Things to do in Laureles, Medellín
Leafy streets, world-class coffee, salsa until sunrise and the best food-per-block ratio in Medellín — without Poblado's tourist crush. This is the local's guide to Laureles: every spot curated, no pay-to-play listings, updated by people who actually live here.
Featured Local Businesses
The businesses we work with directly — visited, photographed and vouched for in person. Supporting them keeps this guide independent.
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Barbershop Osiris
The neighborhood's Egyptian-themed barbershop — sharp fades, proper beard work, freestyle designs and even skin exfoliation under the pharaoh mural on Carrera 74. Book by WhatsApp or walk in.
Lavato Laundry & Brunch
A laundromat you actually want to stay in. Load a self-service machine a block off the Primer Parque, then order a burger, a proper brunch or a coffee while it runs — there is WiFi, a sofa and no reason to make two trips. They also do wash-and-fold and delivery if you would rather drop and go. If you are living out of a suitcase, it solves two problems at once.
Empanadas Boomerang
The neighborhood's snack institution: crispy empanadas, palitos de queso, buñuelos and arepa de huevo for about a dollar apiece. Grab a yellow basket and a tinto at a sidewalk table and watch Laureles go by.
La Locura de Laureles
The neighborhood's beloved everything-store: aisles of household basics, accessories and small treasures from $1.000 to $5.000 pesos. Locals walk in for one little thing and leave with ten — nomads furnishing an apartment, start here.
New in the Guide
The places we have added most recently, straight from our last walks around the neighborhood.
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Office Burger
Burgers made properly: premium beef grilled to order, bread baked in the city and sauces made in house, with real vegetarian and vegan options rather than an afterthought. Get the one on the pretzel bun, with the potato wedges. Open from noon every day, until 11pm on Friday and Saturday.
LF Burger (eleefe)
The sign says eleefe, which is simply how you say "LF" in Spanish. LF Burger started in 2016 as a choripán stand in Caucasia, reached Medellín in 2018 and took best burger in the city at the 2023 Burger Master. Fries, burger, shake: exactly what the sign promises.
Barrio Burger
Red neon over a front full of plants, and a menu of burgers with names like El Dorado and Poblado. One of the best-known burger names in the city, a short walk from the Torre Gourmet. Open from noon, until 11pm on Thursday and Friday.
Trapani
The house style is the pizza estofada, Medellín's answer to Chicago deep-dish: a thick, crisp crust buried under a lot of cheese. Order by the portion and share. Lit-up terrace on the strip; open from noon, until 11pm on Friday and Saturday.
Lotus Rooftop
A rooftop gastrobar whose kitchen mixes Japanese, Mediterranean, Peruvian and American grill, with cocktails and the city lights behind it. Weekends often bring live sax, and more than one visitor has met a magician working the tables. The glowing lotus marks the stairs up.
BRC Food House
A red neon phoenix over a covered terrace on the 39D strip, with a full bar inside and the game on the screens. An easygoing stop for a beer and something to eat while the block warms up.
Heladería Bolton
The Antioquia ice cream chain with the giant red marquee sign. Try Klim or Quipitos, two very Colombian flavors, or play it safe with Oreo. Soft serve, vegan and sugar-free options too. The obvious dessert after a burger on the strip.
Laurel Rooftop Bar
A small rooftop bar looking over the Primer Parque: elaborate cocktails, steak cuts and tacos, and live music kept low enough to talk over. Follow the gold neon to the stairs. Opens at 4pm on weekdays and 1pm on weekends, until 2am on Friday and Saturday.
Cerbestial Cervecería
A craft brewery's taproom on the strip: string lights over the terrace, house beers on tap and people behind the bar who will steer you to the right one. Not sure where to start? Ask for a tasting. The game is on the screen.
