Muraya in South End Brings Authentic Colombian Cuisine

It’s a good sign when you go to a new Colombian restaurant in South End and most of the waitstaff speaks Spanish. It’s even better when your server tells you he’s from Cartagena and that the dipping sauce that comes with the Colombian Sliders is as good as his mother’s. But perhaps the best indicator that you’re in for a great meal is when the couple at the table next to you is also Colombian—and they tell you the chicharrón they’ve ordered tastes like home.

Marino and his wife, Patricia, moved to Charlotte 29 years ago. They live in Concord now, they tell us, but they’ve come to have dinner at Muraya less than a week after it opened. They’re regulars at co-owner Emmanuel “Manny” Pérez Ochoa’s other restaurant, Havana Carolina Restaurant & Bar, in downtown Concord. My husband asks if they’ve been to El Puro, the Pérez family’s Cuban restaurant in Madison Park. Many times, they say with knowing smiles. 

When they heard Manny and his wife, Carolina, were opening a Colombian tapas restaurant in the former Hot Taco spot in late September, they had to see it for themselves. “Twenty-nine years ago, you don’t want to eat here—South End’s not where you’d want to be,” Marino says. “Charlotte needed this.”

I ask Patricia what’s on her plate because I want whatever she’s having. “It’s the Paisa Bowl,” she says. “The plantain risotto is to die for.” 

Muraya is short for Amurallada, the “walled city” of Cartagena. Manny and Carolina hired a chef from Carolina’s hometown of Barranquilla to create a menu of traditional Colombian dishes with Latin American, European, and Asian influences. They designed the interior like a sultry lounge in Cartagena, with exposed brick walls, antique-style furniture, and a fireplace with candles adorning the mantle. But the electronic dance music—and the sound of the light rail—lets you know you’re in South End. 

Muraya seats 200 in a dining area that adjoins a cocktail lounge with antique couches and a bar bathed in natural light.

If you love Havana’s signature cocktail, start with a Mojito Dupar ($16). Our server recommends skipping the straw and drinking it directly from the glass to enjoy the tart, fruity notes of the tamarindo. The Wayu ($13), another popular cocktail, combines tequila, lime, and coconut milk. Muraya offers a selection of domestic and imported beers, as well as wines by the bottle.

You can peruse the menu of tapas, ensaladas, platos fuertes (main dishes), and sushi. Or, if you’re seated next to a couple like Marino and Patricia, just order whatever they do. 

Start with Croquetas de Posta Cartagenera ($15), a plate of bite-sized, deep-fried shredded steak croquettes with blue cheese bechamel and peppercorn pan sauce. The Colombian Sliders ($18) come three to an order with two dipping sauces. One is mayonnaise-based, the other sweet like apple butter with hints of cinnamon. Try the latter for a more complex flavor profile.

The Colombian Sliders come with sweet and savory dipping sauces.

Of the six sushi rolls, the Barranquillero ($18) is the standout. The chorizo is a heartier, spicier alternative to the ahi tuna in traditional rolls, and the sweet plantains balance the saltiness of the pork sausage. If you’re not a carnivore, the Veggie ($15) has plenty of flavor with mango, sweet plantains, avocado, and pico de gallo.

The Paisa Bowl ($26) comes with three generous slabs of fried pork belly over a bed of sweet plantain risotto that is, as Patricia says, “to die for.” Each bite is a sublime balance of sweet and savory, soft and crispy. It’s a lot of food for one person, especially if you started with small plates, so consider splitting this one with your date.

The dessert menu has three selections, but our server says the Torre Muraya ($15) has the best presentation and the most surprising ingredients. This “tower” (torre) is made of thin cinnamon waffle crisps layered with vanilla gelato; topped with a cinnamon streusel and a drizzle of blackberry coulis; and served with a side of warm dulce de leche to pour over the top.

The gelato-based Torre Muraya dessert is served with a side of warm dulce de leche to pour on top.

As we wrap up, a party of four sits at the table Marino and Patricia just vacated. When their server arrives, one of the women says that she, too, is from Cartagena and couldn’t wait to bring her husband and their friends to Muraya. The server immediately starts speaking to her in Spanish, and soon their conversation is sprinkled with words like “playa” and “familia.” 

The woman orders a round of mojitos for the table. Then her husband sees another server emerge from the kitchen with a plate of croquetas. “We’ll have one of those, too,” he says, before he’s even glanced at his menu.

TAYLOR BOWLER is the lifestyle editor.

Muraya
200 E. Bland St., Ste. A

Hours: 
4-11 p.m. Monday-Thursday
4 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday-Saturday 

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: 
Street parking is limited, and the paid lots along the rail trail can get pricey if you stay for a few hours. Consider a rideshare.