El Chato

El Chato is the flagship of chef Álvaro Clavijo, set on Calle 65 in Chapinero Alto, one of the most fashionable dining neighbourhoods of Bogotá, Colombia. The restaurant was named the best in Latin America in 2025, and it has become the address most often cited when food writers describe the country's modern culinary scene. The cooking applies European technique to Colombian produce, and the kitchen is open to the dining room so that guests can watch the brigade work. Menus change with the seasons and lean on fermentation, curing, Pacific seafood and Andean tubers and native corn, which gives the tasting format a strong sense of place. The signature offering is the seasonal tasting menu, which walks through courses built from Colombian farms, fisheries and forests rather than imported luxuries. Fermented and cured seafood from the Pacific coast and dishes built around native tubers are among the preparations most associated with the kitchen. The dining room is refined without being stiff: the atmosphere is polished and attentive, the noise level moderate, and dress is smart casual to smart, with most diners dressing up for the occasion. Service is choreographed but friendly, and staff explain the provenance of ingredients course by course. The beverage programme pairs the menu with wine and with Colombian drinks, and the sommelier team can guide guests through pairings when asked. Prices sit at the top of the local scale, at roughly COP 300,000-450,000 per person (about USD 95-143) depending on the format chosen, which is high for Colombia but modest compared with equivalent restaurants in Europe or North America. Reservations are the main difficulty. Tables are released well in advance and fill quickly, so booking several weeks ahead is advisable, and even longer for Friday and Saturday dinner or for larger groups. The restaurant opens Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner and on Sunday for lunch only, so lunch is the easier slot to secure. Visitors who cannot get a dinner table often find better luck at midday, when the same kitchen serves the same style of food in daylight.