Ajiacos y Mondongos: The Best in Traditional Colombian Food
Ajiacos y Mondongos have been serving up traditional Colombian food since 1991.
This local favorite is a block off Avenida Poblado and Parque Poblado, but if you don’t know exactly where to look, chances are you’d never see it.
Which would be a shame considering the terrific food, and comfortable atmosphere.
I arrived in the midst of a weekday lunch rush, and grabbed a seat at a small counter area near the front.
The menu is simple, focusing on 3 traditional Colombian dishes:
- Ajiaco soup from Bogota
- Mondongo soup from Antioquia
- Cazuela de frijoles, which I believe is also a paisa dish, and includes beans, bacon, corn, plantains, potatoes, and avocado
I went for my favorite, the ajiaco, which includes: chicken, potatoes, and corn, with avocado, capers, cream and an arepa on the side.
The side items are then added to the soup based on personal preferences. When I order this dish from my favorite spot in Bogota, I believe they provide rice and fresh cilantro as well, though as you can tell from the photo above, there wouldn’t be much room for it.
The soup was good, though the base wasn’t as creamy as I get in Bogota. Still, after clearing my bowl, I was completely full until dinner. Ajiaco is one of the rare soups that can do that for me.
My beverage of choice was a cold glass of fresh lemonade.
Despite my arrival at a peak hour, the service was attentive. Lunch ran me about 21,000 pesos, or $11.55.
For a true taste of Colombia, skip the easy to find restaurants in Parque Lleras, and head down to Ajiacos y Mondongos for lunch.
