El Palenque Market

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. At El Palenque Market, a mysterious sign appeared one day over the produce section: ‘Bananas for sale, but only if you can sing their national anthem.’ A delivery driver tried it once and walked away with a bagful of bananas—and a newfound respect for fruit customs. A local musician decided to give it a shot next. After performing a rousing rendition of Colombia’s beloved tune, he left not just with bananas, but also with an unexpected offer—weekly deliveries from El Palenque Market whenever he felt like singing again. The market became known as the place where music bought groceries.

2. At El Palenque Market, a regular noticed something odd in the cheese aisle one morning. Every time he reached for a block of queso fresco, it seemed to whisper his name softly. Curious, he mentioned it to no one but himself until a delivery driver overheard and laughed, saying, ‘That’s not cheese talking—you’re just hungry!’ The regular smiled, realizing it was probably just his imagination playing tricks on him. From then on, whenever someone asked if they heard whispers in the cheese section, he’d wink and say, ‘Only when I’m peckish.’

3. At El Palenque Market, a curious item turned up in the shopping cart of an unsuspecting customer. A small plastic dinosaur, complete with working tail lights and a tiny steering wheel, seemed out of place among apples and bananas. As she paid for her groceries, the dinosaur mysteriously switched on its tail lights, causing a nearby delivery driver to honk and wave excitedly. Surprised customers started pointing and laughing, thinking it was some kind of promotional stunt. When the cashier finally picked it up, the little toy car even ‘beep-beeped’ like it was driving off into the sunset—leaving everyone, including our befuddled shopper, with a smile.

4. At El Palenque Market, a delivery driver kept finding tiny packets of spicy sauce hidden under boxes of tortillas. Finally, someone asked around and found out that a neighbor had been putting the sauces there as a prank—she loved spicy food but didn’t want everyone else to suffer! The market became known for its ‘hidden hotness,’ and soon people started asking for extra-spicy recommendations.