Map of locations in this guide

4 locations marked. Click any marker for details.

Getsemaní is what the Walled City would be if you removed the Pradas, the diamond shops, and a third of the cruise-ship passengers. The neighborhood sits just outside the southeastern edge of the walls, through Puerta del Reloj, across India Catalina, past the convention center, and into a grid of narrow streets, painted facades, salsa coming out of open doors, and a Plaza de la Trinidad that fills up nightly with street vendors, kids playing soccer, and people drinking cheap beer on the church steps.

The food scene here moves on a different rhythm than El Centro. Prices are 20–30% lower for similar quality, the rooms are smaller, the vibe is more casual, and the chefs running the kitchens are more likely to be foreign-born or first-time owner-operators. There's a real costeño backbone, cocina criolla, fried fish, arroz con coco, cazuela, alongside the imported wave of pizzerias, taquerías, plant-forward cafes, and cocktail-bar-pretending-to-be-a-restaurant rooms that have followed the gentrification of the neighborhood since around 2015.

You can do a full long-weekend of meals in Getsemaní without ever entering the Walled City and not feel like you missed anything. Below: 12 rooms across price points, plus how to think about the neighborhood for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the post-dinner drift into the Cartagena nightlife scene. USD figures use ~4,100 COP/USD as of April 2026.

La Cocina de Pepina

Address: Callejón Vargas #9A-06, Getsemaní Price: Mains COP 38,000–62,000 (~USD 9–15) Hours: Mon–Sat 12:00–3:00 PM and 6:30–10:30 PM; closed Sun [verify] What to order: Cazuela de mariscos, posta negra, mote de queso, arroz con coco Vibe: Tiny family-run room, no pretense, dinner reservations strongly recommended.

The single most important restaurant in Getsemaní and arguably in the whole city for understanding what Caribbean Colombian home cooking is. Chef María Josefina Yances built her menu out of the recipes she grew up with on the coast. Portions are honest, the kitchen doesn't dumb anything down for foreigners, and the prices are still reasonable despite years of being on every guidebook's list. Reserve by WhatsApp 2–3 days ahead for dinner.

Demente

Address: Plaza de la Trinidad #29-187, Getsemaní [verify exact number] Price: Small plates COP 28,000–55,000 (~USD 7–13); pizzas COP 45,000–70,000 (~USD 11–17) Hours: Daily 5:00 PM–1:00 AM What to order: Burrata-and-prosciutto pizza, the charcuterie board, mezcal cocktails Vibe: Plaza-side, open-air with a retractable roof, mid-30s expat-and-traveler crowd, music gets louder as the night goes.

Demente is the de facto living room of Plaza Trinidad. The kitchen does Italian-leaning small plates and wood-fired pizza; the bar does serious cocktails. It's where you go for an early dinner that turns into late drinks without moving. Tables out toward the plaza book up by 7 PM most nights, get there at 5:30 or 6 if you want a good one without a reservation.

Café Stepping Stone

Address: Calle del Espíritu Santo #29-117, Getsemaní [verify] Price: Mains COP 28,000–48,000 (~USD 7–12) Hours: Mon–Sat 8:00 AM–4:00 PM; closed Sun [verify] What to order: Eggs benedict, granola bowl, cold-brew, the daily lunch plate Vibe: Bright, plant-filled, social-enterprise cafe employing local young adults; lots of solo travelers on laptops in the morning.

Café Stepping Stone is the breakfast and brunch anchor of Getsemaní, run as a social enterprise that trains young people from the neighborhood. Wifi works, the coffee is real, and the food is solid rather than spectacular, but the project itself is one of the more thoughtful businesses in the city. Closes early, so don't bank on it for dinner.

Caffé Lunático

Address: Calle Espíritu Santo #29-184, Getsemaní Price: Mains COP 38,000–60,000 (~USD 9–15) Hours: Daily 8:00 AM–11:00 PM [verify] What to order: Brunch eggs benedict with chorizo, evening burrata board, the lemonade Vibe: Plant-filled, all-day cafe, owner-run, half French-half Spanish staff, easy place to spend two hours.

