EATING THE STREET IN CARTAGENA

Whether you are chasing a stopover snack or something more substantial, a healthy start or a sweet denouement, Cartagena’s streets provide! Eating the street is a way to plug into the local culture and gain insight into the daily lives, as you enjoy food the way Cartageneros do. It’s also extremely tasty. So arm yourselves with an appetite and an adventurous attitude and go explore. Here’s some street treats to look out for:

Arepa e’ huevo - Probably the most iconic Cartagena street snack, the arepa e’huevo is a twice-fried golden circular cornmeal parcel filled with egg and meat. Must try.

Carimañola - Made from the sticky yuca dough, Carimañolas can be stuffed with meat or cheese before frying.

Papa Rellena - Yet another deep-fried delight, the Papa Rellena (literally translated as “stuffed potato”) is cooked potato balls with meat, onions and spiced dipped into a batter, then fried until crunchy.

Kibbeh - Another fried treat, the kibbeh is a tasty legacy of the Arabic immigration to Cartagena. It’s made from bulgar wheat, finely ground beef, onions and spices.

Mango biche - Cartageneros love their mango green (unripe), crunchy, and doused in lime juice, salt and pepper. Mango biche is also the renowned preferred craving food for pregnant women. Now you know.

Bollos - These leaf-wrapped rolls are similar to a Mexican tamale and are made by steaming cornmeal, plantains, yuca, coconut, or any other kind of masa inside a bijao leaf. They are then usually enjoyed with a few chunks of the local cheese: queso costeño. They can also be sometimes found,stuffed with meat and vegetables.

Patacones - twice-fried plantains are pisa’o (flattened) dipped in salty, garlic water and topped with cheese, meat, salad, sauces, or simply enjoyed on their own.

Pesca’o - You’ll hear this food before you see it. Listen out for the men walking the streets with their giant silver buckets calling out “Pesca’o Pesca’o!!” What you’ll receive is a piece of salty fried fish accompanied by salty steamed yuca and wrapped up in a piece of brown paper.

Coctél de Camaron - If you thought the famous shrimp coctkail died after the 80s, think again! In Cartagena cups filled with a mix of shrimp, onion, tomato, mayo and lots of garlic can be found all along Avenida Venezuela. You can even eat it under a giant Sombrero Vuelta’o hat!

Tropical fruits - Depending on the season, you can find all manner of strange and exotic tropical fruits like lulo, granadilla, nispero, papaya, guanabana, corozo, guama, zapote etc Some can be eaten there and then, others are better mixed into a juice.

Postres Palenqueros - Look out for the ladies in beautiful coloured dresses carrying bowls on their head often the treasures they are transporting are an array of traditional sweets such as cocadas (coconut mounds) enyucado (coconut and yuca cake) bolitas de tamarindo (sugar-coated tamarind balls) and alegría (puffed corn brown-sugar and coconut balls).

Agua e Coco - Known as natures energy drink, you can order the coconut whole, or drink the water en bolsita, ripping open the tiny plastic bags with your teeth.

Salpicón - This colourful, sweet cup is kind of like a drinkable fruit-salad laced with lots of sugar.

Raspa’o - Cartagena’s version of the snow cone, Raspaó is shaved ice topped with flavoured syrup. Popular flavours include tamarindo and Kola Roman.

Tinto - Need an energy boost with all this eating? Never fea! A tiny cup of caffeine is always close at hand thanks to the roaming tinto salesmen. Look for the men carrying thermoses and cigarettes. The coffee usually comes pre-sweetened and is usually, surprisingly, extremely hot.

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I usually live on a very tight budget here in Cartagena. If I can't cook at home, I don't like to spend more than 10,000COP (US$5.50) for a meal. These are places I like to eat for cheap. It is possible to eat at all of them for less than 12,000. Apologies now for the sometimes approximate addresses and the fact the list is biased towards Getsemani and La Matuna because that's where I live and work. Please send me your tips and recs for cheap eating in other parts of town (add them to the comments section - that would be rad)!!

Este es el Punto, Getsemani, Calle San Andres
Pretty basic but very acceptable. I think their best dishes are the guisadas (a kind of casserole). This place is especially popular during the p.m. because they are one of the few restaurants that do night-time corrientes at around the 6,000 COP price-point. The crowd is pretty much 50/50 backpackers and locals filling up on the cheap fare.

