Factory Steak & Lobster
New opening reported
2025 opening
Seen in: untitled
South America · Colombia
Where to eat in Bogotá
Bogotá has become Latin America's most exciting dining city, with El Chato named the region's best restaurant in 2025. Chefs here lean on Colombian biodiversity, from Andean tubers to Amazon fruit, while the city's markets and ajiaco kitchens keep the traditional side alive.
Bogotá at a glance
- What to eat
- Ajiaco and changua; Paloquemao market fruit; Tamales, arepas, obleas; Burger Master and the Chapinero/Zona G restaurant scene (Cambio Colombia list).
- When to go
- Best: January–February, July–August and December. Also good: March–June and September–November.
- Top tables
- This guide lists 5 award-winning restaurants, starting with El Chato, Leo, Afluente and Humo Negro.
- Where locals eat
- Local favorites off the prestige lists include La Puerta Falsa, Prudencia, Masa and Julia.
- Markets
- Mercado La Perseverancia and Plaza de Mercado de Paloquemao.
The dish to eat here
Ajiaco santafereño
Chicken and three-potato soup flavored with guascas, served with corn, cream, capers and avocado.
The best three: La Puerta Falsa, Casa Vieja, Mamá Luz.
On the Restaurant 100
- El Chato No. 63 in the world
- Leo No. 15 in Latin America
- Mesa Franca No. 44 in Latin America
39places in Bogotá, ready to save to your trip
5Dishes to tryWhere to eat each one, and how to cook it at home10Romantic dinnersTen tables for date night
What is in the 39
5 award-winning4 local favorites2 markets10 romantic dinners5 breakfast spots10 new openings5 dish spots
What to eat in Bogotá, and where
Each dish comes with the places that do it best. Tap Add to my trip on the ones you want, or find them on the map above.
Ajiaco santafereño
Bogotá's chicken and three-potato soup, served with cream, capers and avocado
The 5 best places to eat it in Bogotá
- 1La Puerta Falsa
Order: Ajiaco, with tamal and chocolate
Tiny historic spot near Plaza de Bolívar, among the best-known ajiaco addresses.
Seen in colombia.com - 2Santafé Café & Restaurante
Order: Ajiaco
Traditional rolo-style ajiaco with an award behind it.
Seen in colombia.com · worth confirming hours before you go - 3Casa Vieja
Order: Ajiaco
Its recipe is often singled out for faithfulness.
Seen in colombia.com · worth confirming hours before you go - 4Tolú - Mamá Luz
Order: Ajiaco
Market-plaza spot with a local feel.
Seen in colombia.com · worth confirming hours before you go - 5Las Margaritas
Order: Ajiaco
Long-standing traditional Bogotano restaurant on the north-side tour.
Seen in colombia.com · worth confirming hours before you go
Tamal tolimense
large banana-leaf tamal, a classic Sunday breakfast
The best place to eat it in Bogotá
- 1La Puerta Falsa
Order: Tamal with hot chocolate
Known for its tamal; a classic since the 1700s.
From our verified guide listings
Chocolate santafereño with cheese
hot chocolate with a piece of cheese dropped in
The best place to eat it in Bogotá
- 1La Puerta Falsa
Order: Chocolate completo with cheese, bread and biscuit
The classic Candelaria stop for the cheese-in-chocolate ritual.
From our verified guide listings
Changua
milk-and-egg breakfast soup of the Andean highlands
Where to eat it: we are still verifying the best places for this dish.
Almojábanas and pandebono
cheesy baked bread rolls
Where to eat it: we are still verifying the best places for this dish.
The most celebrated tables
The top 5 restaurants in Bogotá, per Latin America's 50 Best 2025.
More award winners
El Chato
Latin America's 50 Best #1 (2025)Best Restaurant in Latin America 2025
Named the best restaurant in Latin America in 2025, the top spot for a Bogotá kitchen.
Leo
Latin America's 50 Best #23 (2025)
Ranked among Latin America's top 25 in 2025.
Afluente
Latin America's 50 Best #34 (2025)
A Bogotá entry on the 2025 Latin America list.
Humo Negro
Latin America's 50 Best #41 (2025)
A Bogotá entry on the 2025 Latin America list.
Oda
Latin America's 50 Best #76 (2025); Sustainable Restaurant Award (2025)
Won the 2025 Sustainable Restaurant Award while sitting just outside the top 50.
When to go and what is in season
Bogotá food calendar: month by month → What is in season, what to eat and the food festivals each month.
JFMAMJJASOND
Peak Jan–Feb, Jul–Aug, DecShoulder Mar–Jun, Sep–NovHard —
Why these months
Sources conflict on rain. Lonely Planet (Colombia article): Dec-Feb dry and peak prices; Bogota has a secondary rainy season April-May, a short dry spell July-Aug, and Oct-Nov are the rainiest (lowest prices); January is quiet because residents head to the coast. Nomado Travel: dry Jan-Feb, rainiest April-May and Oct, second dry season Jul-Aug, dry Dec; it labels April, May and Oct 'avoid for outdoor trips' but those labels are Nomado's own, so avoid is left empty. Peak/shoulder are mostly our mapping of these descriptions (Nomado states peak/shoulder as its own labels). Temperatures vary little through the year (daytime about 19-20C).
