12 Best Restaurants in The Lake District, Chile

Start your dinner off right with a cool pisco sour at this fine dining, lakeside restaurant with great views. The cooking style is influenced in part by Basque cuisine, with its fish and other plates often accompanied by peppers, beans, and potatoes. It's mostly known for its seafood, but there are several other options on the menu. The restaurant fills up fast for dinner, so patience with servers is often needed. Come early or reserve a table ahead of time.

The older of Cotelé's two locations in the city (the other is at Rengifo 867), this restaurant has the look and feel of a typical quincho (barbecue), with wooden walls and tables with the grill in the middle. Here, it is strictly about meticulously preparing the best possible steaks. The waiter takes your order by showing you cuts of raw meat and asking you to choose from either a tender fillet, sirloin, or rib-eye steak. While you munch on a delicious sopaipillas con pebre (fried bread) and sip your pisco sour or red wine, the meat is cooked on a grill in front of you and then served with salad and potatoes. The result is a steak of world-class distinction.

This is a good place to eat barbecue, steaks, and chicken (and just that, as it's meat-only here). The design intrigues as well, resembling a galpón, which means "barn" in English. There are not a lot of good dining options in Osorno, but this is probably the best.

On the outskirts of town near the lake, this stellar restaurant serves exceptional steaks. The menu has good and generous barbecue plates (including wild boar, goat, and lamb); there is a nice variety of seafood and pasta dishes, too. Desserts like homemade ice cream and tiramisu are worth the extra splurge. Service, which includes the involvement of the owner, is also friendly and prompt.

About 20 minutes south of Futrono in the small town of Llifén, this may be the best place in Chile to sample Mapuche gastronomy. Everything cooked here by owner Margarita Leiva comes from organic gardens that she and her family maintain behind the restaurant. The restaurant is small with ordinary decor, but the food is out of this world. 

This riverfront institution is constantly packed with locals, which is always a good sign that you've come to the right restaurant. The Argentine owner Teodoro Poulsen serves beef and chicken in delicious Argentine parrilla style. Though the restaurant bills itself as the king of steak, you might consider the chicken (milanesa de pollo) instead. To do it right, order a bottle of wine from their excellent wine list to accompany your meal.

You may not want to eat anywhere else in Pucón after sampling the varied, well-prepared dishes at this centrally located cafe. The fresh pasta, made in-house, is rich and soft; the pizzas are out of this world. Slow-cooked ribs, salmon and shrimp risotto, and beef fillet in a strawberry and Merlot wine sauce round out the menu.

Midway between Puerto Octay and Frutillar, this countryside restaurant next to the lake has an all-you-can-eat buffet, with dishes that combine German and local Chiloé gastronomy. One of the most noteworthy options on the menu is carne de jabali, or wild boar meat. But the entire menu is worthy, including homemade integral bread, organic fruits and vegetables, and other meat and chicken dishes done up with regional flavors like quinoa and merquen, plus a plethora of cakes and desserts. You are likely to be stuffed to the gills upon leaving. Reserve your table ahead of time on weekends.

Founded in 1973, this Chilean-German seafood restaurant is located on the coast about 15 minutes west of Puerto Montt and is considered an institution in the area. The interesting decor and sea views are nice, but it's the beautifully prepared seafood and, in particular, the curanto that draws crowds. Fresh produce from the well-kept garden further makes lunch here a delight. Tour groups frequently fill the restaurant in summer, so reserve ahead.

The gourmet meals at Se Cocina, made with fresh local ingredients from the organic garden on-site, are excellent, but it's worth coming here for the experience alone. The food is prepared right in front of you at the open kitchen, which is next to the dining room tables. There are big windows with views out to the green hills and the lake, and the fireplace roars in winter. The stoves, one of which is a 1932 brick oven, are constantly in operation. Don't miss the exceptional microbrews made here.

This solar-powered, creative restaurant features fresh and organic ingredients. Breakfasts include homemade yogurt, free-range eggs, and Italian coffee, while lunch and dinner present everything from oversize empanadas and sandwiches to meat, fish, and pasta. You'll also find a few dishes from other places, like gnocchi stuffed with chickpeas and feta cheese. Vegetarians come here for the great salads and vegan plates too.