Street Lunches in La Matuna La Matuna, Near the Olimpica
At just 4,000 pesos, this is one of the cheapest lunches going and really tasty. You'll find the food cart set up in front of the Europa Pool Hall in the Joe Arroyo Mall in La Matuna Commercial area. You'll get a generous serve of whatever meat you choose (all that I've tried are slow-cooked tender and flavoursome with plenty of spices), rice, lentils, salad and cooked banana. I am always the only female that eats here. I sit on the concrete bench with all the old men and joke with them while chewing the (literal) fat.

Fruit Salad La Matuna, near Hotel Stil
Also in La Matuna, but in the neighbouring Plaza of Benko (formerly Plazaleta de Telecom) near the Hotel Stil, you'll find a mobile fruit salad cart. For 2,000 pesos, they will cut up and choc-fill a polystyrene container (sorry environment) with an assortment of watermelon, papaya, pineapple, grapes and banana. I think it's excellent value. You can also talk them down to a 1,000 half-serve that is pretty darn filling.

Ciudad Movil Pizza Getsemani, Calle Espiritu Santo
You'll hear me sing the praises of Ciudad Movil for a number of reasons. As the home of zumba, as a great place to catch live music, as a community centre to support Getsemani, as a place to learn and grow and upskill with dance and artistic lessons. But probably my favourite thing I love about Ciudad Movil is the pretty courtyard and the tasty pizzas they serve there. The pizzas are 10,000 for 1/2 size and 15,000 for full. The base is crispy and light. The toppings are delicious and simple. Here's a couple of photos.

Osteria de Sirena
It's retro as all get-up but sometimes I get a craving for the prawn (shrimp to those outside Australia) cocktails sold in the little food huts around La Matuna. The one I always go to is La Sirena. I am not sure why exactly, but Walter happily adds lots of extra garlic and chili because that's how I like it. He also seems to be generous with the prawns (shrimp) but that could just be luck/my imagination. Realistically all the different vendors are probably pretty much the same (the one with the giant Colombia vueltiado hat is particularly popular). Anyway.. if you are craving something that isn't carb/starch heavy.. this could fit the bill. I always get the doble (the, ahem.. double) which has just increased in price to 9,000COP. It isn't hugely filling but the richness of the prawns and the mayonnaise means you don't need a lot to feel sated.

Laguna Azul Centro Commercial Getsemani, Calle Larga (in front of Donde Pacho).
Another non-carby option, Laguna Azul specialises in ceviches. I like it because the ceviches are real ceviches in the sense that they are not filled with cream and tomato sauce and mayonnaise, but the raw seafood is “cooked” in the acidic citrus-based dressing. If you haven't tried ceviche before you really, really should. It is fresh and zesty and clean tasting. And you don't feel all gluggy and heavy afterwards. I normally get the Corvina which is around 12,000 pesos - a little above budget - but vale la pena. And the Blue Lagoon/Brooke Shields kitch-ness of t the restaurant is all nostalgic cool. Photos!

Crepes & Waffles Salad Bar Various. Visit http://crepesywaffles.com/
The only thing I ever order at Crepes and Waffles (not counting the ice-creams) is the salad bar. You are allowed to fill a large bowl or take-away container with as much salad bar that will fit for 8,000 pesos. Considering the general lack of vegetables and diverse salad options in Cartagena, this is a really great deal. Add in free wi-fi and Crepes and Waffles is a favourite ex-pat meet-point. Oh! And we all love the Crepes & Waffles policy of only employing single mothers - it makes the ice-cream taste sweeter.

La Orquidea La Matuna, Avenida Venezuela
Pull up a seat under the amazing giant fig tree and enjoy, al fresco, a big chunk of barbequed meat, served on a wooden platter. There's a distinct Cartagena-vibe here – music blares and your neighbouring tables will be filled with men enjoying cervezas and talking mierda. They also have a good rotating selection of soups (often including Mote de Queso) on the menu. Don't leave it too late to arrive. The food is served 12-2. The rest of the time is strictly for drinking. Top tip: If you still have room after your churrasco, go behind the tienda to the little stall frying up golden balls and try the best buñuelo in Cartagena.

