The streets of Cartagena de Indias, in Colombia, are full of history, flavors, and colors. Both in their names and architecture, in their walls and cobbles, their balconies and doors, the streets of what is now called the old city, offer a great experience to the pedestrian. Locals and visitors enjoy the walks and are always looking for the shade sides that provide protection from the rays of the Caribbean sun. Sometimes they are also looking for places to eat, and the streets offer a great variety of foods both in public space with informal vendors and in restaurants in the interior and first floor of the houses. Among all the streets in the old city, my favorite one for eating is the one called Calle de Tripita y Media, in the Getsemani area.
Translated as the Street of the Tiny Gut and a Half, or the Tiny Gut and Sock, la Calle de Tripita y Media is one of the most active ones of the Getsemani, a diverse neighborhood in the old city that has kept its popular spirit despite the gentrification efforts of the tourist industry. Everyday life at Getsemani is intense and authentic, plenty of urban activities and streets with mixed use.
According to the legend the street name comes from the story of woman who worked with fishermen cleaning the fish and taking out their guts. The woman was nicknamed “tripita” (tiny guts) because she saved the fish guts, fried them, and ate them alone. One day, a holiday, the woman decided to dress up with fancy socks and walked through the streets calling the attention of the neighbors. Since then they decided to call the woman “tripita y media” (tiny guts and sock). As people used the nickname of the woman to refer to the street where she lived, the name of Tripita y Media became popularized as the name of the street.
Among the numerous restaurants that pop-up in this narrow streets, I recommend visiting the ones that offer typical “menu del dia” for the locals. Restaurants like El Coroncoro and Este es el Punto offer a variety of dishes that are budget friendly and very tasty. They may not be gourmet foods but they are fresh, abundant, and full of local flavors.
El Coroncoro is more spacious and has more tables but tends to be more crowded since it is more popular and has been operating for several years. It is located at the # 31-28 and has an interior space over decorated with a variety of popular art that includes portraits of Simon Bolivar, last supper reproductions, fish, and Colombian romantic landscapes, Egypt engraves, and international kith imagery.
Este es el Punto is a newer restaurant and is located at the other end of Calle of Tripita y Media, closer to the Calle de la Magdalena. Although its interior is small, it has several tables and the walls are decorated with paintings of fish. In both restaurants I recommend trying the menu del dia, with fish. This dish includes a soup and a main entree with rice, fish, and salad. For the fish, there is usually the option of having mojarra, dorado, o sierra.
