Private & Luxury Events
Dinner Party Catering in Medellín
Medellin Elite Catering cooks seated dinner parties in Medellín homes, with a cook in your kitchen and servers at the table, so the person who sent the invitations actually gets to sit down. We handle the menu, the shopping, the cooking, the wine service and the dishes.
Our dinner party clients are expats hosting new friends, couples marking an anniversary, and groups of women planning a girls' night in a Provenza apartment. Most tables seat 6 to 30, and the menu can be Colombian, Mediterranean, Asian or simply the host's favorite foods.
Our kitchen has plated seated dinners since we opened in 2019, and it is the format where small details matter most. The pace between courses, the temperature of each plate and a quiet clearing of the table decide how the evening feels.
- Itemized quotes available
- Bilingual English and Spanish coordinators
Plan your event
Our Dinner Party Catering
Our dinner party catering is a full seated meal cooked and served in your home for 6 to 30 guests. A cook and at least one server arrive 2 to 3 hours ahead, set the table if you wish, and run every course through to coffee.
For 2 to 12 guests the format is a private chef dinner, cooked mostly in your kitchen; from 15 guests we prepare more at our production kitchen and finish on site. Either way, sauces, stocks and desserts are made the day before, so your stove only handles searing and final plating.
If your evening looks more like a standing party with a bar, our private party catering suits it better. For dinner menus served at venues or delivered, see our dinner catering page.
Choosing a Dinner Format
Plated service suits formal dinners, family-style platters suit relaxed groups who like to pass food, and a tasting menu suits food lovers with time to spare. The right choice depends on the size of the table, the kitchen and how long you want the evening to last.
| Plated | Family-style | Tasting menu | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Courses | 3: starter, main, dessert | 2 or 3 rounds of shared platters | 5 to 7 small courses |
| Best group size | 8 to 30 | 6 to 20 | 6 to 12 |
| Length of the meal | About 2 hours | About 2 hours | 3 hours or more |
| Servers | 1 per 10 to 12 guests | 1 per 12 to 15 guests | 1 per 6 to 8 guests |
| Protein per guest | 180 to 220 g | 220 to 250 g across platters | 150 to 180 g over several plates |
| Feel | Formal and paced | Warm and generous | A culinary event |
A sample plated menu: ajiaco croquettes with capers to start, slow-braised posta negra cartagenera with coconut rice and sweet plantain, then a guava and cheese tart. A family-style table might bring grilled pork loin, patacones with hogao, a quinoa and mango salad and a bowl of ají to share.
Tasting menus work best in villas or apartments with a proper oven and at least four burners. They are the format where the cook talks guests through each dish, often finishing with a small cup of Antioquian coffee and a piece of panela fudge.
Girls' Night In
A girls' night in works best with a grazing table, a cocktail pairing and a dessert board, so nobody waits for the next course. Everyone grazes, refills and talks for hours, while the server keeps the board full and the glasses cold.
The grazing table runs the length of a kitchen island or dining table: Colombian cheeses like quesito antioqueño and doble crema, cured meats, fruit such as uchuva and pitahaya, crackers, hummus and warm pandebono. We allow about 250 g of food per person when the board is the main meal.
Pair it with two cocktails mixed to order, such as a maracuyá spritz and a lulo gin sour, and finish with brownies, mini tres leches, chocolate truffles and arequipe-filled obleas. Bachelorette groups often book a bigger version of this night through our bachelorette party catering.
Wine and Pairing
Yes, we suggest a wine for each course, and for wine-focused dinners one of our bartenders works as a dedicated wine server, presenting each bottle and timing the pours. You can buy the wines yourself from our list or bring bottles you already love.
Typical pairings: a crisp Chilean Sauvignon Blanc with ceviche or ajiaco croquettes, an Argentine Malbec with grilled beef or posta, and a sparkling or late-harvest wine with dessert. Chilean and Argentine labels dominate Colombian shelves, while French, Spanish and Italian bottles are harder to find here.
Allow about half a bottle per wine-drinking guest over a three-course dinner. We chill whites to 8 to 10 °C and keep reds near 16 °C, cooler than most Medellín dining rooms, so we bring ice buckets for both.
Table Setting and Rentals
China, flatware, and wine and water glasses come with every staffed dinner party booking. If your own dinnerware is part of the evening, we are happy to use it and wash it before we leave.
Linens, chargers, extra chairs, a longer table and centerpieces are rentals we coordinate through partner suppliers and list separately on the quote. Twelve guests seated six per side need a table about 4 m long, at 60 cm per place setting plus the ends.
We set the table in the hours before the doorbell rings: place cards if you want them, folded napkins, candles that will not drip on rented linen, and a side station for bread, water and coffee. Many of these tables are laid in the low-rise houses and apartments described on our page on catering in Laureles.
Questions and answers
Dinner Party FAQs
How many servers does a dinner party need?
Plan on one server for every 10 to 12 seated guests at a plated dinner. A table of 8 manages with one server and the cook, while 24 guests need two servers, plus a bartender if cocktails come before dinner.
Can we bring our own wine?
Yes, you can bring your own wine or spirits. Our team chills, opens and pours your bottles with our glassware, and anything left over stays with you.
Reserve your date
Plan a Dinner Party at Home
Share your date, the number at the table and the kind of food you love, and our coordinator will send a draft menu and an itemized quote within 24 hours. You can also email info@medellincatering.com.
- Itemized quotes available
- Menus, staff, tableware, setup and cleanup in one quote
- Food-handler certified team and labeled allergens on every tray
- Monday to Saturday
- 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Sunday
- Closed (events still run)