Lo Exquisito del Mar: A Popular Seafood Restaurant in Medellín

Lo Exquisito del Mar is a popular seafood restaurant in Medellín with very good seafood. This restaurant cooks its food using methods of the Urabá region of Antioquia.

Lo Exquisito del Mar (Spanish for “The Exquisite of the Sea”) is typically filled with Colombians who know it has good seafood.

I went to the restaurant for the first time recently for lunch with a Medellin Guru reader. And the restaurant was very busy with many Colombians. It was full of locals, families and business people. Also, a birthday party was going on in the restaurant.

Considering the restaurant was busy when we went, the service was good. It’s an informal restaurant with friendly staff. And the seafood was fresh and tasty.

Also, this is a hidden gem on a quiet street near the soccer stadium. And eating here feels like an authentic Colombian experience.

Inside Lo Exquisito del Mar, photo courtesy of Lo Exquisito del Mar

More About Lo Exquisito del Mar

The Lo Exquisito del Mar restaurant originally opened in 1997 in Medellín. So, it has been in business over 20 years. In addition, Lo Exquisito del Mar cooks its seafood using the traditions of the Urabá region of Antioquia. The Urabá region is located in the northern part of the Antioquia department and borders on the Caribbean Sea.

Urabá is considered a multicultural area since several races are found there including white, Afro-Colombian, mestizo and Indian, which leads to a cultural wealth in terms of its music and gastronomy.

The cuisine of Urabá is unknown to many in Medellín because when you talk about the food of Antioquia you normally think of Bandaja Paisa, mondongo and arepas.

But there is more to the cuisine of Antioquia including the cuisine of the Urabá region of Antioquia, with its fruits, fish and seafood. Also, the different colors and the smell of the beach and the beautiful sunsets found there inspire the cooks of this region.

The Seafood Casserole

The Food Menu

The menu at Lo Exquisito del Mar is only available in Spanish. The main dishes on the menu are all seafood dishes. Don’t go to this restaurant expecting to find other things like meats and chicken. The dishes on the menu include:

1. Seafood Casserole (Cazuela de mariscos) – casserole prepared with several types of seafood including shrimp, white squid, octopus, purple squid, fish fillet and snail in a base of coconut milk and spices. And accompanied with coconut rice, salad and patacones – 33,000 pesos or 25,000 pesos for a half-portion.
2. Shrimp Casserole (Cazuela de camarones) – casserole prepared with shrimp in a base of coconut milk and spices. And accompanied with coconut rice, salad and patacon – 48,000 pesos or 35,000 pesos for a half-portion.
3. Fish and Shrimp Casserole (Cazuela de pescado y camarones) – casserole prepared with shrimp and fish filet in a base of coconut milk and spices. And accompanied with coconut rice, salad and patacones – 37,000 pesos or 27,000 pesos for a half-portion.
4. Mamalou Casserole (Cazuela Mamalou) – casserole prepared with jumbo shrimp, regular shrimp and fish filet in a base of coconut milk and spices. And accompanied with coconut rice, salad and patacones – 60,000 pesos or 48,000 pesos for a half-portion.
5. Jumbo Shrimp Casserole (Cazuela de Langostinos) – casserole prepared with jumbo shrimp in a base of coconut milk and spices. And accompanied with coconut rice, salad and patacones – 55,000 pesos or 42,000 pesos for a half-portion.
6. Shrimp and Jumbo Shrimp Casserole (Cazuela de Langostinos) – casserole prepared with jumbo shrimp and regular shrimp in a base of coconut milk and spices. And accompanied with coconut rice, salad and patacones – 50,000 pesos or 38,000 pesos for a half-portion.
7. Sancocho – Portion of fish cooked in a delicious fish consommé in coconut milk with banana and yucca. And accompanied with coconut rice, salad and patacones – 23,000 pesos or 16,000 pesos for a half-portion.
8. Plate of the Sea (Plato del Mar) – fish consommé in coconut milk with a portion of fried fish or fish filet. And accompanied with coconut rice, salad and patacones – 23,000 pesos.
9. Plate of the Sea with Tuna (Plato del Mar con Atún) – Fried tuna and accompanied with coconut rice, salad, patacones and fish consommé in coconut milk – 25,000 pesos.
10. Bandeja – Portion of fried fish and accompanied with coconut rice, salad and patacones – 21,000 pesos or 23,000 pesos with tuna.
11. Fish and Broth (Caldo y Posta de Pescado) – fish consommé in coconut milk with fried fish, salad and patacones – 22,000 pesos.
12. Fish Post (Posta de Pescado) – fried fish with salad and patacones – 19,000 pesos.
13. Snapper (in season) – priced by weight – from 35,000 pesos for 1 lb. to 68,000 pesos for 2 lbs.
14. Trout with Shrimp and Mushrooms (Truchas con camarón y champiñones) – and accompanied with coconut rice, salad, patacones and fish consommé in coconut milk – 38,000 pesos.
15. Trout with Shrimp (Truchas con camarón) – and accompanied with coconut rice, salad, patacones and fish consommé in coconut milk – 36,000 pesos.
16. Fried Trout (Trucha Frita) – and accompanied with coconut rice, salad, patacones and fish consommé in coconut milk – 23,000 pesos.
17. Breaded Trout – and accompanied with coconut rice, salad, patacones and fish consommé in coconut milk – 26,000 pesos.
18. Trout with Mushrooms (Truchas con champiñones) – and accompanied with coconut rice, salad, patacones and fish consommé in coconut milk – 30,000 pesos.
19. Grilled trout (Truch a la plancha) – and aaccompanied with coconut rice, salad, patacones and fish consommé in coconut milk – 24,000 pesos.
20. Grilled salmon (Salmón a la plancha) – and accompanied with coconut rice, salad, patacones and fish consommé in coconut milk – 36,000 pesos.
21. Salmon with shrimp (Salmón con camarones) – and accompanied with coconut rice, salad, patacones and fish consommé in coconut milk – 45,000 pesos.

