At Leo in Bogotá, Chef Leonor Espinosa redefines Colombian cuisine with innovative tasting menus that showcase local ingredients, served in a stunning contemporary setting.
"Leonor Espinosa’s creativity and talent for rescuing forgotten ingredients from the country’s remotest areas has earned her numerous awards, and her skill in the kitchen has solidified her status as a pioneer of contemporary high-end Colombian cuisine. Leo’s tasting menu and its innovative fermented beverage and wine pairings capture the technique, flavor, history, and aesthetic vision for which the acclaimed chef is known. On top of that, the modern architecture and design of the new location, decorated with Colombian contemporary art, is stunning. Upstairs you’ll also find La Sala de Laura, a cocktail bar overseen by Espinosa’s daughter, Laura Hernández, where the focus is on cocktails using specialty in-house spirits that represent various ecosystems, such as páramo (alpine tundra), desert, and Andean forest. The bar also serves an a la carte lunch menu and three different tasting menus for dinner." - Liliana López Sorzano
"Rank: #48 "Local celebrity chef Leonor Espinosa’s flagship restaurant showcases little-known Colombian ingredients such as copoazu (a genus of cacao), arrechón (an aphrodisiac drink) and bijao (a banana-like plant), while championing local communities and gastronomic traditions. Since opening Leo she has had a great influence on Colombian cuisine and in 2022, Espinosa won the title of The World’s Best Female Chef, sponsored by Nude Glass."
"That’s why he created a separate award for the World’s Best Female Chef. Please don’t ask him why this year’s Best Female Chef Leonor Espinosa De La Ossa’s restaurant, Leo in Bogota, Colombia, barely cracked the Top 50 list at No. 48." - ByAdam Reiner
"Rank: #46 "At Leo, Dinner is split between an eight- or thirteen-course tasting menu, complete with delicate appetisers such as mussels with coconut and Galerazamba salt, or dried shrimp with snails and ants. The latter, although surprising, are crushed to create a crunchy, nutty garnish on the side of the dish. Standout mains include a duck jelly, served with coquindo oil (a rare seed from the Amazon) and salt from the Manuare Salt Flats."
"Rank: #27 "Celebrity chef Leonor Espinosa’s flagship restaurant showcases little-known Colombian ingredients such as corozo fruit (a tangy red berry), arrechón (an aphrodisiac drink) and bijao (a banana-like plant), while championing local communities and gastronomic traditions. Since opening Leo she has had a great influence on Colombian cuisine and indeed other cooks, winning the title of Latin America’s Best Female Chef in 2017 and being voted by her peers as the Estrella Damm Chefs’ Choice in 2020."
