Medellin #8 (Mondongo)

“Mondongo”, I had no idea what this word meant the first time I heard it in Colombia. Maybe a dance, a strange beast, a beverage of some type or slang you would only use for those moments of road rage.  But I was wrong on all accounts; it’s a traditional Antioquian tripe soup. So of course, I just had to try it and what better place than a restaurant bearing the same name.






The restaurant, Mondongo’s (website), has 3 locations with two in Medellin and one in Miami. I visited the main location on Calle Setenta (70th street) near the futbol stadium.




The place was large and very busy but I was seated and served almost right away.












The soup I envisioned something akin to Mexico’s tripe soup, menudo but it is not similar in any way except for the main ingredients of chopped stomach lining of vacas (cow). It is a hardy meal accompanied by a variety of sides you add to the soup, including avocados, bananas, rice, cilantro, hot sauce and of course arepas. I was plenty hungry but left without finishing the large order of the delicious soup. If you’re here and want to try something local, you can’t go wrong with a bowl of “mondongo”. I just love that word, lol.