2 Best Restaurants in The Caribbean Coast, Colombia

A wave of gin bars has rolled onto the shore in Cartagena, but this restaurant, thanks to Spanish owner Mar Alonso, has focused on a more gastronomic twist. He offers some of the best bites in the city, going well beyond standard tapas into a unique blend of Mediterranean and Caribbean fusion fare. The decor is modern, albeit a little more cold and cavernous than you might want, but the warmth of the friendly, top-notch servers and a serious selection of gin drinks more than make up for other failings. As the evening slides on, the bar crowd takes over, and a classy crowd of cocktail lovers sips until the early hours of the morning.

Set on a lovely and generally calm Getsemaní street, this funky café dominated by a graffitti mural serves the tastiest breakfast in town. Try the arepita lunática for one of the best examples of the local breakfast classic. It's also an excellent choice for tapas in the evening. Ingredients are of notably good quality, and the Spanish owner-chef reliably impresses with a short menu that shows off some inventive and remarkably well-executed dishes ranging from a watermelon gazpacho with avocado and a shrimp brochette, to a corvina tiradito with banana and lemongrass, to a more traditional grilled octopus. All around, Lunático offers great value for the quality of the food.