Chef José Luis Calfucura and chef Iván Zambra identify as chef Mapuche and chef de Tongoy respectively, representing a pair of Indigenous cultures; they work together at Amaia in Maipú, which features a tranquil white dining room and country-style patio. From the Tongoy side of the menu, try the tártaro de jaiba (crab in a lemon dressing), while dishes from the Mapuche include charwua poñy (grilled fish with potatoes) and ensaladilla (tomato, onion, and cilantro salad dressed with olive oil). Try the picoteo Mapuche, which comes with katutos (broken wheat), muñoquin (legume bread), beans, and french fries, or go for the peucayal charwita, a fish fried in creamy puffed wheat that’s served alongside ceviche. Calfucura’s Chaltu, a Mapuche seafood restaurant, is on the second floor of the same strip mall.

For over a century, the Anaya family has run this restaurant, where customers sing along to Chilean folk songs and feast on regional dishes surrounded by storied walls overrun with a beautiful jumble of folklore, old photos, and old-timey knickknacks. There’s no menu — just a dozen or so dishes that vary from day to day; you might find porotos con rienda (a stew of beans, pasta, and chorizo), costillar (pork ribs with potatoes and salad); or cazuela de chancho y chuchoca (a pork, potato, and cornmeal stew that warms the spirit). Sit at the communal tables and toast tablemates with a lorito (three-quarter pitcher) of chicha dulce (fermented grape drink) from Pupuya.

From humble origins selling food and drinks to the workers of Santiago’s nearby central station in the early 20th century, family-owned El Hoyo has grown over the generations into one of the city’s most beloved restaurants. Santiaguinos stop by El Hoyo when they want a taste of porky, rustic comfort, whether that means the famous arrollado (boiled garlic and spice marinated pork loin wrapped in pork skin) or pernil (irresistibly tender pork hock). Grab a seat and sip on a terremoto while you wait; El Hoyo is one of several restaurants that’s credited with creating the iconic cocktail.

When Santiaguinos want traditional Chilean fare done well they head to Ana María, a picada turning out the sort of dishes that are mostly only found in Chilean homes cooked by Chilean grandparents. From the bright yellow interior to photographs of Ana Maria herself with notable guests and other memorabilia tacked to the walls, the experience is steeped in kitsch. Thankfully, it’s the charming kind that makes your meal of pickled rabbit, plateada al horno (a Chilean preparation of brisket), stewed quail, or pillowy Chilean sea urchin all the more enjoyable.

Take a break inside the historic Palacio Pereira, a 19th-century neoclassical mansion, where this joint venture by actress Dominique Beaumont and art historian Amira Osorio serves organic coffee. The coffee shop sources fine beans from small producers in Peru, Colombia, Brazil, and Honduras for espressos, macchiatos, cortados, and various filtration methods. Sip your choice with medialunas and alfajores. Or stay for a La Huérfana sandwich, a vegan take on a chacarero made with creamy mushrooms, green beans, and tomatoes on a ciabatta roll.

From the old men playing Chilean drinking songs on the accordion to the walls covered in peeling murals, day-drinkers’ signatures, and drunken messages, La Piojera is an experience all its own. The lively watering hole is the city’s original dive, famous for one drink: the terremoto. Translating to “the earthquake,” this classic celebration cocktail, made with pineapple ice cream, sweet white wine, and fernet, is basically the Chilean version of a pina colada — and too many terremotos is just as likely to land you with a hangover. Sop up the sugary booze with a plate of the classic Chilean drunk food chorrillana (egg-, steak-, and cheese-covered fries) and you’ll at least stand a chance.

Often credited as the birthplace of the completo Italiano, or Chilean hot dog, this Plaza de Armas diner was opened in 1935 by Eduardo Bahamondes Muñoz, who brought the hot dog from the United States to Chile. Served in a lengthy, house-made bun, a Viennese sausage is dressed in the colors of the Italian flag in the form of chopped tomatoes, creamy avocado, and the locale’s proprietary potato mayonnaise. There are other tempting bites in the restaurant’s display case too, including slices of pizza churrasco completa: tomato and green olive pizza topped with steak, tomatoes, creamy avocado, and of course, mayonnaise.

