The keepers of Casanare’s culinary traditions cook with what the land produces, with what they have at hand. On Colombia’s Caribbean coast, this is called “nariz con boca” —what you have close by. And the relationship people have with food in this Llanos foothill region is little known in other parts of the country. While it is true that this region is strongly influenced by cattle ranching, there are also vegetarian and vegan options that enrich restaurant menus. 

A fun fact: here, cooking becomes a journey of flavors where the traditions of the Andean highlands meet the ancestral richness of the Orinoquía savannas. Each dish tells a story of encounters between mountains and plains, between the countryside hearth and Llanero heritage, in a unique blend that only this land can offer. 

Let’s start with breakfast. If your defenses are low, your body is craving comfort food, or a guayabo —as hangover is called in Colombia— is taking its toll, there is no better remedy than a good caldo de picado broth to lift your spirits and kick off your journey through the region.
At San Martín Yopal Restaurant, in the capital of Casanare, they prepare it with a traditional recipe that comforts you from the very first spoonful: pajarilla (an iron-rich organ meat), liver, heart, onion, tomato, pastusa potatoes, carrot, peas, salt, and pepper. Everything is cooked slowly, as Llanero tradition demands. A flavorful, powerful, and authentic dish. You have to try it! 

Now, people say that “a true Llanero doesn’t eat vegetables,” and we’re about to test that theory. Crocante Yopal Restaurant, although known for its signature meat-centered cuisine, also proudly offers thoughtful options for vegetarians and vegans. 

For starters, they serve a light and refreshing vegan option: apple with tajín. And for vegetarians, the Del Campo dish is a gem—grilled rice with mushrooms from Nobsa (Boyacá), tomatoes in wine, fire-roasted avocado (totemado, a Mexican technique where the ingredient is roasted directly over flame to achieve a smoky flavor), vegetables, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, cream, and crispy patacones on the side.

For those who want the best of both worlds—traditional roots with a contemporary twist—they serve their own version of chaufa rice with bold Llanero flavors. It’s grilled over embers with carne oreada (sun-cured salted meat), plantain, bacon, sautéed vegetables, and a subtle drizzle of soy sauce, topped with a fried egg. At Crocante, the menu is renewed every four months. 

On another front, Francy Cuta has spent 12 years researching and documenting the region’s traditional cuisines. She is about to publish a book featuring 100 typical Llanero recipes. Near Yopal’s airport, she runs a branch of her restaurant Típicas Llaneradas, where local products are served with knowledge, flavor, and pride. As she says: “Who comes to the Llanos wants the Llanero flavor.” On her menu you’ll find a callana de casabe—a small basket made from casabe (a thin flatbread made from bitter cassava, whose ancestral production was recognized by UNESCO in December 2024 as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity). She adds her own magic to it, sometimes filling it with fruit for breakfast.

Tick tock, tick tock. Noon strikes, the embers glow in Casanare kitchens, lids clatter on pots and cauldrons, announcing it’s lunchtime. 

Nair Ortega, owner of Mama Chef del Llano in Orocué, has 15 years of experience preserving her town’s culinary traditions, especially Llanero culture. She has vast knowledge of ancestral cooking and fuses rustic flavors with a gourmet touch—what she calls criomet. 

At her place, as she says, “you eat cachama, drink water from clay jars, dance joropo, and share with joy.” Reservations are essential, and depending on whether you go as a couple, with friends, or with family, you’ll be welcomed with a traditional mesón llanero. 

For lunch, the table fills with charcoal-roasted plantain, pieces of blood sausage, steamed yucca, and bagre fish in salsa criolla. This sauce—made with tomato, scallions, cilantro, and garlic—gets a secret touch based on a fermented drink they prepare in-house. She swears there’s nothing better than dipping casabe into that sauce. 

Take notes: on the alternate road to Tauramena, just to the left of the bridge, hidden away, is Lechemiel Parrilla Bar. Ask the locals at Monterrey for directions, since it doesn’t have a visible sign. Its specialty is hen sancocho, served in a clay pot. The chicken is browned in a barrel until crispy, adding a deep flavor and special texture to the soup. It comes with the traditional recado: cassava, plantain, potato, corn on the cob, fresh salad, and hogao with

cuajada (fresh curd cheese). A hammock and a moriche tree for an after-lunch nap would be perfect. 

