Where to eat and drink in Santiago
Compared to other Latin American countries like Mexico, Peru, or Brazil, Chilean food doesn’t feel as well known globally – or at least not in Europe! So I was excited to explore the restaurants in Santiago and check out some local dishes.
These were our favourite places that we ate and drank in Santiago.
Where to eat and drink in Santiago
Oda
We stumbled across the restaurant in Lastarria and it happened to be the best place we ate in Santiago. We sat at a sunny table in the street and watched the busy neighbourhood while eating great food and drinking cocktails. The seafood at Oda was delicious and traditional dishes like machas con Parmesan and ceviche were other highlights. You may need to book, depending on when you’re visiting. It was busy on the Sunday afternoon we were there.
José Ramon 277
Another bar in Lastarria but this time more relaxed: Jose Ramon 277 serves a wide range of beers and huge sandwiches which you can enjoy inside the bar, not in the courtyard. Outside is another great place to watch the world go by on the busy streets of Lastarria and the fried fish sandwich is the perfect accompaniment to a michelada!
Micheladas Gratis
For more good micheladas in lots of locations across the city, Micheladas Gratis is the place to go. Their menu features lots of different and interesting flavours that often come with toppings including prawns and bacon. The michelada mix is free… you just pick your beer. We also had a huge plate of nachos with guac here which was surprisingly tasty and filling.
Jardín Mallinkrodt
This beer garden has a food market vibe to it with lots of different options for food and drink including sushi, burgers, and tacos. We came here at about 7pm on a Saturday night and it was still pretty quiet but the vibe was levelling up when we left at about 8:30pm. You could come here for the whole night, just to eat, or to stop in for a drink like we did.
The vibe was very local – there was maybe one other table of (what I assume was) tourists there at the same time as us. But it was another place that seemed to mainly play English-language music. In fact the whole feel of Jardin Mallinkrodt felt a bit more European inspired than some of the other places we ate and drank in Santiago.
Güeros
Close to Jardin Mallinkrodt in Patio Bellavista is Güeros. We stopped here and had some delicious tacos and beers. The restaurant is Mexican and not Chilean but, like all capital cities, you’ll find a wide choice of really good international food spots in Santiago.
Yuzu Sushi
Another non-Chilean really was Yuzu Sushi, a short walk from our hotel in Providencia. There’s quite a lot of sushi and Japanese food in Santiago and while this wasn’t the cheapest, it was well worth it. We ordered a selection of sushi rolls which each came as 10 slices so you get a lot of food for your money and the ingredients were really fresh and delicious. The taco roll, japonés roll, and dinámica roll were our highlights.
Planta Baja
This restaurant is in Valparaíso not Santiago, but it’s an amazing spot for traditional and local seafood. If you organise your own trip to Valparaiso and have a choice about where to eat then you should check out Planta Baja. It was quiet at about 12:30pm on a Wednesday afternoon and the staff were so friendly and helpful, and recommended their best dishes which did not disappoint! If your in Valparaiso, you have to eat some seafood and this is the place to do it.
Find out more about the best things to do in Santiago including day trips to Valparaiso here.
Simonetta Pizza
Okay it’s not traditional Chilean food – again – but when you need quick, good, and affordable food then these pizzas by the slice are a great choice. The flavours of the pizzas at Simonetta were interesting and delicious (the mushrooms were my fave) and you can eat in or takeaway depending on how much time you’ve got.
Find out more about how we spent five days in Santiago here, including day trips to wineries for more great drinking options.