Colombian restaurants offer inexpensive multi-course set lunches, which usually consist of soup, main course, a side like rice, fries or salad, and a dessert. Colombian recipes rely heavily on fresh, regionally available ingredients. While Colombian food may not have the boldest or most adventurous flavors, travelers will have no trouble finding filling and inexpensive traditional dishes, snacks, street food, and tropical fruits that hit the spot.

Arepas! Arepas! Arepas!

Colombian arepas (fried cornmeal patties) are a street food sold and eaten all over the country, and breakfast in western Colombia usually consists of arepas and hot chocolate. Plain arepas are rather bland and are typically eaten with cheese or butter, though several variations on the traditional arepa are also popular. Arepa fillings include corn and cheese (arepa de choclo), egg (arepa de huevo), and savory and sweet cheeses (arepa de queso and arepa boyacense).

Regional Specialties:

• Bogotá and around- The ever-popular ajiaco is a riff on chicken soup that contains corn and potatoes. It is usually served with heavy cream and avocados, making it a hearty lunch on its own.
  

• Medellín and the Northwest - Bandeja paisa, or paisa platter, which includes rice, beans, ground beef, plantain, sausage, chicharrón (friend pork skin), arepa, avocado and a fried egg, is the tastiest heart attack on a plate you'll likely ever try.

• Cali and the Southwest - Sancocho, often prepared on special occasions or weekends. is a hardy Colombian stew. Sancocho contains chicken, fish or oxtail; plantains, yuca, potatoes, cilantro and spices.

• Pacific and Caribbean coasts - Meals are heavy on spicy fish and lobster, often accompanied by coconut rice. Seafood is generally difficult to find inland.
  

• The Llanos (or eastern plains) - Cowboys (vaqueros) and large ranches punctuate the open landscape, where barbequed meat (asado) is the main staple, and the most common dish is ternera llanera, barbequed veal.
  

• Nariño Department - Bordering Ecuador, adventurous meat lovers should try fried or roasted cuy (guinea pig). Though cuy is generally consumed in the household, many tourist-oriented restaurants have it on offer.
  

Colmbian Fruits and Vegetables

Colombia has an abundance of exotic fruits, many of which do not have names in English. Lulo and guanabana make particularly good juices, and curuba (banana passion fruit), feijoa, mamey, guayabamanzana (a guava-apple hybrid) and nispero, among many fruits, are all worth a try.

Vegetables are rather hard to come by in Colombia, and vegetarians may find it difficult to find satisfying options in restaurants aside from arepas, rice, beans, and potatoes.

Colombian Coffee

By far the most famous of all Colombian beverages is, of course, their internationally consumed coffee. Be warned, however, that the quality of coffee in Colombia varies, and your tinto (small black coffee watered down and sweetened) may be weaker than expected.

Colombian Alcohol

The word tinto can also mean red wine, but avoid Colombian wines–Chilean and Argentine wines are widely available and are of a much higher quality. Other alcoholic drinks in Colombia worth trying include:

• Aguardiente - sugarcane alcohol
• Guarapo - a drink made of fermented fruits and sugar
• Canelazo - a warm, fruity drink made with aguardiente, sugar and cinnamon
• Refajo - a mixed drink of rum or beer and cream soda
• Chicha - a fermented corn drink made by indigenous people in the Andes.
  

Of course, Colombian beer is also widely available. Top national beer brands include Poker, Aguila, Pilsener and Club Colombia.

Non-Alcoholic Beverages

If alcohol isn’t your thing, there are also many non-alcoholic drink options that are worth a try. Colombian hot chocolate is made in a special pitcher with a molinillo (stick) for stirring, and is often served with cinnamon and cheese. Aguapanela is a drink of dissolved sugarcane in hot water with lime juice and sometimes cheese added for flavor. Both champus and lulada are thick drinks that use Colombia’s delicious and unique fruits; and salpicon, which translates as large splash, is a refreshing drink of soda and chopped fruit. Coca-cola and other sodas are available everywhere as well.

Where to Eat on the Cheap

Like those of its neighbors, Colombian restaurants offer inexpensive multi-course set lunches, which usually include soup, breaded or barbequed meat, rice, French fries, a small salad and grilled plantains. This is the best way for a traveler on a budget to fill up on hearty, hot Colombian food. Restaurants do not usually have printed menus, so if your Spanish is rusty, it might be useful to have a pocket dictionary handy while the server gives you the run-down on what is available. Colombians tend to take siesta in the afternoon, so most lunch spots serve meals between 12:00 and 2:00 pm.

For a sweet, cheap dessert, street vendors sell obleas, large circular wafers sandwiching arequipe (sweet, caramelized milk syrup) or fruit sauces. Mango, watermelon, pineapple and coconut are commonly sold on the street.

International Food

Should you tire of Colombian food and require something different, there are quite a few restaurants that serve international food in Bogotá, Cartagena and Medellín.