A Local’s Top Recommendation for Medellin

Tune in for Andrew Zimmern’s Driven by Food: Medellin, Tuesday August 30 at 9|8c on Travel Channel.

Nestled in the gorgeous Aburra Valley in northwestern Colombia, Medellin has come a long way since it was dubbed the most dangerous city in the world during the reign of Pablo Escobar. Today, the country’s second largest city is its liveliest, boasting a world-class art scene, an economy fueled by innovation and extraordinary restaurants, markets and food stalls. There’s no better way to check out this city on the rise than with a few local cab drivers who are proud to show it off. First up, cab driver and tour guide William Zuluaga takes me to his childhood neighborhood of La America and a restaurant he claims serves the best rotisserie chicken in the world. And well, I would have to agree. Rarely are simplicity and perfection married as effortlessly as they are at Pollos Mario la America. The chicken was expertly cooked yielding amazingly crisp skin, then cut into its pieces (including the back and neck, my favorite), and served with potatoes and arepas. It is the third best chicken I’ve ever eaten, behind my grandma’s and El Aljibe in Miramar, Cuba.

Contact

191, San Juan #80
Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia
facebook.com/Pollos-a-la-Brasa-Mario-La-Am

Photograph courtesy of Travel Channel.