Pardesh Indian Restaurant Getsemani, Calle Tripita y Media
A lot has changed since I tried my first truly spicy food in Indonesia when I was 12 and proceeded to run around the restaurant flapping my arms and downing everyone else's drinks. Now I crave spicier and spicier food - rarely finding any dishes that are hot enough for me. For this reason, Pardesh is an absolute godsend. Bangladeshi chef, Milton, serves up properly authentic curries that are genuinely spicy if you want them that way. He also cooks with actual vegetables! I usually order the Fish Marsala (COP$12,000) because it's super tasty and makes me feel that, even though I'm eating in an Indian Restaurant.. I'm still keeping things a little coastal and local. The vegetable curries (COP9,000) and dahl are first rate options for vegetarians and people craving some non-meaty vitamins and minerals for a change (often, me). The dipping sauce that comes with the onion fritters is a complete winner (the fritters aren't bad either). Oh! and the prawn/shrimp dopiaza (COP12,000) is delish. The other thing I love about Pardesh is the fact you can BYO (is this just an Aussie term? It means Bring Your Own drinks). So stop off at a tienda on the way and grab some beers or something stronger and save even more money on your night out. It's the perfect place to "pre".
There's almost ZERO atmosphere at Pardesh, however (those paintings of the Virgin Mary and complete absence of music just don't cut it), so you need to bring your own good-vibes too. I suggest a portable music player and a bottle of rum should help with that.
We call Pardesh a "pop-up-restaurant" because (a) it pops up only at night in a space that, by day is a restaurant called Cassova, situated opposite Malagana and (b) it makes the restaurant seem more hip and happening, right? Anyway. One of my favourite cheap restaurant options.

Sunday Mondongo Soup Getsemani, Plaza Trinidad
Sunday is a time for restoration and reflection, and a bowl of mondongo soup is a traditional answer for both. The main ingredient of Mondongo soup is tripe. Yup. Cow's stomache lining. For this reason it is a popular choice after a night out drinking and misbehaving as it is believed the fatty tripe helps soak up all the booze.. it's the coastal equivalent of McDonalds (and slightly better for you than the other greasy alternative.. Chicharones!). Every Sunday you can sample homemade Mondongo soup in Trinidad Plaza in Getsemani. Sitting in the shade, people-watching, sharing battle-stories from debaucherous adventures.. it's the perfect way to lick your wounds. Bowl of Mondongo soup with rice and panela costs COP5000.

These are some of my favourite ways to enjoy and experience Cartagena. I've tried to include things that are free or almost free that you probably won't find featured in your guide-book but are still accessible for visitors staying in and around Centro.

1. Sundowners
Find a spot on the centuries-old wall at sunset and take in the view. Anywhere is good, but my favourite places are sea-side at the Baluarte de San Francisco (near the Hotel Santa Teresa), "Cafe de al Lado" - the space "Next-door" to the famous, and also famously expensive, Cafe del Mar, or head to the wall that overlooks the India Catalina and enjoy the chaotic spectacle of the afternoon-rush-hour commute.  No matter where you choose, there will be a helpful vendor at your beck, eager to sell you a refreshingly cold cerveza. For added reflection points, contemplate all the incredible things those walls must have seen, since they were built way back in the 1600s. Sigh.

2. Baseball
Get taken out to the ballgame as Cartagena's long-held passion for baseball is put on show at the weekly Sunday games. If I'm not playing (read about THAT here), I like to watch the games in Calle Pedregal in Getsemani. They also happen in Bocagrande near the Hospital and at the foot of Castillo San Felipe. For me, this is a glimpse of the real Cartagena. Music blaring, kids sucking on bolis (homemade ice-blocks), old-timers from the barrio debating the best hitting order and baseball played in the street with neighbours looking on from their bedroom windows. For many people in Cartagena, Sunday is their only day off, so it's not uncommon for the beers and aguadiente to be passed around fairly early in the day as folks settle into relax mode. Baseball season runs March - November.

3. Tierra Bomba
It's just 15 minutes by lancha (outboard-motor-powered boat) from Bocagrande, but Tierra Bomba feels like another world - with practically private empty beaches, and local islanders living very simply and happily. You can get to Tierra Bomba for as little as 2,000 pesos each way ($1) if you go through the Pueblo and don't mind waiting until the ferry is choc-a-block full of people before it leaves. Once there, make your way through the "town", past the colourfully painted houses, the dusty football pitch, and the fresh fruit juice lady with the best views in the country, to Playa Linda then settle in to your own Corona commercial; from where you'd rather be...

4. Boardgames
Chess (Ajaderes), Ludo (Parques), Dominoes and Cards - Cartageneros are quite partial to a bit of a boardgame (another reason I must have been born here in another life!). Pass by any plaza and you will find the tinto (coffee) vendors vying it out over a hotly contested game of cards (especially Plaza San Diego and Parque Fernando Madrid). Chess is the domain of Plazas Simon Bolivar (by day) and Trinidad (by night). And there's permanently a game of Ludo happening in Callejon Ancho in Getsemani. Stand there watching the men play long enough and they'll invariably invite you to play. If you want to experience Cartagena like a local, you'll happily accept.