Primavera Rooftop
A rooftop on the fourth floor of Carrera 76, under a canopy of blossom and neon that reads "we cook con alma, con fuego." Plates come out on hand-painted chargers, cocktails are poured at the table, and the terrace looks straight down onto the street. Same house as Carmela downstairs. Open from 1pm, until 11:30pm on weekends — worth booking.
La Salchipapería D.C.
A bright yellow corner by the Primer Parque promising "la salchipapa con más stile." Salchipapa is the paisa late-night institution — fries, sausage, a pile of sauces — and this is the neighborhood's loudest version of it. Opens at 3pm, runs to almost midnight on Friday and Saturday.
Lavato Laundry & Brunch
A laundromat you actually want to stay in. Load a self-service machine a block off the Primer Parque, then order a burger, a proper brunch or a coffee while it runs — there is WiFi, a sofa and no reason to make two trips. They also do wash-and-fold and delivery if you would rather drop and go. If you are living out of a suitcase, it solves two problems at once.
The Top 10 Things to Do in Laureles
If you only have a day or two, start here — the ten experiences that define the neighborhood, ranked by people who live in it.
Swipe through all 10 →
- People-watch at the two parks. Primer & Segundo Parque are the neighborhood's living room — fresh juice, street food, and pure paisa life.
- Morning coffee at Café Revolución. The city's best-loved specialty café, and the unofficial clubhouse of Laureles.
- Walk La 70 at night. Hundreds of bars and cantinas in full swing — Medellín's pulse, unscripted.
- Dance salsa at Son Havana. Every level welcome. Say yes when someone offers to teach you.
- Catch a match at Atanasio Girardot. Atlético Nacional or DIM at home is one of South America's great fan experiences.
- Open-fire steak at Bárbaro. The dinner people cross the city for.
- Swim the free Olympic pool. The public aquatic center at the stadium complex is one of the city's best-kept secrets.
- Coffee with cats at La Gatoria. Exactly as charming as it sounds.
- Climb at El Muro. The best rainy-afternoon plan in the neighborhood.
- Sunset run at Parques del Río. The riverside park where Laureles unwinds.
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Where to Eat in Laureles
From bandeja paisa institutions to open-fire steak, Laureles quietly out-eats every other neighborhood in Medellín. These are the spots we send friends to — and many of them sit on one block, the Transversal 39D restaurant strip.
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Empanadas Boomerang
The neighborhood's snack institution: crispy empanadas, palitos de queso, buñuelos and arepa de huevo for about a dollar apiece. Grab a yellow basket and a tinto at a sidewalk table and watch Laureles go by.
Office Burger
Burgers made properly: premium beef grilled to order, bread baked in the city and sauces made in house, with real vegetarian and vegan options rather than an afterthought. Get the one on the pretzel bun, with the potato wedges. Open from noon every day, until 11pm on Friday and Saturday.
LF Burger (eleefe)
The sign says eleefe, which is simply how you say "LF" in Spanish. LF Burger started in 2016 as a choripán stand in Caucasia, reached Medellín in 2018 and took best burger in the city at the 2023 Burger Master. Fries, burger, shake: exactly what the sign promises.
Barrio Burger
Red neon over a front full of plants, and a menu of burgers with names like El Dorado and Poblado. One of the best-known burger names in the city, a short walk from the Torre Gourmet. Open from noon, until 11pm on Thursday and Friday.
Trapani
The house style is the pizza estofada, Medellín's answer to Chicago deep-dish: a thick, crisp crust buried under a lot of cheese. Order by the portion and share. Lit-up terrace on the strip; open from noon, until 11pm on Friday and Saturday.
Lotus Rooftop
A rooftop gastrobar whose kitchen mixes Japanese, Mediterranean, Peruvian and American grill, with cocktails and the city lights behind it. Weekends often bring live sax, and more than one visitor has met a magician working the tables. The glowing lotus marks the stairs up.
BRC Food House
A red neon phoenix over a covered terrace on the 39D strip, with a full bar inside and the game on the screens. An easygoing stop for a beer and something to eat while the block warms up.