Lunático is the all-day room of Getsemaní, useful for breakfast when you want something more than a hotel buffet, useful at 4 PM for a coffee and a pastry, useful at 8 PM for a low-stakes dinner of small plates. Books steadily on weekend mornings; arrive before 9:30 AM if you want a courtyard table.

La Mulata Getsemaní

Address: Calle del Pozo #25-117, Getsemaní [verify, there are two La Mulata locations, one inside the walls, one in Getsemaní] Price: Set lunch COP 28,000–35,000 (~USD 7–8.50); à la carte COP 35,000–55,000 (~USD 8.50–13) Hours: Mon–Sat 12:00 PM–4:00 PM; closed Sun [verify] What to order: Menú del día: soup, juice, main, dessert Vibe: Cheerful, colorful, lunch-only, mostly a local-and-foreigner mix.

La Mulata's Getsemaní outpost (the original is in the Walled City) is the best lunch deal in the neighborhood. Set menu changes daily, fish on Fridays, posta negra most weekdays, and you're done in under an hour for under USD 10. Cash preferred. Closes at 4 PM and doesn't reopen for dinner.

Salou

Address: Calle Larga #9A-06, Getsemaní [verify] Price: Mains COP 55,000–85,000 (~USD 13–21) Hours: Tue–Sun 6:30 PM–11:00 PM; closed Mon [verify] What to order: Whatever fish is on the chalkboard, gnocchi, natural wines Vibe: 30 seats, candlelit, low ceilings, intimate, owner-and-chef walks the plates.

Salou is the closest Getsemaní gets to a true chef's-table dinner without the Carmen-tier price. Small menu, ingredient-driven, pasta made in-house. Books up fast on Friday and Saturday, reserve via WhatsApp 4–5 days ahead. Skip if you want a high-energy room; this is a quiet-conversation place.

Celele

Address: Carrera 10C #29-200, Getsemaní [verify exact number] Price: Tasting menu COP 320,000 (~USD 78); à la carte mains COP 65,000–95,000 (~USD 16–23) Hours: Tue–Sat 12:30–3:30 PM and 6:30–10:30 PM; closed Sun–Mon [verify] What to order: "Proyecto Caribe" tasting menu; à la carte the smoked bocachico Vibe: Bright, modern, the most internationally celebrated kitchen in the city.

Celele is the heavyweight in the neighborhood and the only Getsemaní address you'll find on Latin America's 50 Best lists. Full notes are in the fine-dining guide, but worth listing here because it's a Getsemaní address and most "best of Cartagena" lists default it to the Walled City.

Di Silvio Trattoria

Address: Calle del Guerrero #29-187, Getsemaní [verify] Price: Pizzas COP 32,000–58,000 (~USD 8–14); pasta COP 38,000–62,000 (~USD 9–15) Hours: Daily 12:00 PM–11:00 PM [verify] What to order: Margherita pizza, tagliatelle al ragù, tiramisu Vibe: Italian-owned, casual, small front room with sidewalk tables, very consistent.

Getsemaní's go-to neighborhood pizza-and-pasta room. Italian-run, no pretensions, the kind of place you end up Tuesday night when nobody wants to think about a reservation. Cash and card both work. Often a 20-minute wait around 8 PM on weekends, put your name down and walk to Plaza Trinidad for a beer.

Buena Vida Marisquería

Address: Calle Tripita y Media #31-50, Getsemaní [verify] Price: Mains COP 45,000–80,000 (~USD 11–20) Hours: Daily 12:00 PM–10:00 PM [verify] What to order: Ceviche mixto, cazuela de mariscos, octopus al ajillo Vibe: Bright, blue-and-white, casual, family-friendly.

A solid mid-priced seafood option that doesn't get the foreigner crowds of La Cevichería. The ceviches are bright, the cazuela is generous, the staff isn't pushy. Better value per dollar than most of the Walled City seafood rooms. More options in the seafood guide.

