Our Story
25 years as part of Cartagena.
+25
years of history
85%
international visitors
4.7
out of 5 — 8,000+ reviews
It all started with a recipe and a small dining room in the Getsemaní neighborhood of Cartagena. Over time, tourists began telling each other. "Go to Mar de las Antillas." It became the word-of-mouth recommendation that travels from country to country.
Today we still cook the same: fresh Caribbean seafood, recipes rooted in coastal identity, and the warm hospitality that only comes from those who cook with pride in Cartagena.
We are not a hotel restaurant. We are not a chain. We are the family travelers have been finding in Cartagena for 25 years.
+25
years
Our story
Milestones along the way
1999
Mar de las Antillas opens
We open the doors in a colonial house in Getsemaní with a single mission: every plate should tell the story of the Colombian Caribbean.
2005
The cazuela becomes our signature
Our Seafood Cazuela starts appearing in travel guides and word-of-mouth recommendations from international travelers.
2014
Dining room expansion
We renovate the space to welcome more guests while keeping the Caribbean home atmosphere that defines us.
2024
25+ years, 8,000+ reviews
We've gathered over 8,000 reviews on TripAdvisor and Google with an average rating of 4.7. Our most honest measure.
Our philosophy
“We cook what the Caribbean sea gives us, the way we were taught in Cartagena.”
Every morning we check the fresh catch arriving from Bazurto market. We don't have a rigid menu — what we serve depends on what the sea brought that day. If the snapper isn't right, we don't serve it.
We cook without shortcuts. House-made sauces, no powders or concentrates. Coconut grated on the spot. Ceviche cut to order. It's more work, but it's the only way we know.
Caribbean flavor isn't faked: it comes from the ingredient, slow fire, and the cook who respects coastal tradition.
The people behind it
Behind every plate there's a coastal team that has made Mar de las Antillas its home. Our kitchen is led by Cartagena-born cooks who learned the recipes at home, before any culinary school. That's the difference you can taste.
In the dining room, our service team welcomes visitors with the same warmth you'd extend to a friend on the coast. We speak Spanish, English and Portuguese, and we know every plate because we've cooked and served it for years.
What defines us
Authentic coastal cooking
Traditional recipes from the Colombian Caribbean, no shortcuts.
Fresh product, every day
Fish and seafood selected each morning at Bazurto market.
Cartagena hospitality
A bilingual team that walks you through every experience.