Kanuú

Kanuú is the signature restaurant of the InterContinental Cartagena de Indias, located in Bocagrande, overlooking the Caribbean Sea. Led by Executive Chef Juan Jiménez, it offers contemporary Colombian Caribbean cuisine and has been recognized as the Best Luxury Hotel Restaurant at the World Luxury Restaurant Awards in 2023, 2024, and 2025. It is open to both hotel guests and the general public.

a table and chairs on a balcony overlooking a beach

A Restaurant with Its Own Culinary Identity in the Caribbean

Kanuú is located in Bocagrande, Cartagena de Indias, overlooking the Caribbean Sea, within the InterContinental Cartagena de Indias, with a culinary identity that has established its own gastronomic language within the city.

The essence of the restaurant is expressed through its cuisine: Colombian Caribbean ingredients in dialogue with the coastal landscape and a sense of hospitality that integrates the surroundings as an active part of the experience.

CULINARY IDENTITY AND TERRITORY

Contemporary Colombian Caribbean Cuisine

The cuisine is developed around seasonal ingredients, local suppliers, and in-house transformation processes that allow for the full use of each product.

This approach maintains coherence with the availability of the surrounding environment and reinforces a direct relationship with the origin of every ingredient.

Chef Juan Jiménez’s proposal begins with an interpretation of the Colombian Caribbean as a gastronomic territory rich in cultural depth, technique, and product diversity.

Ingredients such as yam, coconut, suero costeño, annatto, panela, and coastal fish shape a cuisine that incorporates contemporary techniques and international references without losing its origins.

Kanuú is rooted in the culinary tradition of the Colombian Caribbean from a contemporary perspective, creating a living cuisine that honors regional knowledge while developing it through new techniques, cooking methods, and forms of presentation.

LOCATION AND SURROUNDINGS

A Dining Experience Overlooking the Caribbean Sea

Location and Atmosphere

The experience at Kanuú unfolds in front of the Caribbean Sea in Cartagena de Indias, where light, climate, and landscape become part of the rhythm of the dining service.

The coastal surroundings accompany the experience from midday through the evening, integrating cuisine and scenery into a single narrative.

International Recognition

Kanuú has been recognized at the World Luxury Restaurant Awards as the Best Luxury Hotel Restaurant in 2023, 2024, and 2025 — three consecutive editions.

This recognition reflects consistency, evolution, and a well-established gastronomic proposal within the culinary landscape of Cartagena and the Caribbean.

The cuisine is developed around seasonal ingredients, local suppliers, and in-house transformation processes that allow for the full use of each product. This approach maintains coherence with the availability of the surrounding environment and reinforces a direct relationship with the origin of every ingredient.

Caribbean Tradition The "mote de queso" is presented in our house version with yams, costeño cheese, and shrimp, accompanied by a fish soup in coconut milk that reimagines domestic preparations of the Colombian Caribbean with a contemporary touch.
Main Courses The Cartagena Rice (Arroz Cartagenero) brings together shrimp, blue crab, crab claws, achiote, and coconut milk, served with patacones and avocado as a central expression of coastal cuisine.
The "Posta Cartagenera" offers another interpretation of the territory, featuring slow-cooked beef with spices, mustard, and panela, where time defines both structure and flavor.
Vegetarian Cuisine The vegetarian proposal is built from seasonal vegetables, tubers, grains, and garden-fresh produce, prepared with precise culinary techniques.
Each dish is developed using the vegetable as the central axis, featuring controlled cooking methods, vegetable stocks, and combinations that integrate natural sweetness, acidity, and texture.
Fish and Seafood The seafood section integrates techniques from various culinary traditions without losing the product's origin: Basque-style preparations with shellfish, whole fried snapper, prawns with black garlic and hazelnut butter, and paella with saffron and sherry.
Pastas and Risottos Our pastas and risottos are structured around precision cooking and the careful construction of sauces.
The pumpkin risotto with confit mushrooms focuses on density, plant-based texture, and the overall balance of the dish, starting from the main ingredient.
Meats The meat selection holds a place of precision within the menu, featuring cuts selected from local suppliers who follow sustainable practices and defined traceability.
Ribeye, churrasco, and picaña are prepared with brief cooking times to maintain the product's integrity, juiciness, and natural structure.

Frequently Asked Questions
About Kanuú

Where is Kanuú Restaurant located?

Kanuú is located inside the InterContinental Cartagena de Indias in Bocagrande, Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, overlooking the Caribbean Sea. It is approximately a fifteen-minute drive from the Walled Historic Center and Rafael Núñez International Airport.

Who is the chef at Kanuú?

Kanuú’s Executive Chef is Juan Jiménez, who is responsible for the restaurant’s gastronomic concept and its culinary development through a contemporary interpretation of the Colombian Caribbean.

What type of cuisine does Kanuú offer?

Kanuú offers contemporary Colombian Caribbean cuisine, featuring local coastal ingredients — yam, coconut, annatto, panela, fish, and regional seafood — integrated with international techniques and influences found in pastas, risottos, Basque-style fish, and selected beef cuts.

Can you dine at Kanuú without staying at the hotel?

Yes. Kanuú is open to the general public, not only to guests of the InterContinental Cartagena de Indias. Reservations are recommended, especially during high season and weekends.

What awards has Kanuú received?

Kanuú has been recognized as the Best Luxury Hotel Restaurant at the World Luxury Restaurant Awards for three consecutive editions: 2023, 2024, and 2025.

What is Kanuú’s signature dish?

The Arroz Cartagenero is the restaurant’s signature dish: shrimp, crab, crab claws, annatto, and coconut milk, served with patacones and avocado. It is Chef Juan Jiménez’s favorite dish and captures the restaurant’s coastal identity.

Does Kanuú offer vegetarian options?

Yes. The menu includes a vegetarian section developed around seasonal vegetables, tubers, grains, and garden products, prepared with the same technical precision as the rest of the menu.

Does Kanuú have space for private events?

Yes. Kanuú features a private two-level space within the InterContinental Cartagena de Indias, suitable for corporate dinners, celebrations, and gastronomy-focused events.

A Colombian Gem

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