This place’s fame surpasses borders, and for good reason. It specializes in grilled meats and typical Colombian dishes: Order with sharing in mind so that you can sample the arepas de choclo (sweet corn cakes), papas criolla (Colombian potatoes), chicharrones (fried pork rinds), lomo al trapo (cloth-wrapped grilled beef), and plátano maduro relleno de queso y bocadillo (baked plantains stuffed with cheese and guava). The rest is pure fun: live music, over-the-top decor, and improv actors who create a world of their own. If you want to party, Saturday is the best night (and the toughest reservation). A very Colombian experience in one of Colombia’s most unique restaurants — well worth the 45-minute drive. Otherwise, the Bogotá location will give you a good approximation of the original. [$$$$]

Arepas, circular corn cakes, are a Colombian diet staple found throughout the city. Abasto's original location in Usaquén — a welcoming neighborhood that hosts an outdoor flea market on Sundays — is the ideal breakfast spot to sample different types of arepas made with ingredients from local farmers markets. Also be sure to try their granadilla juice (it’s not easy to find), as well as the Putumayo palm hearts and the Santa Rosa de Cabal chorizos. [$$]

On weekends, Bogotanos like to head out to the countryside for a bit of fresh air and a long lunch. Thirty minutes outside central Bogotá, El Tambor is sort of an upscale piqueteadero, casual roadside restaurants specializing in grilled meats consumed by the platterful. Al fresco seating is large wooden stumps and acres of grass for reclining while you nibble on a feast of morcilla, chorizo, grilled beef and pork, smoky grilled corn, guacamole, sweet plantains, yuca, potatoes, arepas, chicharrones, chunchullo (fried beef small intestine), longaniza, and lots of beer to help plow through it all. There are three locations, but the La Calera branch is by far the most popular. [$$]

This fine-dining institution has been in business for more than 60 years. What’s more remarkable is how the classic Spanish restaurant has maintained such excellent standards for food and service. Start with a few tapas from the bar menu and move on to the cochinillo (suckling pig), paella, or lamb chops. This formal dining room attracts the city’s elite, everyone from politicians to celebrities. [$$$$]

They say a shoemaker’s son always goes barefoot. For decades, Colombia’s coffeehouse culture has been somewhat sparse. Over the last few years, however, a spate of new third-wave coffeehouses has emerged — places like Azahar, where you’re served by baristas at a spacious cafe in the Parque de la 93 area after choosing from an array of Colombian beans and brewing methods. [$]

The Rausch brothers, Jorge and Mark, are celebrity chefs who’ve made a name for themselves by exploring and experimenting with Colombian cuisine. The result is a menu of modern, personal takes on classic dishes that buzz with familiar flavors. Take, for instance, the ajiaco, Bogotá’s quintessential soup, reborn as an empanada. The buñuelos, fried balls of corn and mandioca dough eaten for breakfast, are here served for dinner, stuffed with chicharrón acevichado (fried pork skins in a ceviche sauce). [$$$]

Les Amis Bizcochería feels more like a friend’s home than a bakery. The smell of fresh medialunas (Argentinian sweet croissants) wafts down the stairway before you even enter. Inside, a large table displays pastries, cakes, and breads on cute vintage plates. Ideal for breakfast, dessert, or sipping afternoon tea with whatever just came out of the oven. [$$]

With sister franchises in Chile, Peru, and Argentina, the Bogotá location of “Osk” owes its success to excellent food, great ambiance, and good service. The menu is based on Nikkei cuisine, a Peruvian-Japanese fusion, and features dishes like grilled shrimp with red curry-leek sauce and soy-marinated whole fish with crispy garlic, almonds, and Peruvian chiles. [$$$$]

This is easily one of the most stunning restaurants in Bogotá. Cocktails and tapas are dispatched from the bar; don’t miss the sweet Colombian chile stuffed with crab and served over leche de tigre. In the kitchen, they champion Colombian ingredients, working mainly with small producers. Dry-aged beef, pork chops, and crispy whole fish emerge perfectly cooked from the charcoal oven. [$$$]

Bandido nights are well known in this town. The management has a knack for booking jazz bands and cover acts nightly, which draw the crowds. The French bistro fare is completely serviceable, but you’re really here for the scene. Within the restaurant is El Enano, a smaller bar serving craft cocktails. [$$$]

With 30 years of experience, Harry Sasson is perhaps Colombia’s most famous chef. His eponymous restaurant, now in its third decade, is known for its service, consistency, ambiance, and the overall quality of its ingredients. Expect simple, well-prepared food that uses traditional cooking elements, like a wood-burning stove and a charcoal grill. Large cuts of meat are the specialty here; share some side dishes like the sauteed green beans with ginger and garlic or the cinnamon-perfumed rice with lentils. Try a few desserts with one of the many coffee offerings. [$$$$]

