9 Best Restaurants in Santiago, Chile

Simple but creative dishes using the best and freshest Chilean ingredients appeal to local office workers and visitors alike at this popular downtown spot, where lunch patrons often enjoy a sandwich or soup-salad combo. The menu changes seasonally, with dishes like chicken cashew curry and venison with caponata sharing menu space with grilled bass and chia polenta cake. The restaurant has a good cocktail list, and a short yet decent wine list and does upper-crust business lunches. It is open for early dinners (until 9 pm). Reservations are advisable for lunch, particularly for an outside table.

A haven with wine aficionados, trendy Bocanariz in Lastarria has Chilean fare, but it's best known as a superior place to sample vino chileno. Waitstaff at this tastefully designed and somewhat romantic venue are all sommeliers, and they serve 300 wines on any given evening, many by the glass or small pour. Sample a themed flight of wine, such as huaso named for the Chilean cowboy. The menu separates out food types by notes such as smoky, spiced, citrus, light, creamy, herbed, and sweet. Ask to see the cellar.

Concept meets Chilean ingredients (many of which are foraged from the Andes and the length of the coast) at this award-winning establishment, where diners enjoy a 15- to 18-step tasting menu that has sustainability at its core. One of Chef Rodolfo Guzmán's signature dishes is a spin on the curanto clambake from Chiloé, made with Patagonian rainwater and served in what looks like a small clearing in a tiny thicket. Naturally, such fine dining comes at a price; the tasting menu costs about 90,000 pesos. Add on 55,000 pesos for wine pairings.

One of Santiago's original quality coffee purveyors, Colmado is where you order a Colombian Chemex teamed with gourmet bites such as Spanish sausage and cheeses, regular and gluten-free sweets or tasty vegan sandwiches. Tucked inside a leafy courtyard, Colmado attracts local caffeine addicts and visitors alike; brunch is especially popular.

Originally inspired by Laura Esquivel's romantic 1989 novel Like Water for Chocolate, this Bellavista standout focuses on Chilean dishes made with "life, love, vigor, and passion" as per the book. Reserve the "bed table" if you want to be showy (it has a headboard but is not actually a bed).

Opened in 1879, this is the oldest restaurant still operating in Chile and remains one of the city's most traditional dining rooms, with red-leather banquettes, mint-green ceramic floors, and huge chandeliers with tulip-shaped globes. Classic dishes such as lomo al ajo arriero (sirloin sautéed with peppers and garlic) are menu staples; if you're after a quick bite, order the Sandwich Barros Luca, as this is where it was created. This restaurant also has a branch for snacks in the Centro Cultural La Moneda, and another on upscale Isidora Goyenechea in El Golf (Las Condes).

Opened by Peruvian culinary legend Gastón Acurio, this restaurant with a busy roadside location is bright and airy, with turquoise chairs and a white canvas roof over the terrace that mimics a boat's sails. For your palatable delight, tuck into Peru's emblematic ceviches—you're spoiled with choices due to the seven different varieties that you can enjoy at the fish counter. Note that the pisco sours here are among the best in Santiago.

Behind an anonymous-looking front door lies this charming restaurant, a short drive south of Santiago Centro. Choose your table from the various salons, including the adorable patio or a more private dining space, then pick your dishes from the short yet eclectic blackboard. Run by a husband-and-wife team, Chef Javier Avilés cooks seasonally and simply, allowing the ingredients sourced from small producers to shine. Starters might include wild boar with garlic flowers and yolk or jerky pâté while mains could be lamb with polenta and blackberries. 

This tucked-away two-story downtown lunch spot offers unmissable weekday set menus with appetizer, main dish, iced tea, and choice of coffee or dessert for 9,900 pesos. Dishes adopt modern spins on Chilean and international favorites, such as grain salad with mote (hulled wheat kernels), beef carpaccio, kidneys in cream sauce, or spinach-filled pasta. The kitchen takes a sustainable approach, so there are plenty of dishes that use offal. Vegetarians also have options here, though the protein dishes are more adventurous.