Heladería Bolton
The Antioquia ice cream chain with the giant red marquee sign. Try Klim or Quipitos, two very Colombian flavors, or play it safe with Oreo. Soft serve, vegan and sugar-free options too. The obvious dessert after a burger on the strip.
Primavera Rooftop
A rooftop on the fourth floor of Carrera 76, under a canopy of blossom and neon that reads "we cook con alma, con fuego." Plates come out on hand-painted chargers, cocktails are poured at the table, and the terrace looks straight down onto the street. Same house as Carmela downstairs. Open from 1pm, until 11:30pm on weekends — worth booking.
La Salchipapería D.C.
A bright yellow corner by the Primer Parque promising "la salchipapa con más stile." Salchipapa is the paisa late-night institution — fries, sausage, a pile of sauces — and this is the neighborhood's loudest version of it. Opens at 3pm, runs to almost midnight on Friday and Saturday.
Bárbaro Cocina Primitiva
Open-fire cooking and serious steak — this is the place people cross the city for. Come hungry: the tomahawk is legendary, and everything touches live flame.
Mondongo's
A Medellín institution for traditional antioqueño cooking. The namesake mondongo soup and the bandeja paisa are the move — portions are enormous, so pace yourself.
Capital Antioqueña
Antioquian home cooking in a room done up like a pueblo house — painted window frames, tiled floors, straw hats on the walls. Bandeja paisa, fiambre wrapped in banana leaves, morcilla, and empanaditas with ají and guacamole. Breakfast through dinner, steps from Segundo Parque.
Caduff Pasta Fresca
Pasta made in-house daily, consistently rated among the best Italian food in Medellín. Small, warm, and worth booking ahead on weekends.
Olivia Pizzería
The neighborhood's go-to answer to "where's the best pizza?" Proper dough, good ingredients, zero pretension.
Malanga del Trópico
Colombian coastal seafood in an upscale-but-inviting room — a different side of the country's cooking than the paisa classics next door.
La Pampa Parrilla
Argentine steakhouse by Primer Parque, serving heaping plates of meat grilled in-house. Live music Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons — the carnivore counterpart to the neighborhood's café culture.
Planeta Wings
Self-declared home of the best wings in Medellín — and the reviews back it up (4.9★). Screens on every wall for fútbol and NFL, margaritas on the tables, terrace seating outside. The neighborhood's default sports-bar answer.
Mexique Tacos & Tequila
Bright, string-lit taquería right next door to Planeta Wings — tacos, tequila and a 4.8★ rating. Open until 11pm on weekends, which makes it the pre- or post-La 70 stop.
Patagonia Parrilla Argentina
Argentine grill on the second floor of Torre Gourmet, the restaurant tower that anchors this strip. Open daily noon to 11pm, with a taquería sharing the terrace below — handy when your group can't agree.
Barrita Burrito
A neon-lit Tex-Mex burrito bar with counter service and sidewalk tables. Fast, cheap and open late — the after-drinks stop on this strip.
Lima Sushi
Peruvian cuisine and nikkei sushi in the middle of the Transversal 39D strip — the change of pace when you've had your fill of parrilla and tacos.
Coffee & Cafés
You're in the heart of coffee country. Laureles' café scene doubles as its social life — and its coworking scene. The full rundown, sorted by what you came to do, is in our Laureles café guide.
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Café Revolución
A local icon and the unofficial clubhouse of the neighborhood's remote workers. Excellent baristas, famous chai, solid brunch, and WiFi that actually holds up.
Semilla Café
Coffee shop downstairs, day-pass coworking upstairs with unlimited coffee. The easiest "I need to get things done today" spot in Laureles.
Café Torbellino
Specialty coffee poured with artistic flair and a back patio that doubles as a plant nursery — sip surrounded by greenery. Laptop-friendly, vegan-friendly, and a 4.7★ local favorite.
