Manila

Manila is west of Avenida El Poblado, going up from Calle 10. It started as a farm and became a neighborhood of houses with front gardens and brick facades. Many of those houses are now restaurants, cafés, design shops and small offices.

The busiest corner is Carrera 43E and Calle 11A. There, on one block, you'll find taquerías like Criminal and El Altar, the Malevo grill and the restaurant Ganso & Castor. On Carrera 43D is Herbario, and on Calle 13 is General Café.

During the day it's about coffee, breakfast and lunch, among coworking spaces, workshops and design shops. Independent bookstores and reading cafés have opened too; the Corporación Barrio Manila and the city run reading activities near Parque Los Almendros.

At night the restaurant tables fill up and there are small bars for a drink. It's not a nightclub area. Astorga is across Calle 10, and Provenza is about a 15-minute walk across Avenida El Poblado.

What to see

• Carrera 43E and Calle 11A and its block of restaurants.
• Old brick houses turned into cafés and shops.
• The neighborhood's bookstores and reading cafés.
• Astorga, the neighboring area across Calle 10.

Getting there

• Metro: Poblado station (Line A), then about a 10-minute walk east along Calle 10.
• On foot from Astorga: cross Calle 10 and go up Carrera 43D or 43E.
• Taxi: ask for Carrera 43E with Calle 11A, Manila.

Tips

• Walk it with no fixed plan; it's only a few blocks and almost everything is two or three streets away.
• Go for lunch or an early dinner; at peak hours the small places fill up.
• At night, head back in a taxi booked through an app.