Review: Andres Carne de Res, Bogota, Columbia

Every year more than 250,000 people consume 10 tons of meat at this restaurant-come-bar-come club-come…circus!  Carne de Res is a must for every food/steak lover’s visit to Columbia, but there are a few things you must know before visiting.  One: don’t come on a budget…prepare for things to be expensive and just go with it (I’m not saying order the most expensive things, but don’t be stingy).  Two: come for the night; eat, drink and dance!  There are floors and floors of different entertainment and given that you have to pay an entrance fee to get into the restaurant you will want to get your money’s worth.

It’s especially entertaining if you go for a birthday, as we happened to!  It was our friend Euan’s 30th so it was a big occasion.  As you can see from the pictures, there was a band with a vallenato (Columbian accordion) who came and played and danced for him and gave him a goody box!

This is the kind of restaurant that does attract tourists but is also heaving with locals.  There are two restaurants in Bogota, the original which is in Chia and then the newer, more accessible one in Zona Rosa.  The latter is the one we visited and is in an area with many other bars, shops and restaurants.

The menu at Andres is so large that it comes in a large plastic boxed menu roll which has a handle to scroll through hundreds of pages of menu!  It is unrealistic to be able to look through the whole thing!  one good tip is to order one of the mojitos...they are amazing and come served in a bowl so one is good for the night!  Food wise we ended up ordering a meat platter to share for starter and then different steaks for main.  No-one was disappointed as the quality of the food is top-notch.  The steak was mouth-wateringly good and the meat platter before scrumptious.  Everything about Carne de res is smooth: the service, quality and presentation of the food, the drinks are beautifully mixed and presented and the atmosphere really is electric.  This place really makes a great night out with friends so go prepared for lots of fun.