Libertario Coffee Roasters
Specialty coffee with a real brunch menu behind it — skillet eggs, tomato-and-burrata toast, granola bowls with mango and edible flowers — and house blends named PAZ and PUNK poured at the bar. A board on the wall keeps a running count of the CO₂ their coffee program has pulled back out of the air. Diagonal 75 #39CB-20, open from 7am.
La Gatoria
Laureles' famous cat café: good coffee, afternoon snacks, and resident cats weaving between the tables. Exactly as charming as it sounds.
Terracota Panadería
A warm bakery-café with a plant-framed terrace, built for the paisa ritual of tardear — the long, unhurried afternoon sit-down. Their own slogan says it: "tardear es con T de Terracota."
La Baguette Brunch & Lunch
Brunch and lunch on the top level of the Torre Gourmet stack, above the neon. Daytime counterpart to a block that mostly comes alive after dark.
Juan Valdez Café
Colombia's own coffee institution, run by the national coffee growers' federation. Not the neighborhood's most artisanal cup, but it is the country's most iconic — and every visitor should have one at least once.
Freshy Tasty
A small smoothie bar with a green neon sign and a couple of sidewalk tables: zero-sugar smoothies, fruit bowls and gluten-free snacks. The antidote to a week of bandeja paisa — and pet friendly.
Nightlife & Salsa
Laureles nightlife is local-first: salsa floors, cantinas and the legendary La 70 strip — livelier and less scripted than Poblado's Parque Lleras. Where to start and how a night here actually works: our guide to bars in Laureles.
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Laurel Rooftop Bar
A small rooftop bar looking over the Primer Parque: elaborate cocktails, steak cuts and tacos, and live music kept low enough to talk over. Follow the gold neon to the stairs. Opens at 4pm on weekdays and 1pm on weekends, until 2am on Friday and Saturday.
Cerbestial Cervecería
A craft brewery's taproom on the strip: string lights over the terrace, house beers on tap and people behind the bar who will steer you to the right one. Not sure where to start? Ask for a tasting. The game is on the screen.
Son Havana
A Cuban-themed salsa bar that pulls dancers of every level onto its floor. If you do one night out in Laureles, make it this one.
La Setenta (Carrera 70)
The neighborhood's famous strip: hundreds of restaurants, bars and cantinas running from midday to early morning. Loud, local, and the fastest way to feel Medellín's pulse.
Teatro de Laureles
A 250-seat comedy theater (since 2006) that also hosts regional musical acts. Shows are in Spanish — great if you want a genuinely local night out.
Área 11
Green alien neon above the street, stacked between La Baguette upstairs and Galeón below. The most photogenic sign on the strip and a solid first stop for the night.
emojis cocktail
Pink-and-blue neon, an open front and cocktails served to the sidewalk. Zero pretension, high energy — this is what the strip looks like at 10pm.
See & Do
Flat, green and built for walking — Laureles' urban design (inspired by Le Corbusier) makes it the rare Medellín neighborhood you explore on foot.
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Primer & Segundo Parque de Laureles
The two leafy parks at the center of neighborhood life — fresh juice, street food, dog-walkers, chess players. The Primer Parque (Carrera 73) has a free EnCicla public bike station right on the path; the Segundo Parque sits at Circular 74B con Transversal 79, a ten-minute walk away. Grab a bench and watch Laureles go by.
Estadio Atanasio Girardot Complex
Catch an Atlético Nacional or DIM match, or use the public sports complex around it: an Olympic-size pool, outdoor gyms, a skatepark and beach volleyball — much of it free.
El Muro Climbing
Indoor rock climbing with good instructors and routes for every level. The best rainy-afternoon plan in the neighborhood.
Parques del Río
The riverside park on the neighborhood's edge — a favorite for morning runs, evening walks and lazy picnics on the grass.
