Parmessano is a popular chain of 12 Italian restaurants in Medellín that has some good Italian food. It also has a sizeable menu with many options.
Recently I met with a new reader of the Medellin Guru website who recently moved to Medellín. And we decided to go to Parmessano for lunch. He enjoyed the food and said it was the best Italian food he has experienced so far in Medellín. I had the meat lasagna and he had the salmon with tri-color pasta. Our total tab for two for lunch including tip was 67,000 pesos (about $23 USD).
Furthermore, Parmessano is currently ranked the 14th best Italian restaurant out of over 180 Italian restaurants listed on TripAdvisor in Medellín. But TripAdvisor for Medellín can’t be trusted and in my opinion, Parmessano should be ranked much higher.
My Parmessano Experiences
When I used to live in Belén in Medellín several years ago, I first discovered the Parmessano located at Los Molinos Mall. And when I moved to Sabaneta, the nearby Mayorca Mall also has a Parmessano restaurant. So, I have eaten at this restaurant chain many times.
I have eaten at six of their 12 restaurants over the past five years. And the food and service has been consistently good in each location. Parmessano has many things on the menu. So, I haven’t yet tried everything.
My favorites at this restaurant include the salmon with tri-color pasta, meat lasagna and the baby beef with pasta.
Salmon with tri-color pasta at Parmessano
The Food Menu at Parmessano
Parmessano has a fairly sizeable menu with many appetizers, many pastas with a choice of sauces, several combination plates, sandwiches, salads, house specials and desserts. Parmessano has 19 appetizer options on the menu that range in price from 5,900 to 35,000 pesos.
Cream of tomato soup, one of the appetizers
The free bread appetizer
They have several different types of pasta available including fettuccine, ravioli, spaghetti and tortellini. With the pastas you can choose from 13 different sauces that include Alfredo, Bolognese, Bolo-Rosa (combination of Bolognese and Alfredo), 3-cheese, marinara and tri-color Italian. And the pastas cost between 13,900 to 16,300 pesos for a half-portion or 16,900 to 19,500 pesos for a full order.
Fettuccine al Pesto, one of the pasta options, photo courtesy of Parmessano
Also on the menu are “Muy Parmessano” which are house special pasta dishes that range in price from 18,900 to 29,000 pesos. This includes three different lasagna dishes that each cost 22,900 pesos: chicken lasagna, meat lasagna or a mix of chicken and meat lasagna.
In addition, on the menu there are 15 different combination plates. These combination plates come with beef, chicken or fish that are combined with several pasta options and range in price from 24,900 to 29,900 pesos.
There are eight different salads on the menu ranging in price from 22,900 to 28,900 pesos. And there are six sandwich options on the menu including chicken, roast beef and steak sandwiches that cost either 21,900 or 22,900 pesos.
Also, there are four kid options on the menu priced at 15,500 pesos each. These kid options include fried chicken with French fries, fried fish with French fries, spaghetti and chicken with fettuccini.
Some of the desserts at Parmessano
Finally, there are several desserts on the menu including several cheesecakes, tiramisu, lemon pie, chocolate cake and several other desserts.
Bar at the Parmessano in Mayorca mall
The Drink Menu at Parmessano
Parmessano has a decent drink menu. They have over 18 wine options on the menu with prices per bottle that range from 53,200 to 106,000 pesos. And for some wines they also have half-bottles available with prices ranging from 34,000 to 49,800 pesos. In addition, the house wine is 9,500 pesos per cup.
On the drink menu, there is also a selection of beers available, which include Corona, Modelo, Stella, Dorada, Roja, Aguila, Pilsen and several BBC (Bogotá Beer Company) and Apóstol beers. The beers range in price from 5,200 to 8,500 pesos.
Cocktails on the menu include Margaritas, Pina Coladas and Cuban Mojitos priced at 15,900 pesos each. And Sangrias cost 14,500 pesos for a glass. Also, they have some other liquors including rum and aguardiente.
Nonalcoholic beverages include several natural fruit juices for 5,500 pesos with water or 5,900 pesos with milk. In addition, they also have tea, bottled water and several soda options.
How to Get to Parmessano
Parmessano is a very popular chain of Italian restaurants in Medellín. So, it has grown over the past several years to 12 restaurant locations in the Medellín area. In addition, six of these 12 locations are in El Poblado.
Also, several of these popular Italian restaurants are located in malls. So, you can even go do some shopping before or after eating.
The 12 Parmessano restaurant locations are listed below:
- El Poblado: Ciudad Del Río, Carrera 48 # 19A-70; Tel: +57 444 4662 ext. 118
- El Poblado: Mercado Del Rio, Calle 24 #48-28, Local 45-46; Tel: +57 444 4662 ext. 130
- El Poblado: Centro Comerical Santafé, Carrera 43A # 7 Sur-170, Locals 3317 and 3319; Tel: +57 444 4662 ext. 126
- El Poblado: El Tesoro Mall, Carrera 25 #1A Sur 45, Local 3557; Tel: +57 444 4662 ext. 118
- El Poblado: Palms Avenue, Calle 18 # 35-59, Local 205; Tel: +57 444 4662 ext. 119
- El Poblado: La Strada Mall, Local 1; Tel: +57 444 4662 ext. 128
- Laureles: Unicentro Mall, Local 2-259, 2-262
- Envigado: Viva Envigado Mall, Carrera 48 # 32B Sur-139; Tel: +57 444 4662 ext. 134
- Envigado, City Plaza Mall, Local 360; Tel: +57 444 4662 ext. 132
- Sabaneta: Mayorca Mall, Carrera 48 # 50 Sur-128; Tel: +57 444 4662 ext. 129
- Belén: Los Molinos Mall, Calle 30A #82A-26, Local 3184; Tel: +57 444 4662 ext. 120
- Lanogrande: Indiana Mall, Locals 9 and 10; Tel: +57 444 4662 ext. 127
Website: http://parmessano.com.co/
The Best Italian Restaurants in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley
On the Medellin Guru website, we have looked at nine of the best Italian restaurants in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley:
- Romero Cocina Artesanal – a popular chain of four Italian restaurants in Medellín with good Italian food.
