offered drinks unlike anything I had tried in the other South American countries – true must-tries:
Coffee: Colombian coffee deserves its reputation. At Finca El Ocaso in Salento, I watched beans roasted, ground, and brewed within minutes. The taste was rich and balanced, the kind of coffee you don’t forget.
Champús: A traditional drink from the Pacific region, especially Cali. It’s thick and almost porridge-like, made with maize, pineapple, lulo fruit, panela (unrefined sugar), and spices like cinnamon and cloves. It’s both refreshing and filling. I usually like maize, but not in my drink, but is a must-try.
Lulada: Unique to Cali and its hot climate, lulada is made with mashed lulo fruit, sugar, ice, and water. It’s tangy, citrusy, and feels like a halfway point between juice and smoothie.
Chontaduro juice: Chontaduro is a bright orange palm fruit that’s boiled before eating. Its texture is starchy, almost like sweet potato, and the flavor is earthy. Locals often blend it into juice and sweeten it with condensed milk or honey. It’s unlike anything else you’ll taste in South America.
Food Tours and Cultural Experiences
Colombian food isn’t only about taste—it’s about the stories around it.
In Cali, the food tour combined local snacks with history lessons. Wandering the streets, learning how Afro-Colombian traditions shaped dishes and drinks, made food come alive in a new way. Here I tried champús, buñuelos, empanadas, tropical fruits like naranjilla (lulo), cheese, aguadiente, and much more. We did it with Guru Walk and I can definitely recommend the experience (not sponsored). We tried A LOT of different food and drinks, and the guide told our group very interesting fact about the different neighbourhoods and locations that we went through.
In Salento, at Finca El Ocaso, I learned the process of coffee-making, from bean to cup. The ride there was its own memory: standing in the open back of a jeep, holding on while the road twisted through green hills. You can buy the ticket in Salento at Plaza de Bolívar - you can't miss the little office next to all the jeeps.
I only got to do these two tours, but I know other cities also offer similar experiences, we just didn't prioritise it.
Final Reflection
Food in Colombia, especially when traveling on a budget, isn’t about fireworks on the plate. It’s about tradition, familiarity, and comfort.
For me, it wasn’t the highlight of the country. But the cultural experiences built around it—the tours, the markets, the farms—were worth remembering.
Travelers should arrive with open expectations, or perhaps a slightly higher budget. Try the snacks, sip the drinks, book the tours. Even if the food itself doesn’t become your favorite, the moments around it likely will.
