Restaurants in Cartagena, Colombia continue to evolve, with a new generation of restaurants bringing fresh ideas to the Walled City and nearby Getsemaní. Alongside the city’s established dining names, recent additions are exploring Colombian Caribbean ingredients, Mediterranean traditions, Greek influences, seasonal cooking, and more social approaches to dining.
For travelers searching for restaurants in Cartagena, Colombia, these newer openings are worth knowing about. Rather than following one formula, each restaurant has developed its own identity.
El Curato focuses on contemporary Latin American cuisine with Colombian and Caribbean ingredients, Máximo takes inspiration from the Mediterranean, ROMÁN connects Greek and Cartagena influences, Úrsula celebrates contemporary Caribbean cuisine, Salvaje takes a chef-driven seasonal approach, and San Pascual Baylón combines Colombian food with music and a lively social atmosphere.
Here are six of the most interesting newer restaurants to add to a Cartagena food itinerary.
If you would prefer to leave the planning to the experts, let Two Travel arrange your unforgettable culinary experience in Cartagena. We have access to all the new restaurants in the city!
El Curato: A New Addition to Cartagena’s Restaurant Scene
Location: Carrera 7 #38-49, Walled City
Opened: Recent addition to Cartagena’s dining scene
Best for: Travelers interested in contemporary Colombian and Caribbean flavors, especially groups who enjoy sharing dishes.
El Curato is one of Cartagena’s more notable recent additions, bringing a Latin American bistro concept centered on Colombian and Caribbean ingredients. The restaurant is associated with chef Álvaro Clavijo, the chef behind Bogotá’s acclaimed El Chato, and takes a contemporary approach to ingredients and flavors from across Latin America.
Its location inside the Walled City gives El Curato a historic Cartagena backdrop, while the restaurant itself feels considerably more relaxed than a traditional colonial dining room.
Contemporary Latin American cuisine with Caribbean ingredients
El Curato does not attempt to reproduce traditional Cartagena dishes exactly as they have always been served. Instead, the kitchen takes recognizable Colombian and Caribbean ingredients and approaches them with contemporary techniques and combinations.
The menu has included dishes such as mussel nachos made with cassava, confit mussels and pico de gallo, crispy beef served with a yuca arepa and suero costeño, and prawn quesadillas with XO sauce and green papaya. Seafood also plays an important role, bringing together ingredients and influences from Colombia’s Caribbean and Pacific regions.
The result is a menu that works particularly well for travelers who want to experience Colombian ingredients in a less traditional format.
Many of the dishes are suited to sharing, allowing a table to order several plates and explore different flavors during the same meal. That makes El Curato a particularly good option for groups who prefer a relaxed, social dinner rather than a formal multi-course experience.
A contemporary restaurant in the Walled City
The setting is part of El Curato’s appeal. Rather than relying entirely on the romance of Cartagena’s colonial architecture, the restaurant combines its historic surroundings with a more modern atmosphere.
An open kitchen adds to the experience, giving diners a view of some of the activity behind the food. For travelers who have already experienced Cartagena’s traditional courtyard restaurants, El Curato offers a different interpretation of dining in the historic center.
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Máximo: Mediterranean Dining Among Restaurants in Cartagena, Colombia
Location: Calle Camposanto #996, San Diego
Opened: Recent addition to Cartagena’s restaurant scene
Best for: Groups with different tastes, seafood lovers, and travelers looking for Mediterranean-inspired dining in the historic center.
Máximo brings a Mediterranean perspective to Cartagena’s historic center. Located in the San Diego neighborhood, the restaurant draws inspiration from the cuisines of Italy, Greece, Spain, and France, creating a broad Mediterranean-influenced menu rather than concentrating on one national tradition.
The restaurant’s menu centers on fresh fish and seafood, handmade pasta, rice dishes, premium cuts, and other preparations influenced by Mediterranean cooking.
A Mediterranean table in Cartagena
Máximo’s identity comes from the way several European culinary traditions meet on the same menu.
Italian influence can be seen in its handmade pasta, while Greek and Spanish traditions inform seafood, rice dishes, sauces, and preparations intended for sharing. French influence adds another layer to the restaurant’s approach to technique and presentation.
The menu gives groups plenty of choice. One diner can opt for fresh seafood, another can choose pasta, while someone else can order a premium cut of meat. This makes Máximo particularly practical when you’re dining with people who have different preferences.
