Colombian Restaurant Etiquette

Of course there are high-end restaurants in Medellín, especially in touristy parts like el Poblado where you will pay $25 (!!!), and get American-style service, by which I mean someone greets you as soon as you arrive, they take you to your table, you're presented with a printed menu, they take your order, and when you're done, will present you with the bill and you pay at your table. American-style.

But if you're in el Poblado, you may as well be in Miami Beach.  That's not the real Colombian restaurant experience.

Between high-end and lower is the middle tier, take any seat you'd like. You might feel like you're being ignored, but cool your jets.  This is middle ground.  Often the restaurants are very nicely decorated, but the food will be less high-end, and you can either order a la carte from the menu or often there will be a "menú del día" (prix fixe meal, don't confuse that with a menu "carta").  The menú del día always includes a soup as starter, a plate with your protein, and some kind of fruit juice.  


For the menú there might be a menu (confused yet?) printed on a board outside or if they're a bit more upscale a printed menu inside.  Don't panic! Even if you don't understand the protocol, you will in any case get a delicious and *very* filling meal.  Pay at the cash register.





Then there are the "hole in the wall" restaurants where usually you have some choices, but there's a set protein which changes from day to day.  But incredibly cheap! Sometimes there will be a printed menu, but often you just have to ask what's available.  When it's time to pay, just go to the cash register and they will sort you out!

 


This is traditional Colombian bean stew with chicharrón (pork belly), ground beef, potato sticks, and a plate of accompaniments from a hole in the wall for the amazing price of $2.70!




Just to be clear, again, because this confused me to no end at first, "menu" (the printed thingy) in Spanish is "carta."  I kept asking for the menu, expecting something printed, which led to some awkward moments 😓 Menú in LATAM means "el menú del día," the fixed price lunch.  






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