Santiago is the capital of Chile, a city of about seven million set in a valley between the Andes and the Coastal Range, with a walkable historic centre, the Bellavista and Lastarria neighbourhoods, Cerro San Cristobal and a fast, clean metro.
Santiago's food scene runs from market seafood and set lunches to some of Latin America's best-known tasting-menu restaurants. Traditional plates (pastel de choclo, empanadas, cazuela) dominate the centre and Bellavista, wine bars and bistros cluster in Lastarria and Providencia, and fine dining and Nikkei cooking sit in Vitacura. Pacific seafood is the common thread, and Chilean wine from the Maipo, Casablanca and Colchagua valleys appears on almost every menu.
Must-try dishes
Iconic dishes that define Santiago.
Pastel de choclo
Baked corn crust over minced beef, chicken, egg and olive, served in a clay dish
Where to try: Galindo / Confitería Torres / Pomaire restaurants
Price: CLP 9,000-14,000 (~USD 10-15)
Empanada de pino
Baked pastry filled with minced beef, onion, egg and olive
Where to try: Pomaire / Los Secretos de Anita / La Piojera
Price: CLP 2,500-5,000 (~USD 3-5)
Caldillo de congrio
Light conger eel soup with potato, onion and cream, made famous by Pablo Neruda's ode
Where to try: Mercado Central restaurants
Price: CLP 12,000-18,000 (~USD 13-19)
Lomito completo
Slow-roasted pork sandwich with avocado, sauerkraut and mayonnaise
Where to try: Fuente Alemana
Price: CLP 6,500-9,000 (~USD 7-10)
Terremoto
Pipeño wine, pineapple ice cream and grenadine, a Santiago bar classic
Where to try: La Piojera / El Hoyo
Price: CLP 3,500-5,500 (~USD 4-6)
Barros Luco
Thin beef steak with melted cheese on a toasted bun
Where to try: Confitería Torres
Price: CLP 7,000-10,000 (~USD 7-11)
Merluza frita
Fried hake with pebre, a standard market lunch
Where to try: Mercado Central restaurants
Price: CLP 10,000-16,000 (~USD 11-17)
Top restaurants
Handpicked picks for the best dining experiences.
Boragó
Popular Chilean - endemic ingredients tasting menu restaurant in Santiago.
Known for: Single tasting menu of endemic Chilean ingredients
Av. San Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer 5970, Vitacura, Santiago
Peumayén Ancestral Food
Popular Chilean - Mapuche and ancestral restaurant in Santiago.
Known for: Indigenous Chilean ancestral cooking
Constitución 136, Bellavista, Santiago
Galindo
Popular Chilean - traditional bistro restaurant in Santiago.
Known for: Home-style Chilean plates
Dardignac 098, esquina Constitución, Bellavista, Santiago
La Piojera
Popular Chilean - traditional restaurant in Santiago.
Known for: Terremoto and classic Chilean pub food
Aillavilú 1030, Santiago Centro
Donde Augusto (Mercado Central)
Popular Chilean - seafood restaurant in Santiago.
Known for: Congrio caldillo and market seafood
Mercado Central, San Pablo 967, Santiago Centro
Fuente Alemana
Popular Chilean - sandwiches restaurant in Santiago.
Known for: Lomito pork sandwich
Av. Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins 58, Santiago Centro
Confitería Torres
Popular Chilean - classic restaurant in Santiago.
Known for: Barros Luco sandwich
Av. Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins 1570, Santiago Centro
Mestizo
Popular Chilean - contemporary restaurant in Santiago.
Known for: Park-side contemporary Chilean cuisine
Av. Bicentenario 4050, Vitacura, Santiago
Restaurants by cuisine
Browse picks grouped by cuisine type.
