A staffer ushered me into another courtyard, this one smaller, draped in vines and filled with music.

Beautiful young people enjoyed spice-rimmed cocktails and bowls of fragrantsancocho,the chicken-soup-for-the-soul ofColombia.

Chef David Suarez joined me at my table after Id had two guava gimlets and a bowl of soup.

A serene bar space at a hotel in Medellin.

The bar at 23 Hotel.Credit:Courtesy of 23 Hotel

Medellin is about five years behind Bogota in terms of its burgeoning fine-dining scene, Suarez estimated.

But we now have new cuisines appearing, with new ideas and new flavors and fusions.

Chefs have the freedom to experiment.

Pair of photos from the Medellin dining scene, one showing a chef in a garden, and one showing plated dishes on a restaurant table

From left: Sambombi chef Jhon Zárate in the restaurant’s garden; grilled meat with broccolini and bean mash at Sambombi.Courtesy of Sambombi

Before in Colombia it was rice, beans, pork, and cabbage.

Were changing all that.

Times have changed for the better, and in the past decade, the restaurant industry has blossomed.

Pair of photos from the Medellin dining scene, one showing a light filled courtyard scene, and one showing a dish served in a ceramic sculpture

From left: The courtyard at Casa El Ramal; tapioca and foie gras at Elcielo.From left: Courtesy of Casa El Ramal; Courtesly of Elcielo

Today, Carrera 33 is lined with fashionable places to eat.

In Medellin, we didnt have a culture of fine dining or organic food at that time.

She laughed and nodded to a speaker above us playing David Bowie: And people complained about the rock-and-roll….

Pair of photos from Medellin, one showing a hotel exterior, and one showing a spread of dishes in a restaurant

From left: The lush exterior of 23 Hotel in Medellín, Colombia; seared fish and fettucine with smoked cherry tomatoes at Casa El Ramal.From left; Mateo Soto; Courtesy of Casa El Ramal

The evolution since that time has been huge, and people started changing their mindsets.

The 10-plus-course tasting menu dodges pretentiousness by embracing a playful high-low approach.

A mini arepa was paired with blue-crabsemifreddoand French caviar.

Pair of photos from Medellin’s OCI.MDE restaurant, one showing the entrance, and one showing Chef Laura

From left: The entrance to Oci.Mde restaurant; chef Laura Londoño of Oci.Mde.Courtesy of Oci.Mde

Its hard to take yourself too seriously when covered in chocolate or obscured by a cloud over your table.

Courtesy of Oci.Mde

Another spot thats pushing the boundaries isSambombi Bistro Local,helmed by chef Jhon Zarate.

Again, it was a billow of smoke that welcomed me in: anothersancochoin the making.

But in Medellin, where theres smoke, theres flavor.

A version of this story first appeared in the September 2024 issue ofTravel + Leisureunder the headline Flavor Forward.