A relaxed San Diego setting
The restaurant also places considerable emphasis on wine, cocktails, and the overall dining environment.
Its San Diego location puts guests within easy reach of the rest of Cartagena’s historic center, making it convenient to combine dinner with an evening walk through the surrounding streets and plazas.
Rather than presenting itself as a strictly formal restaurant, Máximo works well for travelers looking for a longer, social meal with Mediterranean-inspired food and a varied menu.
ROMÁN: Greek and Caribbean Flavors at Restaurants in Cartagena, Colombia
Location: Calle 37 #7-12, opposite Plaza Fernández de Madrid
Opened: Newer addition to Cartagena’s historic center
Best for: Groups who enjoy sharing dishes and travelers looking for a restaurant that combines Mediterranean and Caribbean influences.
ROMÁN takes one of the more distinctive approaches among Cartagena’s newer restaurants by bringing together Greek and Mediterranean influences with Colombian Caribbean flavors.
Located directly opposite Plaza Fernández de Madrid, the restaurant places this combination of cuisines in one of the most atmospheric parts of the Walled City.
Cartagena meets Greek and Mediterranean flavors
ROMÁN’s concept explores the relationship between Mediterranean and Caribbean dining traditions. Its menu combines Greek dishes and techniques with Colombian ingredients and Cartagena-inspired preparations.
The menu has included familiar Greek-style dishes alongside Colombian Caribbean flavors, creating a dining experience that is different from both a conventional Greek restaurant and a traditional Cartagena restaurant.
The combination gives travelers an opportunity to move between different culinary influences during the same meal, rather than choosing between international and local cuisine.
Designed for sharing
Sharing is an important part of the ROMÁN experience. Ordering several dishes for the table allows diners to explore the restaurant’s Greek, Mediterranean, and Caribbean influences together.
Its position opposite Plaza Fernández de Madrid also adds to the experience. After dinner, guests can continue exploring the surrounding streets of San Diego and the wider Walled City without needing to travel across Cartagena.
Ready for an unforgettable experience at ROMÁN? Let us know your preferences, and we will tailor the perfect culinary experience for you!
Úrsula: Contemporary Caribbean Dining in Getsemaní
Location: Calle Larga, Getsemaní
Opened: Newer addition to Getsemaní’s dining scene
Best for: Travelers looking for contemporary Caribbean cuisine, sharing, cocktails, and the lively atmosphere of Getsemaní.
Úrsula takes a distinctly Colombian Caribbean approach. Located on Calle Larga in Getsemaní, the restaurant focuses on contemporary Caribbean cuisine while drawing on the region’s ingredients, memories, music, and social culture.
Rather than presenting Caribbean food as a formal tasting-menu experience, Úrsula is built around the idea of gathering around a table and sharing food.
Contemporary Caribbean cuisine
Úrsula’s menu takes inspiration from the flavors of Colombia’s Caribbean coast and presents them through a contemporary lens.
The restaurant’s approach is less about turning traditional food into formal fine dining and more about preserving the character of Caribbean cuisine while giving it a modern presentation.
Sharing is central to the experience, with dishes intended to be enjoyed together rather than treated as completely separate individual meals.
That makes Úrsula particularly appealing for groups of friends and families who want a lively dinner where food, conversation, cocktails, and music are all part of the evening.
Getsemaní is part of the experience
The location is especially important to Úrsula’s identity.
Getsemaní is one of Cartagena’s most energetic neighborhoods, known for its colorful streets, murals, music, bars, restaurants, and strong local character. Úrsula fits naturally into that environment rather than feeling disconnected from it.
The restaurant’s atmosphere is warm and social, with cocktails and music complementing the food. For travelers staying in or exploring Getsemaní, it is an easy restaurant to include in an evening itinerary.
Salvaje: Contemporary Dining in Cartagena’s Historic Center
Location: Calle Santa Teresa #32-41, Walled City
Opened: 2026
Best for: Travelers interested in contemporary, chef-driven cuisine and seasonal ingredients in the Walled City.
Salvaje brings a more contemporary, chef-driven approach to Cartagena’s restaurant scene. The Cartagena location is associated with chef Fermín Azkue and places considerable emphasis on seasonal ingredients and the products available locally.
Rather than defining the restaurant simply through one national cuisine, Salvaje’s Cartagena concept is centered on creativity, seasonality, and the quality of the ingredients, with Caribbean products playing an important role.