Chilean
Bocanáriz
Known for: Chilean wines by the glass
José Victorino Lastarria 276, Santiago Centro
El Hoyo
Known for: Roast pork pernil
Av. Condell 818, Providencia, Santiago
Emporio La Rosa
Known for: Artisan ice cream
José Victorino Lastarria 71, Santiago Centro
Bistro
Baco Vino y Bistró
Known for: Bistro cooking with Chilean wine
Nueva de Lyon 113, Providencia, Santiago
Chilean Home Cooking
Liguria
Known for: Chilean classics in a long-running Providencia bar-restaurant
Av. Providencia 1373, Providencia, Santiago
Chilean With Live Folk Music
La Casa en el Aire
Known for: Evening dining with live Chilean folk and Latin American music
Antonia Lopez de Bello 0125, Bellavista, Santiago
Japanese
Osaka Santiago
Known for: Nikkei cooking blending Japanese technique and Peruvian flavours
Av. Nueva Costanera 3969, Vitacura, Santiago
Peruvian
Sarita Colonia
Known for: Peruvian dishes and pisco sours
Loreto 40, Recoleta, Santiago
Seafood
Aqui Esta Coco
Known for: Seafood-focused Chilean cooking in a decorated Providencia house
La Concepcion 236, Providencia, Santiago
Traditional Chilean
Bar Nacional
Known for: Downtown lunch counter with fast service and a long traditional menu
Bandera 317, Santiago Centro
Vegetarian
El Huerto
Known for: Vegetarian and vegan cooking
Orrego Luco 054, Providencia, Santiago
Food tours & tastings in Santiago
Eat your way through Santiago with a guide.
Browse food experiences in SantiagoWe may earn a commission from bookings made through these links.
Street food
Local flavours at affordable prices.
Completo
Hot dog loaded with tomato, avocado and mayonnaise, sold at stands and late-night counters
Find it at: Centro and Bellavista counters
Sopaipillas
Fried pumpkin dough discs, served with pebre or as sopaipillas pasadas in sweet chancaca syrup in rainy weather
Find it at: Street carts across the centre
Mote con huesillo
Chilled drink of dried peach and wheat kernels, sold in summer
Find it at: Parque Forestal and Mercado Central
Chorrillana
Fries topped with beef strips, fried egg and onion, shared among groups
Find it at: La Piojera / Bellavista bars
Food markets
Where locals shop and graze.
Mercado Central
Santiago's historic iron-framed market for fish and seafood, with restaurants inside (San Pablo 967)
Hours: Daily, approx 7AM-5PM; confirm
La Vega Central
Large fruit, vegetable and spice market across the Mapocho river (Antonia López de Bello 743)
Hours: Daily, early morning to afternoon; busiest before noon
Mercado Tirso de Molina
Neighbourhood produce and food market near La Vega, used by local cooks
Hours: Daily, mornings are best
Dining etiquette & tips
Navigate the local food scene confidently.
Lunch is the main meal, around 1PM-3PM; many kitchens close between lunch and 7PM-8PM dinner
Chilean dinner starts late, often 8:30PM-10PM; arrive before 8PM for fewer queues
A 10% tip (propina) is suggested on the bill; it is voluntary but customary
Set lunch menus from CLP 8,000-12,000 (~USD 9-13) are the best-value meal on weekdays
Ask for 'pebre' on the side; it is the standard fresh salsa with bread
Lunch set menus ('menu del dia') at CLP 6,000-10,000 (~USD 6-11) are the best value in the centre on weekdays.
Many central restaurants close Sunday evening; Providencia and Vitacura have more Sunday options.
- Vegetarian
- Growing options; El Huerto is fully vegetarian and most Providencia and Vitacura restaurants list vegetarian plates
- Vegan
- Available in Providencia, Lastarria and Barrio Italia; traditional Chilean restaurants rarely have them
- Gluten free
- Ask for 'sin gluten'; restaurants in Vitacura and Providencia are most familiar with celiac requests
- Halal
- Very limited; few certified restaurants in the city
Food budget guide
What to expect at different price points.
| Level | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | CLP 6,000-12,000 (~USD 6-13) per meal | Set lunch menus, sandwiches at Fuente Alemana, empanadas and completos |
| Mid-range | CLP 18,000-35,000 (~USD 19-37) per meal | Traditional restaurants in Bellavista, Lastarria and Providencia with wine |
| Upscale | CLP 80,000+ (~USD 86+) per meal | Tasting-menu restaurants such as Boragó, with pairings |