Barbacoa Burger & Beer is a popular chain with four gourmet burger restaurants in the Medellín metro area with really good American style burgers.
This gourmet burger restaurant is quite popular. So, it has grown over the past several years to where it now has four restaurants in the Medellín metro area. Note the above photo is courtesy of Barbacoa.
The Barbacoa location in El Poblado – La Strada
House burger at Barbacoa with beef grilled to order, bacon, American cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion
The Burgers at Barbacoa Burger & Beer
Barbacoa specializes in gourmet style burgers. And they have a selection of 17 different burgers on the menu ranging in price from 19,900 to 27,900 pesos:
- House burger – beef grilled to order, bacon, American cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion – 19,900 pesos for 150 grams of beef or 22,900 pesos for 250 grams.
- Sweet N Rock –beef grilled to order, bacon, blue cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion – 22,900 pesos for 150 grams of beef or 25,900 pesos for 250 grams.
- California –beef grilled to order, bacon, American cheese, guacamole, egg, lettuce, tomato and onion – 21,900 pesos for 150 grams of beef or 24,900 pesos for 250 grams.
- Rib Burger – BBQ ribs, gouda cheese, lettuce and tomato – 27,900 pesos.
- Mardi Gras – beef grilled to order, fried prawns, gruyere cheese, lettuce and tomato – 24,900 pesos for 150 grams of beef or 26,900 pesos for 250 grams.
- Kentucky Rain – chicken grilled to order, bacon, mozzarella cheese, lettuce and tomato – 24,900 pesos for 150 grams of chicken or 26,900 pesos for 250 grams.
- Green Peace – vegetarian meat, vegetables, mozzarella cheese, Portobello mushroom, lettuce and tomato – 21,900 pesos.
- Hendrix – beef grilled to order, cheese, bacon, mushrooms, lettuce and tomato – 21,900 pesos for 150 grams of beef or 25,900 pesos for 250 grams.
- Blanca Celeste – beef grilled to order, mozzarella cheese, Argentinian chorizo, chimichurri, mushrooms and lettuce – 23,900 pesos for 150 grams of beef or 26,900 pesos for 250 grams.
- Blue Portobello – beef grilled to order, bacon, Portobello mushroom, blue cheese, lettuce, onion and tomato – 23,900 pesos for 150 grams of beef or 26,900 pesos for 250 grams.
- Blondie – chicken grilled to order, gouda cheese, lettuce, onion and tomato – 21,900 pesos for 150 grams of chicken or 24,900 pesos for 250 grams.
- New York – beef grilled to order, gouda cheese, Dijon mustard, bacon, lettuce and tomato – 22,900 pesos for 150 grams of beef or 25,900 pesos for 250 grams.
- Onion Burger – beef grilled to order, gruyere cheese, bacon, BBQ sauce, lettuce and tomato – 20,900 pesos for 150 grams of beef or 23,900 pesos for 250 grams.
- Mardi Gras – beef grilled to order, provolone cheese, pineapple, lettuce and tomato – 19,900 pesos for 150 grams of beef or 21,900 pesos for 250 grams.
- Molotov – beef grilled to order, chili with meat, gouda cheese, Mexican tortilla, guacamole, jalapeños, lettuce and tomato – 21,900 pesos for 150 grams of beef or 24,900 pesos for 250 grams.
- Mama Mia – beef grilled to order, Spanish chorizo, parmesan cheese, pesto, lettuce and tomato – 24,900 pesos for 150 grams of beef or 27,900 pesos for 250 grams.
- Rolling – three mini-burgers for 19,900 pesos.
Furthermore, you can customize the ingredients on the burgers as well (additions or subtractions). They have a big list of over 30 burger additions that range in price from 1,000 to 12,900 pesos.
Also, for an extra 4,000 pesos you can add fries. And for an extra 9,000 pesos you can add fries and a beer.
BBQ ribs at Barbacoa, photo courtesy of Barbacoa
The Rest of the Menu at Barbacoa
This is a gourmet burger place. So, don’t go expecting to find much else on the menu.
In addition to the burgers they have BBQ ribs for 31,900 pesos, two Salmon dishes for 35,500 pesos each, two chicken dishes for 25,500 pesos each, and two steak dishes for 32,500 pesos each. Also, they have a salad available for 26,900 pesos.
Also, there is a kids’ menu with a mini-burger for 16,900 pesos and chicken fingers for 17,900 pesos. And there are four desserts on the menu for 10,900 pesos each.
In terms of drinks, Barbacoa has sodas for 7,900 pesos each, bottled water for 3,900 pesos, tea for 6,900 pesos and malted drinks for 13,900 to 17,900 pesos.
Also, they have several beers on the menu and sangria also available.
A burger at Barbacoa with regular French fries
My Experiences at Barbacoa
I first discovered Barbacoa several years ago. I like good American style burgers. And Barbacoa specializes in American style gourmet burgers. So, I have eaten at this popular burger chain many times.
In addition, over the past several years I have eaten at three of their four restaurants in the Medellín metro area. In my experience, the high quality is consistent in each of Barbacoa’s restaurants.
Also, at some Barbacoa locations for lunch or dinner you may find the restaurant full due to the popularity. So, you may need to wait for a table at times.
In addition, they have TVs available with sports. So, it’s a good place to watch World Cup games or other sporting events.
