Santiago / Valparaíso City Guides

(Updated 2015)

Santiago

DO NOT MISS:

• Bocanáriz. Our favorite place in Santiago, hands down. We were in town seven days and ate here three times (albeit a little sheepishly that last time). They have a very deep local wine list and serve single glasses and tasting sizes on a lot of it. The food is uniformly excellent and easy to share. My favorites were the duck confit, followed by the vodka-celery seafood ceviche bowl.

OTHERS:

• Sandwich restaurant: José Ramón 277. Found using my restaurant Spidey sense on a little street just around the corner from our apartment. This place was also worth a repeat visit. I very much enjoyed their lengua sandwich, and Karen raved about their vegetarian chickpea patty.
• Sandwich lunch counter: Fuente Alemana. The sandwiches here are *massive.* Chileans love them some sandwiches.
• Empanadas: Bombon Oriental. Their chicken empanada was the winning empanada for the trip. I'd pass on their baklava, though.
• Ice-cream: Emporio La Rosa
• Fancy French: Astrid y Gastón. We didn't actually end up eating here, as it was a bigger, richer meal than we were in the mood for that night. The location is sort of randomly in the middle of a suburb but the restaurant looked very nice and was recommended by Lonely Planet.

AVOID:

• Mercado Central: More like Tourist Trap Central. Do not eat at any of the restaurants here!

GENERAL NOTES:

Like in Buenos Aires, people eat late in Santiago - like, 10pm is a normal dinnertime. Places do also tend to be closed unpredictably, so call ahead to make sure they're open on the day and time you want to go.

Chile is known for its wine - I loved the Carménère, loved the Chardonnay - but don't forget to check out the budding microbrew beer scene, influenced by German immigration into Chile. Kuntsmann and Kross were both excellent.

A good foodie souvenir to bring back for yourself and friends is merkén - a Mapuche spice blend containing smoked peppers and coriander. Unlike pisco and wine, you can throw 10 packets into your carry-on bag, no problem.

For a non-food activity, I highly recommend the Los Dominicos Handicraft Village. Shopping in town is otherwise underwhelming.

ACCOMMODATIONS:

We stayed at the Lastarria Apart-hotel and loved it. Our apartment had two bedrooms, two full baths, a kitchen, and a HUGE private patio. The neighborhood is great, with most of the restaurants I mentioned above within walking distance. Highly recommended.

Valparaíso

DO NOT MISS:

• Ápice. Small, oft-updated menu, all local ingredients. Really sophisticated and intriguing flavor combinations. This place is tiny - make reservations.
• Chilean cooking class with Boris. Boris is a character. Very cheerful and campy (though I'm pretty sure we brought the latter out in him). He was also very flexible about the dietary restrictions in our group. The class includes shopping for materials in the market, which is always fun. We made ceviche, empanadas, pastel de choclo, and leche asada. Cocktails and wine are also included. Well worth the time and money.
• Bar de Pisco. Check out the national cocktail in all its forms here. If you ate dinner early, this place might be empty when you pass it. But don't be deceived - it fills up.

ALSO CHECK OUT:

• Café Vinilo: Diner with a sort of a retro, boho, Brooklyn vibe. I had a nice stewed rabbit here. They make their own beer.
• Pasta e Vino: Italian, on the fancier side.
• Norma's: Nice prix fixe lunch.
• Emiliana Vineyards. Its organic and biodynamic philosophy make for an interesting tour. They have lots of chickens and alpacas roaming around - very charming. And they make damn good wine too.
• Indomita Vineyards. The wine is average but it's worth a visit just for their stunning, stunning view. No need to take the tour here, just get a tasting and sit out on the patio.