This wonderfully kitschy restaurant and bar centered around a picture of the patron saint of misfits, Sarita Colonia, is all about taking Chilean flavors and having fun with them in unexpected ways. Dishes that showcase a hybrid of flavors and techniques from Peru, Asia, and America, like the mac and jaiba, a play on the Chilean crab pie pastel de jaiba, and a fresh scallop take on oysters Rockefeller, are what make dining at Sarita Colonia so fun and surprising.

In Santiago, the debate over who makes the best pisco sour can get very real. But most agree there’s no better place to sample the South American brandy than at Chipe Libre in Lastarria. Home to the country’s largest collection of pisco, the geographically organized north-to-south flight is a great way to educate yourself on the subtleties and regional differences of the country’s favorite spirit. Grab a seat in the outdoor garden and nibble on some octopus and tuna ceviche in between sips for the full Chipe Libre experience.

The young and the cool swarm Santiago’s original wine bar, located in the lively central barrio of Lastarria. The stylish space is home to 400 different Chilean wines (more than 40 of which come by the glass) and a creative menu of small plates broken up into tasting notes such as iodized, citrus, and herbaceous to match the wines. (Swing by the group’s second outpost, La Mision, for their famously extensive collection of some of Latin America’s best examples of grape diversity and winemaking style from Uruguay, Peru, Bolivia and beyond.)

Sanguchería history runs deep in Santiago, but with a new wave of young chefs embracing the cuisine, the classics are getting redefined in new and exciting ways. Among the best to tackle the cuisine and make it its own is José Ramon 277 in barrio Lastarria. Inside this casual sanguchería, you’ll find the young and cool sipping on pints pulled from 12 taps of Chilean craft beers while they pick at pichanga (cubed pork snout with pickled cauliflower, carrot, and olives) and wait for their food. The restaurant’s take on the lengua sandwich is a local favorite, but the plateada (brisket) is worth just as much attention. The mechada (slow-cooked beef) sandwich may seem typical, but the surprising addition of a sweet corn pastel de choclo, mixed with olives, caramelized onions, and fried egg, makes it stand out.

Inside a century-old home, where the walls are covered with a busy mix of general store supplies, pastels, floral designs, and kitsch, chef Javier Avilés Lira takes a modern approach to a beloved institution. The pulpería delivers a passionate play on the seasons, offering four entradas, four fondos (main dishes), and a pair of desserts. Dishes offer dramatic flavors of the Chilean coast, like cream of clam and cuttlefish animated by drops of chive and aji merquén oils, or a mix of clams and Chilean abalone under a dark green canopy of pureed avocado, crisp sea beans, and pickled cucumbers. Finish with mushroom ice cream sweetened with fermented honey over mote suflado, a crispy, puffy version of popular Chilean husked wheat.

Chile’s own version of loaded fries, la chorrillana, is said to have originated in Valparaíso during the ’70s as an affordable, filling bar snack. Inside this cozy, brick pub, patrons can choose from 11 different chorrillanas, including the classic Bellavista combo of fries layered in carne mechada (shredded beef), onions, cheddar cheese sauce, and chopped bacon. There are a pair of vegetarian options and the Santo Domingo layered with seafood. All the hearty renditions are perfect excuses for another round of schops (beers on tap), Chilean wines, or chicha (fermented grape drink).  

Serving the ancestral food of the Mapuche and Aymara Indigenous peoples of Chile, Peumayen showcases ingredients and cooking techniques that even most Chileans are no longer familiar with. Surrounded by traditional woven tapestries and Native religious icons, diners dig into plates of horse meat cooked on hot stones, crispy tentacles of fried seaweed, araucaria araucana (the nuts of the monkey puzzle tree), and alpaca.

