“Luxury vegan restaurant” sounds like a contradiction to anyone who associates fine dining with Pacific seafood and Caldas lamb. La Makha has those dishes and they are among the most recognized on the menu. But it also has seasonal oyster mushrooms with goat yogurt foam and smoke powder. Pickled watermelon ceviche with chontaduro tiger’s milk. Corn cake with pickled chayote. Buffalo stracciatella with smoked peas and poleo.
Those dishes are not on the menu to accommodate vegetarians — they are there because the Colombian ingredients behind them have enough depth of flavor to headline a fine dining plate without animal protein. And beyond those dishes, La Makha can adapt a large portion of the menu when restrictions are communicated at the time of booking. This guide explains how.
The approach to dietary restrictions at La Makha
La Makha’s philosophy on this point is clear, and Binn Hotel states it precisely: the proposal is inclusive, with flavor and aesthetics as the priority, no limiting labels. There is no vegan section on the menu, no special card for intolerances. What exists is a kitchen that works with fresh, artisanal, seasonal Colombian ingredients, many of them plant-based by nature, and a front-of-house and kitchen team genuinely capable of personalizing the experience when given advance notice.
The key is prior communication. La Makha is not a fast-casual restaurant where ingredients can be swapped on the fly. It is an origin cuisine restaurant where every dish has specific preparation times. Communicating the restriction at booking — vegan, vegetarian, gluten intolerance, nut allergy, shellfish allergy — allows the kitchen to prepare alternatives at the same technical level and visual standard as the regular dishes.
“We are an origin cuisine restaurant with a high capacity for adaptation. We offer premium vegan dishes by default and can personalize a large part of our menu to satisfy the standards of a discerning vegan guest.”
La Makha · Binn Hotel
Menu dishes: vegan, adaptable and gluten-free
Below are the current La Makha menu dishes and their status for different dietary restrictions. The classification is based on information published by Binn Hotel and the actual menu ingredients.
- Vegan by default
- Adaptable upon booking
- Gluten-free by default
Vegan · Gluten-free
Corn cake with pickled chayote, goat yogurt foam and smoke powder. The most technically complex plant dish on the menu. Seasonal oyster mushrooms grown in Antioquia are prepared with hazelnut plant butters or coconut emulsions to highlight their meaty texture and deep flavor.
For strict vegans: The goat yogurt foam can be replaced with coconut emulsion or an equivalent plant-based base. Inform at the time of booking.
Ceviche
Adaptable · Gluten-free
White fish from the Pacific with chontaduro tiger’s milk, pickled watermelon and green plantain chips. The vegan version of this dish, specifically mentioned by Binn Hotel, uses pickled watermelon that mimics the texture of fish: the pickling technique compacts the watermelon to give it a firmness similar to cured fish, bathed in the same chontaduro tiger’s milk.
For vegans: Request the pickled watermelon ceviche version without fish. The chontaduro tiger’s milk is vegan by default. The plantain chips are too.
Stracciatella
Vegetarian · Gluten-free
Buffalo stracciatella from Planeta Rica with smoked peas, fennel and orange mousse, San Marzano confit tomato and Antioquian poleo oil. Vegetarian by default, no meat or fish. The poleo oil and confit tomato are vegan; the stracciatella is a fresh buffalo milk cheese.
For strict vegans: The stracciatella has no direct substitute in this preparation; it is the central ingredient of the dish. For vegetarians, it is an ideal starter. Gluten-free by default.
Crocante de Maíz
Adaptable
Heirloom corn arepa from the Montes de María with Bahía Solano tuna tartare, oyster mushroom emulsion and La Guajira salt. The arepa is vegan by default and gluten-free. The tuna can be removed or substituted with a plant preparation if informed at booking.
For vegans: The heirloom corn arepa with oyster mushroom emulsion and La Guajira salt is a powerful vegan dish on its own. The tuna tartare can be omitted. The oyster mushroom emulsion provides the umami that compensates for the absence of animal protein.
Pollo
Gluten-free
Free-range chicken from eastern Antioquia with Popayán pipián and pickled vegetables. The pipián, a pre-Hispanic sauce of peanut and criolla potato, is gluten-free by default. The chicken preparation includes no flour. For those seeking a gluten-free option with animal protein, this dish is a reliable reference.
For celiacs: Confirm with the front-of-house team at the time of booking that there is no cross-contamination with gluten preparations that day.
Pesca del Día
Adaptable · Gluten-free option available
Fresh Pacific fish with house-made rigatoni, Tumaco prawn coconut broth and fresh white cheese. The rigatoni contains gluten; it is artisanal wheat pasta. For those with gluten intolerance, informing at booking allows the kitchen to prepare an alternative base without pasta.
For gluten-free: The pasta base contains gluten. When informed at booking, the kitchen can prepare the coconut broth with a gluten-free alternative base, maintaining the Pacific flavor profile.
Flan (dessert)
Gluten-free
Coconut flan with sunflower praline, coffee toffee and bitter orange cream with viche canao. No wheat flour in any component. The closing dessert of the tasting menu is naturally gluten-free. For those with intolerances who want to close the menu without issue, this is the dish.
