Private & Luxury Events
Private Party Catering in Medellín
Medellin Elite Catering runs the food and drinks for house parties, villa parties and private functions across Medellín, so the host can spend the night with friends instead of in the kitchen. We bring cooks, servers, bartenders and every plate and glass, then take it all away again.
Our private party clients range from couples in El Poblado celebrating a promotion to groups of friends who rented a villa in Llanogrande for a birthday weekend or a bachelor party. Parties run from 15 to about 150 guests, and our coordinators plan them in English or Spanish.
We have catered in Medellín since 2019, and many of our events take place in homes rather than venues. That is why our quotes already account for service elevators, porters' desks, neighbors and the climb up the Las Palmas road.
- Itemized quotes available
- Bilingual English and Spanish coordinators
Plan your event
Our Private Party Catering
Our private party catering covers the food, the bar and the staff for a party at your home or rented property, with setup before guests arrive and cleanup after the last one leaves. You choose the style: passed canapés, food stations, a buffet or a mix that changes as the night goes on.
A typical evening opens with canapés and a welcome drink, moves to one or two food stations around 9 p.m., and ends with a late-night snack after midnight. Standard staffed service is 5 hours, and extra hours can be added if the party runs long.
We work with residents hosting at home and with visitors who land in Medellín with a rented villa and no idea where to buy ice. For a seated version of the evening, our dinner party catering is the better fit. A deposit reserves the date, and we lock the final headcount 7 days before the party.
House Party or Villa Party?
An apartment house party usually means 15 to 50 guests, tight space and building rules, while a villa party allows 40 to 150 guests, outdoor stations and later music. The table shows how that changes the plan.
| House or apartment party | Villa or finca party | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical guest count | 15 to 50 | 40 to 150 |
| Space | Living room, balcony or salón social | Terraces, lawns, pool deck |
| Noise | Building rules and Ley 1801 of 2019; salones sociales often close early | Fewer neighbors, but sound carries across the hills |
| Servers for passed canapés | 1 per 25 to 30 guests | Same ratio, plus 1 cook per live station |
| Bartenders | 1 per 50 to 75 guests | 2 or more from about 100 guests |
| Drive from our kitchen | 15 to 50 minutes across Medellín, Envigado, Itagüí and Sabaneta | 1 to 2.5 hours to Llanogrande or Rionegro |
| Rain plan | Indoors | Tent or covered terrace |
In residential towers, the salón social needs administration approval under Ley 675 of 2001, and the booking usually comes with its own rules and closing time. Villas in Llanogrande sit at least an hour from our kitchen, so the van leaves loaded with spare ice, gas and serving gear.
Most of our apartment parties happen in high-rises covered by our catering in El Poblado service, and in the hillside houses described on our page for catering in Envigado.
Party Menus
The best menu for a standing party is passed canapés early, one or two food stations in the middle, and a hot snack late. Plan 8 to 12 canapés per guest for the first two hours, then a station portion of about 150 g per guest.
Popular canapés include mini arepas de chócolo with quesito, beef carpaccio on plantain chips, shrimp ceviche in spoons, chicharrón bites with guacamole and caprese skewers. Vegetarian and gluten-free versions are made in separate batches and labeled on the tray, and our finger food catering page lists the full canapé range.
Stations give the party a center: a taco bar, a pasta station, a carving board of slow-roasted pork, or empanadas fried on the spot. After midnight, the crowd reaches for salchipapas, mini burgers, perros calientes or a pot of caldo de costilla, the classic Colombian cure for a long night.
Bar and Bartender Service
Yes, we supply bartenders, and you can choose an open bar or a bar by consumption. Either way, the bartender works from a drinks list built around the spirits and cocktails you pick.
We pour only spirits carrying the Antioquia department tax stamp, the seal that shows the bottle paid its liquor tax and is not counterfeit. Aguardiente, Colombian rum, gin, tequila and whisky make up the usual list, plus a signature cocktail with lulo or maracuyá.
If you would rather buy your own bottles, our bartenders chill, mix and pour them for you. One bartender looks after 50 to 75 guests, so most villa parties need two behind the bar.
Setup and Cleanup
We arrive 2 to 3 hours before the first guest and leave the home as we found it. That window covers unloading, building the bar and stations, heating the chafing dishes and a final walk-through with you.
Plates, flatware, glassware and chafing dishes are part of every staffed quote. If you need extra tables, high-top cocktail tables, chairs or a tent, we coordinate them through partner suppliers and itemize each one.
At the end, the team clears every surface, takes the trash and recycling away and packs leftovers for you when they are safe to keep. Used frying oil leaves with us for a registered collector, never down your drain.
Questions and answers
Private Party FAQs
Do you handle noise and building rules?
We follow them, but the host is responsible for getting the approvals. In a residential tower, ask the administración for written permission to use the salón social or terrace, share the agreed end time with us, and register our team and van at the portería. Music volume falls under Ley 1801 of 2019, the national police code, so we keep our own setup quiet and finish service on schedule.
Can you cater on short notice for a villa party?
Often yes, depending on the calendar: our standard lead time for a staffed party is 2 weeks, and inside that window we confirm what we can staff for your date. Drop-off party trays need only 48 hours, while December weekends tend to fill months ahead. Send the date, the villa's location and your headcount through the quote form and we will answer within 24 hours, Monday to Saturday.
Reserve your date
Book Catering for Your Private Party
Tell us where the party is, how many friends are coming and whether you want a bar, and we will send an itemized quote within 24 hours. Prefer email? Write to 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)