5. Fly a kite
Although August is official "Mes de las Cometas" (Kite Month), there's plenty of wind most of the year here in Cartagena, especially close to the sea, and an afternoon spent kite-flying is a lot of fun! During the windy months there'll be kites for sale on the beaches and around key flying spots like the grassed area near the wall on the corner of Avenida Santander and Avenida del Mar. Or for extra crafty fun - make your own! Personally, I can't keep from singing "Let's Go Fly a Kite!" from Mary Poppins the entire time.

6. Take a bus
Something I always enjoy doing, no matter where in the world I am, is to jump on the most public form of transport I can find and just spend an hour or so riding the routes. Ok, so if you only have a short time, this might not be high on everyone's agenda. But I think it's a fascinating, almost-free way to experience a city. Here in Cartagena you will pay a maximum of $1,500 Colombian pesos (75cents). Locals will hand over less for short distances. Once you've moved past the pimped-up driver's area (glitter, neon, signs praising God, giant speakers, fluffy dice etc etc) you'll need to choose your seat.  Seat selection is crucial in non-air-conditioned buses (the majority) - you want to be near an open window or door on the non-sunny side. Then sit back and enjoy the ride! At various points in your journey vendors and buskers will board the bus - they'll be selling chocolates, drinks, pens, books or rapping, singing, dancing. Many will share their unfortunate stories and ask that you give a little to help support them. You'll sit next to and maybe even converse with young and old. You'll learn the Spanish word for STOP as it is repetitively shouted to the driver. You'll see barrios that show a very different Cartagena to the one within the walls. You'll listen to Reggaeton, Champeta, Salsa and Vallenato. You'll also sweat. A lot. So be sure to bring/buy plenty of water.

7. I want to ride my bicycle!
Are you singing Queen too? Digress. So bicycles have pretty much taken over Cartagena. First there were a few rental places, then next thing they were springing up on every single corner of Centro and Getsemani. Goodness knows where they all came from. Bike rental is cheap. Usually around 3,000 pesos ($1.50) an hour and Cartagena is perfect for exploring by bike; it's flat and most of the sites are super close. Wait til the sun is about to go down and things are cooler, then cycle to Laguito to watch the sun set over the palm-framed sea. Or cycle beside the bay at Castillogrande or Manga and check out all the beautiful people keeping fit and families strolling with rollerblade-clad kiddies.

8. Movies
Pretty much most nights of the week, somewhere in Cartagena, there will be a free movie showing. Not only do they make great language practice for those looking to improve their Spanish, often the movies selected provide wonderful insight into Colombian or Latin American life. There's Tuesday night movies at Camara de Comercio, Wednesday night movies under the stars in the absolutely amazing Claustre de Convento Santo Domingo (the courtyard for Cartagena's most ancient convent) and Thursday night movies and short films at grungy Quiebracanto Cinebar (sit on chairs salvaged from the now-decaying Teatro nextdoor).

9. Dance
The people of Cartagena love music and dance, so to properly experience the city you're going to have to cut a rug. Or at least watch. There are countless free music and dance options here, from the free bands playing throughout the bars of Getsemani (enticing you in to buy a beer or two) through to dance classes at Ciudad Movil and the public zumba performance that happens on Sunday nights at Plaza Trinidad. Or just find a house with a decent sound system around Getsemani (there's dozens!) and dance with the locals in the street. If your budget stretches to include a cover charge, check out my descriptions of bars and clubs here.

10. To market, to market
Check out the sensory assault that is the Mercado Bazurto, the city's public market. Deafening music, tropical fruits, un-refrigerated meats, fish-juice-filled muddy paths and smells that range from vomit-inducing to hunger-making to floral depending upon the section you find yourself and the direction of the wind. Read more about the market here.

Como es? Good valued corrientazo that's a step up from the standard fare
Donde es? Getsemani, Plaza de la Trinidad 9-111, Cartagena, Bolivar
Cuanto es? Cheap <$15,000
Cerca a? Plaza de la Trinidad





Located right on the much-beloved Plaza Trinidad in Getsemani, this is a great little spot for a corrientazo lunch that offers a little extra than the standard fare.

Sometimes, for example, they will have potato salad or borronjil (a kind of eggplant/platano smush) as a side. And instead of panela for your included drink, you might get lucky and arrive on the day they have watermelon juice.

