Torre Gourmet & Transversal 39D: a tower of restaurants
Laureles has a street where the restaurants are stacked vertically — a different kitchen on every floor — and a block around it packed with more. Almost no guide mentions it. Here it is.
Ask most visitors where to eat in Laureles and they'll say "La 70" — which is a bit like answering "Times Square" for New York. The block locals actually book a table on is Transversal 39D: a short street coming down from Avenida Jardín, between Avenida Nutibara and the Primer Parque de Laureles. At its centre stands Torre Gourmet (Transversal 39D #74B-105), a building designed to hold a different restaurant on every level.
The tower, floor by floor
- Ground floor — Galeón. Gold lettering, low light, mains from around $39.000 COP. The most formal room on the block.
- Second floor — Patagonia Parrilla Argentina. Argentine grill, open daily noon to 11pm, with a terrace over the street and a taquería sharing the level. The workhorse of the tower.
- Third floor — La Romana. The top level, open until about 10:30pm.
- Stacked around them — Área 11 and La Baguette. Área 11's green alien neon is the landmark you'll navigate by after dark; La Baguette does brunch and lunch above it, which makes this one of the few blocks in Laureles that works at 10am and 10pm.
The rest of the block
The tower is the anchor, but the strip runs the length of the street — and this is where the range gets genuinely useful when a group can't agree:
- Planeta Wings (74B-90) — wings, screens on every wall, 4.9★. The default when there's a match on.
- Mexique Tacos & Tequila (74B-94) — string lights, tacos, tequila, open to 11pm on weekends.
- Lima Sushi — Peruvian cuisine and nikkei sushi, the change of pace from all the grilled meat.
- Barrita Burrito — a Tex-Mex burrito bar with counter service and sidewalk tables. The cheap, fast option.
- emojis cocktail — pink-and-blue neon, open front, cocktails served toward the sidewalk.
- Terracota Panadería — the bakery-café for tardear, the long paisa afternoon sit-down.
- Juan Valdez — Colombia's own coffee institution, for when you want a safe, familiar cup.
How to do it
- Go after 7pm. The block is quiet by day and transforms once the neon comes on — which is also when it photographs beautifully.
- Start high, end low. A drink on a terrace, dinner in the tower, then a burrito or a cocktail at street level on the way out.
- Weekends run later: most kitchens close around 11pm Friday and Saturday, earlier midweek.
- It's walkable from the parks — a few minutes from Primer Parque, no taxi needed if you're staying in central Laureles.
Transversal 39D vs La 70 vs Provenza
| What it's for | Feel | |
|---|---|---|
| Transversal 39D | Eating well, then drinks | Varied, calmer, local crowd |
| La 70 | The full Medellín night out | Loud, cantinas, salsa, until dawn |
| Provenza (Poblado) | Seeing and being seen | Pricier, international crowd, 25 min away |
Plenty of locals do 39D for dinner and finish on La 70 — they're ten minutes apart.
Staying nearby? The blocks around Primer Parque put this strip, both parks and La 70 all within walking distance — see where to stay in Laureles.
Quick answers
What is Torre Gourmet in Laureles?
A purpose-built restaurant tower at Transversal 39D #74B-105 with a different restaurant on each level — Galeón at street level, Patagonia Parrilla Argentina on the second floor, La Romana on the third — plus bars and a brunch spot stacked around them.
Where is Transversal 39D?
Coming down from Avenida Jardín, between Avenida Nutibara and the Primer Parque de Laureles, in Laureles-Estadio. Walkable from anywhere in central Laureles.
Is Transversal 39D better than La 70?
They're different nights. 39D is for eating — restaurants, cocktails, terraces. La 70 is the classic party strip. Do both, in that order.
Hungry?
Every spot on this block is in our curated Laureles directory — with photos and directions.
Every place on the Transversal 39D block
Floor by floor and next door, with directions.
Planeta Wings
Self-declared home of the best wings in Medellín — and the reviews back it up (4.9★). Screens on every wall for fútbol and NFL, margaritas on the tables, terrace seating outside. The neighborhood's default sports-bar answer.
Mexique Tacos & Tequila
Bright, string-lit taquería right next door to Planeta Wings — tacos, tequila and a 4.8★ rating. Open until 11pm on weekends, which makes it the pre- or post-La 70 stop.
Patagonia Parrilla Argentina
Argentine grill on the second floor of Torre Gourmet, the restaurant tower that anchors this strip. Open daily noon to 11pm, with a taquería sharing the terrace below — handy when your group can't agree.
Barrita Burrito
A neon-lit Tex-Mex burrito bar with counter service and sidewalk tables. Fast, cheap and open late — the after-drinks stop on this strip.
Lima Sushi
Peruvian cuisine and nikkei sushi in the middle of the Transversal 39D strip — the change of pace when you've had your fill of parrilla and tacos.
Terracota Panadería
A warm bakery-café with a plant-framed terrace, built for the paisa ritual of tardear — the long, unhurried afternoon sit-down. Their own slogan says it: "tardear es con T de Terracota."
La Baguette Brunch & Lunch
Brunch and lunch on the top level of the Torre Gourmet stack, above the neon. Daytime counterpart to a block that mostly comes alive after dark.
Juan Valdez Café
Colombia's own coffee institution, run by the national coffee growers' federation. Not the neighborhood's most artisanal cup, but it is the country's most iconic — and every visitor should have one at least once.
Área 11
Green alien neon above the street, stacked between La Baguette upstairs and Galeón below. The most photogenic sign on the strip and a solid first stop for the night.
emojis cocktail
Pink-and-blue neon, an open front and cocktails served to the sidewalk. Zero pretension, high energy — this is what the strip looks like at 10pm.
While you're here: the neighborhood directory
Every spot in this guide is one we've been to ourselves. 42 places in Laureles, each one tap from directions.