Some dinners pass and some dinners stay. The ones that stay do not depend on the price of the menu or the name of the restaurant. They depend on what happens between the people sitting there. But the place matters more than it seems: somewhere with something genuine to say makes conversation easier, opens topics that would not come up anywhere else and creates a shared reference both people carry afterward.
La Makha Restaurant, on the first floor of Binn Hotel in El Poblado, Medellín, is that kind of place. A Colombian author bistro where every dish has an origin story, every ingredient has a verified source and every course proposes something the guest was not expecting. For a father and son dinner, that is exactly what you need: something both of you discover at the same time.
Why La Makha works for a dinner between two
La Makha is not a loud restaurant. It is also not one of those spaces so formal they create tension instead of ease. The floor-to-ceiling glass walls, metal details and considered lighting of the space, designed by the INTO studio of architect Andrés Martínez, create an atmosphere that invites presence without demanding it. With a maximum of 80 guests in seated format, service reaches the table without rush and the hosts explain each dish without being asked.
That part, the explanation of where the ingredients come from and the reasoning behind each course, is one of the elements that most changes the dynamic of a dinner between two people. It gives you something to talk about. The tuna comes from Bahía Solano. The viche is an ancestral spirit from the Pacific coast with a denomination of origin. The salt is from La Guajira. Those details open conversations that go well beyond the plate.
For a son who wants to take his father to dinner in Medellín, or for a father who wants to share a genuine gastronomic experience with his adult son, La Makha offers a dinner with material worth remembering.
The tasting menu: the natural choice for the evening
The 7-course tasting menu at La Makha costs $330.000 per person without pairing or $420.000 with curated pairing. For a dinner between two, the pairing version makes the most sense: each course arrives with a drink chosen for that specific dish, and that gives the evening a rhythm of its own.
The first course is the Corn Crisp Arepa: native corn arepa from Montes de María with fresh tuna tartare from Bahía Solano, oyster mushroom emulsion, sorrel paste and Guajira salt flakes. Pairing: Basil Smash with viche canao, pennyroyal, basil and lemon. From this first course there is already conversation material: where native corn comes from, what viche is, why that specific salt.
- The Watermelon Ceviche arrives with pickled mustard seeds and chontaduro leche de tigre. Watermelon in a ceviche format is the kind of proposal that gets an immediate reaction at the table, in the right way. Pairing: Doña Dominga Chardonnay.
- The Orellanas work with choclo cake, pickled chayote, yogurt foam and smoked powder. A vegetable course with more depth than it appears to have. Pairing: Doña Dominga Sauvignon Blanc.
- The Catch of the Day brings fresh Pacific white fish with artisanal rigatoni, a Tumaco prawn encocado, mandarin lemon meunière, local fresh cheese, mushroom powder and purple basil. The prawn encocado from Tumaco over artisanal pasta is one of those moments in the menu that is hard to forget. Pairing: Tom Collins.
- The Porkbelly goes through three cooking stages. The final result is crisp on the outside and juicy inside. Carrot and anise purée, house-pickled beets and a deep black garlic and huacatay glaze. Pairing: Cool Coast Pinot Noir 2022 Chile.
- The Lamb is braised leg capelettis coated in a glaze made from their own bones, with goat yogurt and Paipa cheese foam and San Marzano tomato powder. Artisanal pasta filled with a braise that took hours. Pairing: Doña Dominga Carmenere.
- The Coconut and Coffee Flan closes with crunchy sunflower seed brittle, coffee toffee and bitter orange cream. The final pairing is a Carajillo with viche canao. A closing that does not aim to be neutral or pleasing.
The à la carte menu for those who prefer to choose
If father or son prefers to build the dinner course by course, the à la carte menu shares the same philosophy as the tasting menu but allows more freedom.
- The Buffalo Stracciatella ($55.000) is creamy buffalo cheese from Planeta Rica with garlic-smoked peas, fennel and orange mousse, confit San Marzano tomatoes and pennyroyal oil. Served with artisanal herb bread. A beginning that does not compete with what follows.
