Kosher Express Bogotá: Restaurant, Butcher, and Bakery in Colombia
- Mark Vogel
- Sep 9
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 6
Kosher Meat Restaurant and Market in Bogotá, Colombia ✈
During my time in Bogotá, Colombia, I visited Kosher Express, a place that combines a butcher, bakery, and restaurant all under one roof. It is located at Calle 70A # 9-45, in the Chapinero neighborhood. This part of the city is known for its mix of commercial activity, residential areas, and small businesses, which makes it easy to find restaurants, markets, and services all on the same block.
Kosher Express is set up in a two-story building. On the ground floor you’ll find the market, which carries a full range of kosher products, and on the second floor is the restaurant, which functions more like a cafeteria than a sit-down fine dining place. That setup works well here because it keeps things casual and accessible, making it easy to shop for groceries downstairs and then head upstairs for a meal.
“For someone traveling to Bogotá, Kosher Express provides reassurance that you can find both prepared meals and grocery items in one stop.”
Walking through the store on the first floor, I noticed the refrigerators stocked with fresh and frozen kosher meat. Packaged cuts of beef and chicken are sealed and labeled with reliable kosher certification, giving customers confidence in the source of the products. Alongside the meat section are frozen prepared items such as schnitzels and pre-seasoned foods that can be cooked at home without much effort. The shelves are filled with dry goods, packaged snacks, and pantry staples. Bottles of wine are displayed, along with matzah, cookies, and imported products often hard to find in a city without a large kosher infrastructure. Toward the front, there’s a section with freshly baked breads, including braided challah, sandwich rolls, and other baked goods that come in daily. Eggs are also sold in bulk, making the store a one-stop place for Shabbat or holiday preparation.
The store clearly caters both to local residents who keep kosher and to travelers like myself who are looking for a reliable place to find kosher food in Bogotá. Everything is neatly displayed, and while it isn’t a large supermarket, it has the essentials that people need for day-to-day kosher living.
After browsing the store, I went upstairs to the second floor, where the grill restaurant is located. The dining area is simple, with white tables and chairs and large windows that look out onto the street below. From the windows, you can see the busy sidewalks of Chapinero, with taxis, motorcycles, and people moving along the commercial strip. The restaurant has the atmosphere of a cafeteria, with a straightforward layout and no pretension. Despite the simplicity of the setting, the service was efficient, and the focus here is on the food itself.
I ordered a steak, which came served with salad, French fries, and patacones. The steak was cooked well, with a good sear on the outside and tender meat inside. It was seasoned simply, which let the quality of the beef stand out. The French fries were freshly made and had a light sprinkling of seasoning. They were cut in thick strips and served in a generous portion. The salad was a refreshing mix of cucumber and tomato, diced into small cubes and seasoned with herbs and black pepper. It provided a cool balance to the heavier meat and fried sides.
One of the most interesting parts of the meal was the patacones. Patacones are made from green plantains that are sliced, fried once, smashed flat, and then fried again. The double frying makes them crispy on the outside while keeping some density inside. They are a staple side dish in Colombia and throughout Latin America, often served with salt or dips. At Kosher Express, they were golden and crunchy, served alongside the steak as an alternative to the fries. For anyone not familiar with Colombian food, trying patacones is a good introduction to local flavors, even in a kosher setting.
The overall experience at the restaurant was satisfying. While the atmosphere may not be what someone would expect at a higher-end establishment, the food quality was very good, and the portions were generous. Kosher Express is clearly more focused on practicality and accessibility than on décor. That’s exactly what makes it work. It’s the type of place you can go to for a casual lunch or dinner, knowing you’ll get hearty kosher food without any complications.
The menu covers a range of options beyond steak. There are burgers, chicken dishes, and combination plates that give you variety without making things overly complicated. Prices are listed clearly, and the format resembles what you would see at a family-style grill or small cafeteria. The idea is to provide everyday meals rather than fine dining, which fits the needs of both the community and travelers.
Being located in Chapinero adds to the convenience. The neighborhood is one of the busiest in Bogotá, with many shops, services, and small restaurants on the surrounding streets. Walking outside, you find clothing stores, beauty studios, tailors, and bakeries. The area is active throughout the day, with people walking to work, shopping, or grabbing a quick meal. For visitors, it’s easy to combine a trip to Kosher Express with exploring the neighborhood. The commercial mix of Chapinero gives you a sense of Bogotá’s daily life, away from more tourist-focused parts of the city.
From the second-floor windows, the views of the street give a snapshot of this part of Bogotá. Yellow taxis move through traffic, delivery motorcycles line the sidewalks, and pedestrians make their way between stores. It’s a good reminder that Chapinero is a working neighborhood, not just a place for leisure. Being in that environment adds authenticity to the visit. Kosher Express is not positioned as a tourist attraction; it is a functional part of the Jewish and kosher community in Bogotá, serving local needs while also welcoming visitors.
A defining part of Kosher Express is the dual role it plays. On the one hand, it functions as a kosher market where people can buy the essentials they need. On the other hand, it serves as a restaurant where you can sit down for a meal. That combination is practical and ensures that people who keep kosher don’t have to run around the city trying to find separate places for shopping and dining. In a city like Bogotá, where kosher options are limited compared to larger cities, that kind of setup is important.
For someone traveling to Bogotá, Kosher Express provides reassurance that you can find both prepared meals and grocery items in one stop. Whether you need to stock up on kosher meat and bread for a longer stay or just want to grab a hearty lunch, the place delivers on both counts. It may not be a fancy restaurant, but the food quality speaks for itself. The steak, fries, salad, and patacones made for a complete and satisfying meal. The balance of flavors and the portion sizes left me full and content, which is exactly what I look for when eating in a casual setting.
Nearby, there is plenty to explore. Chapinero is known for its shopping and services, and walking along Calle 70 and the surrounding streets gives you a sense of Bogotá’s urban life. From clothing shops to tailor services and beauty salons, the neighborhood covers a little bit of everything. It’s easy to spend some time browsing after a meal or before doing grocery shopping downstairs. For visitors who are staying in the northern part of Bogotá, Kosher Express is a practical stop that fits naturally into the rhythm of the city.
Kosher Express is not trying to be more than it is. It is a kosher butcher, bakery, and restaurant combined in one space, offering essential products and hearty meals. It is set in a neighborhood that reflects the everyday pace of Bogotá rather than catering to tourists. That is what makes it valuable for people who keep kosher. You know you can rely on it for both groceries and meals without having to compromise. For me, that made the visit worthwhile. I left with a good meal, a better understanding of how the kosher community in Bogotá functions, and a sense of how local life intersects with kosher needs in this city.
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