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Expat Life: Do We Like the Food in Medellín, Colombia?

Showing up in a new foreign city for an extended stay we always wonder, “Will we like the food here?” Actually, Edd thinks about that the most. 😀

Since several meals a day are going to be consumed over a period of months, it is a pretty important consideration.

The Colombian peso is currently taking a beating versus the USD, so we knew before our arrival in Medellín that prices were going to be low. A welcome relief after experiencing the runaway inflation taking place in the States.

Note:  When US$1 = 5000 pesos, transactions in this country involve a lot of zeros. For instance, a $500 monthly rent is 2.5 MILLION pesos! Believe it or not, once the shock value wears off, you get used to it.

“Cheap” doesn’t necessarily translate to “tasty,” though (looking at you, cardboard frozen pizza).

No country can match the abundance of food in the States. Would Medellín restaurants have a decent variety of different cuisines? What about choices in the grocery store?

We’ve found it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Let’s first talk about supermarkets here in Laureles, the area of Medellín where we’re staying.

Supermarkets

Beyond the small neighborhood stores that offer a little bit of everything, we’ve observed three levels of supermarkets in Laureles.

On the low end is Tiendas D1, a Tuesday Morning/Big Lots kind of discount place that’s probably fine for occasional bargains but not everyday shopping.

The middle tier of grocery stores is occupied by two chain operations, Supermercado Euro and Éxito.

  

Euro is much the same as a regular U.S. supermarket, whereas Éxito is like Walmart, selling everything from produce to big screen TVs.

At the top of the “food chain” (pardon the pun) sits Carulla, a smaller upscale store owned by Éxito that offers specialized items like artisanal breads and more imported goods.

While they’re all acceptable, we’ve been surprised that none of them offer as varied a product selection as we enjoyed at our Supermaxi in Ecuador.

No proper deli. No nectarines. No Jif peanut butter. (This is a comparative observation, not a complaint.)

On the other hand, you just never know what unexpected treasures will be revealed as you cruise the aisles.

Like Herr’s Kettle Cooked potato chips. We discovered these regional treats when we spent a month in Lancaster, PA last fall. 😋

There are a few odd things we’ve noticed in the supermarkets here that we’ve never seen on our travels anywhere else in the world.

  

Apparently, Colombians like their tomatoes nice and green. Wonder if they fry them? They seem to favor unripe strawberries as well. At first we thought both of these were a fluke but, no, that’s the way they’re sold.

Take a look at this bacon. Thick-cut is fine. But half an inch thick? Come on now…

Bonus find: Dollarcity

Are you a dollar store shopper? We never set foot inside one until a few years ago, and immediately saw why they are so popular.

Imagine our surprise to discover Dollarcity in a nearby mall. The store is beautifully stocked, and while everything’s not a dollar, the prices are still crazy cheap.

For example, Marcona almonds are a pricey gourmet item from Spain. Do the math on 12,000 pesos and you’ll know why we grabbed a bag!

Nothing we’ve shared about grocery shopping is a dealbreaker. And you can overlook a lot of minor shortcomings when you’re spending two-thirds less than in the States.

Heck, we’re not cooking much in Medellín anyway. Let’s move on to talk about restaurants and you’ll understand why.

Restaurants

No need to beat around the bush—we love the food here! The quality is outstanding, and those low prices make eating out more practical than staying home and cooking.

Here’s our normal routine.

We eat a varied combination of yogurt, fruit, and granola for breakfast.

Lunch is usually our big meal of the day. This is partly because research has shown eating your largest meal then is healthier than a few hours before bed.

The main reason is we’re in Latin America and that’s what locals do. Going with the flow allows us to take advantage of the lunchtime “menu of the day” served at restaurants all over town.

For $3 or less we get a big bowl of soup, juice, choice of protein, and whatever combination of rice, potatoes, and salad that's been prepared for the day. It’s a generous meal and all freshly made.

 

You could have bean soup, rice studded with chicken, yucca, and salad. Or a bowl of cream of carrot soup and a platter of teriyaki pork with all the trimmings.

With weather as pleasant as Medellín offers (high 70s every day, mid-60s at night), we sometimes change it up and go out to dinner. There are too many restaurants in the city to count, and lots within walking distance of our apartment.

 

One night we wandered into a lively Mexican restaurant in the neighborhood and shared a humongous mountain of loaded nachos (and a couple of potent margaritas. 😉)

 

We’d read about the excellent Italian eateries and have tried a few. These ravioli dishes at Pane y Pomodoro were fab.

 

We loved the Mediterranean salad and artisanal pizza at Caduff too.

And what do you think about this Caesar salad with salmon from Parmessano?

But you know what? Once in a while we give healthy eating a time out and go for a sloppy and delicious burger like this one from Burger Grill.

Keep in mind that all of these plates of yumminess cost $7.50 or less. So now you see why we don’t bother with a lot of shopping, prep, cooking, and cleanup. We can’t make food this good anyway!

Bottom line:  Grocery shopping is adequate. Eating out is exceptional. Prices are fantastic. Do we like the food in Medellín?

Yes, we do!


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