Ganso & Castor: Inspired by the Streets of Paris

Ganso & Castor is a Parisian-inspired café and bistro located in the Provenza neighborhood of Poblado, a few blocks from Parque Lleras.

I’d walked past it numerous times, wishing such an attractive café existed in 2009 when I spent a month at neighboring Casa Kiwi Hostel.

This past May, I finally found the occasion to eat there when I set up a weekend brunch with Nick, who was interviewing to write for Medellín Living at the time.

The café is small, featuring no more than three tables on the sidewalk and a handful inside.

If you’re set on eating breakfast or brunch there on the weekend, arrive early to ensure you can get a table without a wait.

Ganso & Castor bucks the trend in restaurant website design with a simple, easy to use site that features their full menu in PDF format, including prices.

Breakfast options include fruit, Greek yogurt, French toast, pancakes and omelettes.

Heavier dishes like Eggs Benedict with asparagus and Eggs Florentine are slightly more expensive, but at just 14,500 pesos ($7), they’re still a serious bargain for the quality of food being prepared and presented.

On Saturdays and Sundays, they also offer fresh-baked goods including croissants, pan de chocolate, Nutella and cinnamon bread.

If you’re there for lunch or dinner, appetizers include empanadas with goat cheese and green tomato marmalade, escargot (snails) and ginger chicken. Prices range from 12,000 to 18,000 pesos ($6 to $9).

Traditional French onion soup is available, plus four other options and three types of salads, including shrimp with mango and a peanut vinaigrette.

Entrees range from 13,000 pesos for simple spaghetti to 28,000 pesos for fresh tuna with wasabi puree and asparagus.

And of course there are the desserts.

White chocolate mousse with fresh red fruit, creme brulée, profiteroles with ice cream and chocolate sauce, and caramel flan are a few of the many sweets they offer.