La Esquina del Pandebono

During your visit to Cartagena, I’m sure you’ll pass by this neighborhood bakery and cafe frequently as it is situated in a popular area of the walled city. You can’t dare yourself to pass by without purchasing their loaves of bread and pastries; they are well-liked by tourists and locals. They specialize in pandebono, as the name would imply, but they also sell a wide variety of other bread and pastries, including almojabana, pan de yuca, and pasteles.

Located in an often-treaded part of the walled city, I’m sure you’ll walk by this local bakery and cafe often during your stay in Cartagena. Popular with both locals and tourists alike, I dare you to walk by and not pick up a few of their breads and pastries. As their name suggests, their bread and butter is pandebono but they offer many other types of bread and pastries as well like almojabana, pandeyuca, and pasteles.

Although this next stop isn’t technically a street stand, it still fits right in on a Cartagena food tour focused on local flavors. La Esquina del Pandebono is a small bakery tucked into the city center that’s been serving up fresh Colombian cheese bread for over 30 years. We popped in just after the arepas stop to try their pandebono—a warm, cheesy bread made with butter, eggs, cheese, and cassava starch.

This little Colombian bakery specializes in pandebono—cheese bread made with butter, cheese, eggs, and cassava starch—that is seriously delicious. We discovered La Esquina del Pandebono during our street food tour of Cartagena ( book this tour—you won’t regret it!). The shop has been open in the center of the historic city for over 30 years and is a great place to stop for a quick snack while exploring.

I couldn’t wait to get my mitts on some pandebono, and in fact, it was the very first thing we did once we dropped off our bags. La Esquina del Pandebono was located just one block away from our Airbnb (which meant we walked by it multiple times per day, perpetually suffering from the temptation of warm, cheesy goodness). I miss them already, and may have to try making them at home!

An enchanting bakery known for its mouthwatering pandebonos, La Esquina del Pandebono is located in the heart of Cartagena. This local specialty is made with cheesy bread rolls and is baked fresh daily, served warm, and offers a delightful combination of savory and cheesy flavors. The perfect way to start your morning is with a cup of Colombian coffee and a pandebono.

La Esquina del Pandebono is a perfect place if you want to try Colombian breads for a quick breakfast or snack. Order at the counter from their menu of various sweet and savory options. Between our two visits here we tried yuca bread, spinach and cheese pastry, buñuelo (fried dough ball), and pandebono (corn flour and cheese).

La Esquina del Pandebono($) is a great place for breakfast or a light snack. As the name (translated to: The Corner of Pandebono ) suggests, you will find the typical Colombia pandebono or cheese bread here. You can also buy pastries full of cheese, chocolates, meats or other fillings, and all are delicious.

A pandebono is basically a salty sweet cheese, chewy mochi-like bun with a crispy top. Grab a Nispero Juice while you’re at it too. It’s a unique, saccharine sweet, almost slightly caramel-y local fruit, also known as Sapodilla.

At this pastry shop, you can buy pastels, empanadas, and bunuelos, with a variety of sweet and savory fillings. The pastries are flaky, with good prices and a wide selection of fillings. Address: Calle San Agustin #35 – 78

La Esquina del Pandebono: A great option to grab and go, serving Pandebono (a Colombian breakfast staple), freshly baked pastries and cold-pressed juices.

Stop for coffee and a pandebono, a delicate puffy cheese bun that’s the specialty at La Esquina de Pandebono, a bakery-café in the Centro Histórico.

Be sure to try a juice (Lulo is the best) and their famous pan de bono, a traditional Colombian bread made of yucca flour, corn flour, and cheese.