Food & Cuisine in Chile
When it comes to food, Chile is an easy country to love since food here is familiar to anyone from the Western world. The typical meal includes potatoes, meat, bread and rice. Vegetables are aplenty in the agricultural belt of Central Chile. And remember, portion sizes increase as one travels towards the south.
Travellers can dine at restaurants, cafes or pubs and experience local cuisine in places with a typically Chilean ambience.
This Chile restaurant guide gives a brief indication of what the traditional cuisine of Chile is, as well as what you are likely to encounter whilst dining out in Chile. Don't forget to have a look at our Chile shopping guide too, for great ideas on gifts, souvenirs and shopping options throughout the country. Find out about the local dining scene in:
Food & Cuisine in Chile
Thanks to its long coastal belt, there is a wealth of fish and seafood in Chile which make regular appearances on menus across the country. Chileans enjoy their shellfish raw, but be warned that as a tourist you should avoid indulging since red tides that impact shellfish are not uncommon. The country is the second largest salmon producer in the world and also farms other types of seafood like scallops, oysters, trout, turbot and mussels. Typically local fish are yellow fin tuna, swordfish (albacore), conger eel (congrio), flounder (lenguado) and sea bass (corvine).
There are many restaurants in Santiago to suit every palate and budget. It has some of the finest local cuisine in Chile, but if you're not feeling too adventurous there are plenty of international style restaurants serving up Chinese, Italian and even Japanese cuisine. How much you have to pay for a meal in Santiago really depends on where you're eating and what kind of cuisine you've picked. Food in restaurants of upper Santiago tends to be priced higher than in downtown areas like Las Condes, Vitacura and Providencia.
Sandwiches
Completo: Chile's answer to the all American hot dog. Filled with tangy mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, avocado (palta), tomato, chilli (ají) and sauerkraut (chucrut), the completo is a great meal to grab on the go. Ask for ‘un completo' for the basic version or ‘un italiano' if you're looking for one in the colours of the Italian flag made with just avocado, mayonnaise and tomato.
Lomito: These pork steaks come with all the usual trappings of a Chilean hotdog. Locals enjoy the Italiano, but Germans tend to favour the version which has just sauerkraut.
Chacarero: The churrasco or wafer thin beefsteak is served up with a delicious mix of fresh green beans, tomato, piquant green chilli/ ají verde and mayonnaise.
Barros Luco: This thin beefsteak with cheese is a hearty meal and was named in honour of Ramón Barros Luco, erstwhile President of Chile.
Choripán: A shortened form of the words Chorizo con Pan, this is basically a dish of spicy, seasoned chorizo pork sausages served with bread.
A typical Chilean recipe will combine a meat with either mayonnaise or avocado or both. Popular versions include the chicken based Ave palta mayo made with mayonnaise and avocado or the fine beefsteak combined with avocado in the Churrasco palta. Avocado is omnipresent in Chilean food and has become the norm in sandwiches - even those served up in fast food places.
Desserts
Sopaipillas in the north: This pumpkin filled fried pastry is a delicious treat that is a must have in Chile on a cold or rainy day. Served up with molasses or black treacle this is heaven in a bite. Typically 4 inches or 10 cm in size this circular pastry is eaten as a sweet in the north of the country beyond San Javier. In areas south of Linares it is made without the pumpkin filling and is eaten as a savoury snack instead of a dessert. Santiago natives like to eat sopaipillas both as a savoury served with a tangy mustard or as a dessert with a rich, sweet syrup.
If you like cheesecake, then the southern Kuchen de quesillo is just the thing to try. The word Kuchen originates from the German word for pie. The pie can sometimes be advertised as cújen, so look for this on the menu. Another great inheritance from the Germans is the apple pie or Strudel. Another interesting bready creation is the Berlín. This round dough ball comes with filled with crema pastelera or dulce de membrillo or manjar and is dusted with powdered sugar.
Another great food in Chile filled with condensed milk based manjar is the crisp and crunchy Cuchuflí Barquillo. The word Cuchuflí comes from the word cuchufleta meaning trickery; the tubes originally came with filling only on the outer ends with an empty centre - deceiving people into thinking the half empty tube was fully filled.
The verdant valley region of Central Chile is the agricultural centre of the country and fresh produce is aplenty in and around the towns and villages here. Fruit is a great way to finish off any meal and the locally produced peaches, oranges, watermelons, grapes, apples, strawberries, chirimoyas or raspberries are often the highlight of a meal in the area.
Drink
Wine: The home-grown varieties of wine in Chile are comparable to the wines of New Zealand, Australia and California. The locally produced reds - Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon as well as the Casablanca valley whites - are fast gaining popularity on global wine lists.
Mote con Huesillo: This summery drink is a sweet mix of huesillos or dried peaches and mote or wheat seeds. The drink is sweetened and served chilled from little stalls and stands in parks and on street sidewalks much like lemonade stands in other countries.
Chilean Pisco: This Muscat grape based brandy is manufactured under brands like Valle Elqui, Capel and Alto del Carmen which are popular with the locals.
Pisco Sour: This tangy yet sweet mixed drink is a heady blend of pisco, sugar and lemon juice.
Mango Sour: In addition to the more conventional sour, the pisco also tastes great combined with mango juice in this twist on the original.
When pisco is mixed with a cola and served up, it is called a Piscola.
The ideal drink for the romantic is Borgoña, which is red wine combined with fresh strawberries.
For a more tropical drink the Earthquake or the Terremoto is sure to rock your world! This white wine/pipeño based drink comes blended with pineapple ice cream.
The less adventurous will always have beer on tap to fall back on - in Chile you'd just need to ask for Schop. A beer mixed with a Fanta soda is a nice orangey drink for a hot day and is called a Fan-Schop. Escudo and Cristal are popular lager brands but Kunstmann and Royal Guard are especially good.
Remember! In Chile you need to have a licence to drink in public. This is unusual for a South American country, but be prepared to be hauled up if you're caught downing a few beers at a park or in a street. All stores selling liquor in Chile also need to close down by 3 am in the morning and can open no earlier than 9 am.
