Question 1

What is the best restaurant in Bogotá for a group dinner?

Accepted Answer

Ross Garlick: Mesa Franca: “Best group dinner in Bogotá, and for my money one of the two best restaurants in Colombia. The tostadas de atún are my all-time favourite — expensive, but 100% worth it. Make a reservation online, and order a cocktail with viche.”

Question 2

What are the best fine-dining and tasting-menu restaurants in Bogotá?

Accepted Answer

Ross Garlick: Prudencia: “For my money one of the two best restaurants in Colombia. Only open at lunch, with a five-to-seven-course menu. It's not cheap, but it is incredible. The chef, Mario, is one of a kind: he cooks everything con leña — over a wood fire — and the quality of the produce is superb. It is a world-class restaurant, and I can't recommend the experience enough.” Afluente: “I struggled with Afluente at first because of the name, which to me implied wealth and affluence. But on trying it I was blown away by its creativity. It's very near the top of my list for high-end creative dining in Bogotá right now, in 2026.” Selma: “Chef Álvaro Clavijo's restaurant that I actually prefer to El Chato, his more renowned, award-winning one. Selma is Mediterranean-inspired. It's not cheap, but it's very, very, very good: creative, with good cocktails. A great place for a date, or for a just mind-blowing meal in Bogotá. I can't recommend it enough.” Salvo Patria: “Salvo Patria holds a special place in my heart as one of the reasons I moved to Colombia — I first tried it in 2016. The menu blends inventiveness with a warmth and comfort you don't typically find in Colombian high-end restaurants. Always get the agnolotti.”

Question 3

Where is the best coffee in Bogotá?

Accepted Answer

Ross Garlick: Tropicalia Coffee — Quinta Camacho: “My favourite coffee shop in Bogotá, voted No. 1 in South America's 100 Best Coffee Shops 2025 — and ninth in the world. It's a coffee shop for the mainstream rather than for real coffee nerds, but that doesn't take away from the fact that they have an incredible coffee program: you can consistently get some of the best coffee in Colombia here, and enjoy delicious food, in one of their two beautiful locations — where you can work, meet, or read a book.” Libertario Coffee Roasters: “A very pretty place to have a coffee and read a book. Not a co-working coffee shop — but it's very good coffee, in a beautiful environment to enjoy it over a chat with a friend.” Azahar Coffee — Parque 93: “A wonderful coffee shop for business meetings, or just for working in a light, airy environment with good coffee. If you're in the 93, go to Azahar, not Libertario.”

Question 4

What is the best bakery in Bogotá?

Accepted Answer

Ross Garlick: Árbol del Pan: “Has a lot more soul than MASA. It is clearly a passion project of its owner, and it has thrived over the eight years I've been in Bogotá — expanding to two locations, and a bigger space for the first one. The quiche is amazing, the croissants are the best in Bogotá, and I love the granola they make in-house.” Almendro: “My favourite pastry spot in Chapi Alto, especially on the sweeter side. Jorge catered the desserts at my wedding, and his pastel de nata is better than ones I've had in Portugal. Recommended for afternoon coffee and pastries — the medialunas are delicious too.” MASA: “The quintessential modern Bogotá hangout spot: good bread, a clean, minimal aesthetic, and nothing that will blow you away, but everything's very good. Just a nice place for breakfast or lunch. I buy a lot of my bread there.”

Question 5

Where should I go out at night in Bogotá — best clubs and bars?

Accepted Answer

Ross Garlick: Kinder Club: “Maybe the premier nightlife destination in Bogotá on a Friday or Saturday night. It is everything right about Bogotá nightlife: a massive venue with just impeccable vibes across its different ambiences, from techno to 80s music. I can't recommend it highly enough.” Theatron: “Theatron is an experience — there are no other words for it. I recommend it for the more adventurous straight people, and definitely for anybody who's gay. It is a unique place in Latin America, maybe in the world, and it's so big you could get lost in there. The Iglesia del Perreo is a sight to behold. I won't ruin the surprise any more than that.” Cocodrilo — Café Bar Vichería: “One of my sleeper hits in the neighbourhood. You have to cross the Séptima and brave Parque de los Hippies, but the bar has really good vibes on a Friday or Saturday night. Don't go too early: go after dinner but before going somewhere else — 10pm onwards. Good music, a place to dance or to sit down with a cocktail. Have a viche-based one.” Paradisco — Bar de Escucha: “My favourite speakeasy and my favourite place to end a night in Zona G. It's above a wine bar; the music taste is very eclectic, but there's always a good vibe. There's a cover. And upstairs they now have a speakeasy within a speakeasy: Petit Comité, the cocktail spot of Tom Hydzik, barman and part of the founding team at Mesa Franca — just insanely cool, and my favourite place to finish the night in the area.”

Question 6

What is the best wine bar in Bogotá?

Accepted Answer

Ross Garlick: Atlas: “The coolest wine bar in the neighbourhood, and where the in crowd tends to hang. If you can't get a table, people spill over into the bars next door, or across the road at Lele, which is also a good aperitivo bar. Atlas recently expanded, and it's just a whole scene.” FRANC: “My wife's and my local wine bar. It's almost as cool as Atlas — maybe just as cool — but slightly more casual. On Saturdays they have a DJ, and the vibes are always on point. It's in front of the park, a great place to catch the last of the sunlight and the start of the evening in Chapinero Alto, and the service is really friendly. The food is just okay, but the drinks are great.”

Question 7

Where can I hear live jazz in Bogotá?

