Colombian chef Alvaro Clavijo was named the Best Chef in Latin America in 2025 — a historic recognition that solidifies his influence on the region’s culinary scene and celebrates the evolution of a career built on discipline, creativity, and a deep love for local ingredients. The distinction was announced on Dec. 2, when his restaurant El Chato, located in Bogota, was crowned number one on the prestigious Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list, marking an unprecedented achievement for Colombian gastronomy.
Clavijo, who began his professional journey as a dishwasher in Europe before training at renowned institutions such as the Hofmann Hospitality School in Barcelona and Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, has become an international reference. His career includes experience in Michelin-starred restaurants in France, Spain, and the United States — formative years that shaped the style that now defines him: A cuisine that elevates the everyday and transforms it into fine dining.
El Chato: The Colombian restaurant that tops Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2025
The recognition from Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants not only highlights the country but places El Chato at the center of the global gastronomic conversation. It is the first time a Colombian restaurant reaches the top spot, surpassing long-established culinary institutions in countries such as Peru, Brazil, Mexico, and Chile.
Since its opening, El Chato has stood out for its modern, honest cuisine, deeply connected to Colombian biodiversity. Its proposal demonstrates that haute cuisine can also emerge from humble ingredients, reinterpreted with technique and sensitivity.
The restaurant is known for its innovative use of local products and for elevating ingredients traditionally considered “less noble,” such as chicken hearts, tendons, or snails, transforming them into high-end dishes. Its style blends international techniques with profoundly Colombian flavors, showcasing both the country’s diversity and the chef’s creativity.
The restaurant’s setting in Bogota offers an urban, contemporary aesthetic that perfectly aligns with its modern and versatile culinary philosophy.
The recognition of El Chato not only celebrates Clavijo’s work but also positions Colombia as a world-class gastronomic destination. In the 2025 edition of the ranking, alongside El Chato, other Colombian restaurants — including Oda, Debora, Selma, and Sambombi Bistro Local — also made the list, strengthening the country’s presence on the international culinary stage.
The culinary philosophy that brought Clavijo to the top
Clavijo’s success is largely explained by his innovative and deeply Colombian approach. For nearly a decade, El Chato has built its identity on the revalorization of local ingredients — many of them traditionally considered “less noble.” Chicken hearts, tendons, snails, native fruits, and underexplored vegetables have become the protagonists of dishes that surprise diners with their technical precision and their ability to reveal new ways of understanding Colombian cuisine.
Clavijo is known for breaking molds through unexpected combinations — such as snail with golden berry (uchuva) or tendon with jícama—which reflect his bold vision and his commitment to showcasing the vast universe of flavors, textures, and culinary narratives found in Colombia.
In addition to his work at El Chato, the chef leads other projects, such as Ruda, a tapas and cocktail bar created alongside mixologist Andrea Blanco, and Selma, a restaurant that also ranks among the best in Latin America. His culinary universe continues to expand, demonstrating his ability to reinvent himself without losing his roots.