Petronio Cocina De Autor

By complete coincidence, we were urged to visit this restaurant, with the promise of cuisine from the Pacific coast. Little did we know what we would experience, but we’re always up for something new. When we arrived, we were greeted with a restaurant situated in an unassuming location, seemingly a residential area in north central Bogotá. It wasn’t very busy and we shown to our table. Almost instantly, our server Maribel arrived to welcome us and to advise us that we were about to experience cuisine from the region of Chocó. We didn’t know anything about this department of the country or its cuisine, but we were about to find out. The menu was fairly simple but we didn’t recognize any of the dishes, so we had to go with recommendations. The first was a local drink, slightly alcoholic, the name of which I didn’t get but the flavours were undeniable. Somehow a blend of sweet and savoury - simply delicious, with a cool presentation in coconut shells, bougainvillea and rosemary (which was lit on fire for a smoky aroma). Next, we had 3 starters: El Saladito (fried cheese with a smoky pepper garnish), Timbales de Timbiquí (prawns in plantain baskets) and Lulada de Mar (a lulo-infused ceviche). All were great but the ceviche was a standout. Unbelievably good, followed closely by the prawns. For mains, we had the Tan picada que ni saluda (fried Fish and prawn with ripe plantain and potatoes - they love plantains in Colombia!), and the Cerdo que se duerme (pork rice with chicharron). Both were very tasty and offered completely different flavours. We were persuaded to try dessert, even though we were full. The Tres leches de Palmira was unlike anything we’d ever tasted and probably top 5 desserts of all time. Light, sweet, full of texture but not overwhelming. It rivalled all of the dishes that came before it. We’re still thinking about how good it was. Compliments to the chef and all the staff for a truly excellent meal and experience. We can’t compliment Maribel enough, she was truly exceptional. If you’re ever in Bogotá, don’t think twice about having a meal here.

TL;DR - Buyer beware - expensive bad food prepared slowly from a restaurant unwilling to make up for glaring flaws. We ordered a plantain cup appetizer that was good and unfortunately the positives end there. The "corn" appetizer pictured was extremely saucy and had what appeared to be an unappetizing green dye added. The fish pictured is huge but very dry - the chef even came out at the end to tell us they are aware of the issue and they sell this overpriced item anyway, as consolation we were given an inedible coffee dessert. I would have expected the fish comped after admission of it's poor preparation but to be fair my grandmother asked to take the leftovers to give away to the less fortunate. We ordered an item that the menu stated included a tuna tartar, when the plate came without it we were asked to prove it was on the menu - this was apologized for profusely after we showed them the issue but this did not make up for the poor experience given we waited over 1 hour for food after ordering and they subsequently admitted there were several errors on the menu that have not been addressed. We also ordered a lobster bisque that did not taste at all of lobster - when we mentioned this to the chef he said he likes to do things "differently". Finally we ordered a sea food pasta that had a tasty sauce but was overcooked (pasta and seafood) and seemed to have sat out waiting for the other dishes as you could see the sauce drying and changing colors on the plate when served. Overall a very frustrating and unsatisfying experience especially for a high price tacky restaurant that was previously highly recommended. I can't help but imagine some big changes were made for the worse.

We went for Bogota Gourmet 2 main dishes, 1 entrada, and a desert for 135mil pesos! The food was really unique and delicious. We got the tostada atun ceviche and it was out of this world. The only issue we had was it took them close to 45-1 hour to get us our first dish after ordered our drinks. I think they forgot about us since we had to finally remind them, and they brought it out instantly. Not sure if that's a one time thing or service was lacking that night. The lighting was great, very romantic, but quite loud with the music. I think they can lower it so people are not yelling to talk over each other. The service otherwise was very polite, cordial, and clean.

This place was BEAUTIFUL! We stopped by for my good friends birthday, great food. They catered to my friend for his special day, gave a bit of history for every dish, and were there to attend to every need. They gave us a cocktail to pass around (as a tradition), taking sips and complimenting the birthday boy. I would certainly attend again. So pretty, one of the highlights of my time in Bogota.