Are you planning a trip to Chile but don’t know anything about Chilean food? We don’t blame you: the country is famous for its incredible variety of gorgeous landscapes, but not for its gastronomy. Good news: Santiago, the capital city, has a wide variety of both local and international cuisine to offer.
Here is a short guide of what to eat and where, mixing local classics with a healthy dose of Peruvian and Japanese influence, among others.
Pastel de choclo
Chile’s most iconic dish, this is based on a variety of corn called choclo, which is slightly sweet. While there are many versions of this dish, the most typical consists of a purée of corn mixed with basil and coriander, ground beef, onions, a piece of chicken, hard-boiled eggs cut in quarters, and a few black olives.
Pastel de choclo is typically prepared in clay pots and cooked slowly in the oven. Most people add sugar on top to gratinate it, and serve it with fresh tomato salad as a side – and a glass of Chilean red wine such as Carménère.
This is quite a heavy dish that keeps you warm. Unfortunately, choclo can only be found in summer. So you basically get a heavy, winter-like dish while it’s dry and hot outside. But that doesn’t matter: it’s delicious!
The Best places to find Pastel de choclo in Santiago
El Galindo – One of the few places that serves it all year long (because yes, you can cook it, freeze for a few months, and warm it up gently in the oven – as long as you don’t use a microwave – it doesn’t affect the taste too much). The restaurant is always full. Don’t expect good service or anything fancy though: this is simple, traditional Chilean food at its core.
Hostería Doña Tina – All the way to the East end of Santiago, this huge restaurant (it can host 600 hungry eaters!) was set up by just one woman, Doña Tina, baking and selling bread. Her restaurant is now renowned internationally for her traditional cuisine, particularly her pastel de choclo. The only inconvenience for a tourist? You need a car to get there.
Empanadas
This is Chile’s favorite snack/appetizer/street food. While you can find empanadas (a pastry dough stuffed with a variety of ingredients) in several South-American countries, the recipes are different in each. In Chile, the specialty is empanada de pino, which, by the way, has nothing to do with a pine tree!
Pino is a mix of ground beef and cooked onions, with a couple of olives and a quarter of hard-boiled egg, which altogether create the empanada filling. Once cooked in the oven, it resembles a mini version of the Italian calzone.
Another local favorite is empanada camaron-queso, which is stuffed with shrimp and cheese. And instead of being baked in the oven, these are fried. And there are many other varieties, including some vegan empanadas, and even sweet empanadas for dessert!
The Best places to find Empanadas in Santiago
Everywhere! This is Chileans’ go-to snack. It’s even sold at gas stations! However, in (too) many places, they re-eat them in the microwave, which is bad because the empanadas lose their crispiness, and it often remains cold inside. There are literally tens of thousands of places to get them in Santiago alone.
For this reason, every year, a very official contest takes places with chefs and food critiques to choose the best empanada de pino in the city. This year’s winner: Amansadería Rosalia, which is like a bakery, but specialized in empanadas. However, you don’t need to go all the way there.
The local bakery chain San Camilo, which has close to 60 shops across the city, is recognized for making and selling good empanadas. Probably the easiest way to go! Finally, in the heart of the Historical center, Emporio Zuniño and El Rapido are two classic, traditional places to get empanadas. One last tip: there is always a queue at Emporio Zuniño: it’s better to avoid peak time (1pm to 3pm).
Completo, Italiano and Other Sandwiches
The Chilean version of a hot dog (and an improved version, if you ask me!), completos is the most popular sandwich in Chile. What makes it different – and arguably better – is the fact that a good amount of mashed avocado is added to the sandwich. And when the toppings include avocado, tomato (or ketchup) and mayonnaise, it is called Italiano, as it represents the colors of the Italian flag.
The completo is such a big deal in Chile that it has a day for itself, Día del Completo.
Anther popular sandwich is the churrasco, which is similar to completo but, instead of a sausage, it is made with thin slices of grilled steak. Then, you have Barros Luco, which looks a bit like an American cheeseburger, with thin slices of grilled beef steak topped with cheese and served inside various buns or fresh bread rolls.
And if you want to raise the ante, say hello to the chacarero. It is similar to Barros Luco, but comes with additional layers of green beans, tomato slices, tomatoes and hot chili peppers. And you can also add mashed avocado into it.
The Best places to find great sandwiches in Santiago
El Portal (ex-Bahamondes) – While there are many places to choose from, why not go to the one where it all started? Rumor has it that El Portal is the birthplace of the completo. It’s original owner, Eduardo Bahamondes, had just discovered the hotdog after a trip to the US and thought it would be a big hit in Chile. However, he decided to add other ingredients in order to “complete” it – hence the name.