Seasonal cooking driven by Caribbean ingredients
Salvaje Cartagena takes a market-driven approach to its menu. The kitchen builds dishes around the products available at the time, allowing the ingredients themselves to influence what appears on the menu.
Caribbean produce and seafood give the restaurant a strong connection to its Cartagena setting, while the chef-driven approach creates a more contemporary style of dining.
This makes Salvaje particularly interesting for travelers who want something different from the city’s traditional Caribbean restaurants without leaving the historic center.
A contemporary experience in the Walled City
The restaurant’s location on Calle Santa Teresa places it directly within the Walled City, surrounded by Cartagena’s historic architecture and evening activity.
The experience is designed around more than simply ordering a conventional meal. The setting, presentation, cocktails, and overall atmosphere contribute to the restaurant’s contemporary identity.
For visitors who want to include a newer, more modern restaurant in their Cartagena itinerary, Salvaje offers a distinctly different experience from the city’s classic colonial dining rooms.
Planning your Salvaje getaway? Let us take care of all the details! From accommodations and transport to tours and reservations, we’ve got you covered.
San Pascual Baylón: Colombian Cuisine and Celebration
Location: Cra. 3 #33-88, Calle Santo Domingo, El Centro
Opened: 2025
Best for: Groups, Colombian food, generous sharing plates, cocktails, music, and a lively evening atmosphere.
San Pascual Baylón celebrates Colombian cuisine, pairing regional flavors with generous portions, music, cocktails, and communal dining.
Located on Calle Santo Domingo in Cartagena’s historic center, the restaurant is designed around the idea that Colombian food is as much about conversation and celebration as it is about what is on the plate.
Colombian food designed for sharing
San Pascual Baylón focuses on Colombian cuisine with a strong Caribbean and costeño identity.
Its menu includes dishes such as arroz caldoso de camarón, seafood, shrimp preparations with coconut, Colombian classics, grilled meats, and other plates designed to be enjoyed at the center of the table.
The generous portions and sharing format make the restaurant particularly well suited to groups. Instead of each person ordering an entirely separate meal, diners can order several dishes and build a broader Colombian meal together.
This approach gives San Pascual a different character from restaurants focused on individually plated contemporary cuisine.
Food, music, and celebration
At San Pascual Baylón, the meal is only part of the experience.
Music, cocktails, live entertainment, and events contribute to the restaurant’s lively atmosphere, particularly during the evening. The setting combines Colombian references with contemporary design, creating a space that feels suited to both dining and celebration.
For travelers who want their dinner to become part of a night out, San Pascual Baylón is one of the more social options among Cartagena’s newer restaurants.
Now that you know what to expect before visiting San Pascual Baylón, let’s create a personalized itinerary to make your culinary experience at this restaurant truly unforgettable!
Tips for Exploring Restaurants in Cartagena, Colombia
The best way to experience these restaurants is to treat them as part of a wider Cartagena itinerary rather than visiting them in isolation.
Restaurants such as El Curato, Máximo, ROMÁN, Salvaje, and San Pascual Baylón are all within or close to the historic center, while Úrsula is in nearby Getsemaní. This makes it easy to combine dinner with an evening walk through Cartagena’s historic streets.
For the more popular new openings, booking ahead is a good idea, particularly for dinner and weekends. New restaurants can attract considerable attention shortly after opening, and reservations are preferable if you are traveling with a group or celebrating a special occasion.
It is also worth checking the restaurant’s current menu before visiting. New restaurants often adjust menus, opening hours, events, and dining formats as they establish themselves.
You have officially discovered the 6 new restaurants in Cartagena, Colombia. Now all you need to do is book a ticket and experience it for yourself. Contact our team of experts for a personalized tour of the city’s culinary scene!
Final Thoughts on the Best Restaurants in Cartagena, Colombia
For travelers searching for top Cartagena restaurants, these newer additions are worth considering alongside the city’s established dining names. Together, they show how quickly Cartagena’s food scene is evolving, from contemporary interpretations of Colombian and Caribbean ingredients to Mediterranean influences, Greek-Caribbean combinations, seasonal chef-driven cooking, and restaurants where food and music become part of the same evening.
Choosing the right restaurants is only part of planning a great Cartagena trip. Two Travel can help arrange restaurant reservations, private transportation, airport transfers, nightlife, boats, tours, and other concierge services so you can spend less time organizing logistics and more time enjoying the city.
