Self-Guided Pomaire Pottery and Empanada Day

Self-Guided Pomaire Pottery and Empanada Day is an independent half-day trip from Santiago to Pomaire, a small clay-pottery town about 60 km west of the Chilean capital in Melipilla province, within the Metropolitana de Santiago region. There is no tour operator: the day is organised by the visitor, who travels by public transport and chooses how long to spend in the shops and restaurants along Calle San Antonio, the main street of the town.

Getting there is straightforward. Buses leave from Terminal San Borja or Terminal Santiago toward Melipilla, and from there a local bus or taxi covers the remaining distance to Pomaire. Combined bus fares and lunch come to roughly CLP 20,000 to 30,000 (about USD 21 to 32) per person, making this one of the cheapest food outings from Santiago. The town is known for its handmade terracotta cookware, and the pottery shops on Calle San Antonio sell clay pots, bowls and plates of every size, many used locally for cooking and serving dishes such as pastel de choclo and cazuela.

Lunch is the food focus of the day. Restaurants such as Los Secretos de Anita (San Antonio 213) and Restaurant San Antonio (San Antonio 298) serve empanadas, famously oversized in this town, alongside Chilean country dishes served in clay vessels. The balance is firmly savoury, with fruit juices and simple desserts as accompaniments. Nothing is included in advance, so guests pay for fares, meals and any pottery as they go. Weekdays are quieter than weekends, when families from Santiago fill the restaurants and stalls. Most vendors prefer cash, and the main street is flat and walkable, making it manageable for a relaxed pace. Fragile pottery purchases should be wrapped carefully for the bus ride home, and visitors planning to bring back larger pieces should allow for the weight.