Located in the Quinta Camacho neighborhood, this cozy little bar specializes in creative and craft cocktails. They use nearly 100 different vegetables, herbs, and Colombian fruits to create a rotating slate of unique drinks. Try the Corozo Mozo made out of corozo, a local fruit from the Atlantic or Caribbean coast, or Daiquireando con Lulo with rum, lulo, ginger, and lemon. [$$]

For a breakfast meeting, mid-day treat, or leisurely afternoon of coffee and pastries, this is the place to be. Owners and sisters Silvana and Mariana Villegas both worked in restaurants throughout New York City before returning home to open Masa; their un-Colombian morning buns and doughnuts attest to that time abroad. At lunch, go for the turkey sandwich on raisin-nut bread with bacon, avocado, cheese, and romesco, or a customizable salad. The chocolate chip cookies, arguably Bogotá’s best, pair well with a good Colombian coffee.  [$$]

This old-school Bogotá chain has specialized in food from the Valle del Cauca region for more than 30 years. It also offers variations on empanadas from around the country: The pipián is filled with red potato, peanut, achiote, onion, tomato, and garlic, and is served with a side of peanut chili for dipping. It’s a total delicacy. You’ll also find tamales stuffed with the same ingredients; luladas, drinks made from the aromatic yet pleasantly bitter Colombian lulo fruit; and other regional specialties. [$]

On a curvy street in the Chapinero neighborhood, this welcoming restaurant is one of the pioneers of the new Colombian food movement, with dishes inspired by the diverse regions of Colombia from the Amazonas to the Pacific coast. Chefs Eduardo Martínez and Antonuela Ariza are passionate about rediscovering and promoting national ingredients, and showcasing them in creative dishes like shrimp in a passionfruit chile sauce with coconut rice, and octopus, calamari, and shrimp in a coconut milk curry with the chocolaty cupuaçu fruit. [$$]

The cooking of Mexican-born Sergio Meza and his Argentinian partner Nicolás López combines unusual flavor pairings and minimalist aesthetics. The chefs exclusively work with small producers to make tasting menus based on market availability, with dishes like fresh cheese with strawberries and flowers, chickpea mousse with passionfruit ice cream, and beef tongue with beets and yogurt. [$$$$]

The menu at the popular Mesa Franca is loaded with flavor, color, simplicity, and experimentation. Sample the cocktails, the pork shoulder- and black bean-stuffed empanadas, and the succulent pork belly with peanut chili, caramelized pears, and arugula. On Thursday nights there’s suckling pig and a salsa DJ, which makes for the perfect Bogotano night out. [$$]

Chapinero Alto is the “it” neighborhood for young Bogotá, and the epicenter of its gastronomic boom. Salvo Patria is cozy and laid-back with a California vibe, where every ingredient comes with a story. There’s also an extensive gourmet coffee selection and a tasting menu that you should make reservations for in advance. If you hit one restaurant in Bogotá, make it this one. [$$]

For a deep dive into traditional Colombian cuisine, hit up lunch at Doña Elvira. Founded in 1934, the restaurant has a humble façade and a simple cafeteria-style interior. The menu is the best of everyday Colombian eating. Try the stuffed chicken necks, chopped pork ribs, or the braised flank steak. The original location is in the neighborhood of Galerías, while the second is in the city center.  [$$]

Don’t leave Bogotá without dining at Leo, which is run by — and named for — one the country’s most celebrated chefs. Leonor Espinosa’s creativity and talent for rescuing forgotten ingredients from the country’s remotest areas has earned her numerous awards, and her skill in the kitchen has solidified her status as a pioneer of contemporary high-end Colombian cuisine. Leo’s tasting menu and its innovative fermented beverage and wine pairings capture the technique, flavor, history, and aesthetic vision for which the acclaimed chef is known. [$$$$]

Celebrity chef Leonor Espinosa, a leading spokesperson on Colombian gastronomy, took a chance on popular Caribbean cuisine, offering regional dishes from Colombia’s northern coast in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Either location (Centro or Zona G, near Chapinero) is perfect for a tour of the coast’s fried fare — start with arepa de huevo and carimañolas (empanada-like patties made of yuca flour), and pair it with tropical fruit juice. Be sure to try Espinosa’s grandmother’s recipe for posta Cartagenera: beef slowly cooked in a rich, dark sauce that’s a perfect balance of sweet and salty. [$$]

This two-century-old restaurant is located just a block away from La Plaza de Bolívar, Bogotá’s central public square, and is a beloved emblem of the capital’s cuisine. Tamales, almojábanas (cheese bread), and chocolate with cheese are essentials for either breakfast or onces, the Colombian equivalent of a morning snack or afternoon tea. If you are there for lunch, try the ajiaco — the city’s signature soup — and one of the desserts from a vast spread. [$$]