Caffé Lunático Cartagena Restaurant Review

Caffé Lunático is a place I remember going once or twice for a tasty breakfast before we relocated back to the states, and it was on my list of a place to try again during our return trip in the summer of 2024.

I had heard a lot of good things about their lunch and dinner menu, and it looked good.

I had lunch here twice during that visit, and was impressed both times. I also did a rum tasting and cooking class with my mom here, which has become the main part of their business.

However, they still are open for lunch and dinner regularly, and while I recommend the other experiences too, I definitely also recommend popping in for just a meal.

By the way, you can read about our cooking class here.

Read the rest of this post to learn a bit more about why I liked the restaurant and see what I sampled in this Lunático Cartagena review.

*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, and I may earn from purchases made after clicking those links. Disclosure Policy.

Lunático Experience in Cartagena

I remember this whole place being called Caffé Lunático.

I’m not 100% sure when it opened, but I remember coming in here for breakfast one day and having a pretty tasty bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich.

Ah, breakfast sandwiches, probably one of the things I missed the most about living abroad, and it can be hard to find a good one in Cartagena, which pretty much made me instantly apprecaite Lunático.

I had a pretty tasty mimosa too, and saw they had a pretty good brunch menu.

I also noticed they had a pretty good looking lunch and dinner menu, and I had seen it be recommended more and more often, so I filed it away as a place to come back to.

I didn’t make it back here before we moved to the states though, but it stayed on my list of places to try again when we made our first return visit.

We actually tried to come here to celebrate my first Father’s Day after my first choice La Vieja Guardia (great seafood) was closed. It turned out to be closed too, so we had to “settle” for La Cevichería instead.

I also planned to do a cooking class here with my mom when she came for part of our trip, and when I was researching and booking that, I decided to book a rum and chocolate tasting here for myself too.

So I figured popping in for lunch after doing a very interesting coffee tasting at Café del Mural and before the rum tasting would be perfect to finally try the rest of the menu.

My rum tasting actually got moved from the afternoon to evening, but I still came here for lunch.

Interestingly, what I remembered being a big open air second floor has now been mostly enclosed by glass walls into two large rooms where they do the cooking classes and tastings, and the business is called Lunático Experience now, while the restaurant, Caffé Lunático, is just a part of the business.

I definitely really enjoyed the cooking class and rum tasting, so I can’t blame them for making that the main thrust of their business, but I was pleased that the food from the restaurant was also great, even if it is only a small part of their business today.

There’s also a really neat and very Cartagenero decor here. Plus the view of the Castillo is maybe the best in all of Cartagena!

What I Ordered

The first thing I ordered after walking around on a blazing hot day was an ice cold Club Colombia michelada, which hit the spot and helped me cool off with that gorgeous view of the Castillo San Felipe.

I was a bit disappointed that the thing that caught my eye the most on Lunático’s menu, a spinach arepa with chicharrón and pulpo (octopus), was not available.

However, I ended up ordering the arepa made from plantain stuffed with shredded posta negra, a traditional beef roast in a sweet savory sauce that is among the best traditional Cartagena dishes.

I have to be honest, I like patacones and eat platanos maduros sometimes, but I wasn’t sure I’d be crazy about an arepa made from it.

I was pleasantly surprised though!

The plantain arepa was good.

However, the posta was really terrific, very tender and absolutely full of flavor.

I also had a pretty tasty chocolate dessert!

It was kind of like a mouse or pudding with brownie pieces on top and was called 100% chocolate saving the world. If I can save the world eating chocolate, I’m for it!

I also enjoyed a pretty tasty mojito de corozo and sampled a craft beer I hadn’t seen before.

Their little downstairs bar has one of the best selections of craft beer you’ll find in Cartagena by the way.

However, the idea of that pulpo and chicharrón arepa stayed with me!

So, I ended up coming back here for lunch another day towards the end of our trip, after doing a Cartagena walking tour and getting it.

It was absolutely worth the return trip and very tasty!

Although, if I’m being honest, the posta negra was more flavorful. I probably would swap the plantain arepa for the spinach or a regular one for the best of both worlds though.

I also sampled their limonada de coco on this visit, and it was great.

It makes a great choice for cooling off with a sweet treat after walking around Cartagena too.

Service was terrific on both visits to the restaurant, and the food and drinks were wonderfully presented too.

Caffé Lunático Cartagena Review Conclusion

I definitely recommend checking Caffé Lunático out.

Like I said, I really enjoyed the cooking class and rum tasting I did here, and they offer a few other neat sounding experiences too.

You can learn more and book any of them at the following links:

• See their Cooking Class at GetYourGuide
• See their Cooking Class at Viator
• See their Rum and Chocolate Tasting at GetYourGuide
• See their Rum and Chocolate Tasting at Viator
• See their Cocktail Mixology Class at GetYourGuide
• See their Craft Beer Tasting at GetYour Guide

By the way, I should point out that during my rum tasting, they offered a 10% discount on any food ordered from the restaurant during the tasting, which I would assume applies to all the other experiences too.

And if you only want to check out the restaurant for lunch or dinner, check out their tasty breakfast sandwich or something else for brunch, (they do have a bottomless mimosa option by the way), or just stop by for a drink or their ample selection craft beer, it’s also definitely worth it.

They are open Monday to Saturday 11 am to 10 pm, and breakfast/brunch is served 11 am to 1 pm.

You can check out their menu and make reservations on their website.

I hope you found this review of Caffé Lunático useful, and, most importantly, you enjoy it if you go.

Cheers and Happy Exploring!