Danés – Santiago
Danés is a good, comfortable neighborhood restaurant with better than acceptable service. And although the sandwiches and burgers are bit boring, the hot dogs deserve praise, as do the salads.
Tanta – Santiago
Although Tanta’s shopping-mall chain-restaurant ambience leaves it a bit soulless, the food and service are consistently good, making it perhaps the best choice in Santiago for a reasonably priced sampling of a host of Peruvian classics.
Elkika Ilmenau – Santiago
Elkika Ilmenau is one of a handful of restaurants Santiago that specialize in serving the city’s famed “completo” (a hot dog on steroids) and the four sandwiches that define Chile’s culinary identity, the Churrasco, the Lomito, the Chacarera, and the Barros Luco. This is a good spot for watching soccer matches on the big screen TVs while drinking cheap beer and eating food only drunks could love, which makes the place perfect for 75% of the male population.
Fuente Mardoqueo – Santiago
Fuente Mardoqueo serves up sandwiches that are big. But big isn’t always better. Fuente Mardoqueo is proof of that. The sandwiches are almost indistinguishable from those at competitor Fuente Alemana. One plus is you won’t likely have to arm-wrestle anyone for a seat like you do at the excessively over-hyped Fuente Alemana.
Original Green Roasters – Santiago
Original Coffee Roasters is a casual gourmet restaurant posing as a specialty coffee-shop. Yes. The coffee’s great and the ambiance pleasant. But it’s the food that’s the real star.
Route 66 – Santiago
Route 66 is an upscale version of TGI Friday’s. Less kitschy and much better and service. The menu is typical American bistro menu with a few international dishes thrown in for flare. Prices are steep but if you’re putting it on the expense account, who cares?
TGI Fridays – Santiago
TGI Fridays is a great spot to see incompetent teenagers serving hamburgers and potato-skins … but for good burger there are better options within a couple of blocks.
Vapiano – Santiago
Vapiano, an international restaurant franchise, is now in Santiago, bringing popular Italian dishes, antipasto, pasta and pizza to Santiaguinos in a fast-casual format. The restaurant is clean and well-maintained. The décor is very attractive for this ultra-casual format.
Zanzíbar – Santiago
Zanzibar is the perfect destination for an off-the-wall dining experience that pushes the culinary envelope. A truly exotic and unique menu that’s well-executed in a pleasant and fun environment.
Rishtedar – Santiago
The newer and flashier location in Vitacura earns Rishtedar a slightly higher overall rating than competitors in the Indian cuisine genre and gives residents out in the foothills of Vitacura and La Dehesa a viable option in the Indian restaurant genre.
Majestic – Santiago
Although not garnering an overall score as high as Jewel of India or Rishtedar in Vitacura, Majestic remains a viable option for Indian cuisine, especially for anyone living in or staying in a hotel in Las Condes.
Miraolas – Santiago
Ocean Pacific’s is a popular seafood restaurant with three locations in Santiago. The décor is impressive, with lots of rare marine and naval artifacts lining the walls. The food and service are average at best, despite some of the highest prices we’ve seen on a menu in Santiago.
Le Due Torri – Santiago
Le Due Torri, with three locations in Santiago, is an old school Italian ristorante, Santiaguino-style. Although it falls a bit short of authentic, it’s an admirable attempt, typically with acceptable service and execution of the menu.
Pinpilinpausha – Santiago
Stalwart Basque restaurant, Pinpilinpausha, is close to many of the city’s big hotels. It is a favorite of affluent locals, especially for celebrations. Good service, food and ambience make it one of best choices on Isidora Goyenechea.
Bocanáriz – Santiago
Bocanáriz offers over 300 Chilean wines, with a range of wine flights and wine verticals. Wines can be paired with dishes from an interesting and well-executed menu. Pleasant décor. Popular, but crowded. Unfortunately, substandard service on our last visit.
Ambrosía Bistro – Santiago
Ambrosía Bistro, in Providencia, is the hip, casual version of Santiago’s most acclaimed restaurant, Ambrosía. Gourmet cuisine. Reasonable prices. Great experience.
Margó Gourmet – Santiago
A pleasant ambiance in the main dining room and a rear terrace bathed with light. Interesting, well-executed menu. One of the few eclectic gourmet options available to diners in Santiago.