Fruitas de Occidente: "the lulada is found" Top 5 Page for this destination Cali Restaurant Tip by richiecdisc

Ok, now we were finally in downtown Cali after being relegated to the safer San Antonio area of town the night previous, our first. It was early morning and we were looking for breakfast. My wife, tired of many of the typical deep-fried Colombia “desayuno treats” was looking for fruit while I was looking to satiate my desire for the local before heading home in about two weeks. How we happened upon “Fruitas de Occidente” is beyond me and as good as that first meal was, it just barely scraped on how important this little hole-in-the-wall fruitateria would be in our assessment of Cali. They had one of those typical picture menus that seemed to radiate from within and it heralded all kinds of Colombian treats, ranging from deep-fried delicacies and complete breakfasts to more fruity options. It was fairly empty due to the early hour as we would later learn and foreboding. The owner welcomed us with open arms and though not exactly atmospheric, it turned out to be exactly what we were looking for.

Favorite Dish: D got the Desayuno Completo (6000 COP or $3) which was huevos pericos along with a tinto and fruit cup. It pretty much gave her everything she was looking for. I opted for some of the deep-fried goodies that had drawn me to the place in the first place. I had a bunelo (deep-fried cheesy type pastry) for 700 COP or 35 cents, chicken empanada for 700 COP, and and tinto or black coffee for 800 COP. For less than $6 we both left full and little did we know in the home of the lulada that we had sought and would find here later that afternoon.

We stopped back for the famed lulada later that day. This rich beverage made of a fruit only crown in the area called lulo along with sweetened condensed milk was one of the main reason I decided to break the trip from Salento to Popayan in half. Such is the power of a hard to find food item for me. I noticed it after ordering breakfast and it was pricey so decided to look around first to see if I could find it elsewhere. When it became apparent it would not be happened upon easily, we stopped back again and ordered one for 4800 COP ($2.40), a relative King's ransom but it was delightful. With only one morning left, we hurried back for our last one....or so we thought.

Address: Carrera 5 No. 8-06
Comparison: less expensive than average
Directions: Right in the heart of downtown Cali
Price: less than US$10
Rating: 5
Theme: Local