The flavors of Isla Grande de Chiloé in southern Chile are on the table at Juan Cataldo and Sandra Chávez’s charmer, set in a family-friendly tavern in Barrio Italia. At their previous location in Barrio Yungay, the couple became known for their specialty: pulmay, a Chiloé-style soup enriched by pork ribs, longaniza, potatoes, chicken, clams, and two types of Chilean mussels. The daily chalkboard menu of southern dishes features items like caldillo de mariscos (shellfish soup), a creamy pastel de jaiba (crab pie), and fried empanadas de cochayuyo (a stew of Chilean seaweed). 

A colorful facade, red- and white-checkered tablecloths, and paintings covering every inch of available wall space make Bar Liguria an endearing space for traditional Chilean comfort food with a side of bohemian vibes. Sopaipillas (classic deep-fried breads made with pumpkin) served with fresh pebre (traditional Chilean salsa) are a great way to start the meal before moving on to traditional dishes like ossobuco stewed in black beer or pastel de choclo chilote, a classic sweet corn and beef pie.

Billed as new Chilean cuisine, chef Manuel Balmaceda’s contemporary bistro was part of an exciting wave of new dining when it opened in the Providencia neighborhood in 2022. Raw chochas (shellfish) and erizo (sea urchin) mix in a simply gorgeous dish of bright contrasts with cilantro granita, aji verde, and sea beans in a mild citrus sauce. The chopped Chilean abalone, dressed with spicy radish and abalone mayonnaise, dazzles on exquisite ceramic plates with finely diced asparagus, avocado, and chives. Another visually stunning plate is the cured, cold-smoked albacore tuna belly, arranged in a ring around a creamy seaweed, dill, and roasted aji verde beurre blanc with tapioca chips. The short menu is paired with top Chilean wines.

Partners in life and in business, chef Carolina Bazán and sommelier Rosario Onetto placed an open kitchen at the center of Ambrosia, which attracts locals on a budget with its minimalist lighting, rotating menu that invites spontaneity, and Chilean natural wines. Their brand of bold yet approachable haute cuisine is clear in the langoustines sauteed in bisque or the fish tartare mixed with powerful sea squirts and topped with leche de tigre granita. The menu might also feature pasta vongole, a katsu sandwich, or Chilean abalone with a reduction of its own stock and pesto. Anything goes at this destination for fine dining at a modest price.

Chef Nicolás Tapia put in time cooking at some of the world’s top kitchens — including Quintonil (Mexico City), Lasai (Rio de Janeiro), and Taubenkobel (Austria) — before opening his own restaurant, which has become the most sought after reservation in Santiago. With only 20 seats spread over five tables, Tapia offers tea-driven cuisine: 10 courses steeped in Asian flavors paired with distinctive teas from around the world. Tasting menus can include barbecued medusa fish in a marinade of sake-spiked ponzu, fried seafood rice made with local catch, or wok-fried caracol trumulco (Chilean sea snail) with broad beans, mint, and pomelo. In a country where tea is like a religion, Tapia’s menu might be the most Chilean dining experience to be had.

Chef Sergio Barroso, an alum of El Bulli and Santiago’s own Restaurante 040, opened his modern seafood restaurant inside the 45 by Director hotel. The elegant, contemporary dining room is decked with flared columns and accented by lime green chairs. The first Leed-accredited zero-waste restaurant in Latin America, Olam serves dishes like llauna de chipirones (rice with squid) in a pan with dots of black garlic, while items like fideuà, served with rock lobster from the Juan Fernández Islands, show off Barroso’s Spanish roots. Check out the confit artichokes stuffed with wagyu osso buco and the tomato-ginger gazpacho with strips of cured great pompano.

