Sambombi Bistró Local — Restaurant in Medellín

Disclaimer: do not come here without a reservation. If you do, you might be talked down to by an older gentleman drinking wine who is one of the owners or perhaps the main owner (i don’t know)

Now the review: after booking a Reservation after my first visit i returned here for a spectacular lunch with my girlfriend. The service was great, the food immaculately prepared.

I ordered gallina (farm raised hen) and a kale Cesar salad. It was a superb lunch. Ample quantity and perfectly cooked crust on the chicken and the pipián sauce divine. To drink i chose the cucumber lemonade which was also off the charts amazing.

Jhon, the chef and his mother are always here and the kitchen staff here is attentive, well trained and probably the best in the city. I’m sure a number of fine chefs will emerge from this restaurant in the future. The talent in the kitchen is on par with some of the finest kitchens in the world.

On my previous visit with a friend, i arrived first not knowing if we had a restañarían or not and was trying to be seated regardless (warning again do not do this because i was condescendingly talked down to by the older gentleman who is the owner for simply asking why i needed a reservation at a seemingly empty restaurant at 6:45pm!) anyhow on that visit we also had a few other amazing dishes.

The highlights of that visit were the beets in an almond cream sauce and a white fish dish with tomatoes. As well as some traditional fried empanadas and fish balls that were created to celebrated December holidays.

The menu here changes weekly, monthly or daily. All at the whims of the brilliant chef and owner Jhon Zarate. He will be considered one of the most important culinary stars in Colombia by the end of this decade I am sure. When the 50 Best restaurant list gets it right they will remove Leo from Bogota which is a gimmicky place with Sambombi which is legitimately great.

So great in fact I forgive completely the way i was spoken to and the rude glances I got on both visits. I would add photos from the first visit but we were sat impromptu in a dark corner and the pictures do not do the food justice.

So in summary, if you want a great meal with the finest restaurant in medellin do not go to Carmen or Relato cause those places are truly bogus. Choose Sambombi and see what Jhon Zarate is up to. And yes don’t be like me and make a reservation and don’t ask questions cause they seem like they enjoy telling people to F off if they don’t have a reservation here. And to be honest i probably would do the same if i was the owner...

The restaurant I originally had booked for my husband's birthday had to cancel and with only a few days away from NYE everyone was booked out solid (including Sambombi) but I pleaded with them to find me a table and they did!

I was initially worried, from the pictures, that it was a little too casual for a birthday meal, but the reviews convinced me to give it a go.

When we arrived, we quickly fell in love with the European vibe of the interior. It had a high-end-casual feel and with super attentive service (mega shout out to Gabriel!), cozy vibe, and great variation of seating options for various occasions.

But it was the food that really knocked us off of our feet.

For starters, let me tell you that I will be dreaming of the tuna tartar tostadas every night until our next visit.

The rice with shrimp made the world slow down. Not kidding you, I was literally eating in slow motion!

The kale salad was refreshing and savory in a surprising way.

The lamb dish was probably my least favorite. There was no great flavor variation like with the other 3 dishes, the skin was chewy (crispy would have worked better) and the texture was rather banal when paired with the same texture of mashed potatoes (delicious btw) and relish. This one I would not order again.

For dessert we had the French toast (called something different on the menu but basically a French toast). It was very lovely. Not anything unusual from most well made French toasts but tasty for sure.

All in all, we spent just over 300,000 for 2 people (that included a beer, a lemonade, a cappuccino and an iced latte + water, on top of the food)

We will definitely return to try more dishes but the tostada and rice will remain our staples.

A little more about the place itself - the chef is Colombian, trained in Colombia but worked all over northern Europe. All the ingredients are locally sourced and the fish is brought in fresh daily, never frozen. As Gabriel had explained, any fish you eat in this place was caught 3hrs ago. The menu is reviewed weekly and new items are added. This allows the chef more room for creation without overwhelming the customer with too many options at...

tldr; if you appreciate thoughtfully made food by a professional team that cares, you should go. In an area packed with tourist traps with unreliable reviews, this neighbourhood bistro is a breath of fresh air.

I hadn't reserved, so was seated at the bar, which I really enjoyed (here for work so am solo). Meant I got to watch the kitchen in action and interact with the chef. Also, as I couldn't read the menu, I could see the dishes and point to the ones I liked!

The staff were all really friendly.

They do smaller portions so expect to order a few things. I had the mushrooms followed by pork, and a tart for desert.

The mushrooms were amazing. They finish them on the charcoal which gives them a lovely smokey flavour.

The pork was seared on the charcoal and then finished in the oven, and again was amazing. It's served with pea puree and some berries, which gives you that wonderful sweet contrast with the saltiness of the pork.

Finally, the tart. It was incredible. They have a dedicated pastry chef and it shows. The pastry was beautifully thin and crispy. Honestly I'll be dreaming about it for years.to come.

Here for a week and will definitely try to come back for more!

(Edit: I had the house wine, an Argentinian white which was great. Smooth and...