Montesacro Resto Bar — Restaurant in Cartagena

My partner and I were looking for somewhere nice to have a late dinner in the old city of Cartagena. After wandering around for awhile we stumbled upon Montesacro and decided to give it a shot. So glad we did.

The ambiance was excellent, and the service was impeccable. We wanted to sit out on their balcony, but when our first table was right next to a live musician the server let us wait a few minutes to grab another that was quieter. The live music was great and at a very reasonable volume.

The food was amazing. I had a ceviche appetizer (there's a whole page dedicated to them in the menu) which was a little spicy with beautiful shrimp and cornbread crackers, and my partner had a dish of little plantain cups with tomato and green onion with sour cream, avocado and queso on the side. Both were wonderfully presented and very delicious. I had a fish main course (peacado laqueado) which had a very nice charcoal-infused oil cream sauce on a bed of thinly sliced vegetables, and my partner had a beef stew and risotto main. The beef risotto was rich and tender, and although an uncommon pairing a delightful one. The fish was light but still very flavourful with a lovely texture, prepared in a pretty regular way but with that lovely cream sauce and the paper thin vegetables the whole dish really came alive. We were both so stuffed from our courses we didn't save room for dessert!

The service was excellent. We were well attended to, our food came very promptly (but not at all rushed) and our server was very attentive to our table for the entire duration. My partner is fluent in Spanish but the waiter did speak some English as well. Very impressed with the service here. Pricing for this restaurant is very reasonable. Although slightly more than you might see from some of the surrounding ground level restaurants, the quality of the food and service makes it absolutely worth it. And by North American standards, it's a steal.

Overall, if you're going to be dining in El Centro and want an intimate, charming dining experience, I would absolutely recommend going...

Drinks are incredible in appearance and taste, done by a super friendly but very skilled mixologist named Alex. On top of this amazing service our waiter named Osterman was super kind, helpful with understanding parts of the menu including providing great recommendations. Our waiter Osterman also provided fast and reliable service for us when regarding updated on the food and helping deliver a drink that was very hard to serve to us because of its presentation. In addition our waiter spoke English and Spanish to help some people in our family that didn’t speak English. To add even more the food was also incredible, from the appetizers to the entrees the food inconceivable with insane ceviche and the quality of the meat being essentially out of this world. An example of how good the food it that even a simple steak with some fries for our daughter was incredible. To add one more thing about this restaurant is the ambience, the ambience includes great music to fit all taste and fits into the aesthetic of the food and drinks. The hostesses even understood that us and the other people in the restaurant were annoyed when a group of loud, trashy and drunk guys barged in tying to get a table, the hostess quickly realized and ushered them out. All in all from the food, drinks, service/staff to the ambience of the restaurant was incredible. Due to all these things I would love to thank the staff and its management for such a great restaurant and...

I’ve always appreciated places that promote inclusion and respect, which is why we decided to visit this restaurant—known for publicly embracing those values. Unfortunately, we were deeply disappointed when my girlfriend was denied entry because she was accompanied by her service dog.

Her dog is not a pet; he’s an essential source of support that allows her to live with greater independence, confidence, and dignity. Being refused entry for that reason was not only hurtful, but also reflected a lack of understanding of a legitimate, legally protected need.

What struck me most was the contradiction between the restaurant’s public message—highlighting its commitment to fairness and equality for its team—and the way my girlfriend, as a guest, was treated. She was simply looking for the same: respect, understanding, and a place where she could feel welcome.

I’m not sharing this out of anger, but out of a sincere hope that this experience leads to honest reflection. Inclusion shouldn’t be selective or conditional. I truly hope this becomes an opportunity for the restaurant to grow and ensure that everyone, without exception, feels respected and valued when they walk through...