Two Colombian restaurants could soon appear on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list, with the 2026 ceremony taking place in Lima, Peru — the first time the gala has been held in Latin America. All attention is on El Chato in Bogota and Celele in Cartagena, both already fixtures on the Latin America's 50 Best list.

El Chato was named the best restaurant in Latin America in 2025. It is the flagship project of Bogota-born chef Alvaro Clavijo, who trained at Barcelona's Hofmann School of Hospitality and Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. The kitchen works closely with local producers, and the menu shifts constantly based on seasonal research and exploration — the idea being that each dish reflects the land and the people who farm it.

Celele, in the Getsemani neighbourhood of Cartagena, comes from a different angle but a similar ethos. Chef Jaime Rodriguez built the restaurant out of the Caribe Lab Project, years spent travelling Colombia's Caribbean coast to document recipes at risk of disappearing and to learn from Indigenous communities. The restaurant partners with farmers' associations, fishermen, gatherers and artisans, and even collaborates with the Cartagena Botanical Garden and biologists. Many ingredients aren't farmed at all — they're gathered by Caribbean communities — and the bar pours traditional drinks like viche and chirrinchi. In 2025, Celele entered the world top 50 for the first time at number 48 and picked up the sustainable restaurant award, while ranking fifth on the Latin American list.

There's a genuine sense of suspense ahead of the Lima gala. When positions 51 to 100 of the 2026 list were published on Oct. 21, neither El Chato nor Celele appeared — meaning they're either inside the top 50 or dropped out of the top 100 entirely. The 2025 Latin American ranking also featured Afluente (34th) and Humo Negro (41st) in Bogota, Manuel in Barranquilla (46th) and Sambombi Bistro Local in Medellin (98th), so Colombia's dining scene runs deeper than its two headline acts.

They'll face stiff competition in Lima. Mexico City's Quintonil, third in the world last year, arrives as the highest-ranked Latin American restaurant, while the host city has Kjolle, Merito and Mayta all in the 2025 top 50. The ranking itself is voted on by more than 1,100 chefs, food journalists and expert travellers across 28 regions, each restricted to restaurants they've eaten at within the past 18 months.

For travellers, this is a good moment to plan a food-focused trip to Colombia. Bogota and Cartagena both offer tasting-menu experiences built on native ingredients you won't find elsewhere — and if either restaurant lands in the top 50, reservations will only get harder to come by.