Best Chilean Foods and Where to Find Them in Santiago, Chile

Chile may not be known for its cuisine, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be excited to sample some different food when you visit! The foods I’ll be mentioning in this post aren’t exactly fancy, but they are the typical things that I see people eating while perusing Santiago. I myself get particularly excited about Chilean desserts (see #4 & #5!).

Lomito – Fuente Alemana

Fuente Alemana, meaning “German Fountain” in Spanish, is one of the most typical restaurants in Santiago. There are two locations in the area: one in Providencia close to the Pedro de Valdivia metro station and the other between Baquedano and La Católica stations. “Lomo” is pork, leading a “lomito” sandwich to be the gigantic combination of a hamburger-like bun with pork slapped on top of it along with tons of avocado and mayonnaise. Yep, I’m unsure as to why they use the diminutive “-ito” to describe this whopper of a sandwich (see photo). Due to this restaurant’s German influence, you can even get “chucrut” (sauerkraut) on your lomito.

Completo Italiano – Dominó

Dominó is basically Chile’s version of a soda fountain shop, where you sit at the counter to order. I wouldn’t try to go during peak lunch hours (12:00 – 2:00 p.m.), because you most likely won’t even find a place to sit. Dominó is quite a big chain so you’ll be able to find these restaurants all over town, including locations by Manuel Montt, Pedro de Valdivia, and Tobalaba. The most popular fast food in Chile has to be the “completo italiano”, which is a hotdog covered in avocado, mayonnaise (are you noticing a trend?), and tomatoes. So why is this called “italiano” (Italian)? Let’s look again at the ingredients: avocado (green), mayonnaise (white), and tomatoes (red).

Barros Luco – Confitería Torres

Barros Luco is basically a more awesome version of grilled cheese. Per South American fashion, meat needed to be included into this dish. Confitería Torres in Santiago is home to the Barros Luco as previous Chilean president, Ramón Barros Luco, would frequent this restaurant and almost always request this order to be made especially for him. The combination of tender beef and melted cheese atop fresh-baked marraqueta bread is enough to make anyone’s mouth water (my apologies, vegetarians). Furthermore, Confitería Torres is one of my favorite buildings in Santiago for its old timey feel, making it Santiago’s version of Buenos Aires’ famous Café Tortoni.

Alfajores – Entrelagos

Alfajores are pretty much the best cookies of all time. While an alfajor may look pretty plain in comparison to a Funfetti cake or a chocolate chip cookie at first, wait until you bite into this sweet treat before making a final judgement. Manjar, also known as Dulce de Leche in other countries, fills the inside of this cookie, making it a bit of a sticky manjar sandwich. The cookies making up the top and bottom layers taste a bit like a sugar or butter cookie, and if you’re lucky, you can even find an alfajor covered in chocolate!

Torta de Mil Hojas – Pastelería Angélica

If you liked the manjar in the alfajor, just wait until you try a “torta de mil hojas”. I myself am typically not a huge fan of cakes in South America as they tend to include a lot of “mermelada” (jam). However, torta de mil hojas is the one cake in Chile that I can’t get enough of. “Mil hojas”, meaning “a thousand leaves” is representative of the shape of the cake, made up of very thin layers of cake and manjar. These thin layers create a wonderful sensation upon biting into this magical creation.

More Chilean Eats (and Exactly Where to Hunt Them Down in Santiago)

You’ve already met Santiago’s big five—lomito, completo italiano, Barros Luco, alfajores, and torta de mil hojas—aka the canon of everyday cravings. Now let’s level-up your food map with more dishes locals order. Think affordable, comforting, and wonderfully Santiago.

Savoury Staples You Shouldn’t Miss

Empanada de Pino
Chile’s national hand pie: a hefty, oven-baked triangle stuffed with seasoned beef, onion, a wedge of hard-boiled egg, a plump black olive, and sometimes a raisin or two.
Where: Old-school panaderías around Barrio Brasil and Yungay, or market stalls inside La Vega Central (Recoleta). Ask for it al horno (baked), not fried, if you want the traditional crust.

Pastel de Choclo
Think shepherd’s pie meets summer corn. A clay dish layered with pino (that same beef/onion mix), chicken, a hard-boiled egg and olives, all under a sweet-savory mash of puréed fresh corn that caramelizes on top.
Where: Family restaurants (picadas) in Ñuñoa and Maipú; seasonal favorite from December–March.

Cazuela
A clear, golden broth that arrives with generous chunks of beef or chicken, a whole piece of corn on the cob, squash, potato, and rice or noodles. It’s Chile in a bowl, especially on drizzly winter days.
Where: Menú del día diners around La Vega and fondas during national holidays (September).

