After Colombia got called ´the destination you should not miss this year´ by different magazines and platforms (such as NatGeo Travel and Lonely Planet) the tourism in the country has increased massively. Still, nothing compared to long-standing popular countries such as Mexico, Peru, and Argentina, but it was noticeable.
Most tourists, however, stick to the little round of the Caribbean Coast, Medellin, and Bogota, potentially making a little detour to the Coffee Triangle around Salento. But very few make it all the way down to Cali. And though it has less obvious tourist sights, the neighborhood of San Antonio is one that enchants everyone. Including myself, as I ended up living in this hood for almost six years (you could, for example, combining Cali with a trek to the Purace volcano or the Reserva Natural Nirvana)
Though things change quickly and hostels and little bars come and go, there are a few long-standing favorites, and… I will share some of my best-kept secrets to make Cali and experience you will never forget.
A bit about San Antonio neighborhood
San Antonio is the oldest and colonial neighborhood of Cali. It is lined up with bright houses and cobblestones around a large park with the famous church of San Antonio. Wall art has become a thing quite recently and beautiful paintings can be found in the little side streets. More or less between Carrera 4 and 12, and Calle 5 and Calle 3 Oeste, this neighborhood is no more than 3km2, but a heaven of peace (except for the weekend nights) and bohemian.
Where to go for a coffee (and where to work)
Macondo café (yes, named after the imaginary town of Macondo from the famous book ´100 years of solitude´ from Gabriel García Marquéz) is a long-standing favorite. Great coffees, even better desserts, and salads and the best thing: a cultural cinema where each day they show different, free movies. You are expected to get a coffee or something to eat (and believe me, you want to anyways) and can then see the movie of the day. Each month has a theme, such as ´Italian movies´ or ´Scorsese´s best´. Thursdays there is live music and it’s the best spot for a rainy day/evening.
Ambos Mundos is a new one that I only got to know this year. Technically in San Cayetano neighborhood, it’s just 50 meters outside of the limits of San Antonio. A very nice and quiet spot with fairly decent wifi and good coffee. They do tango gatherings here in the evenings and live music.
Corinne Cafe basically used to be my second living room. Almost right next to my house, I would come here to work and enjoy their delicious coffee. But, they also do really nice salads and above all: pizzas! (my favorite one with spinach and gorgonzola), as well as deserts. The place has a super nice feel to it and especially in the early afternoons it’s very quiet and a perfect spot for working.
Breakfast spots
My favorite and local spot is la Baguette, Panaderia Francesa (Calle 3 with Carrera 10). Here you can get actual Pain du Chocolat (yes, the real french little bread with chocolate), croissants, bread with apple and cinnamon and everything else. This might also be my favorite pandebonos (the most typical cheesy round bread from Cali). You can take away (after I continuously proposed that they should ditch the plastic bags, they now give it in paper bags, yay!!) or eat inside at the two little tables. For a coffee, a pandebono, and chocolate bread you will pay around 1,80 euros.
If you want to make it a bit more of a thing, Zahavi (a long-standing favorite) does fantastic coffees, pandebonos, and eggs. Also, their cakes are absolutely incredible, best I´ve ever, ever had.
Pao is another good one. It can get a little noisy here as the space is rather small, so if you want quietness for your breakfast this might not be the best place. But they dó have fantastic cold brew coffees, eggs and smoothies. This is my favorite ´I am going to spoil myself´ spot.
Outside of San Antonio, but still worth mentioning, is Baraka Ancestral (15-minute walk from San Antonio). A Lebanese bakery (on top of the Super A supermarket) that makes amazing bread, greek yoghurt and everything fantastic. This is a place that is very worth taking your date to and special occasions
Where to go for lunch or dinner
So, I am veggie (and sometimes eat fish) so I´m not sharing any places that don’t have these options.
A wonderful spot (and has been around for many years) is ´El Pargo Rojo´. With a set menu of 13.000 pesos (around 2,50 euro) that is based on food from the Colombian Pacific Coast, you get a nice fish soup and a main dish. Usually, you can choose between 3 options, with either grilled or fried fish, or encocado de pescado (fish cooked in coconut sauce) with rice and salad, as well as sugarcane-lemon juice. I love this little spot because it feels very low-key and local.
A fully vegetarian is El Buen Alimento. This one has also been around for a while and does set lunch menus as well as a la carte. The set menus are 15.000 pesos and include a soup and a main dish as well as a big juice. Basically, the food is great, creative, veggie and healthy and there is enough space and quick service.