In Hato Corozal’s El Progreso neighborhood, you’ll find Las Palmitas. Their specialty is stuffed coporo fish (similar to bocachico), filled with chorizo, potato, carrot, and vegetables, wrapped in plantain leaves and baked. It’s delicious! 

In Monterrey, don’t miss Canaima Ecotourism Center, famous for its grilled cachama and mojarra. The fish is slow-cooked over wood fire for an hour, bathed in hogao, and served with white rice, crispy patacones, and a fresh salad. 

If what you’re looking for instead is to disconnect and get the rest you deserve, the place also offers a camping area and hammocks, from where you can observe herons, scarlet ibises, and other birds native to the area. For those who prefer more comfort, there is also a fully equipped cabin for a peaceful, comfortable stay. Additionally, this natural hideaway features a natural pool and an ideal atmosphere for connecting with nature. The best part is that it’s just five minutes from downtown Monterrey—only 5 kilometers by car—perfect for a weekend getaway or a quick adventure. Are you ready to discover it?

Anyone who comes to the Llanos and doesn’t try mañoco leaves with an incomplete experience. This coarse-textured flour is obtained by grating, dehydrating, and toasting cassava—usually bitter cassava—through an artisanal process passed down for generations. Nourishing and versatile, it is used in traditional drinks, soups, or simply as a staple side at the Llanero table. 

It is common in northern Casanare—Pore, Paz de Ariporo, Hato Corozal, and Trinidad—where it is still served in a totuma bowl mixed with coffee or panela water as a light breakfast or afternoon snack. Further south, in Orocué, the Sáliba Indigenous communities prepare it as a central part of their traditional diet, along with casabe, made from locally grown bitter cassava. 

In all these corners of the Llanos, mañoco not only feeds the body—it evokes childhood, honors the work of the savanna, and preserves the identity of a people who have turned their table into a place of resistance. 

Since we mentioned Orocué, we recommend you book a day pass at Mama Chef del Llano, where caldo de caribe—a broth made with fish from local rivers and streams—is also blessed at breakfast. It is prepared with cilantro or oreja de burro (as it is called in this

area of the Orinoquía), scallions, onoto (achiote), and served with mañoco. Generous as they are, they place a tungo on top—rice dough that can be sweet or savory, wrapped in a leaf called lengua de vaca. To finish, they serve guarapón or guayoyo, a light, mild coffee sweetened with panela.

In Monterrey, by the constant whisper of Caño Leche Miel, you’ll find Julia de mi Amor, a restaurant-bar that elevates signature cuisine into a glorious experience. Their tilapia in pineapple sauce is a tribute to local flavors and a culinary jewel praised by visitors. The place is perfect for families, especially with children. This corner blends the warmth of good food with the serenity of a natural setting, where the murmur of water accompanies every bite.

Let’s then give way to the majule, a drink made from ripe plantain that is cooked and diluted in water. If left to ferment for several days, it transforms into a strong chicha, as it’s known locally. In Yopal, the restaurant Típicas Llaneradas serves it as a refreshment or with lunch, but only for tourist groups or special events. 

Although it’s no longer widely known in the region, it still holds a place in the memory of the older generations. In the past, adults drank it fermented, while its natural version—soft and pleasantly flavored—evokes childhood memories and the traditions of earlier times. Let them know you’re coming so they can have at least a glass ready for you. 

A drink offered as a welcome and for toasting at Donde Mama Chef del Llano is the moriche cocktail, made from an emblematic plant whose fruit, during harvest, is peeled to remove the pit; the pulp is then cooked, lightly fermented, and served. Cheers!

In Hato Corozal you’ll find the restaurant Las Palmitas, where every Sunday —or during the family celebrations of its owners— a legendary recipe appears on the table: pumpkin cake with cheese. A classic that carries the flavor of tradition and family gatherings. Its preparation is simple, yet it has that secret touch that only time, habit, and a homemade hand can give. The pumpkin, cooked until tender, is mixed with salty cheese, flour, and a hint of sweetness that balances every bite. When it comes out of the oven, the surface is golden, with a firm exterior and a creamy interior. It’s served warm, often alongside café cerrero—strong and unsweetened coffee—and each slice tells a story: that of a family who has managed to preserve its flavors and share them with those who come seeking authenticity. 

A sweet temptation awaits at Lechemiel Parrilla Bar (in Tauramena): their avocado ice cream. Those who have visited the restaurant say that, besides being artisanal, it’s simply irresistible. They make it with milk and avocados they grow themselves. Don’t leave without trying some!