Chorrillana
Post-museum or pre-concert fuel: a messy mountain of fries topped with sautéed onion, thin-sliced beef, and fried eggs. Share it. Really.
Where: Pubs in Bellavista and Barrio Lastarria; great with a local lager.

Churrasco & Chacarero
If the Barros Luco is your grilled-cheese-with-beef crush, meet its cousins. A churrasco is thin-sliced steak on marraqueta with add-ins like tomato and palta (avocado). A chacarero stacks on porotos verdes (green beans) and spicy ají—a refreshing, crunchy twist.
Where: Counter bars downtown (Santiago Centro), many open since the 1940s–60s.

A lo Pobre
Order any protein “a lo pobre” and you’ll get a fried egg crown plus caramelized onions and fries. Steak, chicken, even fish—Chile loves this upgrade.
Where: Broadly available; classic versions near Plaza de Armas and Estación Central.

Sopaipillas (con Pebre or Pasadas)
Rainy-day street snack. These are round, golden discs (some add squash to the dough) enjoyed savory with pebre (Chile’s pico de gallo) or sweet as sopaipillas pasadas, dunked in hot chancaca (molasses-like syrup).
Where: Street carts on stormy afternoons; for sit-down versions try source-of-comfort cafés in Barrio Italia.

Porotos Granados
A hearty summer bean stew with cranberry beans, corn, pumpkin, and basil, often vegetarian by default.
Where: Daily-special boards in Ñuñoa and Providencia during summer.

Seafood Essentials
Santiago sits inland, but Chile’s coastline does the heavy lifting.

• Caldillo de Congrio: Pablo Neruda wrote an ode to this eel soup—silky, briny, restorative.
• Paila Marina: Mixed shellfish stew; the ocean’s answer to a hangover.
• Machas a la Parmesana: Razor clams baked with butter, parmesan, and a squeeze of lemon.
  Where: Mercado Central (Puente Cal y Canto metro) and marisquerías in San Miguel. Go early and pick busy stalls.

Got a Sweet Tooth?

Kuchen & Berlines
Southern German immigration left Chile a pastry legacy. Kuchen (tarts) with berries or apple are everywhere, and berlines (custard-filled donuts) sell out by late morning.
Where: Barrio Italia bakeries and café rows in Providencia.

Leche Asada & Flan
Home-style baked custards you’ll often find on the postres caseros blackboard.
Where: Traditional diners (fuentes de soda) across Santiago Centro.

Helado de Lúcuma
Ice cream from a beloved Andean fruit—caramelly, maple-like, uniquely Chilean.
Where: Artisan gelato shops in Lastarria and Vitacura.

Mote con Huesillos
Technically a drink, sneaky as dessert: stewed dried peaches in spiced syrup with a scoop of cooked wheat (mote). Served cold in a tall glass—summer in Santiago.
Where: Carts around Parque Forestal, Cerro San Cristóbal base, and Plaza de Armas.

Markets & Neighbourhoods for Hungry Wandering

• La Vega Central (Recoleta): Produce wonderland + tiny kitchens turning out stews, empanadas, and fresh juices. Go hungry, bring small bills, and weave the aisles.
• Mercado Central (Centro): Seafood central. Yes, it’s touristy; yes, the fish is still fantastic. Walk the perimeter for simpler, cheaper stalls.
• Barrio Lastarria: Post-museum grazing—wine bars, helado stands, and modern takes on classics.
• Bellavista: Night owls’ turf: chorrillanas, completos, pisco sours.
• Barrio Italia: Brunch, bakeries, and design shops—a slow afternoon well spent.
• Ñuñoa & Plaza Ñuñoa: Locals’ Santiago: picadas for set lunches, craft beer for sunset.

How to Order Like a Local (Tiny Glossary)

Budget-Smart Moves (So You Can Splurge on Cake Later)

• Chase the menú del día at lunch (weekday value).
• Hit counter seating (fuente de soda) for sandwiches; faster and cheaper.
• Share big plates (chorrillana, pastel de choclo).
• Save sweets for bakery o’clock: many offer late-afternoon deals.
• Carry small cash for markets and street snacks; most sit-down places take cards.

Handy Price Bands (Typical, Per Person)
Sandwich at counter: CLP $3,500–6,500
Set lunch: CLP $6,500–9,500
Seafood main at Mercado Central: CLP $9,000–16,000
Bakery treat + coffee: CLP $3,000–5,000
Mote con huesillos (large): CLP $1,200–2,000

(Prices fluctuate; exchanges vary; these are ballpark ranges to help you plan.)

A One-Day Santiago Food Crawl (Walkable & Wonderful)

Pocket Order & Pairing Cheat Sheet

If you enjoyed this post, you may want to check out these Chilean drinks and their recipes too.

What’s your favourite Chilean dish?