29 min
On the block
Ringlete, Valle cooking
A restaurant serving Valle del Cauca cooking at Calle 15A Norte #9N-31, in Granada.
Market hall
Breakfast at Galería Alameda
A market hall opened in 1955 in the Alameda neighbourhood, with more than 550 stalls. Its kitchens serve sancocho, soups, stews, rellena (blood sausage), fritanga, Pacific food and traditional drinks. Breakfast at the market is a Cali classic.
Pacific coast
Pacific food at Basilia
A Galería Alameda restaurant going for more than 40 years, cooking Pacific and Valle food, mostly seafood. Its signature dishes are arroz atollado, arroz Basilia and arroz clavado; it also makes pastel chocoano.
Street snack
A marranita in San Antonio
A marranita is green or ripe plantain with pork crackling inside, shaped a bit like an empanada. San Antonio, a neighbourhood of restaurants and specialty cafés, is one of the classic places to eat one.
Cholado
Cholado on Calle 9, by the Panamericanas
Shaved ice with fresh fruit, condensed milk and sweet syrup, served in a tall glass. The Panamericanas area is known as “the temple of cholado”, and Calle 9 is the most popular spot to get one.
Cenadero
Chuleta valluna at El Bochinche
Chuleta valluna is the staple of Cali’s cenaderos, the late-supper restaurants, and El Bochinche is known for the size of its portion. It is in a big old house at Calle 11 and Carrera 15, in Bretaña, and serves it with fried ripe plantain or French fries.
Granada
A break from local food: Avenida 9 Norte
Granada’s restaurants line Avenida 9 Norte. On it are Pizzería Carpaneto (Av. 9 Norte #15A-30), open every day, and Storia D’Amore (Av. 9N #14N-46), open from noon to 10 pm Sunday to Wednesday and until 11 pm Thursday to Saturday.
3 min$$
4 min$$$
Out of town
Sancocho de gallina in Pance
Sancocho de gallina, a soup of free-range hen, cassava and plantain, is the signature dish of the Valle del Cauca. In Pance the riverside fondas cook it over a wood fire, for after a swim in the river.