A burger at Barbacoa with rustic fries
How to Get to Barbacoa Burger & Beer
Barbacoa currently has four locations in the Medellín metro area that are listed below:
- El Poblado: La Strada – Carrera 43A # 1 Sur-150, Local 138, +57 4 311 8622
- El Poblado: Barrio Manila – Carrera 43E # 11A-21, +57 4 266 4578
- Envigado: Carrera 44A # 30 Sur-23, +57 4 302 4895
- Laureles: Avenida Jardín – Av. 74B # 39B-29, +57 4 412 2415
Barbacoa’s Barrio Manila location
So, Barbacoa has locations in three of most popular neighborhoods for expats living in Medellín, in El Poblado, Envigado and Laureles.
Website: http://www.barbacoabnb.com/
Hours Noon to 11:30 pm or midnight all days
The Best Burger Places in Medellín
We have looked at 11 of the best burger places in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley:
- Chef Burger – a chain of 11 gourmet burger places in Medellín with very good American style burgers.
- La Pampa – a chain of five Argentinian steakhouses that specializes in steaks but also has some good burgers.
- Barbacoa Burger & Beer – a chain of four gourmet burger restaurants in Medellín with good American style burgers.
- Grill Station Burger – a chain of four popular gourmet burger restaurants in Medellín with American style burgers, which use Brangus beef in their burgers.
- Hello Burgers & Beer – a gourmet burger restaurant in El Poblado with burgers you can customize with your favorite ingredients.
- Classic Diner – a restaurant in Envigado with a classic American diner feel and good burgers.
- Jack and Roll – a popular burger restaurant in Envigado with good burgers.
- La Burger Bar (The BGR Burger) – a popular burger restaurant in Envigado with good burgers.
- Medellín Burger Company – a burger restaurant Laureles with burgers that only uses Angus beef.
- Patrick’s Irish Pub – a large sports bar in Parque Lleras in El Poblado with good burgers.
- Pigasus – a chain of four restaurants in Medellín with very good burgers and specializes in pork including chicharrón
In addition, we included Berbacoa in our list of the best burger places in Medellín.
Inside Barbacoa at it’s Barrio Manila location
The Bottom Line – Barbacoa Burger & Beer
Barbacoa Burger & Beer is one of my favorite burger restaurants in Medellín, as it has good American style burgers. And I recommend it.
In my experience, several other gourmet burger restaurants in Medellín like Chef Burger, Grill Station Burger and Jack & Roll also have good gourmet style burgers.
Furthermore, all these gourmet style burger restaurants tend to have much better burgers than you will find at the fast food places in Medellín like Burger King or McDonalds.
The only downside is that sometimes the Barbacoa restaurants can get very busy, particularly on Fridays and on the weekends. So, it may take some time to wait for a table and service may be slower than on the less busy days.
Let us know in the comments – what are your favorite burger places in Medellín?
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10 thoughts on “Barbacoa Burger & Beer: A Popular Gourmet Burger Chain in Medellín”
Why do the Paisas make Hamburgers upside down?
Being somewhat of a burger snob, I’m admittedly a sucker when someone says, “Such and such has the best burger in town”. I’ve tried both Barbacoa and Chef Burger. They’re both fairly tasty and comparably priced. That said, I have to give the nod to Juicy Lucy as having the edge over the other 2. On a recent dine-in to Juicy Lucy, the burger I had was packed with so much flavor I nearly chewed my fingers off. It was an absolute joyful mess of sauce, meat, grease, cheese and toppings-just what a burger fan wants.
Something that I think burger venues throughout Medellin could improve upon is the bun. They don’t grasp that bun texture and/or type of bun goes a long way to making a basic burger into an exceptional one. One immediate way to improve texture is to actually toast the bun. Several places I tried don’t do that and as a result there’s very little distinction between a memorable burger and a mere meat patty stuck between two slices of American white bread. A burger bun is not just simply bread but a key ingredient to the appeal and taste of the sandwich itself.
I did say I was a burger snob right?
Yes, Juicy Lucy has some good burgers as well. At some point we will probably do a best burgers article, as there are many good burger joints in the city.
Nice article, I went to Barbacoa on Avenida Poblado recently with several friends visiting Medellin. And our burgers were cooked as we ordered and were very tasty. One friend said his burger was the best he had in a long time and exceeded his expectation. I recommend the place.
Went to Barbacoa Laureles the other night. The burgers were absolutely awful. Honestly it was like chewing on the sole of an old shoe. Chef burger, where I have eaten several times, is a lot better but there is often a long queue to get a table (unlike Barbacoa which never has more than a handful of customers). Both have similar prices.
If you go to Chef Burger, ask for a table away from the outer perimeter as the constant stream of beggars trying to get your attention from outside the restaurant (they are not allowed inside) can be a real pain.
I have been to Barbacoa Laureles many times and the burgers were excellent each time. So, perhaps you had bad luck with an overcooked burger? I went recently during a world cup game and it was packed and the burger I had was great.
Everywhere with a TV is packed if a world cup game is on. That is no measure at all of how decent the food is.
I also have been on the weekend with friends multiple times when there was no game and it was also packed. And my friends have wanted to go back. It has very good burgers in my experience. But any restaurant can sometimes serve something not very good – overcooked, etc. For example,.one time I went to Carmen and the food was way overcooked and not edible.
Nice post, I haven’t been to Barbacoa yet. Which place has better burgers – Barbacoa or Chef Burger?
Hi Mark, thanks. Both places have good burgers in my experience. I’d rate them roughly equal.