Sambombi Bistró Local

Sambombi Bistró Local is the restaurant of chef Jhon Zárate in Provenza, El Poblado, and the only Medellín restaurant on the 2025 Latin America's 50 Best extended list, where it ranked 98th. Its philosophy is in its name: this is a neighbourhood bistro cooking with local produce, and the restaurant describes itself simply as a kitchen that uses local products. The 50 Best guide highlights how the cooking draws on the diversity of Colombia's ingredients and builds its menu around local businesses, and it describes the food as top quality.

The menu changes every week to follow what is available from small farmers in the region, and some produce comes from the restaurant's own garden in San Antonio de Prado. Dishes reported by the 50 Best guide and the Colombian press include roast chicken with shiitake mushrooms, arepas topped with crab slaw, cassava gnocchi, tuna tartare on a tostada, fried rice, braised ribs in a lemon and chilli caramel, snapper crudo with aubergine purée and ponzu, grilled mushrooms with a confit egg yolk, and jalapeño arepas with pickled corvina and harissa mayonnaise.

Sustainability runs through the business. Sambombi avoids plastic bottles, uses biodegradable packaging where packaging is needed and works with the local community. The dining room is long, bright and airy, with plenty of plants, simple wooden tables and a view into the kitchen, which makes it a relaxed setting for lunch or dinner rather than a formal one.

The restaurant serves lunch and dinner from Monday to Saturday. Because the menu is short and changes weekly, it is a good place to return to during a longer stay. Reservations can be made online through the Precompro link on the official website, and the team can also be contacted by phone or WhatsApp; recent menus and news appear on Instagram at @sambombi.bistro.

Sambombi suits couples, small groups and food-focused travellers looking for a modern meal at a mid-to-upper price. It is on Carrera 35 in Provenza, the area Time Out ranked 15th in its 2022 list of the world's coolest streets, and close to Carmen, Bar Carmen, Mala Audio Bar and the rooftop Mamba Negra, so it is easy to continue the evening nearby.