Beiyú

Address: Calle del Pozo #25-95, Getsemaní [verify] Price: Mains COP 32,000–48,000 (~USD 8–12) Hours: Daily 8:00 AM–4:00 PM; closed dinner [verify] What to order: Açaí bowls, the breakfast burrito, cold-pressed juices Vibe: Bright, plant-forward, the city's main healthy-cafe option, draws a yoga-and-digital-nomad crowd.

Beiyú is the answer when you've eaten three days of fried fish and arroz con coco and your body wants a salad. Smoothie bowls, grain bowls, decent coffee, friendly to vegetarians and vegans (which is otherwise hard in Cartagena).

Crepes & Waffles

Address: Calle del Arsenal #9A-50, Getsemaní [verify] Price: Mains COP 22,000–40,000 (~USD 5.50–10) Hours: Daily 11:30 AM–10:30 PM [verify] What to order: Spinach crepe, the salad bar, ice cream Vibe: Colombian chain, predictable, air-conditioned, family-friendly.

Including this only because it's useful. Crepes & Waffles is a Colombian institution, they only hire single mothers and serve consistently decent food across hundreds of locations. When you need an air-conditioned lunch with picky eaters, no surprises, and a real bathroom, this is the answer. Not exciting; not pretending to be.

La Esquina del Pan de Bono

Address: Calle del Espíritu Santo, Getsemaní [verify exact number] Price: Items COP 3,000–8,000 (~USD 0.75–2) Hours: Daily 6:00 AM–9:00 PM What to order: Pan de bono, buñuelos, almojábana, jugo de mango Vibe: Bakery counter, takeaway, no seating to speak of.

Cheap breakfast for under USD 3. Cheese-bread classics from the Andean tradition (Getsemaní doesn't really have a baked-goods culture from the coast itself). Take it to Plaza Trinidad and eat it on a bench.

Plaza Trinidad after dark

The plaza itself doubles as a dining room from about 6 PM onward. Street vendors sell arepas de huevo, butifarra, patacones con todo, and bottles of cold beer for COP 3,000–10,000 (~USD 0.75–2.50). It's not "restaurant" food but it's some of the best low-stakes eating in the city. Sit on the church steps, watch the kids play soccer, and don't expect a chair. For more on what to eat on the street, see the Cartagena street food guide.

How to use this list

Daily rhythm. Café Stepping Stone or Beiyú for breakfast (8–10 AM); La Mulata Getsemaní or Café Lunático for lunch (12:30–2:30 PM); a long siesta because of the heat; Plaza Trinidad street snacks at 6 PM; dinner at La Cocina de Pepina, Salou, Demente, Di Silvio, or Buena Vida (7:30–9:30 PM); cocktails at Demente or move into the Calle del Arsenal nightlife strip after 10 PM.

Reservations. La Cocina de Pepina, Salou, and Celele all need 2–7 days ahead in high season. Demente, Di Silvio, and Buena Vida usually take walk-ins if you arrive before 7:30 PM. Café Stepping Stone and Beiyú don't take reservations at all.

Heat planning. Most Getsemaní restaurants are smaller and less air-conditioned than Walled City rooms. Lunch outside in March is rough. If you want indoor AC at midday, Crepes & Waffles, Beiyú, Café Stepping Stone, and the air-conditioned section of La Cocina de Pepina are your best bets.

Safety note. Getsemaní is generally safe and walkable, even at night, but the streets just outside the central tourist core (north of Calle Larga, the area between the convention center and the wall) are quieter and worth a cab back to your hotel after midnight. Uber operates but is technically grey-market; InDriver and Cabify are more common for foreigners. Standard street cabs are cheap (COP 8,000–15,000 / USD 2–3.50 within the city core).

The Walled City alternative. Many of the same chefs and a different price point are five minutes' walk west. See the Walled City restaurants guide for that side; the overall best-of list for the city-wide picks; the seafood guide for fish-specific recommendations; and the nightlife guide for what happens after dinner.

Cross-city context. Getsemaní is often compared to Medellín's Provenza or Laureles for "the gentrified barrio with all the new restaurants." The comparison isn't perfect, Getsemaní is older, denser, more mixed, and far hotter, but the dining-scene parallel is real. See medellin.guide's Provenza dining notes if you're sampling both.