There's a good range of mainly-meaty options that rotate frequently and sometimes get a bit adventurous. Most of the standard meats-based options are COP7000, but if you opt for the fish filete you'll pay 10,000COP. It's totally worth it. You'll receive a giant portion of fish fillet, battered in a salt and pepper spiced mix and shallow-fried to produce something that kind of reminds me of Cantonese style flounder. Which is to say it's very good. Plus it comes served with coconut rice- a coastal speciality and totally delicious.

Even the soup options vary (fish, triseca, hueso, pollo, patacones) and you might even be lucky enough to get mote de queso – a rich yam-based soup with chunks of cheese that's a speciality of the Atlantic Coast.

At night, the pizza oven gets cranked up, street tables and chairs come out and the cafe gets busy churning out light and crispy pizzas to the hungry plaza folk. They do pastas and burgers too, but I've only ever tried the pizza. Depending upon the toppings you choose, you can get a fairly giant pizza that would feed 2-3 people for around 14,000COP. I add my own dried chilli flakes to up the ante a little.

Lots of people arrive to Cartagena with the expectation that, as part of not-quite first-world Colombia, things are going to be cheap. 'Fraid not. Depending upon where you are coming from and how strong the currency you're converting is, things will be, for the most part, about the same price as in your first-world country (eating, drinking etc) or, even more expensive (accommodation, boating etc).

BUT if you know where to look there are still some choice options to eat on the cheap. I've made up a bit of a list of my favourites (in no particular order) HERE, but first here are some general tips to eating cheap:

1. Lunch like a King.
   

For most Colombians, lunch is the biggest meal of the day. So if you want to save money, take advantage of the competitive corriente pricing around town (more on corrientes next) and fill up at midday. The servings are so large you'll only need the lightest of dinners.

1. Keep things current.
   

Corrientes are the daily meal option. At lunch they will usually consist of a soup to start; hueso (bone) or costilla (rib) are the most common and are made with potato and/or yuca, a chunk of bone with or without some meat attached (depending upon the generosity of your server) cilantro and maybe some other vegetables. You may also find pollo (chicken), pescado (fish) and patacones (plantain) options. If you're really lucky there might be mote de queso (a specialty soup with chunks of cheese and yam) or Modongo (hmm.. the less you know the better.. basically stomache lining/offal.. but mighty flavoursome).

The main plate will include your selected meat (carne [beef], cerdo [pork], pollo [chicken], lingua [tongue], higado [liver] or pescado [fish] being the main offerings) plus a varying combination of rice, lentils, beans, salad (always very basic - lettuce, tomato, onion), patacones and banana.

To drink, the usual offering will be aguapanela (brown sugar dissolved in water with lime juice), chicha (rice-based fruity cordial) or jugo (juice of the day). Corrientes are usually a lunch time thing, but a handful of places serve them up all night long too. Expect to pay from around COP$6,000 up to $15,000 depending upon the place and whether you choose the more expensive fish option.

1. More the merrier.
   

Go to where the people are and you're more likely to find a better variety of good-valued meal options. Ludicrously high rental prices within the walled city makes it more difficult to find food for cheap, so head a little further out. Getsemani has a good offering of cheap eating to target both locals and backpackers. There's some good options around La Matuna aiming to capture the commercial/professional crowd of employees and even upmarket Bocagrande has some good lunch-time deals as the restaurants fight it out for tourist lunchtime trade.

1. Eat street.
   

Don't be scared to grab some food from the many street vendors, plonk yourself down on a bench and eat al fresco. After more than a year of living here and eating EVERYTHING offered on the street, I have never been sick once. You can pick up a styrofoam tray filled with lunch (rice, beans, salad, meat) for 4000 pesos from 12-2pm daily (popular options run out quickly so for more choice, eat earlier!) otherwise you can get all the street snacks I write about HERE throughout the day. Remember! You can also book in for my Street Food Tour!

• When in Rome...

I love Asian food and I cook a lot of it at home, paying a premium for my imported Oyster sauce because sometimes I just want those oriental flavours. But if you want to eat cheap you can't expect to eat the same way you do at home. People here don't really eat fresh, healthy protein-based salads, for example, so if that's what you are hankering for, you can find it, but expect to pay more. Eat what the locals eat and it will be cheaper. And apologies vegetarians - for the most part, Cartagena is very bad value for you.

OK! You're now ready for my list of cheap(er) restaurants. Go here.

Do you have any other tips to eat cheap around Cartagena?