La Casa Redonda
One of Medellín's best-loved coworking spaces, known for its community vibe — rooftop BBQs, potlucks, and an easy way to meet people if you just landed.
Shopping & Everyday Finds
The unglamorous stuff every visitor eventually needs — adapters, house basics, that thing you forgot to pack — plus the local shops worth wandering.
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Lavato Laundry & Brunch
A laundromat you actually want to stay in. Load a self-service machine a block off the Primer Parque, then order a burger, a proper brunch or a coffee while it runs — there is WiFi, a sofa and no reason to make two trips. They also do wash-and-fold and delivery if you would rather drop and go. If you are living out of a suitcase, it solves two problems at once.
La Locura de Laureles
The neighborhood's beloved everything-store: aisles of household basics, accessories and small treasures from $1.000 to $5.000 pesos. Locals walk in for one little thing and leave with ten — nomads furnishing an apartment, start here.
Viva Laureles
The neighborhood mall — around 80 shops on a single level: pharmacies, banks, phone and repair shops, opticians, a food court and a supervised play area. Unglamorous but genuinely useful: this is where you sort out a SIM card, a prescription or a rainy afternoon. Mon–Sat 9am–8pm, Sundays and holidays 11am–7pm.
Droguerías Colsubsidio
The pharmacy inside Viva Laureles — prescriptions, over-the-counter medicine, sunscreen and the basics you forgot to pack, with pharmacists on hand. Locatel, a second health-products store, is a few doors down at local 17.
Style & Barbers
Medellín barbershops are a cultural institution — and yes, a fresh fade absolutely counts as a tourist activity here. Full rundown in our Laureles barbershop guide.
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Barbershop Osiris
The neighborhood's Egyptian-themed barbershop — sharp fades, proper beard work, freestyle designs and even skin exfoliation under the pharaoh mural on Carrera 74. Book by WhatsApp or walk in.
Courthesy Barber Shop la 33
The classic-barbería experience on the La 33 side of the neighborhood: vintage chairs, straight-razor detail work and a 4.9★ Google rating. Book by WhatsApp.
Places to Stay
Stays our team has personally tested — one for every kind of trip. The full area-by-area breakdown is in our where to stay guide.
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Living by Armóniko
One of the rare full-service boutique stays in Laureles — 14 apartment-style suites, a rooftop and four dining concepts downstairs. We've stayed here ourselves and would book again.
Kyux Studios by Jalo
The practical base: studios with full kitchens and washing machines, a gym and a friendly team on the Estadio side. Our pick for stays of a week or more — tested personally.
Alori 15.3
The boutique middle ground: king beds, balconies, breakfast and an airport shuttle, closer to the La 70 action. Comfortable short stays without the full-hotel price — we've slept here too.
Plan Your Stay
The Best Cafés in Laureles
Where to work, where to tardear, and the roaster with a carbon board on the wall.
🪩 After darkBars in Laureles
The salsa floor worth crossing town for, the neon block, and how a night here runs.
🌸 Jul 31 – Aug 9Feria de las Flores 2026
The parades pass right by Laureles — dates, the Silleteros, and why this is the basecamp.
The big questionLaureles vs Poblado
Which neighborhood should you actually stay in? An honest, side-by-side answer.
Know before you goIs Laureles Safe?
A straight answer on safety — what's fine, what to watch for, and the one rule that matters.
Work from paradiseDigital Nomad Guide
Coworking, laptop cafés and why remote workers voted Laureles #1 in the world.
Pick your blockWhere to Stay
The micro-areas compared — and the one noise mistake every visitor makes.
Where locals eatTorre Gourmet & Transversal 39D
A whole tower of restaurants, floor by floor — and the block around it.
The famous stripLa 70 Guide
Medellín's most honest party street — day, night and match nights.
Beyond the barrioDay Trips
Guatapé, paragliding, pueblos and flower farms — green Antioquia is right there.