Santiago eats well on two tracks. One is the old city of fuentes de soda, picadas and market stalls, where a completo with mashed avocado, a lomito sandwich, an empanada de pino or a caldillo de congrio costs very little. The other is a tasting-menu scene led by Boragó, which now has five restaurants on Latin America's 50 Best list. Go for the Mercado Central and La Vega, the Barrio Franklin picadas and the Andean-to-Pacific produce behind it all.
Santiago at a glance
What to eat
Completo; Empanada de pino; Pastel de choclo; Caldillo de congrio; Lomito and chacarero.
When to go
Best: March–April and October–November. Also good: May, September and December. Hardest: July.
Top tables
This guide lists 9 award-winning restaurants, starting with Boragó, Casa Las Cujas, Yum Cha and DeMo Magnolia.
Where locals eat
Local favorites off the prestige lists include Don Guille, Rosalía, Bendición Emporio and El Portal (ex Bahamondes).
Markets
La Vega Central, Mercado Central, Mercado Central and La Vega Central.
Photos: La Vega Central: La Bicicleta Verde Chile Bike City Tours from Santiago, Chile, CC BY-SA 2.0; Mercado Central: Carlos Figueroa Rojas, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Chef Amazing picks: where to eat in Santiago
Five of the restaurants on Latin America's 50 Best for a proper sit-down, then a completo counter and four old-school places where the cooking is cheap, local and family-run.
The well-known five
Boragó
Vitacura
Latin America's 50 Best #6 (2025)Chilean, endemic ingredients$$$$
Order: The 12 to 18 course tasting menu
Rodolfo Guzmán's kitchen cooks only Chilean ingredients, from Patagonian seaweed to desert flowers. Ranked sixth on Latin America's 50 Best in 2025.
Best for: celebration dinner · Reserve: book ahead
San José María Escrivá de Balaguer 5970, Vitacura, Santiago
New places change fast. “Provisional” means a guide or directory lists it as new but we have not confirmed the opening date. Check hours and book ahead before you go.
Memorable breakfasts in Santiago
The top pick here; the rest are on their own page.
Original Green Roasters
Providencia
Order: Eggs and specialty coffee
A small-scale café morning centered on freshly roasted coffee.
Picks come from romantic-dinner lists on booking and review sites. Confirm dinner service, menus and availability before you book.
Hot right now in Santiago
We have not verified a current craze in Santiago yet. We only list one once it has been reported in the press.
The Santiago food map
Every place in this guide, pinned. Tap a pin to see what to order, then add it to your trip.
Open the full Santiago food map: every place on our lists too (pizza, ice cream, romantic, where locals and the famous eat, cooking classes), searchable by dish.
· 27 of 34 dish places are pinned; the rest appear in the lists below. Pins are placed by address or name and can be a little off; always confirm in your maps app.
Plan my days in Santiago
Tell us what you like and we will line up the places on this page into a day-by-day plan. Only places from this guide, never anything else.
What to eat in Santiago, and where
Each dish comes with the places that do it best. Tap Add to my trip on the ones you want, or find them on the map above.
Completo
Chilean hot dog with avocado, tomato and house mayonnaise
The 5 best places to eat it in Santiago
1
El Portal (ex Bahamondes)
Centro · $
Order: Completo with avocado and sauerkraut
Open since 1930, often called the birthplace of the completo.
The top 9 restaurants in Santiago, per Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 (ranks 1-50 and 51-100); Michelin does not publish a Chile guide, so there are no stars or Bib Gourmands. Chilean press (Círculo de Cronistas Gastronómicos y del Vino empanada contest, La Tercera, Meteored, En Cancha) used for the everyday places..
A 12 to 18 course tasting menu built on foraged Chilean ingredients such as Patagonian seaweed and desert flowers, with a research center behind it.
Casa Las Cujas
Vitacura · Seafood · Chef Antonio Moreno · $$$
Latin America's 50 Best #14 (2025)
Seafood house on Alonso de Córdova serving Chiloé oysters, Tongoy scallops, machas and Patagonian king crab; the family also runs a summer branch in Cachagua.
Yum Cha
Providencia · Pescetarian, Chinese technique · Chef Nicolás Tapia · $$$
Latin America's 50 Best #28 (2025)
Chinese technique applied to Chilean fish and shellfish, with tea instead of wine as the pairing; no red meat on the 6 or 10 dish menus.
DeMo Magnolia
Bellas Artes, Santiago Centro · Creative tasting menu · Chef Pedro Chavarría · $$$
Latin America's 50 Best #31 (2025)
Fifteen seats on the ground floor of Hotel Magnolia, with a 5 or 9 course menu drawn from local products and the city's neighborhoods.
Karai by Mitsuharu
Las Condes (W Hotel) · Japanese-Peruvian with Chilean ingredients · Chef Sebastián Jara · $$$
Latin America's 50 Best #45 (2025)
Nikkei sushi, tiradito and ceviche inside the W Hotel, with an omakase bar where the cooks choose the cuts.