Accepted Answer

Ross Garlick: Fantasma: “New York-style jazz in Bogotá — and I think they almost pull it off. Definitely the best place to see jazz in the city. Good cocktails, and I've enjoyed the steak tartare. They do flamenco nights on Wednesdays, which is fun, and most Fridays it's the house band, who are very talented.”

Question 8

What are the best hikes in Bogotá, and do I need a reservation?

Accepted Answer

Ross Garlick: Quebrada La Vieja: “My wife's and my favourite hike — we regularly go twice a week. Important: you can only get in in the morning, with a reservation that you make through the Bogotá water company's site. Once you're in, there are three different paths from the main intersection, and the Alto de la Cruz route, if it's open, is stunning — my favourite regular hike in Bogotá. If you don't want to sign up ahead, you can pay an entry fee to do Las Moyas instead: a different hike, open to anybody with no reservation, also stunning, but challenging.” Las Moyas: “If you don't want to sign up ahead for a hike, you can pay an entry fee to do Las Moyas: open to anybody, no reservation, you just need to buy entry. It's stunning, but challenging.” Santa Ana – La Aguadora: “A classic Usaquén hike. As with Quebrada La Vieja, you sign up through the water company's site.” Monserrate: “The one tourist activity that you just have to do in Bogotá. If you're okay at the altitude and haven't suffered since arriving, I recommend hiking up and taking the cable car down. If you can't or don't want to hike in the morning, still take the cable car up: the view at the top is spectacular, and the air is very pure.”

Question 9

Should I hike Monserrate or take the cable car?

Accepted Answer

Ross Garlick: Monserrate: “The one tourist activity that you just have to do in Bogotá. If you're okay at the altitude and haven't suffered since arriving, I recommend hiking up and taking the cable car down. If you can't or don't want to hike in the morning, still take the cable car up: the view at the top is spectacular, and the air is very pure.”

Question 10

Where should I eat Colombian food in Bogotá as a first-time visitor?

Accepted Answer

Ross Garlick: Salón Tropical: “The Caribbean-coast sibling of Café Bar Universal, from the same group. A great place to take people visiting Colombia who want a sense of Colombian cuisine that isn't Andean mountain food like ajiaco — it's real costeño food, very well done. Lots of live music, which is a great vibe. Quite expensive, and quite loud, so I only go occasionally — but it's fun.” Plaza de La Perseverancia: “Fun: lots of different food stalls selling lots of different variations of Colombian cuisine. Lots of ajiaco, Bogotá's traditional dish, but also some very good comida costeña — including an encocado de mar from Mama Luz, who has a famous stand there. It's busy, but it moves quite quickly, and it's worth checking out if you're looking for local cuisine.” Casa del Rey: “Colombian barbecue in a stunningly converted colonial house. It is where I got married — but it's also just a great place for a Sunday lunch with family. Check whether they have events on, too: I've been to a few fun DJ nights there.” Plaza de Paloquemao: “The best produce market I've visited anywhere in South America. Spend a morning discovering fruits you never knew existed, then sit down at one of the little bars inside and wash the new flavours down with an avena — or a mid-morning beer, as the vendors do.”

Question 11

Which hotel should I stay at in Bogotá?

Accepted Answer

Ross Garlick: HAB Hotel: “For the younger crowd — 20- and 30-somethings who want to have fun, eat well and maybe go out in Chapinero.” Four Seasons Casa Medina: “Reasonably priced compared to Four Seasons elsewhere in the world, so it's more accessible — and it is a stunning building. It's what I'd recommend for anybody looking for real comfort in Bogotá, which isn't necessarily a comfortable city.”

Question 12

What is the best neighbourhood in Bogotá to stay and eat in?

Accepted Answer

Ross Garlick: Chapinero Alto — especially between Calle 53 and Calle 65 — is the gem of Bogotá. The coolest people live in the neighbourhood and the food is the most creative. On a sunny afternoon there is no better place in the world to be, and you can live an entire life in a ten-block radius and be incredibly content. It's not a place for a family, although everybody has a dog or a cat — it's a place for cool 20- and 30-somethings. I don't see myself leaving for the foreseeable future.

Question 13

Is La Candelaria worth visiting, and should I stay there?

Accepted Answer

Ross Garlick: The Centro is a great place to visit, not a place to stay. Lots of culture, lots of history, lots of cobbled streets — the museum and historical centre of the city. Aside from Prudencia, it's not where you'll find the best food in Bogotá, but if you're visiting for the first time you will invariably end up in La Candelaria. So see the best sights, and get back up north.

Question 14

What should I do in Bogotá on a Sunday?

Accepted Answer

Ross Garlick: Historically a town outside Bogotá that was subsumed by the city's growth, Usaquén retains a town-like vibe. The Sunday market is the highlight: if you're looking for a plan on a Sunday, look no further than walking the market and enjoying good food in Usaquén. Mercado de las Pulgas de Usaquén: “A huge artisan market every Sunday in a lovely neighbourhood that was its own town until Bogotá swallowed it. Ciclovía + brunch + the Usaquén flea market is a Sunday plan that is very hard to beat.”

Bogotá, by someone who lives here

Bogotá, in my words

The map

Plans

The perfect Sunday

The Centro in a day

A Chapinero Alto night

A big night out

A night in San Felipe

The coffee & bakery crawl

Every place

La Candelaria & Centro · 9

Chapinero Alto & Zona G · 36

Nogal, Virrey & la 93 · 12

Usaquén · 2

Out west · 1

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