Zea Maiz (or better known as ´las arepas cuadradas´: the square arepas) is an amazing concept. They started off with just a little bbq on the street 7 years ago and a concept of having square arepas, filling them with untraditional things like hummus and jalapeños and serving them with little sauces. These fusion arepas become very popular with many locals (and travelers) sitting on the sidewalk, enjoying these arepas. So, the next thing, some plastic chairs got pulled up. Now, 7 years later, this place is indoors in a little restaurant with beautiful wall art, nice and hippy, their cart now has over 40 different arepa fillings (of which minimum 15 are vegetarian or even vegan) and nice drinks. For a large arepa and a drink expect to pay around 3.50 euros.
Another favorite one is Pita Majita. A new concept back in the days (I´m talking 7 years ago when I first moved there): things like pita´s, hummus and shoarma. With delicious veggie options with falafel, Arab lemonade, and Arab sweets, you can either eat a set lunch or eat a la carte (every pita you can order vegetarian with falafel). I always go for my favorite pita with falafel, sun-dried tomatoes, yogurt, and almonds. Nothing can beat that one. You can sit on pillows on the floor while hearing the little frogs in the garden do their thing to a soft Arab background music.
A little takeaway bakery is Pan Ya, famous for its bruschetta (little square bread with tomato, cheese, and herbs, fresh out of the oven) for about 30 cents each. An obligatory snack stop.
Afternoon drinks
Tierradentro Cafe has a terrace that you just cannot miss. Especially when the typical 4 pm Cali breeze sets in (so famous that Grupo Niche even mentions it in their salsa songs: si por la tarde las palmeras, se mueven alegres la noche está esperando: basically, and when in the afternoon the palms start to move happily, it means the night is on its way). You can sit inside and read a bunch of books (when I left Cali 2 years ago I donated a bunch of books to them, so you might even find some Dutch stuff there) and sip from their wines. One of the few spots in Cali where the wine is delicious (as are their coffees). And somehow.. sitting on the couches created out of pallets on their terrace or in their garden, and watching the sunset, everything just seems peaceful here.
Casa Alebrije is quite fancy and compared to everything else you’ll ´splurge´ a bit more (still nothing compared to European or US prices of course), this spot is amazing. Like, the owner deserves the price for the most fantastic decoration style ever. He’s brought objects and inspiration from everywhere, inspired by countries like Bali, Mexico, and India. You basically just want to sit here, forever, and disappear into a little beautiful world.
La Colina is the oldest bar in the neighborhood, and you feel it when you enter. The decor is still the same, the general clientele probably as well and the olden golden salsa music never changes. They do great artisanal beer as well as other things. Their little snacks are not vegetarian though so make sure you eat somewhere else. This place is just San Antonio summed up in 40 m2.
Parque San Antonio: A whole park, with little beer selling shops along the sides of it. What can I say, this is San Antonio. Just get a beer in the evening, or even better, in the weekends and watch the locals go. It can get quite crowded here on Saturday evenings and Sundays, but it really shows you how the Caleños like to spend their weekends.
On Saturday mornings they do a little organic market here where you can also eat breakfast. get your fruits and drink juices.
The park is also famous for its ´cuenteros´, storytellers. They gather here and tell stories, attracting large crowds. They even built a little amphitheater in the park for these people to do their magic. It’s all in Spanish, but nevertheless worth watching for a bit.
Local shops you cannot miss
La Linterna is one of these random places that has been around forever. Literally, as the owner (in his 60s) told me he was actually born in the shop, as it used to be from his parents. They have been the graphic printers of the neighborhood since forever and now also make cool unique ´Cali graphic posters´ that they sell. If you step inside, he is very excited to explain to you all about the old printers he has and that they still use (they are from Germany, he keeps repeating). Really nice to get a beautiful poster as a souvenir for home.
On the upper level of Corinne there is a little shop with the coolest clothes, locally designed. My oh so favorite ´Make Pandebonos, not war´ originated from here. The owner is a super cool girl who can tell you all about what is happening in Cali that weekend.
Pepita en Cueros is owned by my dear friend Lorena. She makes beautiful and personalized leather products, such as bags and purses. The best Christmas gifts I could ever take home and I even ended up getting orders 😉
On Saturday mornings there is a little local organic market in the Parque San Antonio, where you can buy veggies, fruits, and homemade, organic cosmetics and other little things.
Wanna get the real local feel?
Head over to the little ´we sell everything´ shop on the corner of Calle 3 with Carrera 12. The owner, Doña Esperanza, knows everyone and she and her sister are the loveliest ladies ever. All my local neighbours tend to get together here every day and every night, to exchange gossip, to chat or well.. to spend time together basically. Just go there, tell her that you know me (Manon) and feel how you are being welcomed.
You might already run into neighbour Manolo here, or otherwise, he will be in his little house/antique shop in the Carrera 10-60 (something). It´s underneath a house painted yellow with black and white drawings and you´ll see him sitting on a chair in his door opening. He always has coffee and loves to talk to foreigners (in Spanish, that is). Being once a sailor himself he has amazing stories about how things used to be. Just go for a visit!
