When in Santiago, Eat What the Santiaguino Chef Eats
Hankering for some tried, tested and true Chilean nosh? Three of the city’s top chefs tell us what dish not to miss.
Benjamin Cienfuegos
Executive chef and owner, Cienfuegos Restaurante y Bar
The pastel de choclo (corn pie with meat) at Hostería Doña Tina. It’s the only true dish that comes from Chile that I’ve never seen anywhere else.
Tomás Olivera
Executive chef, Adra
The arrollado de cerdo (marinated pork rolled up in its skin), which is true huaso (cowboy) food, at some little picada like San Remo or La Copa Feliz.
Carlos García
Executive chef and owner, Fábula Restaurante
A chorrillana (sliced beef on a mound of French fries and onions, topped with fried or scrambled eggs), or the completo (Chilean hot dog) at Dominó.
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in Santiago
Our only dilemma at the Ritz-Carlton was choosing between its restaurants: chef Tomás Olivera’s Chilean oysters at Adra or the 365 different Chilean wines on hand at Wine 365?
El Alcalde 15, 56-2-470-8500, ritzcarlton.com
Perched between the Mapocho River and the green hills north of downtown, the San Cristobal Tower feels like it’s on a faraway island, but a walk across the river lands you smack bang in bustling Providencia.
Josefina Edwards de Ferrari 0100, 56-2-707-1000, starwoodhotels.com
in Santiago
Ask fun-loving Santiaguinos where to get a great Chilean meal, and they’ll invariably send you to Liguria, a sprawling eatery whose decor can only be described as garage-sale chic. Start with a plate of surf clams au gratin and a dish of snow crab claws in a spicy merken sauce before moving on to the main event – carne mechada, a meaty pot roast sure to put hair on your chest.
Various locations / Plusieurs adresses, liguria.cl
At Hostería Doña Tina, 68-year-old Doña Tina prepares such classic Chilean dishes as pastel de choclo (fresh ground corn with beef, chicken and basil) and cordero arvejado, a hearty lamb stew.
Camino Los Refugios del Arrayán 15125, 56-2-321-6546, donatina.cl
The city is your oyster. Mercado Central boasts the best of Chile’s natural plenitude; the steamed razor clams sold by fishmongers on site are worth the visit alone. Try the caldillo de mariscos (fish stew with local heirloom and sweet potatoes) at Cienfuegos, while at Fábula the ossobucco braised in coffee lets you know right away that you’re in for an eclectic treat. If today’s a sandwich day, take a stroll to Fuente Alemana, for a mayonnaise-heavy lomito (pork on a bun with fixings like melted mantecoso cheese, mashed avocado, ripe tomatoes and tangy sauerkraut). But if you’re into avoiding, rather than precipitating, a coronary, we suggest a big bowl of the classic fish dish, caldillo de congrio, at homey Galindo.
Cienfuegos Restaurante y Bar Constitución 67, restaurantecienfuegos.cl
Fábula Restaurante Marín 0285, 56-2-222-3016, restaurantefabula.cl
Fuente Alemana, various locations
Galindo Dardignac 098 esq. Constitución, 56-2-777-0116, galindo.cl
Angle des rues San Pablo et 21 de Mayo, 56-2-696-8327, mercadocentral.cl
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