All Restaurants in Santiago

By Leslie Brown

In general, Chilean food tends to be simple, but Santiago boasts some of the best seafood, national, vegetarian and international entrees in Chile. Those looking for a romantic dinner won’t be disappointed by the capital’s selection of fine foods. At the same time, cafés provide affordable, local meals for about $6.

A meal-of-the-day usually comes with a local main dish such as fried fish, a side such as rice, beverage and small dessert. At night, instead of eating Italian or Mexican, opt for Chile’s light specialty, once, served at most cafés in Santiago. (Once consists of a sandwich or bread, a type of cake, and coffee or tea.)

Groovy jazz, live music and laid-back atmospheres add to decent meals in restaurants around Barrio Bellavista and Barrio Brazil, Santiago’s central neighborhoods. Many locales with live music charge an entrance fee and require reservations on Friday and Saturday nights.

On the east end of town, elegant restaurants accompany expensive hotels. In Provencia and Las Condes neighborhoods, the traveler’s palette will water for the area’s top-notch Italian cuisine, fish and seafood. Don’t underestimate some restaurants’ classy air, either. You can sample delicious duck while viewing the city from atop a 16th-floor, revolving restaurant. These eastern sections of town also have French, Thai, Chinese and contemporary restaurants.

For those with less tolerable stomachs, many of Chile’s sit-down franchises, such as Tip y Tap, Buffalo and Cuernavaca, offer standard sandwiches for reasonable prices. In about 45 minutes you can eat a large beef sandwich with French fries and drink a pint of Escudo, a national beer. McDonalds, Burger King and other fast food restaurants are also available in most commercial areas.