Public market & local food

Don’t miss

1. 1Cayeye or mote de guineo: mashed green guineo bananas with butter, queso costeño and hogao, from Magdalena’s banana zone
2. 2Bollo limpio and Mamatoco’s “bollo tres puntá”, wrapped in bijao leaves
3. 3Fried fish (mojarra, red snapper) with patacones and coconut rice
4. 4Carimañola, arepa de huevo and shrimp cocktail or ceviche in a cup
5. 5Fresh corozo, passion fruit, zapote, níspero or lulo juice, and raspao with green mango
6. 6Arroz de bonito, a historic samario dish

What to expect

The Edificio Plaza de Mercado and its Galería Comercial aren’t a postcard market: they’re where the city does its shopping. Aisles of fruit, fish, vegetables and a bit of everything, with plenty of people moving in a hurry. Look, ask and taste without fear.

The list of what to eat comes from the official food guide “La Tierra del Sabor”: cayeye, bollos, fried fish with patacón and coconut rice, carimañolas, arepa de huevo and fruit juices you may never have heard of. If you see agua de maíz, that’s local too.

Since the buses to Tayrona and Palomino and the colectivos to Minca leave from here, the Mercado pairs well with a day trip: have breakfast and go.

Getting there from the house

1. On foot or by bus

   According to the house, the Mercado is about 20 minutes’ walk or 5 minutes by bus. In a straight line it’s 1.04 km.

   Confirmed · Hostelworld · nominatim.openstreetmap.org

2. Taxi

   A short ride; book the taxi by phone or app rather than hailing one on the street.

   Official source · gov.uk