La Pola

If you have read my Musica en Mi Barrio blog post, you know that the hamburger I ate for dinner my first night in Cartagena was literally ham on a burger bun (and no it wasn’t a lost in translation moment, I ordered straight off the menu!). I was just a little nervous after that experience that I would not eat a hamburger as I had known them all my life for the duration of my grant, but thankfully I quickly learned that Colombians know their hamburgers (and perros calientes, hot dogs) very well and make them with a flare that is unique and sometimes even tastier than the ones I had eaten in the States.

I think the entire world would agree that hot dogs, hamburgers, and french fries are pretty stereotypical “American” foods, specifically representative of the United States, but there is actually a lot of comida rapida (fast food), in Cartagena and Colombia in general. I’ve been to a number of burger places and have met more than a few Colombians who’ve told me that burgers are their favorite food. While this surprised me time and time again, I can understand why after tasting some really good burgers in Cartagena.

I really enjoyed the creativity and regional flavors that went into a lot of the burgers I ate in Colombia. I am writing this post with La Pola in mind, which is the best burger I ate in Cartagena from a restaurant called El Burgués in Manga. El Burgués is a bourgeois-themed burger joint that serves smash burgers and milkshakes that feature ingredients like queso costeño, the regional cheese on the Caribbean Coast of Colombia, arequipe, the Colombian caramel-like spread that is drizzled on almost everything, and guayaba (guava), one of my favorite tropical fruits often made into juice in Colombia.

Here are the ingredients that come together to make La Pola:

150 gramos de Certified Angus Beef (a lot of menus in Colombia tell you the exact number of grams of meat you will receive in your dish)
Mermelada de tocineta con café (bacon jam made with coffee)
Queso costeño asado (grilled coastal cheese)
Mermelada de guayaba (guava jam)
Cebolla crispy (onion crisps)
Mayonesa trufada (truffle mayonnaise)
Tomate chonto (tomato)
Lechuga (lettuce)
Salsa Tennessee (Tennessee sauce? Not exactly sure what this sauce consists of, but can confirm that it is tasty hahaha)

This burger is served on brioche bread that is freshly baked each day in the restaurant’s panadería (bakery) and comes with french fries too, which are more like potato wedges, and called cascos de papa. I am no burger connoisseur, nor a burger enthusiast, but I can appreciate good food. I have to say that this burger married traditional and regional flavors beautifully. So well that I still remember it all this time later and am writing and publishing an entire blogpost on it hahaha.

Other burger places I enjoyed in Cartagena were Henry’s, Atrium, and Serena Rooftop. Henry’s has a beautiful rooftop location near El Castillo de San Felipe that has impeccable views, vibes, and a delicious bocadillo (traditional guava sweet) milkshake along with tasty burgers. They also have live music, dance performances, and karaoke sometimes. Each time I went there, there was always something new, surprising, and super entertaining going on hahah. You will not be disappointed if you go there. Atrium is another one of the first places I tried a burger in Cartagena, and I loved their Costeña burger. It features tajadas (fried plantain slices) and queso costeño of course. Serena Rooftop is located very close to where I lived in Cartagena and is where I went with roommates and friends for a bite with a breeze at night once the sun went down. Lots of good memories there! They also had live music sometimes and generally just a really nice ambience. Cartagena is definitely not short on burger places that are really tasty nor groovy rooftop spots!

My friend Kasey and I at Serena Rooftop!

With all this said, if you find yourself in Cartagena, and are a little tired of all the delicious mojarra, sierra, and bocachico and are feeling for a burger to switch things up a little bit, I’m letting you know that you will be able to find one, and a really and a good one at that! The flavors may surprise you, but it just might be better than you expect (just make sure you don’t go to the place with the ham-slice burger hahahaha)! If you liked this kinda silly burger blogpost, you might like my blogpost all about juice…check it out here!

Pelo Bueno

Mira Ve!