Top 15 Restaurants for a Local Taste of the City
Cosmopolitan Santiago is a major capital in South America with a very distinctive setting, backed by the white peaks of the Andes. It’s a collage of traditional Spanish colonial architecture combined with contemporary design, complete with a slew of first-class dining options for urbanites both native and visiting.How to choose the best eats during a short visit to the city? We’ve curated top restaurant choices by areas in town where most of Southwind’s recommended hotels are located, based on excellence in the local and evolving Chilean cuisine that mixes Spanish heritage with classic native recipes as well as international influences and fusions. Meals are best when paired with a glass of internationally-known Chilean red wine.
If you have a specific restaurant from this list that you want to try, we advise that you check the websites or contact the restaurants directly for specific information as restaurant hours, menus and prices are constantly changing.
Las Condes
An upscale district of Santiago, known for its Apoquindo Avenue, also known as “Sanhattan” (Santiago + Manhattan)
Tierra Noble
For a taste of steak fresh from the parrilla (grill), try the first-class Tierra Noble, where grilled foie gras shares the stage with Easter Island tuna, along with other traditional Chilean cuts of beef. This is a real South American steak experience!
Tierra Noble website
Phone number: +56 (02) 2232-4797
Open every day, noon-4pm, 5pm-midnight
Address: Reyes Lavalle 3310 Esq. La Pastora, Las Condes
Price range: $$$
La Tasca de Altamar
A friendly seafood and mariscos (shellfish) restaurant, with all the flavor of fine seafood dining minus the pretense of a formal dining setting. Motherly servers with impressive English will point you to South America classics like ceviche de pescado pulled fresh from the sea.
La Tasca de Altamar website
Phone number: +56 (02) 2211-1041
Open Tuesday to Sunday, 12:30pm to 11pm
Address: Noruega 6347, Las Condes
Price range: $$$
Tiramisu
At this top Italian eatery in Santiago, not just the layered dessert is worth mentioning – it’s also said to serve up the best wood-fired pizza in the city. The heavy wood décor with fresco-style art sets the tone for a hearty Italy-inspired out. Terrace seating available.
Tiramisu website
Phone number: +56 (02) 2519-4900
Open every day, 14:45-4pm, 6pm-midnight
Address: Av. Isidora Goyenechea 3141, Las Condes
Price range: $$$
Osaka (at W Hotel)
This high-profile fusion restaurant has gained recognition as one of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2014. Driven by Chef Ciro Watanabe, the menu favors sophisticated Peruvian and Asian cuisine, but expands all over the culinary map. The atmosphere is casual, chic, and urban, located on the 4th floor terrace of the hip W Hotel.
Osaka website
Phone number: +56 (02) 2770-0081
Open Monday to Saturday, noon-3pm, 7:30pm-11:30pm
Address: W Hotel, Isidora Goyenechea 3000, Las Condes
Price Range: $$$$
Providencia
La Alameda (the city’s main boulevard) runs through Providencia, making it easy to amble along and take in upscale shops, restaurants, and luxury hotels
Astrid & Gaston
Peruvian celebrity chef Gastón Acurio founded his food empire in Lima. When Astrid and Gastón opened in Santiago in 2000, critics and gourmet food lovers alike scrambled like mad to get a reservation. In 2008, it was named the best restaurant in Santiago.
Astrid y Gaston website
Phone number: +56 (02) 2650- 9125
Open Monday – Saturday, 1-3pm, 8pm-midnight
Address: Antonio Bellet 201, Providencia.
Price range: $$$$$
Normandie Restaurant
Francophiles will get their fix at Santiago’s favorite French restaurant, Normandie. From its inviting façade to its wide selection of entrees to its list of dessert crepes, this escape into Europe is a real treat for the palate. Terrace seating available.
