Unicentro: A Western-Style Mall in Laureles

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Main Entrance to Centro Comerical Unicentro in Medellín
Main Entrance to Centro Comerical Unicentro in Medellín
Main Entrance to Centro Comerical Unicentro in Medellín
Main Entrance to Centro Comerical Unicentro

Centro Comercial Unicentro is one of only two Western-style mall located in Laureles in Medellín, the other being Centro Comercial Viva at the other end of the community.

Unicentro is located close to the La 70 (Setenta) entertainment district and across the street from Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (UPB).

The mall opened in November 1991, which was 19 years after Centro Comercial San Diego, the first mall in Medellín opened. Unicentro recently completed some remodeling that modernized the food court area.

I lived in the Fatima barrio in Laureles for three months a few years ago, in an apartment located only about a five-minute walk to Unicentro.

I shopped for groceries at the Exito located in the mall and frequently ate at some of the fast food/restaurant options found in the food court.

There are also Unicento malls located in Bogotá and Cali.

Inside Unicentro mall
Inside Unicentro

The Shops in Unicentro

The anchor tenants in Unicentro are Exito and Cine Colombia.

The mall has over 270 shops, which include stores selling clothes, shoes, home furnishings, mattresses, eye-care, jewelry and several other categories. The mall also has a few money exchange places.

Exito grocery store in Unicentro mall
Exito grocery store

Exito is a supermarket that also sells electronics, clothes, kitchen items and home furnishings similar to a Walmart in the United States. The Exito in Laureles has grocery prices that are somewhat lower than the prices found in Exito stores located in El Poblado.

Make sure to sign up for Exito Puntos (points). This is a frequent shopper program where you accumulate points that can be used to help purchase items on sale in the future. To sign up you just need an ID: cédula or passport.

The Exito in Unicentro mall is larger than the Exito found in Los Molinos mall, which is close to where I now live. I sometimes still shop at the Exito in Unicentro as it has a bigger selection than the Exito in Los Molinos.

Cine Colombia in Unicentro mall
Cine Colombia

Cine Colombia in Unicentro is a movie theater with five screens located on the third floor of the mall. Cine Colombia shows movies in Spanish as well as some in English with Spanish subtitles.

Cine Colombia is Colombia’s largest movie theater chain in Colombia with theaters in 11 cities. In Medellín, it has five locations located in Los Molinos, Oviedo, Santa Fé, Unicentro and Vizcaya.

Arturo Calle in Unicentro mall
Arturo Calle

Arturo Calle is a Colombian men’s clothing store that primarily sells men’s casual clothes. The store is popular and can be found in many malls throughout Colombia.

Arturo Calle also has stores located in Panama, Costa Rica and El Salvador.

The store frequently has some sales and I have bought a few shirts and some shoes on sale at Arturo Calle.

Musical Cedar shop in Unicentro mall
Musical Cedar shop

I haven’t seen many shops selling musical instruments in Medellín and Unicentro has the Musical Cedar shop, which sells many types of instruments.

Musical Cedar has several additional shops in Medellín as well as shops located in Bogotá, Cali and Pereira.

Broadway Casino in Unicentro mall
Broadway Casino

In addition to all the shops in Unicentro, the mall has two small casinos located on the third floor.

The second floor food court in Unicentro mall
The second floor food court

Food Options in Unicentro

Unicentro mall has a food court located on the second floor. The mall has a pretty big selection with over 30 fast food places and restaurants.

In the mall you will find several of the typical fast food places in Medellín including El Corral, Frisby, J&C Delicias, Kokoriko, Mimo’s, Qbano and Subway. The mall also has a few restaurants including Cazuelas De Mi Tierra, Crepes & Waffles and Il Forno.

Conclusions

Pro’s – It’s a nice mall with an Exito for groceries, a five-screen Cine Colombia movie theater, a convenient food court and over 270 shops. It is also the only mall located in Laureles, which is convenient to where some foreigners live.

Con’s – Since it is the only Western-style mall located in this section of Laureles, it can be busy, especially on weekends and during holidays.

My Verdict – Unless you live in one of the barrios nearby there really isn’t a reason to go, as there isn’t something unique at Unicentro that you can’t find in the other malls in Medellín.

How to Get There – It is located within walking distance from the Fatima Metroplús station (about an eight-minute walk). Every taxi driver also knows where it is. Several bus routes also go to Unicentro.

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4 COMMENTS

  1. Hi Jeff excellent article about Unicentro mall or Centro Comercial Unicentro in Spanish,I was there two weeks ago and I like it,is not as fancy as Santa Fe mall or El Tesoro mall,but still you can find many good prices cheaper than El Poblado stores,,the best part for me was the food court, excellent food,weell cooked,fish (trout or salmon.plantain,salad and a drink for only 10,000 cop about five dollars,you can beat that ! Can you make an article about best places to buy a car in Medellin,especially used cars,sales tax,auto insurance required and cost,and how long you can drive with a US driver license in Colombia,this is my second time in the best city to live in Latin America and I am moving there and retiring in about 5 months,I felt so much peace and tranquility in Medellin than in Fort Lauderdale or the city where I live now Marietta,Georgia,Thanks ,for your professional articles about the city of eternal spring!

  2. Hi Jeff,

    We’ve been in Medellin for a week now but plan to stay for 3 to 6 months. Is it possible to sign up for Exito Puntos with just a passport? We still can’t speak Spanish but from what we understand from woman at the registration counter is that we need to present a cedula for extranjeros.

    Thanks in advance!