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A guide on where to eat in Belén de Umbría. With all the places to find food in town, it’s impossible to get hungry. Almost all of the restaurants are located on the main plaza or within walking distance. A few others are just outside town. It’s not exactly world-class cuisine, but there are some very good places to eat.
Where to Eat around the Plaza in Belén de Umbría
The obvious place to start is on the plaza or on the streets surrounding it. Most of the restaurants in Belén de Umbría can be found there.
La Fonda
La Fonda serves traditional Colombian dishes as well as fast food. I always have a good meal there no matter what I eat. I usually eat the Colombian dishes but they also make a good burrito. It’s a little pricy by small town Colombian standards.
Benditas Alitas
Benditas Alitas makes some of the best wings I’ve had outside of the USA. They have a nice location balconies overlooking the plaza and an outdoor section and kid’s play area in back. You order at the counter and pick up your food when it’s ready.
You can choose from a handful of sauces for the wings, including barbecue, teriyaki, honey mustard, and a few different levels of spicy. In addition to wings, they have good burgers and some decent appetizers.
Fast Food Stands
On the main plaza starting after 6pm and open well into the night are several fast food stands. Ask for a perro caliente and you will get the Colombian version of a hot dog. They’re typically topped with crushed potato chips, ketchup, mustard, mayo, pineapple sauce, salsa rosada (ketchup mixed with mayo), and two quail eggs. It might not sound all that great, but it’s delicious! You can also get patacón, Cuban sandwiches, pizza by the slice (not good at all), burgers, and chorizo.
Another favorite of mine is the smoker built into the back of a jeep. They have amazing ribs and chorizo.
Gourmix
Next to La Fonda is Gourmix. They specialize in traditional Colombian food and make decent sandwiches as well. The bandeja paisa and ajiaco are both very good and extremely filling.
El Mesón del Pollo
Across the street from La Fonda is El Mesón del Pollo, which has some decent roasted chicken. We rarely eat there.
La Loma
I wasn’t convinced with La Loma when it first opened, but a change in ownership meant improved quality and service. It’s very reasonably priced and it has been delicious every time. It’s located about a half block up from the plaza.
We usually go there for lunch to have the fixed menu, but we’ve also had some items off the menu. Everything has been good, but the steaks are usually tough. The picada is probably my favorite, and a great option for a large group.
Horchata (Permanently Closed)
Horchata was about a half block downhill from the plaza. It’s one of the first restaurants I got to know when moving there in 2014. They had decent fried rice, pizza, and other food.
Kebab (Permanently Closed)
Kebab sits a half block up from the plaza on the side of the church. They feature Turkish and Middle Eastern specialties, such as authentic döner kebab, shish kebabs, and falafel. They also make a decent fattoush salad.
Salsa y Sazón (Permanently Closed)
Salsa y Sazón had excellent Asian dishes and was my favorite place to eat. Portions are huge. The owner spent several years living in Australia and Asia and did a wonderful job. He also speaks fluent English. (Update: the chef has reopened in the Umbría Valley, a short drive outside Belén, at Balcón del Valle.)
Gelato Yog
A block up from the plaza on the side of the church is Gelato Yog. They serve delicious frozen yogurt with the toppings of your choice. They also have coffee, shakes, smoothies, and other treats.
Purina
I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the name of this restaurant, but we decided to stop in for lunch. It’s located on Carrera 10 a half block from the plaza.
We both had the daily lunch special which started with a delicious soup. For our main courses, I had breaded chicken fillet and Marisol had the ribs. Overall, the meals were so-so and nothing spectacular. Service is good and prices are fair.
Where to Eat Around Belén de Umbría
Around the rest of town, especially along Avenida Umbría, you’ll find a few more places to try.
Alquimia
Alquimia, which is above a bank on the main road through town, serves delicious food in a nice setting. At the back of the restaurant you can have lunch while enjoying views of the town.
The restaurant has a decent fixed lunch menu as well as a la carte items, all reasonably priced. We’ve had the sancocho fixed lunch as well as the churrasco. Both meals have been great. The only negative is that although friendly, service can be extremely slow.
Casa Loma
If you’re looking for a decent burger, try Casa Loma. They have a good selection of creative burgers to choose from. I also like the papas porky, which is fries topped with pulled pork, barbecue sauce, tomato, and onion.
Artesanos
Artesanos serves up a variety of pizzas and burgers. We went for the pizza, which was better than expected, although to be fair my expectations were very low. They did well with the crust, but the toppings needed work. I was also surprised they had no pepperoni in stock, which really narrowed our options.
Campanario
Campanario is a pizza place situated along the canal running through town. It’s in the same location as Sabrozona used to be. They offer good pizzas cooked in an actual pizza oven. The crust is delicious and there’s a good variety of toppings. It’s hard to find decent pizza in Colombia, but Campanario is on the right track.
Movimiento Natural
Movimiento Natural is a health food restaurant situated above a gym near the canal running through town. We each had the lunch special, which was grilled chicken with a mushroom sauce, mashed potatoes, rice, a salad, and patacón. It’s a nice space with an interesting concept and good service, but we weren’t convinced by the food.
Where to Eat Steak in Belén de Umbría
Belén de Umbría has a couple decent steak restaurants. There seems to be a never-ending saga of openings and closings and ownership changes. Our favorites keep changing with the times.
Casablanca
Casablanca took over the spot Mirador Plaza used to occupy and was previously a collaboration with the former owner of Sabrozona. They serve decent steaks and other meat dishes.
