For our May 2019 Medellin Foodies Meet Up we chose one of Medellin’s most famous high end restaurants. Herbario is located in Poblado, a few blocks from Parque Poblado. The restaurant is participating in the May 2019 Medellin Gourmet contest, where many restaurants offer a special set menu. Some of the foodies ordered the Medellin Gourmet menu, others ordered a la carte.
Silvia and George:
We ordered the Medellin Gourmet menu. It come with a appetizer, 2 main courses, a desert and two glasses of wine for the price of 129.000 COP.
As appetizer we had the Ceviche de Cangrejo (crab ceviche). It was very tasty, although not a typical ceviche as it was not marinated with lemon.
For the main course we had chicken filled with vegetables and the asado de tira (beef ribs). Both dishes came with mashed potatoes and a sauce. The chicken was really good, well cooked and flavorful. I (Silvia) did not like the beef. There was almost no meat on it, mainly fat and bone and the meat was too chewy. George liked both dishes though.
As desert we had the chocolate tart with red fruits and ice cream. The chocolate tart was great. It had a rich chocolate flavor that went very well with the red fruits.
The service is very good at Herbario. This is the only restaurant I have been to in Colombia where they serve you water as soon as you sit down and keep refilling you glass.
In general I think Herbario is a great restaurant. It has a nice ambiance and excellent service. This year’s Medellin Gourmet menu was not so outstanding. The asado de tira (beef ribs) simply didn’t live up to the standard of a high end restaurant. I would come back to Herbario, but I would definitely not order their asado de tira again.
Andrew (Vegan):
I live a block away from Herbario, yet I had never been. It looks very placid from outside, but when you step inside it’s very spacious and fancy.
Appetizer: Crema de Calabaza (Pumpkin Cream Soup)
Served out of a ceramic teapot at the table this soup was subtle but tasty. Hints of oregano and thyme were a nice addition to the caramelized onion taste.
I thought it was a great starter and would highly recommend it if you’re a soup person like me.
Main Course: Pave Trufado (Mushroom, pepper veggie stake)
This garbanzo and lentil veggie patty is made fresh at the restaurant (according to the chef). It’s bathed in sauteed mushrooms and is accompanied by homemade mashed potatoes and fresh salad.
Hands down this has been the best veggie patty I’ve had in Medellin. The mushroom sauce made it juicy and full of flavor. I really enjoyed this dish, and like the pumpkin cream soup I’d highly recommend it.
Drinks: House Red Wine
They have a full bar, and a cocktail menu; however, it being a Thursday I opted for the house red wine, which was as good as any other place.
The service: Very good
Keep in mind that our 11 person group was there on Thursday. There were only 3 other tables being served. Our server was very attentive, and the food came out all at the same time. Furthermore, when I paid my bill the chef came out to greet me and ask about the food, which is always a good sign of a good restaurant.
The bill: High
I had a soup, a veggie stake and 3 glasses of wine. This all came up to about $100,000 pesos including tip. This is pretty high, but I wasn’t complaining because it was worth it.
Aside from the food and the dining experience, I met three new people at my side of the table. I learned about life in Florida, fasting, and places in Laureles that I’ve never heard of.
I’ll definitely be going back to Herbario.
Brian:
My first impression of Herbario was impressive, I love the large spaces, high ceilings, ambiance, music not too loud so you can actually have a conversation without straining your ears or screaming to be heard; lots of little details that make the place great.
The service was also pretty good, with constant refills of glasses of water, which was appreciated by all.
I ordered off the regular menu, starting with the crab ceviche marinated in coconut milk: it wasn’t at all what I expected, as the lime flavour was extremely subtle, but if I didn’t compare it to what I generally know ceviche to be, it was delicious.
For the main I ordered the fish of the day: a thick cut of dorado in chontaduro sauce, with a yuca soufflé. When the dish came out and I compared it to all the huge meat portions I saw around me, it seemed a little small, but as I ate it I was definitely satisfied with the portion. I would have cooked the fish a little less (it was slightly dry but nothing that the sauce couldn’t fix).
I really like that the restaurant plays with a lot of different local ingredients and puts a new spin on them; I honestly wanted to ask for a handful of spoons so that I could try all the interesting sauce combinations that the other guests had ordered, but I’ll just have to go back and try them another time. Recommended, especially great for big groups.
Jeanette:
Great dinner at Herbario.
As appetizer, I had Viche (ceviche) de pescado with green mango, tomato sauce and lime juice with salt. It was savory and sweet.
As the main course I had Posta Negra, slow cooked beef with a panela and coffee sauce. It was very tender and great mixture of flavors, accompanied by mashed rustic potatoes and yucca cakes.
Sandy:
That was a great tasty meal tonight. The beef was tender and came with a great flavorful sauce and great company.
Norm:
Herbario is a lovely restaurant. I walked down from the bus stop on Avenido Poblado and I first could not find it. According to Google Maps it was on the west side of the street. But it is actually on the east side. Very subtle location, no signs, lots of vegetation. Very non-descript.
The interior is huge but again very subtle and low key. Once seated if felt very intimate. It is very dark inside, I needed my flashlight on my phone to read the menu. I ordered a cocktail and it was delicious. Rum & elderflower water.
I ordered the pumpkin soup to start. I was expecting a hearty, creamy, bisque like soup, typical squash soup as served in the US. This was completely differ. Very light using a chicken stock base and pumpkin extremely well pureed. The flavor was delicate and subtle. Like no other pumpkin soup but I loved it. Understated but delicious.
For by entrée I ordered the tenderloin steak. It was served with a white gravy and the steak was embellished with chopped nuts, also present in the gravy. Again, not what I was expecting but another delicious surprise as I had never had steak with nuts before.
tenderloin steak
The service was excellent and unobtrusive. There is background music playing but the restaurant is not loud and tables spaced so private conversations stayed private.
I had the chocolate dessert, sweet but light served with very good vanilla ice cream.
Clearly Herbario is one of the top restaurants in Medellin. The whole meal including cocktail and dessert with tax and tip was around $55.00. Clearly a luxury dining experience and would have cost close to triple in any US major city.
I will come back to explore the menu, probably for a special occasion.
