Salento is one of the better places to eat in the Colombian coffee region. The local specialty is trout — farmed in the cold mountain streams — served grilled, fried, or in sauces. Most restaurants on Calle Real offer trout in various preparations. The other regional staple is the bandeja paisa: a platter of rice, beans, chicharrón, chorizo, ground meat, egg, and arepa. Heavy, satisfying, and filling enough to fuel a day's hiking.
The coffee, naturally, is excellent. Several cafes on Calle Real serve specialty espresso and pour-over from local farms, a significant improvement on the instant Nescafé that still shows up in much of Colombia's domestic market. Asking for a tinto (black coffee) will get you a small cup of locally grown, freshly roasted coffee.