Centrally located on a charming main street in the center of the old town, Oh La La provides an authentic French dining experience, infused with the flavors of Colombia.  Originally located in the district of Gethsemani, the restaurant almost immediately attained a loyal following, and its clientele have welcomed its move to the inviting new quarters, which is also more convenient for tourists and travelers to the city.

La Perla, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kind of restaurant in Cartagena is the brainchild of a Peruvian chef and a Bogota mixologist (whatever the hell that actually means). The dining room of La Perla itself could be mistaken for a large closet with only two rows of tables reaching (maybe) thirty meters back. A coat-room-sized kitchen is deceptive in its ability to construct outrageously good food from the sea.

 

I can comfortably (and happily) say that 8-18 was my first dinner in Cartagena. Had I not realized I was in the historic district, the inside of 8-18 would have convinced me otherwise. It has a decidedly Miami feel and while prices here aren’t that far off from the states, it does represent a new and unique dining option in a world of constantly revolving it-spots in Cartagena dining.

 

There’s a reason every local with the slightest bit of cool suggests you start your night off at Café del Mar. Maybe it’s the oceanfront view of old city and new town Cartagena. Maybe it’s the pleasant cross breeze.

Maybe it’s the whimsical music or the fact that you’re chilling on a fortress wall from hundreds of years back. Café del Mar is easily one of the most recognizable nightlife haunts in Cartagena.

El Santísimo is to the Cartagena restaurant scene what Diego Maradonna was to the 1986 World Cup: a palpable step above an otherwise decent group of competitors. El Santísimo sits in the upper echelon of Cartagena cuisine, a place where real connoisseurs eat and hype is nothing other than reality via word of mouth.

El Santísimo is the combination I envision when I think trendy Cartagena dining: one part pioneering cuisine, one part immaculate restored old mansion, one part well-trained staff, and one part intangible jenesaisquoi.

Cartagena’s not exactly known for its Asian influences, but Teriyaki offers hands-down the historic district’s most innovative (and traditional) Japanese fare. Located in Plaza San Diego, a quaint open space beside Cartagena’s School of Fine Arts and diagonal from the renowned Hotel Santa Clara, Teriyaki offers dishes of Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Korean influence: everything incredibly fresh and bold.

La Vitrola is arguably the most talked-about restaurant in Cartagena. “Where the movie stars and politicians eat and the models go to look at salads,” I was told. So not unlike the hotdog at Yankee’s Stadium or the pho on the street in Bangkok, I felt obliged to eat at La Vitrola, the historic district’s most renowned dining scene.