For celiacs: Gluten-free by default. Confirm that the sunflower praline has no cross-contamination in its preparation.
Fine dining techniques applied to plant ingredients
La fortaleza de La Makha para comensales con restricciones vegetales está en el dominio técnico de la cocina con ingredientes de origen colombiano. Las mismas técnicas que hacen excepcional el pulpo o el cordero se aplican al vegetal: fermentación, sous vide, emulsiones, encurtido, deshidratación.
Sous vide vegetal
Vacuum-sealed cooking applied to Colombian roots and local mushrooms. Controlled temperature transforms the texture of chayote or oyster mushrooms in ways conventional cooking cannot achieve.
Vegetable fermentation
Kimchis made with Andean vegetables, pickled chayote, Colombian fruit vinegars. Fermentation develops umami in vegetables that would otherwise lack the depth of flavor needed to headline a dish.
Plant emulsions
Coconut, oyster mushroom and chontaduro emulsions, rich and creamy bases without animal dairy. The oyster mushroom emulsion delivers umami similar to a meat stock, without animal protein.
Fruit pickling
The pickled watermelon in the vegan ceviche is the most visible example: the technique compacts the fruit until it achieves a protein-like texture. A preparation that only makes sense when pickling is mastered at that level.
Vegetable dehydration
Hibiscus powder, smoke powder, dehydrated potato skins. Dehydration concentrates plant flavor into a minimal volume, delivering intensity without weight on the plate
Plant foams
The goat yogurt foam on the Orellanas can be prepared as a coconut emulsion for strictly vegan versions. The foam technique gives light texture to ingredients that would otherwise carry heavy presence on the plate.
The adapted tasting menu
The 7-course tasting menu can be adapted for vegetarian and vegan guests when communicated at booking. La Makha does not have a standard alternative “vegan menu”; what it has is a kitchen with Colombian ingredients versatile enough to build a complete multi-course sequence without animal protein.
Binn Hotel confirms this directly: its kitchen and front-of-house team can curate a sequence of courses that strictly respects a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, maintaining the technique and plating of the restaurant’s standard. For that to be possible, the communication must come in advance, at booking, not once the group is already seated.
The tasting menu pairing can also be adapted. The signature cocktails, Basil Smash, Tom Collins and Sabroso, are vegan by default. So is the closing Carajillo. The Intrigo, the non-alcoholic mocktail, is another option for guests who do not consume spirits. La Makha’s liquid program does not depend on any ingredient of animal origin.
How to communicate restrictions at booking
The process for a frictionless experience
- When booking through official channels (binnhotel.com or +57 604 3220289), include in the notes field or when contacting directly: type of restriction (vegan / vegetarian / gluten-free / specific allergy), number of guests with the restriction, and whether you will be ordering the tasting menu or à la carte.
- Specify allergies precisely. There is a difference between gluten intolerance (sensitivity) and celiac disease (severe allergy with cross-contamination risk). The same applies to nuts or shellfish. The more precise the information, the better the kitchen can prepare.
- For a vegan or vegetarian tasting menu, book at least 3 to 5 days in advance. This allows the kitchen to design the course sequence with available seasonal ingredients and prepare the additional courses optimally.
- At the restaurant, confirm with the front-of-house team upon arrival. Even if the information was received at booking, mentioning it directly to whoever will serve the table eliminates any risk of error in a multi-course service.
FAQs about vegan and gluten-free options at La Makha
Does La Makha have vegan options?
Yes. La Makha has premium vegan dishes by default; the Orellanas and the pickled watermelon ceviche are the main ones, and it can personalize a large part of the menu for discerning vegan guests when informed at booking. The full tasting menu can also be adapted for a complete vegan sequence.
Does La Makha have gluten-free options?
Yes. By working with fresh local fruits and vegetables and artisanal processes, La Makha can manage gluten intolerances naturally. Most dishes on the menu do not use wheat flour; the main exception is the daily fish with artisanal rigatoni, which can be adapted when informed at booking.
What is the best vegan dish at La Makha?
The seasonal Orellanas, corn cake with pickled chayote, goat yogurt foam and smoke powder, is the most technically advanced and complete plant dish on the menu. For strict vegans, the yogurt foam can be substituted with coconut emulsion when informed at booking. The pickled watermelon ceviche with chontaduro tiger’s milk is another top-tier vegan option.
Can the full tasting menu be done as a vegan at La Makha?
Yes. With advance communication at booking (minimum 3 to 5 days ahead), La Makha’s team can curate a 7-course sequence adapted for vegans or vegetarians, maintaining the same technical and visual level as the standard menu. The kitchen works with seasonal Colombian ingredients with enough plant biodiversity to build a complete experience without animal protein.
Can La Makha accommodate severe allergies such as celiac disease or shellfish allergy?
Yes, with advance notice. La Makha works with fresh and artisanal ingredients in preparations that can be managed to avoid cross-contamination when the specific allergy is communicated at booking. For celiac disease or severe allergies, it is recommended to communicate the restriction in as much detail as possible by contacting directly at +57 604 3220289 or reservas@binnhotel.com.
Communicate your restriction at booking and La Makha adapts. No compromises on flavor.