In season
- Ajiaco santafereno Signature chicken, three-potato soup; year-round (Nomado, G Adventures) - no seasonality sourced
- Tropical highland fruits (lulo, uchuva, granadilla, feijoa, tomate de arbol) Sold at Paloquemao market; no harvest months found in sources
- Buñuelos Dec Popular for breakfast, snacks or Christmas (G Adventures); December mapping mine
Food events
- Burger Master Apr 2026 ran 20-26 April, single price COP 21,000, many Bogota participants (Cambio Colombia). 2027 dates not found.
- Feria del Libro Apr Late April; not food, but crowds (Nomado)
- Alimentarte Food Festival Aug Only a 2014 page found (15-29 Aug 2014, Parque El Virrey); current status unknown, do not treat as scheduled
Closures to plan around
- Ciclovia: over 120 km of roads closed to cars Sundays and holidays 7:00-14:00 (Nomado)
- Paloquemao market open daily: Mon-Sat 4:30-16:30, Sun/holidays 5:00-14:30; Tuesday/Wednesday best, selection reduced on Sundays (Nomado)
- Museo del Oro closed Mondays (Nomado). No source found for restaurant closing days or Colombian holiday (festivo) long-weekend closures.
Meal costs and tipping (COP)
- Casual: menu del dia (set lunch) about 15,000-25,000; local meals 15,000-35,000 (Nomado); Numbeo-style site (Preciosmundi, Oct 2026) says about 25,014
- Mid-range: mid-range meal for two about 149,986 (Preciosmundi, Oct 2026)
- Tipping: Voluntary; about 10% suggested at bars and restaurants, and the venue will ask whether to add it to the bill (Visit Bogota traveller tips PDF, 2023).
From published guides and tourism boards. Months are our mapping of how guides describe the seasons; 2027 event dates are expected, not confirmed. Prices come from single sources of varying age, so treat them as a rough guide. Compare cities by month
Secret discoveries
Locally loved places that are not on the big prestige lists.
institution
La Puerta Falsa
Order: Ajiaco, tamal, and chocolate completo (hot chocolate with cheese, bread and a biscuit)
A tiny colonial-house shop serving since 1816, near the cathedral's fake door that gave it its name. Touristy but a genuine Bogotá institution, and TasteAtlas coverage points to it for ajiaco.
family-run
Prudencia
Order: Wood-fire and wood-oven dishes, tasting-style lunch; book ahead
A family-run restaurant in a restored building with a glass roof, open kitchen and garden, built on local ingredients and low waste. Calls it out as a rule-breaker; priced as a special-occasion lunch.
Seen in timeout.com, skylarrenslow.substack.com (says Eater lists it) · worth confirming hours before you go
bakery
Masa
Order: Its homemade bread rolls and freshly squeezed juices.
A bakery-cafe founded by the Villegas sisters in the Zona G dining district; the guide singles out the in-house breads rather than one signature dish.
Seen in eater.com, suitcasemag.com · worth confirming hours before you go
institution
Julia
Order: Wood-fired Neapolitan pizza such as margherita, quattro formaggi or tartufi, plus the eggplant parmigiana starter.
Charred, leopard-spotted wood-oven crusts that reviewers rank among the city's most authentic Naples-style pizza.
Seen in eater.com, frommers.com
Food markets in Bogotá
Chefs and guides in Bogotá
Cooking classes, chef hosts and food-guide businesses.
- Eatable Stories Chef / cooking hosts
Colombian cooking and Paloquemao market - A Chef's Tour Bogotá Food / market guide
Bogotá food and market tastings
More in South America
Awards come from the guides named on each listing (Latin America's 50 Best 2025). Researched October 25, 2026. Restaurants change; confirm hours, reservations and current stars before you go. Some addresses, phone numbers and websites come from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), so call ahead to confirm. Local favorites are editorial picks, not rankings.
Chef Amazing’s lists for Bogotá: where locals eat, new openings, romantic dinners, ice cream, cooking classes and more, each place with what to order. Cooking classes in Bogotá: who teaches, what you cook, how long and how to book.
Every place in this guide, A to Z (31)
- A Chef's Tour Bogotá
- Afluente
- Al Agua Patos Chapinero
- Bottega Enemigo
- Casa Vieja Centro
- Coco
- Cuatro Cocina Casual Bogotá; confirm current address
- Dolores
- Eatable Stories
- El Chato
- Factory Steak & Lobster
- Gallo Colorado
- Giornatta Bogotá; confirm branch
- Humo Negro
- Intruso Street
- Julia Chapinero (Carrera 5 #69A-19)
- La Cabrera – Calle 85
- La Puerta Falsa La Candelaria (Calle 11 near Plaza de Bolívar)
- Las Margaritas Chapinero
- Leo
- Marquesa
- Masa Zona G
- Mercado La Perseverancia
- MOD Cocina del Sudeste Asiático
- Oda
- Orno
- Pastelería Florida Centro, Carrera 7
- Plaza de Mercado de Paloquemao
- Prudencia La Candelaria
- Santafé Café & Restaurante La Macarena
- Tolú - Mamá Luz La Perseverancia
Chef Amazing · Will Travel for Food · Food cities · 250 food markets · The Best 100