- Parmessano – a popular chain of 12 Italian restaurants in Medellín with some good Italian food.
- Pizzería Olivia – a chain of eight pizzerias in Medellín with great brick-oven cooked pizzas as well as very good Italian food.
- Della Nonna Tratoria – a popular chain of Italian restaurants with two locations in Medellín and one in Llanogrande.
- Il Castello – a popular Italian restaurant in El Poblado with good Italian food and they make their own pasta in a factory.
- Caduff Pasta Fresca – a popular Swiss-owned Italian restaurant in Laureles with good food.
- Palazzetto D’Italía – a hidden gem Italian restaurant in El Centro with good food.
- Dante – a popular Italian restaurant in El Poblado in the La Strada building with good food.
- Il Forno – a chain of 21 Italian restaurants in Medellín that has good Italian food.
Also, we included Parmessano in our list of the best Italian restaurants in Medellín.
Grilled chicken, broccoli, carrots and mushrooms on fettuccine with carbonara sauce, photo courtesy of Parmessano
The Bottom Line: Parmessano
When my father visited Medellín last year, I took him to Parmessano and it exceeded his expectations. And he really liked their Italian food. So, he even wanted to go back.
In my experience the service is always friendly and efficient even when it’s busy. Restaurants located in malls are not always the best option but Parmessano has some good Italian food with normally good service.
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Editors note: updated on March 11, 2018 to add 10th restaurant for Parmessano located in Unicentro mall. This wasn’t listed on the company’s website but a reader pointed this out and was confirmed.
Editors note: updated on October 6, 2018 to add two restaurants for Parmessano located in the City Plaza and Viva Envigado malls in Envigado.
10 thoughts on “Parmessano: A Chain of Popular Italian Restaurants in Medellín”
Whelp, I said I’d report back and now I have. Thankfully, it’s no Olive Garden as I’d imagined it to be. It’s been awhile since I stopped through to eat here but it’s pretty darn good Italian. The service was good. My plate was served pipping hot. The pasta wasn’t over/under cooked(very important). The crème sauce I had was excellent. I recall having chicken which was moist and tender. The portions were a decent size too. Looking back, I didn’t get a chance to taste their red sauce though. I’ll have to do that on my next visit. Medellin has many fantastic restaurants so it’s hard to imagine ever going hungry. Nevertheless, if you just have to have Italian, I’d recommend this place.
Each month I try a new restaurant in the Medellin area and usually refer to your newsletter to direct me where to go. This month its Italian, so I will be trying Parmessano tomorrow at Los Molinos. Wish me luck and I will report the results back to you. Thanks.
Tried Parmessano at the Santa Fe Mall last night and was not disappointed, the food and service were both wonderful. Even with my horrible Spanish skills it was easy to order and enjoy. 🙂
Thanks to Medellín Gurú for the recommendation and I agree.
Hi, Jeff — great review. As I come from the Pacific Northwest, USA, I am curious about the salmon dish you described. Based on my readings and searches, I’ve concluded farmed salmon is a no-no for many reasons.
Was there any indication at the restaurant about the origins of the salmon ?
Regards,
Don
Hi Don, no there was no indication of the origins of the salmon and I haven’t asked.
Thanks Jeff great job as usual.
I’ve heard whispers amongst the expats that Medellin doesn’t have good Italian restaurants with this one being the exception. I’m going to take Jeff’s recommendation here and try Parmessano the next time I’m in Medellin. I’ve read good reviews about them but even I admit that I was reluctant to try them on my last visit. As an American, “chain”, and “Italian” don’t exactly inspire culinary confidence. After all, there’s a well known American franchise of Italian eateries that are named for a Garden of Olives and the food is not only inauthentic but woeful in taste and quality. That’s probably what Jeff’s dad thought about Parmessano too.
Well Jeff, you’ve changed my mind. I’ll give it a shot when I visit in a couple of months and report back.
Hi Jeff, yes when I told my dad that Parmassano was a chain he thought it would be like the Olive Garden chain in the U.S. And he was pleasantly surprised that they had some pretty good Italian food and wanted to go back.
I went to the Parmessano in El Tesoro mall with a girlfriend recently for lunch. I was not expecting much since its located in a mall but I was pleasantly surprised. The waiter recommended the salmon tricolor and it was excellent. The salmon was fresh and I liked the three different sauces on the pasta. My friend had the chicken and prawn carbonara that was also excellent. And our table even had a great view of Medellin.
I agree that Parmessano has some good Italian food. I am fond of pasta and Parmassano has some good entrees and the main dishes are wonderful. I recommend the Atun Pacifico which is fresh tuna with a very flavorful sauce. And the desserts are great too.