Obviously we prefer the steaks, but the pork medallions and salmon dishes are also very good. They also make pretty good soups. Unfortunately, it isn’t as good as Sabrozona or Francachela were.
Francachela (Permanently Closed)
Francachela opened in late 2022. It took over the space once occupied by El Café de Belén and Benditas Alitas before that. It’s owned by the man who once ran Sabrozona and collaborated with Casablanca.
We love going to Sabrozona for lunch. For starters, we usually get the patacones. The meat is of excellent quality, and steaks usually come with a baked potato, plantain chips, and a salad. The mixed grill is a great choice, and you can’t go wrong with the bandeja paisa, which is a special on Fridays.
Sabrozona (Permanently Closed)
Sabrozona is a short walk downhill from the main plaza near the canal running through town. It has excellent steak, chicken, pork, and ribs. The wonderful hosts and attentive service make it a pleasure to visit.
Meals are hearty and reasonably priced, served with fries, patacón, salad, and arepa. The steaks are tender and cooked to perfection. It has quickly become one of our favorites in town.
This restaurant also has soup and a small selection of burgers. The biggest burger is the Doña Bastante, which is borderline grotesque. It contains chorizo, a fried egg, onion, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and two patties.
Mirador Plaza (Permanently Closed)
Mirador Plaza is a meat lover’s restaurant, serving grilled meats including beef, chicken, and traditional dishes. They will cook the meat to your specification which is a breath of fresh air. It’s tough to get a steak properly cooked rare in Colombia! (Note: Unfortunately, the quality of meat has changed since it opened. Prices dropped and we were assured that the meat was exactly the same quality, but it’s not true. The very last time we went, the steak was like a rubber eraser.)
Coffee in Belén de Umbría
Being one of the most important coffee-producing towns in all of Colombia, you would expect Belén de Umbría to have all kinds of great cafés. It’s not that simple, but there are a few places to sit and have a very good cup of coffee.
Café El Caney
Personally, I believe the best coffee by far is at Café El Caney, which serves one of my favorites in Colombia. It’s located on the second floor of a building near the plaza by the firehouse and has a nice balcony.
El Caney is probably the only place in town where you can get coffee prepared by alternative methods. We usually get a Chemex, which includes a demonstration at the table. The coffee comes from a finca near Belén de Umbría called El Caney, and the owner of the finca is sometimes around to talk about his coffee.
In addition to great coffee, they have great cakes and cookies, excellent breakfasts, and good sandwiches and crepes. We love the omelettes and the pancakes are also delicious.
Bendito Café
Bendito Café is attached to Benditas Alitas on the plaza. They’ve got a nice atmosphere, a few small intimate rooms, great service, and excellent views of the plaza. The coffee isn’t bad, either, and they have a nice selection of desserts. The milkshakes could be a lot thicker, however.
Genio’s
Another decent place for coffee is Genio’s. The interior is very modern and comfortable, there’s good wifi, service is great, music is good, and so is the coffee. They even make a very good coffee milkshake and serve decent lunch specials. There are balcony seats overlooking the main plaza.
El Café de Belén (Permanently Closed)
El Café de Belén is a nice place to have coffee. The coffee is ok, and they also serve decent cakes. It’s located on a corner of the main road through town and has an interesting decor inside.
Where to Eat Outside Belén de Umbría
There are a couple great places to eat just outside Belén de Umbría. They have fantastic settings and good food, and have quickly become among our favorite spots to visit.
La Delfa
La Delfa is a cool place on the road to Taparcal. They have a nice space in a cooler breezier part of town. Service is friendly and fast, and prices are more than reasonable.
We really love the space at La Delfa. The beanbag chairs are a fun place to sit with a group of friends or family, and kids love the trampoline and swings. We always look forward to going back.
We’re impressed by the variety on the menu at La Delfa. They have burgers, Mexican favorites, pastas, steaks, and much more. As far as Mexican dishes, we’ve had the flautas, tacos al pastor, fajitas, and tostadas. Everything was delicious, although the tacos al pastor weren’t exactly authentic (Note: the tacos al pastor are no longer on the menu). Fajitas are also not really like fajitas you know, as they’re already put together. They’re actually hard shell tacos with meat and cheese, and come with no fixings.
One of our favorites are the papas texanas, which are thick cut potatoes topped with pulled pork, barbecue sauce, and cheddar. They also have very good wings and burgers.
For dessert, try the brownie with ice cream. The waffle is also delicious and very nicely done. It’s topped with strawberries, banana, Nutella, and chocolate sauce.
For drinks, I usually get the soda with red fruits. The coconut lemonade is also delicious with a nice and creamy texture.
Mirador Las Veraneras
The other place is Mirador Las Veraneras. It’s located just a few minutes outside town on the road to Santa Emilia and situated at a colorful finca with a spectacular view of Belén de Umbría.
There’s a clear view of the town and the surrounding green landscape. The best time to go is about an hour before dark. This way, you can see the town both in the daylight and at night when it’s all lit up.
Mirador Las Veraneras has a nice section of outdoor seating with unobstructed views of the town. There’s also a covered section to take shelter in case of rain.
The finca has a colorful house where the owners prepare the meals and drinks. It provides more lovely scenery for your visit.
The menu is simple and the food is good. Try the salchipapas, chorizo, or plantain with cheese. The tostadas and churrasco are also good.
The burger is interesting. Instead of a typical burger on bread with the usual fixings, it contains meat, pickles, pineapple, plantain chips, bacon, and tomato all wrapped up in a tortilla.
For dessert, they make a decent chocolate milkshake. They also have brownies and a small selection of ice cream.
