Medellín is savored: coffee, cuisine, and experiences that awaken all the senses

Gastronomy that tells stories

The major trends in culinary tourism go far beyond good taste. According to Skift, a market intelligence agency specializing in global travel, travelers are now seeking "immersive culinary experiences": cooking, conversing with chefs, learning about the ingredients, and understanding the story behind the dish. Medellín is already responding to this demand. Chef Pedro Fernández's The Chef is Back offers private dinners where each dish is part of a story told by the chef himself.

Along the same lines is Ritwal – Mesa Mística, in El Poblado, where cuisine blends spirituality and sustainable practices. Its offering reflects what the World Food Travel Association—one of the world's leading culinary tourism organizations—calls "regenerative gastronomy": the use of local ingredients, minimal waste, and respect for natural cycles.

Local cuisine with international techniques

Haute cuisine no longer seeks to resemble Paris or New York. Today, a signature menu with a local flavor is valued. According to Food & Wine, a leading magazine on culinary trends, chefs are combining global techniques with local ingredients to tell stories of the place where they cook.

In Medellín, Carmen Restaurant, led by Chef Carmen Ángel, is a clear example: they create sophisticated experiences based on the diversity of Colombian ingredients and serve them with their own unique identity.

But the city is also eaten in everyday life. New gastronomic routes in neighborhoods like Laureles, La Floresta, and Manrique highlight specialty coffee shops, artisanal bakeries, and neighborhood cuisines that add cultural and economic value to Medellín. This decentralization of the gastronomic offering responds to an approach promoted by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), which is committed to strengthening local and authentic experiences within global tourism.

Coffee Parties: Coffee as the protagonist of a new social culture

Medellín, in addition to being a city of gastronomy, is a city of coffee. But in recent years, coffee has gone from being just a beverage to becoming the centerpiece of a new way of meeting people. Coffee Parties are the best example.

Originating in cities like Berlin, Buenos Aires, and Tokyo, these daytime parties offer an alcohol-free social experience centered around specialty coffee, music, and good conversation. Medellín is no exception: Café Hotel in El Poblado will host a Coffee Party where locals and visitors will gather to share stories, laughs, and a variety of ways to prepare coffee.

More than a trend, it's a paradigm shift: entertainment without excess, experience design with purpose, and well-being at its core. This trend speaks perfectly to the new profile of tourists (and locals) who seek real connections and safe, intimate, and creative spaces.

Coffee Parties also represent an opportunity for coffee entrepreneurs, event organizers, and hotel businesses: they can build community, promote locally sourced products, and redefine urban leisure in a healthy way.

Medellín: a city that serves in many ways

From intimate dinners with chefs to cafes that transform into cultural spaces, Medellín proves that gastronomy isn't just a sector: it's a way of telling its own story. It inspires both a foreign foodie and a local. It can be sophisticated or simple, signature or street food, for early risers or night owls.

This flexible and authentic character has begun to be recognized beyond its borders. In 2025, Time Out magazine named Medellín the third-best city in the world for food, highlighting its variety of flavors, the closeness of its experiences, and the pride with which each dish tells a story. It was the only Colombian city in that global ranking, placing above Paris, Rome, and Mexico City.

Medellín is making steady progress in consolidating its culinary identity. It doesn't just follow trends: it adapts them, transforms them, and transforms them into meaningful experiences. Today, the city is positioned as a key destination in Latin America for those seeking tourism with flavor, purpose, and authenticity.