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Bandeja Paisa Gourmet: Top 5 Versions Created by World-Class Chefs
The Bandeja Paisa isn't just a meal; it’s a legend. It’s a mountain of flavor from the Antioquia region: beans, rice, meat, chicharrón, egg, plantain, and more all piled onto one plate. If a chef can master this dish, they can master Colombian food.
Bandeja Paisa

So, what happens when Colombia’s biggest chefs tackle this challenge? They don’t mess with the recipe, they just make every single part taste incredible.

Here are the Top 5 Bandejas Paisas (or their killer interpretations) made by chefs who know what they’re doing:

1. Carmen Ángel (Carmen Restaurant, Medellín)

Chef Carmen is right there in Medellín, the home of the Bandeja Paisa. She’s all about doing the classic recipe flawlessly.

  • Her Deal: Carmen takes the traditional dish and polishes it up. She makes sure every ingredient, from the farm-fresh arepa to the juicy, slow-cooked beef, is the absolute best quality available. Her version tastes like the Bandeja Paisa your grandma wished she could make, only with perfect technique. It’s the perfectly executed classic.

2. Juan Manuel Barrientos (El Cielo)

Juan Manuel is famous for his crazy, experimental kitchens. He doesn’t do boring food.

  • His Deal: He won’t serve you a giant platter. Instead, he takes the flavors of the Bandeja Paisa and turns them into something surprising. Think of a tiny, crispy cube that tastes exactly like chicharrón, or a delicate foam that tastes like plantain. It’s an innovative tribute that shows the soul of the dish is in the flavors, not just the size.

3. Harry Sasson (Harry Sasson Restaurant, Bogotá)

Harry Sasson is known as the king of elegant, tried-and-true food in Bogotá. If he makes a dish, you know it’s going to be solid.

  • His Deal: Harry’s focus is on respect and richness. He makes the Bandeja exactly the way it should be: powerful, comforting, and savory. He meticulously sources the best cuts of meat and ensures the beans are cooked for hours until they are velvety smooth. This is the most reliable, rich, and textbook-perfect version you’ll find from a top chef.

4. Jorge Rausch (Criterión, Bogotá)

Jorge Rausch is the chef known for making everything precise. He brings serious skill to every plate.

  • His Deal: Rausch focuses on clean flavor and quality ingredients. He ensures his frijoles are cooked perfectly, not too mushy, not too hard, and that the rice is light and fluffy. He takes a rustic dish and makes it taste expensive and technically flawless. It’s the refined, technically perfect Bandeja Paisa.

5. Leonor Espinosa (Leo)

Leo Espinosa isn’t just a chef; she’s a food scientist who explores Colombia’s deepest culinary history.

  • Her Deal: Even if she doesn’t put the full Bandeja on her tasting menu, her work makes the dish better for everyone. She discovers rare, native beans or tubers that chefs can use to give the dish deeper, more authentic flavor. Her influence proves that the best Bandeja Paisa comes from respecting and using the incredible ingredients Colombia has to offer.

And if you want to try a delicious bandeja paisa in New Jersey come visit us at Calima Bakery!