Los Secretos de Anita (Pomaire)

Los Secretos de Anita is a restaurant on Calle San Antonio in Pomaire, the pottery town in Melipilla province roughly 60 km west of Santiago. It is known for freshly baked empanadas, particularly the empanada de pino, filled with minced beef, onion, egg and olive, and the empanada de queso, filled with melted cheese, both baked in an oven in the traditional manner. Beyond empanadas the kitchen serves traditional Chilean lunch plates, including pastel de choclo, the baked corn and beef pie, and humitas, steamed fresh-corn parcels wrapped in corn husks. The cooking reflects the town's criolla tradition, in which dishes are simple, filling and based on corn, beef and local vegetables. The restaurant sits on the main street at San Antonio 213, in the middle of the town's pottery shops, so it forms a natural stop for visitors who come to buy clay cookware. The dining room is informal and rustic, with a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere and moderate noise, rising at weekends when day-trippers arrive from Santiago. Dress is casual. Prices are in the mid-range, and empanadas offer a modest-cost way to eat well, while a full lunch plate with a drink is a larger spend. Lunch is the main service, daily, and visitors should confirm times on site. Reservations are not usually needed outside holidays, though holiday weekends and Sundays attract the largest crowds. Pomaire is reached by road from Santiago in about an hour, and many visitors combine the trip with a stop in nearby Melipilla. The restaurant suits travellers who want an unpretentious lunch of freshly baked empanadas and traditional plates during a half-day outing.