While you travel in Chile, you must taste the typical food of the country. Chilean food is quite different from the rest of Latin America cuisine, rather simple and using seasonal ingredients

stands out for its plates specially those which main ingredient is meat.

Some of the typical dishes are the arrollado huaso (pork steak rolled with red chili), pernil com ají, parrillada (Chilean BBQ served on the table), asado al palo (Chilean BBQ country style on a fire made in the place) plateada (tender meat prepared with vegetables and onion), empanada (baked or fried pastry filled with "pino" a mix of onion, beef, olives, boiled egg and raisins) "pastel de choclo" (tart made from ground corn filled with a mix of onion, beef ,chicken),"pastel de papa"(tart made with smashed potatoes filled with a mix of onion, beef, chicken), and porotos granados with mazamorra (a stew made with fresh beans, local sausage, onion, smashed corn available only in summer). All of them carry meat so if you are a vegetarian you can either taste "ensalada chilena" which is a salad of tomato and onion, pebre is a salad with tomato, onion, corriander, garlic and green chili ot the traditional humitas made from ground corn, onion, basil all boiled inside a corn leaf.

The Chilean cuisine takes advantage from the local ingredients that can be found in the season,

which is the main reason why some plates such as pastel de choclo only appears in the summer. Let's not forget the Chilean seafood as the pastel de jaiba (crab tart which is made with crab meat, milk cream, cheese and onions), Mariscal (stew of sea shell as clamps, crab,"choritos") and the Paila marina also an stew. The preparation of the fish stand quite simple deep fry fish with a simple batter mix or fried in a pan. Influenced by the peruvian culture you can find plates as the ceviche (dish made with fresh fish,onion, corn, sweet potato all seasoned with lemon juice)

Some of the restaurants that you can ask for these dishes are in the following guide, some of them even have shows with typical dances:

Los Buenos Muchachos (the good boys):

Located downtown Santiago in the Ricardo Cumming street, they have a dance hall and a stage where shows are performed. Their menu includes several of the dishes mentioned before by their specialty is the Parrillada.

Avda. Ricardo Cumming 1031, Santiago. Fono: (02) 698 0112

Doña Tina (Mrs Tina):

This lady has the best empanada in town, she started with a little shop in Providencia located in the Providencia Market right behind the Sernatur( National Tourism Service office) and opened a restaurant near the mountains with a typical Chilean food menu, if you get confused with the menu as for the plate of the season.

Hostería Doña Tina. Los Refugios del Arrayán 15.125, Lo Barnechea. Fono: (02) 321 6546.

Los Canallas:

In the time when people had to be home before 12, places like these opened everywhere, this is one of the few who survived progress and the pass of time. Los Canallas has a character on its own, to enter you must give a password: Chile Libre. It is decorated with Chilean flags and the visit cards of all those who have visited the place.

Los Canallas has a menu with names as guerrillero Vietnamita, Terrorista, etc and alcoholic drinks as Pipeño and chicha, in Chilean word is a "guachaca place". You must make reservation to enter Tarapaca 810 between San Francisco and Serrano Street phone:56-2-632549

El Hoyo (the hole):

Is 90 years old, the place first sold nuts then included pipeño, chicha and wine, then included in the menu typical dishes as arrollado and costillar (pork ribs), if you go you must taste "terremoto".

It is open monday to saturdays.

San Vicente 375 esquina Gorbea

6890339

El quita penas (the sorrow taker)

This place first located right next to the cementery got his name from the clientele, that came sad, nostalgic and hungry from the cementery, has over 80 years of history and it is filled of histories.

Recoleta 1480, open all year except September 11 until 23hrs.