Eating Ceviche in Cartagena

By Sonia Gregor

Some of the best ceviche in Cartagena is prepared under a set of stairs in the Centro Commercial Getsemani. The small shop, La Laguna Azul, is easy to miss, but is worth seeking out.

The city of Cartagena gets unbearably hot mid-afternoon. With the Caribbean sun in our eyes, we stumbled along the ancient streets looking for what one local had promised was the best ceviche in the city. At the Centro Commercial Getsemani, a local mall with many stalls, the vendors laughed and told us to look under the stairs. Disappointed at first, we were surprised to find a neat glass-walled restaurant with air-conditioned seating located under the wide concrete staircase to the second floor.

Merciful cold air met us when we opened the door, scented with cilantro and lime. Our bemusement about the name Laguna Azul was immediately answered: the tiny restaurant was covered wall-to-wall in posters celebrating the 1980s Hollywood film The Blue Lagoon. If you didn’t know like us, The Blue Lagoon is a romantic story of 2 shipwrecked youths on a tropical island who discover “natural love.” It was panned by critics, but now we know it has an international fan base. The menu is straightforward: you can have your seafood served as ceviche or as cocktail. Both are a form of cold seafood salad where the seafood is not cooked, but steeped in lime juice.

Ceviche originated in Peru, but it has become a popular dish throughout Latin America’s coastal cities, wherever fresh seafood can be found. La Laguna Azul’s ceviche is made with diced onions, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice and olive oil, and your choice of fish, shrimp, octopus, squid, or crab.

Seafood cocktail, meanwhile, originated in the Caribbean. It’s heavy on the tomato sauce and sugar, with the same lime and seafood options. Both the ceviche and the cocktails are served in generous portions on a bed of lettuce with a heap of crisp plantain chips on the side. In general, we like ceviche better, but the crab claw cocktail platter won us over.

La Laguna Azul cevicheria has been under the stairs in the Centro Commercial Getsemani for 3 years now, and has amassed quite a local following. We got the tip to visit from Louis, a young local foodie who works in Getsemani.

A veteran ceviche-samper, Louis told us that other cevicherias in the city often make elaborate sauces, with fruit and other ingredients, but he prefers simple flavors that allow the fresh seafood to shine on its own. According to Louis, the quality of Laguna Azul is equal to that of Cartagena’s most famous establishment La Cevicheria, which was honored by Anthony Bourdain. But the prices at La Laguna Azul mean you can have ceviche every day, instead of saving up for a special occasion.

We talked to the three cooks at La Laguna Azul: Claudia, Tatiana and Naidis. They learned from head-chef Marta Espitea, who worked in one of the city’s renowned ceviche restaurants. As we ate, we listened to the harmony of chopping knives, salsa music from the radio, and their spirited conversation. Had they all watched “The Blue Lagoon”? Of course.

Customers can either wait for their ceviche in the intimate shop or in an outdoor patio. We chose indoors for the cold air, and bought some icy Aguila beers from the liquor shop next door.

The ceviche was everything Louis promised. Generous portions, with punchy fresh herbs and acidity melding perfectly but always highlighting the star: the fresh seafood. The cooks told us that all their ingredients came from the region, except for the olive oil. It was a worthwhile exception: the bright flavor of the oil shimmered in every bite of fish ceviche.

Like the many locals who had squeezed into small tables around us, we left La Laguna Azul sated and feeling that we were in on a Cartagena secret. Before we left we had to ask: why the name The Blue Lagoon? The three chefs laughed before Naidis solemnly stated “el romance.” “Fair enough” we thought, and we stepped back into the tropical humidity of the old city.

La Laguna Azul can be found in the entrance of the Centro Comercial Getsemani (Calle Larga/25 across from the restaurant La Casa del Socorro). Prices range from COP $14,000 – $30,000, approximately USD $5 – $10. Hours are 11:30 am-8 pm Monday-Saturday.