Last updated on March 22, 2024.

There are several very good restaurants in the historic city center of Santa Marta to choose from. On each of my trips there, I’ve had a hard time deciding where to eat, whether to stick with favorites or to try new places. There are many choices such as traditional Colombian food, seafood, burgers, Mediterranean, pizza, and pasta.

 

La Canoa

One of my favorite places to eat is at a French bakery called La Canoa. It’s set inside a house with interesting photography on the walls.

La Canoa in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
La Canoa
La Canoa in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
La Canoa

For starters, we like bruschetta del mar (bruschetta with shrimp and guacamole). I usually get the panini cyrano (chicken, cheese, tomato, and avocado) and a mixed mango and maracuyá juice. The ceviche is also decent. Too bad I never have room to try some of the fresh pastries!

Bruschetta del Mar at La Canoa in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Bruschetta del Mar
Ceviche at La Canoa in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Ceviche
Panini Cyrano at La Canoa in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Panini Cyrano

 

Ouzo

A Greek and Mediterranean restaurant called Ouzo is located at Parque de Los Novios. The interior is decorated with whitewashed walls and flower boxes giving a visitor the feeling of being on a Greek island. There’s also outdoor seating.

Ouzo in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Ouzo

The service is good and the food is delicious, but many of the menu items marked as authentic Greek specialties are not authentic at all. However, the menu is full of creative dishes that are worth a try. Also, if you’re looking to drink ouzo, it’s surprisingly not on the menu.

Ouzo in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Ouzo

We had the midia saganaki (mussels) as a starter and the keftedes (meatballs – the closest authentic Greek dish on the menu) as a main course. Marisol had the gyros, which was good but definitely a different style than what I’m used to.

Gyros at Ouzo in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Gyros

On another visit, I tried the grilled octopus starter and the Mediterranean salmon as my main dish. Both were excellent.

Grilled octopus
Mediterranean salmon

 

Donde Chucho

If you’re looking for a good fish restaurant, you can head to a place on Parque de Los Novios called Donde Chucho, which also has a branch in El Rodadero. We sat outside on the park and really enjoyed every minute of our meal. If you try one seafood restaurant in Santa Marta, make sure it’s Donde Chucho.

Donde Chucho in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Donde Chucho
Donde Chucho in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Donde Chucho

On my first visit, I started off with French onion soup and had salmón al ajillo (garlic salmon) as my main course. Anna had the róbalo (whitefish). Both of our meals were phenomenal.

French onion soup at Donde Chucho in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
French onion soup
Salmón al ajillo at Donde Chucho in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Salmón al ajillo

On my second trip with Marisol, I had the lobster and she had the cazuela de mariscos. The lobster was a bit disappointing, so I would stick to the fish.

Lobster at Donde Chucho in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Lobster
Cazuela de Mariscos at Donde Chucho in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Cazuela de Mariscos

 

Lulo

Lulo is a restaurant that specializes in a unique twist on the Colombian staple, the arepa. Marisol and I started with a ceviche dish and each had an arepa. I had lula marina arepa (ceviche, mango, and avocado) while she had the lulita arepa (chicken filet and tropical salad). We each had a smoothie. The food was excellent and reasonably priced. It’s well worth a visit. In addition to arepas, there are several paninis and wraps on the menu.

Lulo in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Lulo
Ceviche at Lulo in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Ceviche
Arepa dishes at Lulo in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Arepa dishes

 

Gnam Gelateria

To satisfy your sweet tooth, head to Gnam Gelateria, which is located next door to Lulo. They have a good variety of flavors including many tropical Colombian fruits.

Gnam Gelatería in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Gnam Gelatería
Gnam Gelatería in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Gnam Gelatería

 

Mi Oficina

For an early and cheap breakfast, we ate at Mi Oficina, just a block from the park. Scrambled eggs and orange juice were very reasonably priced. They also have great milkshakes. I tried the maracuyá (passionfruit) while my cousin Anna had the Oreo milkshake. They make decent mojitos as well.

Mi Oficina in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Mi Oficina

 

Pame Na Fame (Permanently Closed)

This small Greek restaurant is located just a block from Parque de Los Novios, a bit away from where the tourists linger, but it’s worth seeking out.

Pame Na Fame in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Pame Na Fame
Pame Na Fame in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Pame Na Fame

They serve very authentic favorites such as souvlaki, gyros, moussaka, Greek salad, and baklava. I had an amazing platter featuring three different souvlaki skewers, fries, salad, and tzatziki. The next day I came back for a Greek salad.

Souvlaki platter at Pame Na Fame in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Souvlaki platter
Greek Salad at Pame Na Fame in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Greek salad

The restaurant is owned by Petros, one of the partners from Grecia Café y Suvlaki in Cartagena, which is now permanently closed, but still has the same delicious flavor. Petros is from Thessaloniki.

Me with Petros at Pame Na Fame in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Me with Petros
Translations

 

Absurdo (Permanently Closed)

I took a tour group to Absurdo, which is located a half block from Parque de Los Novios. They serve grilled meats and fish, salads, and a couple sandwiches.

Absurdo in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Absurdo
Absurdo in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Absurdo

I had a pulled pork sandwich while my guests had salmon and chicken. The food was delicious and not heavy at all.

Pulled pork sandwich at Absurdo in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Pulled pork sandwich

 

Hemingway (Permanently Closed)

Hemingway is a restaurant with a rooftop terrace overlooking Parque de Los Novios. While the setting and service were nice, the food was disappointing.

Hemingway in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Hemingway

We started with the tomates caprese (tomato, mozzarella, and basil) and ceviche pescado (Fish Ceviche). Those were good, but it was downhill from there.

Hemingway in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
Hemingway

My main meal, camarones a la diabla (spicy shrimp served over a bed of mashed potatoes) came out cold and lacked the flavor I had expected. Anna had a pasta with pesto sauce. The pasta was a little overcooked. Maybe they were having an off night, but at the very least the terrace is a great place to enjoy some drinks.

Author

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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