Confitería Torres – They claim this is where the Barros Luco was invented. This very classic restaurant, located downtown Santiago near the presidential palace, has been open since 1879 and is the oldest in the city! This is also a good place to try another local favorite, locos mayo.
Ceviche
Ceviche is from Peru, right? Well, yes.
However, it is also a staple of Chilean gastronomy, especially on the northern and central coast. Ceviche is a preparation of raw fish, marinated in lemon juice with onion, olive oil, coriander and bell pepper. That’s the basis. While there are many different variations for this dish, one that stands out in Chile is the ceviche con palta.
Avocados being so omnipresent in Chilean gastronomy, there had to be a version of ceviche that included avocados chopped into small cubes. Another variation is to have a mix of fish and shrimps instead of just the fish. Paired with a glass of fresh Chilean white wine, it’s even better!
The Best places to find ceviche in Santiago
La Mar– This is a seafood restaurant in a fancy area of Santiago, which is known, among other things, for their ceviches. But there is much more to it than this. More fancy and expensive dishes, like their centolla (king crab) from Patagonia, are worth the try if you can afford them.
ChiPe Libre – A fusion of Peruvian and Chilean gastronomy, where the highlights are their ceviche, and their pisco. Pisco is a distillate of grapes, produced in both Peru and Chile, who are fighting over the fatherhood of this emblematic spirit – and the ensuing pisco sour, the national cocktail in both countries. The owners of ChiPe Libre decided to bring both sides together, with their restaurant dedicated to the best of each country – in the plate, and in the glass.
Machas a la Parmesana
Chileans love seafood with cheese. They have pastel de jaiva, that is mixed crab with cheese, and empanadas de camaron-queso, which we already talked about. But this dish takes it to another level: Machas a la parmesana consists of razor clams topped with parmesan cheese quickly broiled together in the oven.
A little bite of white wine and spices can be added to give it a little kick. This dish is always served as an appetizer, along with a glass of white wine, and is on the menu of many, many, many traditional restaurants.
The Best places to find Machas a la parmesana in Santiago
La Calma – This place is all about fresh seafood and fish. We could also have listed it for the ceviche as well. There is great variety on the menu, and, as the name of the restaurant states, the whole idea is to take it easy, relax, and enjoy the food. In a nutshell: great place, but on the expensive side.
El Ancla – A well-established Peruvian restaurant in Santiago, famous for their machas a la parmesana, among other dishes. Great fish and seafood across the board. Good service, reasonable prices, and good pisco sour as well! And speaking about Peruvian food…
Peruvian Food
Peruvian culinary cuture is praised and appreciated all across South America. Santiago is no exception, and the largest contingent of foreign restaurants in the city are Peruvians.
Chileans typically like to order classic Peruvian dishes such as aji de gallina (a preparation of chicken in a sauce) or lomo saltado (beef with salted potatoes and vegetables) – and ceviche, of course.
The less nationalists among the Chileans will also enjoy the Peruvian of pisco sour, which is the national drink in both countries. And for dessert, suspiro limeño, a very sweet yet airy cream whose texture is similar to a mousse, remains the most classic choice amongst Chilean foodies.
The Best places to find Peruvian food in Santiago
Machu Picchu – One of the pioneers of Peruvian gastronomy in Chile, this classic restaurant offers all the typical preparations from Peru. And I know we have already covered ceviches, but Machu Picchu distinguishes itself for their “Exotic” ceviches, one of them being prepared and served inside a pineapple, for instance!
Sarita Colonia – A gourmet touch on typical Peruvian food. Located in trendy Bellavista district, it has become iconic with the artistic community and the LGBTQ+ scene, to the point that it’s nicknamed “Cocina Peruana Travesti”, meaning “Transvestite Peruvian Cuisine”, for its extravaganza – both artistic and gastronomical.
Sushi
In a country with such a long coastline, with people used to eating raw fish with the traditional ceviche, it makes sense for sushi to be quite popular in Chile. However, it’s been tweaked to adapt it to local taste and local ingredients.
Most of the popular rolls here feature avocado, a staple of Chilean food, as well as Philadelphia cheese. Hot rolls with cooked ingredients are also very popular. In short: there is not much Japanese tradition left in it, but it’s very good!
The Best places to find good sushi in Santiago
Osaka – A high-end Japanese restaurant in the fancy, modern part of Santiago. There is more to it than the classic sashimi, nigiris and makimonos: Osaka is what we call a Nikkei restaurant here, mixing Japanese and Peruvian gastronomy at its best.
Restaurant Japon – One of the first sushi restaurants in Chile, opened in 1978. It’s still considered one of the very best of its kind, with Japanese cooks and traditional Japanese dishes.
Surfing on their success, the owner of the original restaurant, located in the historical center and with reasonable prices, have opened a second one in Vitacura area, fancier and more expensive. But we recommend you go to the original one, take of your shoes, get on the tatami and have some fresh sashimi.
