Medellín has plenty of options for Father’s Day. Steakhouses, chain restaurants, the same place as every year. None of that is wrong, but there is a difference between a dinner that repeats itself and one that does not resemble anything else. La Makha Restaurant, on the first floor of Binn Hotel in El Poblado, is the second kind.
It is not a special-occasion restaurant in the conventional sense. There is no seasonal menu designed around the date and no themed decoration. What there is is a Colombian author kitchen that works the same way every day: with verified-origin ingredients, precise technique and a proposal that does not try to look like anything else. For Father’s Day, that consistency is exactly what makes the difference.
What Medellín has to offer in author gastronomy
The gastronomic scene in El Poblado has shifted considerably in recent years. More serious proposals, more chefs with their own criteria, more genuine interest in local product. Within that landscape, La Makha holds a specific position: it is an author bistro that does not make traditional Colombian food but does not pretend to be European either. It works with ingredients from the Pacific, Caribbean, Andes and the country’s rivers, and treats them with techniques that come from somewhere else.
The result is a cuisine the restaurant calls culinary magical realism. A description that sounds like marketing until you eat there and it starts to make sense. Chontaduro in a leche de tigre. Viche in a flan. Salt from La Guajira on a tuna tartare from Bahía Solano. Familiar ingredients in contexts you were not expecting.
For Father’s Day, that is a gastronomic plan with something to talk about afterward.
The tasting menu: the centerpiece of the plan
The 7-course tasting menu at La Makha costs $330.000 per person without pairing or $420.000 with curated pairing. For a celebration, the pairing version is the one that gives the evening structure: each course arrives with a drink chosen for that specific dish.
- The Corn Crisp Arepa opens with a native corn arepa from Montes de María topped with fresh tuna tartare from Bahía Solano, oyster mushroom emulsion, sorrel paste and Guajira salt flakes. Pairing: Basil Smash with viche canao and basil. From the first course there is already material for conversation.
- The Watermelon Ceviche arrives with pickled mustard seeds and chontaduro leche de tigre. Watermelon in a ceviche sounds like a mistake until you try it. 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 looks. Pairing: Doña Dominga Sauvignon Blanc.
- The Catch of the Day brings fresh Pacific white fish with artisanal rigatoni and a Tumaco prawn encocado, mandarin lemon meunière, local fresh cheese, mushroom powder and purple basil. Sea and pasta in the same plate without either one getting in the way. Pairing: Tom Collins.
- The Porkbelly goes through three cooking stages. The final texture is crisp 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 bone glaze, 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 try to be gentle.
À la carte options for a tailored plan
Not every gastronomic plan has to be a tasting menu. The à la carte menu at La Makha allows you to build the dinner around the father’s preferences.
- 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. One of those beginnings that sets the tone for everything that 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 for a reason: it has layers that hold up through the whole plate.
- The Creamy Rice ($95.000) brings Pacific prawns, shrimp and Caribbean squid together in a creamy black rice with coconut foam and hibiscus powder from Montes de María.
For main courses, 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. The Porkbelly ($68.000) has the same three-stage construction with carrot and anise purée, pickled beet and black garlic glaze.
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 as part of the plan
A good gastronomic plan at La Makha can start before the first course with one of its signature cocktails. The Esfumado ($38.000) mixes aged rum, Frangelico, tamarind syrup, orange peel and clarified lemon juice. 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) combines bourbon with corozo syrup, pineapple extract and lemon juice. Corozo is a fruit from the Colombian coast that does not appear on many bars in the city.
For classic cocktails, there are fourteen options ranging from the Daiquiri ($40.000) to the Boulevardier ($56.000) or the Penicillin ($60.000).
The wine list includes reds like Doña Dominga Carmenere ($180.000), Beronia Crianza ($262.000) or Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon ($2.465.000). In whites, Doña Dominga Chardonnay ($180.000), Marqués de Riscal Verdejo ($263.000) and Martin Codax Albariño ($402.000). For a celebration with bubbles, Moët Chandon Brut Imperial is $911.000 and Veuve Clicquot $1.055.000.
To understand how La Makha approaches the pairing between its dishes and its drinks, the article on authentic pairing at La Makha explains the logic behind each combination.
How to organize the complete plan
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 has a maximum capacity of 80 guests in seated format. The service is personalized and the hosts explain the origin of each ingredient and the reasoning behind each course. For someone visiting La Makha for the first time, that part of the experience changes how you read what is on the plate.
The address is Carrera 25 #10-51, Transversal Superior, El Poblado, Medellín, with free covered parking for all guests.
Frequently asked questions about the Father’s Day gastronomic plan in Medellín
What is La Makha Restaurant?
La Makha is a Colombian author bistro on the first floor of Binn Hotel in El Poblado, Medellín. It works with verified-origin ingredients from different regions of the country and offers a 7-course tasting menu and à la carte dishes.
How much does the gastronomic plan at La Makha cost?
The tasting menu costs $330.000 per person without pairing and $420.000 with pairing. À la carte dishes range from $45.000 to $275.000. Desserts cost $35.000 and signature cocktails start at $38.000.
What makes La Makha different from other restaurants in El Poblado?
It works with Colombian products 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. Not traditional cuisine and not generic fusion.
Is La Makha open on Father’s Day?
It depends on the date. La Makha does not open for dinner on Sundays or holidays. Check the exact day before making plans.
Is it necessary to book in advance?
Yes. Special dates fill up well in advance. Booking through the official channels guarantees the table and allows you to indicate any specific preferences.
What does the tasting menu pairing include?
The pairing includes one drink per course: signature cocktails with Colombian ingredients like viche canao, Chilean wines from the Colchagua Valley including Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Carmenere, and a Carajillo with viche for the dessert course.
To plan Father’s Day with enough time and secure the table, the most direct option is to visit the official La Makha Restaurant page and book from there. This kind of dinner does not leave room for last-minute decisions.
