In El Poblado, Medellín’s Most Exciting Neighborhood

Even in Medellín's darker days, Colombia's breezy good taste prevailed in the district of El Poblado, which remained largely removed from the violence. Now the area's grid of streets, romantically overgrown with palms and flora, is jammed with high-low bars, cafés, and places to shop. The vibe is as chill as the Cerveza Aguila at the outdoor tables of buzzy El Social, where 20-somethings wait for late-night salsa downstairs and Independiente soccer matches hum on the TV. Equally great is the tree house-like Alambique, on the second floor of a nondescript storefront, usually packed for its brisket queso and tennis ball-size albóndigas, paired with cucumber vodka. Around the corner, women wearing Marc Jacobs work through the colorful 13-course tasting menu at El Cielo, where ex-Arzak chef Juan Manuel Barrientos Valencia made his name, later opening outposts in Bogotá and Miami. El Poblado's coffee scene has also boomed in recent years, driven by growers in the surrounding mountains. So has the shopping: A prime example is Makeno concept store, a light-flooded barn showcasing around 90 of the best Colombian fashion and accessories designers, such as gorgeous local jewelry brand Makua. And there's a new locus in the form of the plant-shrouded Click Clack, Medellin hotel, with an open-walled cocktail bar that has become the sexiest nightspot around. The ferns and leaves here are as thick as the crowds of sharp-dressed medellínenses—there's a real sense of an area blossoming.