Grilled salmon

This is just a partial list of the many seafood dishes on the menu at Lo Exquisito del Mar. There are over 25 more seafood dishes on the menu.

Fried fish with coconut rice, salad, patacon and fish consommé in coconut milk , photo courtesy of Lo Exquisito del Mar

Also, you can add six different sides for 2,500 to 5,000 pesos each.

The Drink Menu

Lo Exquisito del Mar has a small drink menu with few beers for 4,500 to 5,000 pesos. In addition, the menu has small selection of wines.

Furthermore, the menu has several non-alcoholic drinks. These include natural juices, lemonades, sodas and water for 3,500 to 10,000 pesos.  And they also serve pitchers of guarapo, which is made from sugarcane and lime.

Lo Exquisito del Mar restaurant in Suramericana

How to Get to Lo Exquisito del Mar

It’s relatively easy to get to this seafood restaurant by using the Medellín Metro. Lo Exquisito del Mar is located in the Suramericana barrio of Laureles-Estadio. And it’s located near the stadium and is only about a 6-minute walk from the Estadio metro station on Line B.

Lo Exquisito del Mar is about a 6-minute walk from the Estadio metro station on Line B

In addition, taxis are another option to get to this restaurant. Just provide the driver the address below.

Website: https://www.loexquisitodelmar.com/

Address: Calle 49B # 68-56 in Suramericana near the stadium in Estadio

Phone: +54 4 230 4871

Hours: Monday to Saturday: 11 am to 8 pm, Sunday: 11 am to 6 pm.

The Best Seafood Restaurants in Medellín

On the Medellin Guru website we have looked at seven of the best seafood restaurants in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley:

1. Donde Bupos – a popular seafood restaurant in El Poblado with excellent seafood.
2. Rocoto – a popular Peruvian restaurant with very good ceviche and other seafood.
3. Mistura – a popular chain of three Peruvian restaurants that are a fusion of Peruvian and Japanese food.
4. El Barco – a hidden gem restaurant in Itagüí near Medellín with very good seafood.
5. Kibuki – a chain of two Japanese – Peruvian restaurants with a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian food.
6. Kuelap – a popular Peruvian restaurant in El Poblado good ceviche and other seafood.
7. Lo Exquisito del Mar – a popular seafood restaurant in Medellín with good seafood.

Also, we included Lo Exquisito del Mar in our list of the best seafood restaurants in Medellín.

Inside Lo Exquisito del Mar at lunch

The Bottom Line: Lo Exquisito del Mar with Good Seafood

Lo Exquisito del Mar is very popular with Colombians. But this restaurant hasn’t been discovered by many foreigners since it’s not located in El Pobaldo or Laureles. So, it’s a hidden gem. And when we went for lunch, we were the only foreigners in the busy restaurant.

If you like seafood and like trying out a restaurant which is located off the beaten path of foreign tourists, I recommend this restaurant. And I plan to return to try out more of the seafood dishes on the menu.

In addition, we previously looked at El Barco, which is another hidden gem seafood restaurant in Itagüí with very good seafood, which I also recommend.

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