Arepas
Many Colombians and Venezuelans have migrated to Chile, bringing with them one of their most “exportable” culinary tradition: the arepas. Chileans love their sandwiches, either completos or empanadas, as well as good old burgers.
So it’s no surprise that arepas are a hit here as well. Arepas are sandwiches made with a round, flat bread, that is widely open to fit as-much-as-you-can inside (typically black beans, white cheese, rice, and more…)
The Best places to find arepas in Santiago
Arepas parlors have become almost as common as empanadas. However, it’s hard to recognize the good from the not-so-good from the outside. Picandoarepas, centrally located in Providencia district, is famous for the huge amount of filling they manage to fit in their bread.
And if you want to have more options than just arepas and have proper seating, we recommend Papelon Sabroso, which offer a wider variety of Venezuelans dishes such as cachapas, which are tortillas filled with corn, cheese, and meat. Bonus: they are located in the lively boheme district of Barrio Italia.
And on the sweet side
Alfajores
This is Chile’s favorite pastry – although it happens to be Argentina’s favorite dessert as well, and is found in many other Spanish-language countries. The way to prepare them varies from one country to another. The Chilean alfajor is usually composed of two light, crispy biscuits made with egg yolks and corn starch.
The two biscuits are stuck together by a layer of manjar, aka dulce de leche, a kind of soft caramel. Then, the alfajor can be coated in dark chocolate or covered with coconut powder.
They are very popular as a sweet snack or along with tea. As for the filling, even though dulce de leche is the favorite, you will find alfajor filled with marmalade or chocolate.
The Best places to find alfajores in Santiago
Just like empanadas, alfajores are to be found in most bakeries. There isn’t one in particular to recommend. However, it you come across a brand called Oveja Negra (literally Black Sheep), these are some of the best you can find, hands down. The chocolate factory Varsovienne, which has several shops in the city, also makes very good alfajores.
Helados
Santiago’s climate is hot and dry for half the year: no wonder ice creams are so popular there! However, Chileans love ice cream so much that they have it all year round, even when it’s cold.
Here, you will find some interesting local flavors, some of them made with tropical fruits such as chirimoya (prickly pear) or manjár-lúcuma. Lúcuma is a Chilean-Peruvian fruit, rather dry and uneasy to eat by itself; however, mixed with manjár, it brings a nice toffee-like taste to the table.
The Best places to find good ice cream in Santiago
Emporio La Rosa – Once voted one of the best ice cream parlors in the world, Emporia La Rosa has quickly built a tiny icy empire, opening many shops in Santiago and beyond. They even ofter warm meals in some of their locations.
We recommend going to the very first parlor they opened, in Calle Merced, at the corner of Parque Forestal. Orange with ginger, Chocolate Araucano, or the very refreshing Lemon-mint-basil are among their most iconic flavors.
Gelato Xocolat – Recognized for the smooth creaminess of their ice creams, they work with fresh produce only, which means that the menu changes along with the seasons. Among their iconic flavors are avocado ice cream, lemon with condensed milk, and mango-oregano. Beside ice creams, they also bake brownies that are known for their softness and tastiness.
Mote con Huesillo
Officially, this is a drink. But in our opinion, there are way too many solid elements in it, making it more like a regular dessert. We will let you decide. Mote con huesillo is basically a dried peach that is put back in its juice mixed with caramelized sugar, water and a hint of cinnamon. It creates a kind of syrup, in which you add a fair amount of cooked mote, a local type of barley.
This “drink” is typically served on stands in the street, especially in summer. It is supposed to be refreshing… Honestly, you could have it for dessert instead, and aim for a glass of water along with it if you are thirsty.
The Best places to find good Mote con huesillo in Santiago
Cerro San Cristobal: Cerro San Cristobal is not a restaurant, neither a café, nor a pastry shop. It’s a hill that dominates the city of Santiago, whose top can be reached by funicular or cable car. You can also walk or bike all the way to the top. That’s where mote con huesillo comes into the picture: it’s a very popular drink/dessert to have once you have reached the top. Many different small parlors sell it there, with no one in particular better than another.
Paseo Ahumada: The historical center of Santiago also features a lot of street vendors, who have a tiny cart on wheels and prepare your mote con huesillo on the spot. While most of them are located on the walking streets, such as Paseo Ahumada, you will also find them on the main square Plaza de Armas and surrounding areas.
Don’t forget the rest of the country…
While Santiago, as the capital city, has a wide variety of food available, one thing to keep in mind is that Chile is a very long country with very different specialties between the North and the South, between the Atacama desert and the rainy Patagonia. In other woods, if you want to get a real taste for Chile, you need to leave the capital city and explore the rest of the country!
Related: Most Popular Chilean Desserts
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