Tiramisu

Tiramisu, a trendy Italian trattoria, strategically located a stone’s throw from the W Hotel on Isidora Goyenechea in Las Condes, has been the most popular casual dining spot in Santiago for well more than a decade. The restaurant is almost always at capacity and even after almost doubling the number of available tables with the recent acquisition of an adjoining space, it still always experiences a slight wait for table during the peak hours of lunch and dinner and well into the evening.

Although it dishes out some of the best pizza and calzones in town, it also has a few Italian inspired seafood dishes and antipasto items, including high-quality buffalo mozzarella.

Cold beer on tap from craft-brewery Kunstmann, or one of Chile’s high-quality wines, make all that good food taste even better. The unfiltered lager is the coldest beer in town.

There are two large bars and a slightly smaller bar to accommodate diners waiting for a table or anyone that loves sitting at a bar in a room with the highest-vibe in Santiago.

My favorite pizza is the Carbonara, topped with bacon and a fried egg. The skewered shrimp are addictive.

The décor is warm and sexy. The service, despite the chaotic atmosphere of the restaurant, is typically very good. The bartenders are among the best in the city. And the prices are unbelievably low compared to most of the trendy restaurants in Las Condes and Vitacura. You can expect to pay about twice as much for a meal at trendy newcomer, Jeronimo.

Despite the affluent crowd, Tiramisu manages to avoid being pretentious. It’s just a first-class operation with good food and service in a better-than-pleasant décor.