When Boragó first opened in 2006, fine dining in Chile almost exclusively meant European cuisine. But after cutting his teeth at Spain’s two-Michelin-starred Mugaritz, chef Rodolfo Guzmán returned to Santiago to open the city’s haute venue dedicated to Chilean cuisine. Dinner at Boragó comes in a tasting menu of beautifully minimalist dishes, like fresh, sweet shrimp with foraged maqui berries or tender lamb cooked in the Patagonian al asador style. Boragó is a regular of the Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

The most exciting contemporary Chilean seafood restaurant is now under the helm of chef Ignacio Ovalle (formerly of Origen Bistro and Ópera), who serves plates of fresh fish and shellfish over white tablecloths. Indulgences such as poached Patagonian king crab seasoned with olive oil, chopped sea beans, and lemon peel, or grilled pink cusk eel in garlic butter litter the enticing menu. But the star of the show is the namesake La Calma, a loaded seafood platter that offers a deep dive into Chilean waters with oysters, a variety of clams, assorted sea snails like limpets, local fish, scallops, and sea urchin.

The Santiago location of South America’s collection of upscale Osaka restaurants is one of the best places to try Japanese Peruvian Nikkei cuisine outside of Chile’s northern neighbor. Thanks to the exceptional seafood coming from Chile’s diverse 2,600-mile coastline and the incredible talent in the kitchen, Osaka is one of the hardest tables to score in the city.

Some of the best empanadas in town are baked in a converted, olive-green utility shed outside a home in Villa Macul. Since September 2020, Donde La Nonita has served a menu of over 20 different trapezoidal empanadas, mottled with light brown blisters and generously filled with surf and turf. Start with an empanada de pino, a juicy, uniform blend of ground beef, hard eggs, chopped onion, and olives that match the house paint. Then try the mariscos (mixed seafood), pollo crema (chicken with cream and cheese), jaiba queso (crab and cheese), or the signature La Nonita, a union of pork loin, cheese, and caramelized onions. 

Get your ticket to chef Benjamin Nast’s modern Chilean restaurant, set under a carnival-esque big top where delicious “madness” is served on a plate and fire breathers, aerialists, and magicians entertain dinner guests. Start with a platter of local oysters inspired by Thai, Mexican, and Japanese flavors, paired with one of Fabian Reyes’s breathtaking cocktails like the Demasiao’, a highball of Chambord, ginger syrup, ginger beer, and pomelo juice. The small plates menu includes fish tiradito in ponzu, Tacos Dementes (cold, Nobu-esque tacos of citrus-cured Chilean rockfish with avocado cream in a crunchy wafer tortilla), and arroz de langostinos (grilled langoustines over a weave of red rice and caramelized socarrat). It’s also a great place to grab a burger and a glass of Casas del Bosque pinot noir.

From a bar that glows in Campari red, esteemed bartenders Matías Peredo, Fernando Costa, Matías Supan, and Rodrigo Otaiza offer the promised seven Negronis, but those are just a gateway to their ingenious menu of cocktails highlighting the flavors of South America. There are also Italian recipes with Chilean twists like risotto croquettes, carpaccios, and tortellini with carne mechada (Chilean pot roast). Besides the beloved Florentine cocktail, mezcal margaritas, Speyside highballs, and Blue Hawaiians are mixed with a kind of reverence and sophistication that makes this a top bar in Santiago.

La Picanteria, the Peruvian export from acclaimed chef Héctor Solís, specializes in fresh fish sourced from the coasts of Chile, Peru, and Japan, with an ample showing of Santiago-specific dishes alongside the Peruvian staples. Choose from the open display of fresh fish and crustaceans kept center stage over ice, then pick your preparation from the chalkboard. While filets and other smaller dishes are available, the best way to experience La Picanteria is to order the whole fish in multiple preparations, from the unparalleled ceviche made from the belly to the crispy fried head drenched in a rich garlicky sauce. Top it off with an extra-large pisco sour for one of the best seafood experiences in the city. 

The bistronomy trend is largely responsible for Santiago’s recent status as an up-and-coming food city, and 99 is the beating heart of the movement and where the city’s chefs go to geek out. The technique-driven, minimalist operation focuses on foraged and well-sourced local Chilean ingredients in a chill, bistro-like environment. Helmed by Kurt Schmidt (who trained at Noma and Boragó), dinner comes in six or nine courses that rotate daily, sometimes including the signature Mushroom Textures.