- The White Fish Ceviche ($50.000) has fresh white fish marinated in chontaduro leche de tigre and mandarin lemon emulsion, with pickled watermelon, fried capers and crispy plantain chips.
- The Octopus ($135.000) is confit with hierbas de azotea chimichurri, corn purée and white garlic from aged almojábana. The most ordered dish on the menu and it earns it: layers that hold up through the whole plate.
- The Creamy Rice ($95.000) brings Pacific prawns, shrimp and Caribbean squid together in creamy black rice with coconut foam and hibiscus powder from Montes de María.
For main proteins, the Grilled Rib Eye ($275.000) is Certified Angus Beef with truffle-infused French fries and Parmesan. The Lamb à la carte ($75.000) repeats the tasting menu logic: artisanal filled pasta, bone glaze, goat yogurt foam and Paipa cheese. The Porkbelly ($68.000) has the same three-stage construction.
The three desserts cost $35.000 each. The Chocolate Cake and Pork Salt uses 70% cocoa without flour with pork salt crystals and artisanal vanilla ice cream. The Coconut and Coffee Flan repeats the tasting menu closing. The Red Fruit Symphony and Hazelnut Butter is an artisanal tartlet with hazelnut butter crumble and vanilla ice cream.
The cocktails: how to start the evening
Before the first tasting menu course, or while waiting for the à la carte dishes, the bar at La Makha has five signature cocktails that work well as an aperitif.
The Esfumado ($38.000) combines aged rum, Frangelico, tamarind syrup, orange peel and clarified lemon juice. The Silencio ($38.000) is Absolut Vodka infused with coconut oil, thyme syrup, mandarin lemon juice and topped with soda. The Niebla ($60.000) uses Ojo de Tigre Mezcal from 8-year-old espadín agave with pennyroyal syrup and mandarin lemon. The Revelación Rubí ($45.000) mixes bourbon with corozo syrup, pineapple extract and lemon juice. The Sabroso ($45.000) has a red wine reduction with berries, mandarin lemon, mint syrup, Absolut Vodka and tonic.
For wine from the start, the list includes whites like Doña Dominga Chardonnay ($180.000) and Martin Codax Albariño ($402.000), rosés like the Barton and Guestier Tourmaline from Provence ($270.000), and reds like Beronia Crianza ($262.000) or Beronia Reserva ($515.000).
The article on the star ingredients of La Makha goes into detail on the origin of each product and the work behind the selection of suppliers, useful reading before the dinner to understand what arrives at the table.
Hours and reservation
La Makha opens for dinner Monday to Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday until 10:30 p.m. Sundays and holidays are closed for dinner. Breakfast is available every day from 6:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
The restaurant is at Carrera 25 #10-51, Transversal Superior, El Poblado, Medellín, on the first floor of Binn Hotel, with free covered parking for guests.
Frequently asked questions about the father and son dinner at La Makha
Is La Makha a good place for a father and son dinner?
Yes. The atmosphere is intimate without being rigid, the service is personalized and the dishes have origin stories that generate natural conversation at the table. It is a dinner with something both of you discover together.
What options does La Makha have for a special dinner for two?
The 7-course tasting menu at $330.000 without pairing or $420.000 with pairing is the most complete option. There is also an à la carte menu that allows you to build the dinner around both preferences.
What makes La Makha’s cooking different?
It works with Colombian ingredients from specific origins: tuna from Bahía Solano, prawns from Tumaco, native corn from Montes de María, salt from La Guajira, viche from the Pacific coast. Each ingredient has a name and a place.
Where is La Makha in Medellín?
At Carrera 25 #10-51, Transversal Superior, El Poblado, Medellín, on the first floor of Binn Hotel.
How much does a dinner for two at La Makha cost?
With the tasting menu with pairing, the cost is $840.000 for two people. Without pairing, $660.000. The à la carte menu allows you to adjust the budget based on the dishes chosen.
Is advance booking required?
Yes, especially for special dates. The restaurant has a capacity of 80 guests and tables fill up in advance for occasions like Father’s Day.
To book and secure the table, the most direct option is to visit the official La Makha Restaurant page with time to spare. A dinner like this is worth planning properly.