Normandie website
Phone number: +56 (02) 2236-3011
Open every day, 1-3:30pm, 8pm-midnight
Address: Providencia 1234, Providencia
Price range: $$$
The Aubrey Piano Lounge
Be wowed by talented ivory-tickling at one of Santiago’s most romantic dinner spots. The atmosphere is plush and elegant, and the personable pianist will come say hello. Order tapas or other simple but well-prepared menu items, and have a glass or two of fine Chilean wine.
Aubrey Piano Bar website
Phone number: +56 (02) 2940-2800
Open Monday-Saturday, 6:30-11:30pm
Address: Constitucion 317 (at the Aubrey Hotel)
Price range: $$$
Aqui Esta Coco
Chile’s finest seafood restaurant with showman chef Coco Pacheco at the helm. The restaurant exudes character with a variety of different themed rooms, including a boat-turned-table.
Aqui Esta Coco website
Phone number: +56 (02) 2410-6200
Open Monday-Saturday, 1-3pm, 7-11pm
Address: La Concepcion 236, Providencia
Price range: $$$$
Pipeno
For the most truly-Chilean experience possible, try this authentic Mesa Chilena. Here the signature dish is the chorrillana, with a base of home fries topped with egg yolk, sausage, sautéed onion, and other surprises. You haven’t visited Chile until you’ve experienced this dish!
Pipeno website
Phone number: +56 (02) 2378-3623
Open Monday – Saturday, 12:30-4pm, 8pm-2am
Address: General Flores 39, Providencia
Price Range: $$$
Other Restaurants of Note
Explore other nearby neighborhoods in Santiago, such as hip Lastarria, elegant Bellavista, and fashionable Vitacura, through a meal at one of these top restaurants:
BocaNáriz
This upscale wine bar in the Lastarria district is beloved by locals for its extensive wine collection as well as its tapas and tasty menu items from appetizers to desserts. Knowledgeable, attentive staff will pair and explain the flavors and textures. When in doubt, try the tasting menu.
BocaNáriz website
Phone number: +56 (02) 2638-9893
Open Monday – Saturday, noon-midnight, Sunday 7-11pm
Address: Avenue Jose Victorino Lastarria 276
Price Range: $$$
Panko
Craving the best sushi in Santiago? Panko is the place to go. Sushi here can either stay true to Japanese form, or take on special South America-inspired variations. A small portion of the menu is dedicated to classic rolls, while the rest gets a little wild with creative fusions. The signature Panko roll has touches of flair like rocoto jelly.
Panko website
Phone number: +56 (02) 2664-8280
Open Monday – Saturday, 1-3:30pm, 7-11pm
Address: Avenue Jose Victorino Lastarria 53
Price range: $$$
Como Agua Para Chocolate
Get ready to melt. This Bellavista standout started out focusing on the aphrodisiacal qualities of food but has since shifted to more standard Chilean dishes. It is, however, still one of the most popular eateries in this part of town, though it’s more traditional than experimental.
Como Agua Para Chocolate website
Phone number: +56 (02) 2777-8740
Open every day, 1pm to midnight
Address: Constitución 88, Bellavista
Price range: $$$
Boragó
Boragó raises eyebrows with a position on the lofty Top 50 Restaurants in Latin America list. Led by Chef Rodolfo Gusman, the restaurant is described as “a dialogue between nature and cuisine.” Boragó’s emphasis on natural Chilean techniques permeates everything on the varied and seasonal menu.
Boragó website
Phone number: +56 (02) 2953-8893
Open Monday-Saturday 8-11pm
Address: Avenida Nueva Costanera 3467, Vitacura
Price range: $$$$$
Mestizo
This restaurant, with its view over the Bicentenario park, is a bit out of the way but is well worth the trip. The restaurant’s design, with a roof supported on large boulders, makes the best of its setting, and the eclectic menu brings together some of the best of South American cuisine.
Mestizo website
Phone number: +56 (9) 7477-6093
Open breakfast, lunch, dinner, late night
Address: Avenida Bicentenario 4050, Vitacura
Price range: $$$$