Mesa Franca
Restaurant · Bogotá ·
Innovative Colombian cuisine, creative cocktails, wood-fired grill
Innovative Colombian cuisine, creative cocktails, wood-fired grill
"Menu items at the popular Mesa Franca may appear simple, but they’re loaded with flavor, color, and Colombian ingredients. Sample the watermelon ceviche with crunchy kale or the succulent pork belly accompanied by peanut chile sauce, caramelized pears, and arugula. Don’t miss the cocktails, and look out for evenings featuring DJs, which make for the perfect Bogotano night out." - Liliana López Sorzano
"I opt for tortellini stuffed with gouda and indigenous arracacha root." - Michaela Trimble
"One of the city's noteworthy modern restaurants, known for creative approaches to Colombian ingredients and a place on the list of must-try new-wave spots." - Lesley Suter
"Upon entering, the air is filled with toasted corn, tropical fruits, fresh herbs and grilled meat while a modern, homey dining room of bare-wood tables, hanging plants and pops of red blends contemporary design with the warmth of a mamá’s kitchen. A giant local melon at the bar gets worked into daily dishes and drinks; the menu showcases bright, ingredient-forward plates such as raw tuna with goat’s-milk yogurt and creamy avocado, grilled hearts of palm with feijoa zest, and a sea bass ceviche with trumpet mushrooms and grapefruit in tree-tomato and green-mango leche de tigre scented with elderflowers. Helmed by chef Iván Cadena, the restaurant exemplifies Bogotá’s movement to balance tradition and innovation while prioritizing local products." - Juliana Duque
The wood fire grill at Mesa Franca is used to its fullest potential. Grilled hearts of palm with paper thin oranges or bok choy with peanut aji- many vegetable-celebrating appetizers as well as yummy cocktails.