Leo

Leo is the restaurant of chef Leonor Espinosa, one of the best-known figures in Colombian gastronomy, located on Calle 65 Bis in Chapinero, Bogotá. It ranks among Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants and is widely regarded as the most intellectually ambitious kitchen in the country. The cooking follows a research philosophy called Ciclo-Bioma, in which menus are assembled from ingredients gathered in Colombian indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities and organised by ecosystem, from the Amazon and the Pacific to the Andes and the Caribbean. The kitchen works closely with the foundation Espinosa runs with her daughter, and dishes are as much a lesson in Colombian biodiversity as a meal. The signature offering is the Ciclo-Bioma biocultural tasting menu, a multi-course sequence that features Amazon and Pacific ingredients that many Colombians themselves have never tasted, such as unusual fish, native fruits, ants, tubers and fermented preparations. Each course is explained by the service team, which turns dinner into a guided tour of the country's larders. The beverage programme is unusually strong: Laura Hernández-Espinosa, the sommelier, pairs the courses with native ferments, chichas and spirits rather than relying only on conventional wine, which is one of the most distinctive drinks experiences in Bogotá. Two dining rooms offer a calm, contemporary setting with art and craft references to the communities behind the ingredients. The mood is serious but welcoming, the noise level low, and dress is smart casual. Tasting menus are priced at roughly COP 400,000-600,000 per person (about USD 127-190) depending on format and pairings. Leo serves lunch and dinner sittings from Tuesday to Saturday and is closed Sunday and Monday. Reservations are essential and are handled by email or WhatsApp rather than through an open online platform, so visitors should plan ahead, ideally several weeks, and reply promptly to confirmation messages. Because the menu is a fixed research-driven format, dietary restrictions need to be raised at the time of booking.