La Calma by Fredes
Santiago · Chef Ignacio Ovalle
Latin America's 50 Best #57 (2025)
Placed 57th on the 51 to 100 extended list in 2025; I could not confirm cuisine or address from the sources I read.
Pulpería Santa Elvira
Santiago · Chef Javier Avilés
Latin America's 50 Best #63 (2025)
Placed 63rd on the 51 to 100 extended list in 2025; I could not confirm cuisine or address from the sources I read.
Demencia
Santiago · Chef Benjamín Nast
Latin America's 50 Best #95 (2025)
Placed 95th on the 51 to 100 extended list in 2025; I could not confirm cuisine or address from the sources I read.
Fukasawa
Santiago · Chef Marcos Baeza and sons
Latin America's 50 Best #100 (2025)
Placed 100th on the 51 to 100 extended list in 2025, run by chef Marcos Baeza with his sons; cuisine and address not confirmed in my sources.
Peak Mar–Apr, Oct–NovShoulder May, Sep, DecHard Jul
Why these months
Santiago has a Mediterranean climate (general knowledge, not tied to a fetched source): autumn and spring are mild and dry, summer is hot, and winter is cool and sometimes rainy. March and April add the wine harvest in nearby valleys; September is busy with Fiestas Patrias and its empanada season.
In season
Pastel de chocloJan–Mar, DecCalled the star dish of summer by Meteored Chile, made with fresh corn.
Porotos granados con pilcoJan–MarFresh bean and corn stew listed on traditional menus; peak is late summer.
Mote con huesilloJan–Mar, Nov–DecCold peach and wheat drink from street kiosks, mostly sold in warm weather.
Cherries, peaches, grapes and pears at La VegaJan–Mar, DecSeasonal fruit is a main draw at La Vega Central, per Hotels.com.
Empanadas de pinoSepFiestas Patrias week around 18 September; the best-empanada contest is judged in late August.
Wine harvest (vendimia)Mar–AprHarvest in Maipo and nearby valleys; confirm tour dates with wineries.
Food events
Día de la Cocina ChilenaAprChile Travel published its five best restaurants list on 15 April 2026 for the occasion.
Día del CompletoMayLocal press runs 'best completo' roundups in late May; exact date varies.
Best empanada de pino contest (Círculo de Cronistas Gastronómicos y del Vino)Aug22nd edition held late August 2025 at Hotel Plaza San Francisco; ranking published before Fiestas Patrias.
Fiestas PatriasSepNational holidays around 18 September; empanadas, asados and fondas.
Closures to plan around
Many picadas and traditional restaurants close by 18:00 to 19:30 and some on Mondays and Tuesdays (El Parrón is open Wednesday to Sunday only).
La Casa Vieja closes at 18:00 on Sundays.
Seasonal: Casa Las Cujas moves to Cachagua on the coast in summer, per Chile Travel.
Fiestas Patrias week around 18 September: expect many restaurants closed or with set menus.
Bar Nacional in the centro closed after more than 60 years.
From published guides and tourism boards. Months are our mapping of how guides describe the seasons; 2027 event dates are expected, not confirmed. Prices come from single sources of varying age, so treat them as a rough guide. Compare cities by month
The best of Santiago, by category
The top pick in each, then every place on its own page with what to get and a map.
Locally loved places that are not on the big prestige lists.
bakery
Don Guille
República, Santiago Centro · $
Order: Empanada de pino (CLP 2,500)
Won first place in the 2025 Greater Santiago empanada de pino contest for the second year running; open weekdays 10:00 to 20:30 and Saturdays to 18:30, per GoChile.
A family business of almost 50 years founded by Rosalía Vega and now run by her daughters; third in 2025 and winner in 2017, 2018 and 2022. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 16:00.
Order: Pastel de choclo, cazuela, mote con huesillo, a terremoto
Condell 818. Founded in 1912 and credited with originating the terremoto; recognised among Chile's best picadas by the national culture council.
Seen in 13.cl · worth confirming hours before you go
cafe
Newen Lamngen
Mercado Tirso de Molina · $
Order: Sopaipillas mapuches, café de trigo, tortas with pehuén flour
Described as the first Mapuche café in Santiago, started by a group of women inside the Tirso de Molina market (Av. Artesanos 750).
Seen in 13.cl · worth confirming hours before you go
market
La Vega Central
Recoleta · $
Order: Cazuela, porotos con riendas, pumpkin sopaipillas, empanadas
The city's big produce market; the cheap kitchens in La Vega Chica next door serve empanadas for CLP 2,000 to 3,500 and cazuela for CLP 7,000 to 10,000.
Awards come from the guides named on each listing (Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 (ranks 1-50 and 51-100); Michelin does not publish a Chile guide, so there are no stars or Bib Gourmands. Chilean press (Círculo de Cronistas Gastronómicos y del Vino empanada contest, La Tercera, Meteored, En Cancha) used for the everyday places.). Researched October 25, 2026. Restaurants change; confirm hours, reservations and current stars before you go. Some addresses, phone numbers and websites come from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), so call ahead to confirm. Local favorites are editorial picks, not rankings.
