Fuente Alemana (Santiago, Chile)

Avda Pedro de Valdivia 210, Local, Providencia, Santiago, Región Metropolitana, Chile, T: 2-2232-6076

Within an hour of landing in Chile my friend C. took me to Fuente Alemana, a Santiago institution. While the city is full of these of 'German'-type diners, Fuente Alemana is, according to my friend, the best one in town. Inside it looks like a working class diner even if most of the clientele is clearly middle class. It is packed, but they move fast. They serve mostly sandwiches. 

We each order a "Lomito Italiano", which is a huge sandwich with Lomito Italiano" tasty thin marinated pork meat, with abundant avocado (green), mayo (white), and tomato (red). (Hence: Italiano). To the huge disappointment of my friend, I find the sandwich between underwhelming and gross. Although I am Dutch, and therefore love mayonnaise, this is absolutely excessive (leaving aside that the mayo tastes gross). In fact, none of the ingredients has really much taste and the consistency of it all is spongy.

VERDICT: 75/100
While I believe that Fuente Alemana does the Italiano sandwich better than anyone else in Santiago, this doesn't take away from the fact that these sandwiches are not particularly tasty.

Casino Royal J. Cruz M. (Valparaiso, Chile)

Condell, enter through Bellavista y Edwards, Valparaiso, Chile

Casino Royal J. Cruz M. is the go-to restaurant in Valparaiso. I don't exactly know why, but give that my Chilean friend took me, I went. It is a tourist trap for sure, but it is so odd and unique, that it truly is worth a visit. 

 

It bills itself as a museum and restaurant and while I would argue that museum is too strong a term, the small cluttered restaurant is interesting to look around in.

As everyone else, we ordered the (world-)famous Chorillana, which is essentially a heap of fries covered with meat (beef?), onion, and egg. A trucker's breakfast, so to say. The fries are fried in olive oil and not my thing, the meat quite chewy, and the dish is overall more an experience than a tasty meal. That said, I absolutely loved the spicy salsa that we got with the rolls as a kind of starter (on the house).

VERDICT: 83/100

Is J. Cruz M. a tourist trap? Yes! Is the food particularly good? No! Should you go? Yes!

Antulica Restaurant (Santiago, Chile)

Pueblito Los Dominicos, Santiago, Chile

Antulica is the main restaurant in the ‘Pueblito Los Dominicos’ open arts and crafts village, close to Los Dominicos metro station. It serves mostly sandwiches, salads, and sweets. I am very hungry, however, and far away from an alternative eatery, so I go big, Chilean style!

I order the “Chorillana” (Ps 5.900 or ca. $ 9.50). It is described as a “typical Chilean plate with meat, sausage, fried eggs, French fries and onions.” What could go wrong? ;-) The meat is a bit chewy, and the sausage a bit dry, but the fries are quite good and the egg and onion soften the rest. Overall, not bad at all, and a must for every self-respecting truck stop.

 

VERDICT: 81/100

The Chorillana is not for the faint of heart, and might better be shared by two as a lunch snack. The version at Antulica is quite good, but a bit overpriced because of location.

Gilda Ivonne Juri Merluzzi (Santiago, Chile)

Av. Ejército Libertador 188, Santiago Centro, Chile, T: 6-362-8727

 

While the official name seems to be different, I prefer to call this small shop at the first floor of a residential flat to be called “Shawarma Mas & Mas”, as the ‘banner’ over the shop reads. It sells all kind of snacks: from hot dogs to fajitas, and from juices to shawarma. It's a risk, but I'm willing to take it.

I decide upon the shawarma, which comes with a jugos (juice) for Ps 1.700 (ca. $2.75). It turns out to be a very liberal interpretation of shawarma. Rather, it is a panini wrap with small pieces of chicken, tomato, onion, and a lot of lettuce and mayo. In the end, the mayo dominates everything. The juice is nectar-based and very sweet.

VERDICT: 67/100

It is more a kind of enchilada than shawarma, but it isn’t the grossest thing you’ll eat.

Tavelli (Santiago, Chile)

Av Apoquindo 4001, Locale 101, Santiago, Chile, T: 2-2245-6334

 

Tavelli is an Italian style gelateria, which serves coffee, entrees, gelato, salads and sandwiches, and sweets. It caters to the rich and has about ten locations in the nice areas of Santiago, including Providencia, where I visited two different locations.

While I thought I ordered a horn with two scoops, I actually get (and pay for) a Copa Due with about four or five scoops of two flavors (Ps 2.990 or ca. $4.75). The pistachio is smooth and tasty, if not remarkable, while the maracuyá (passion fruit) is very bitter and fresh. Delicious!

 

VERDICT: 91/100

Tavelli serves some of the best gelato I have tasted outside of Italy. It is (too) pricey, but still worth the money!

Palettas (Santiago, Chile)

Av Andres Bello 2447, DPTO 5525, Providencia, Santiago, Chile

 

Still in the same fancy shopping mall in the heart of the financial district, I go to Palettas, a local chain that only sells original ice pops. Only in such a posh mall could a shop like this exist. The pops are of ice cream and have various interesting tastes, often combinations of some kind of sweet (chocolate) and fruit. All ice pops cost Ps 1600 (ca. $2.50).

 

I get a “white chocolate with forest fruits” pop, which tastes remarkably good. It is not overly sweet, as the base is vanilla, but at the core is a strip of dark berries, and throughout are small chips of white chocolate. Not my favorite kind of ice cream, but definitely among the best of its kind.

VERDICT: 86/100

While expensive, Palettas takes ice pops to a different level.

Doggis (Santiago, Chile)

Av Andres Bello 2447, DPTO 5525, Providencia, Santiago, Chile

In the same food court I later return to get a hot dog. Doggis is a Chilean fast food chain specializing in hot dogs, but also serving burgers, fried chicken, and fries. While all pictures are of their foods “Italian” style (tomato, mayo, avocado), they have five other styles for the hot dogs. Unfortunately, they only have names and small pictures, but it is impossible to find out what is on them (and no one speaks English).

The hot dogs come in different sizes and I go for the medium size (12 cm), which costs Ps 1200 (ca. $2). I get it “crispy”, which looks like a chili dog on the picture, but turns out to include a kind of fluid cheese sauce, pieces of chewy bacon, and crispy onions. After getting rid of the cheese sauce, and unfortunately also most of the crispy opinion, I plunder the condiments bar and put ketchup, mustard, and some peppers spread on it. As most things in Chile, the hot dog tastes bland.

VERDICT: 73/100

While they have pretty large hot dogs, they are bland and fairly tasteless.

Lima Mia (Santiago, Chile)

Av Andres Bello 2447, DPTO 5525, Providencia, Santiago, Chile

I find this fast food restaurant in the enormous food court of an upscale shopping mall in Providencia, Santiago. The food court is full of American fast food chains and their Chilean copies (which make everything “Italian”, i.e. tomato, mayo, and avocado). Lima Mia looks a bit different. They serve a Peruvian twist on American fast food. Various sandwiches with meats or fish and sides of fries or rice.

I order the Pollada Casera sandwich and make it a meal with fries and a small drink (Ps 6090 / ca. $10). As every other place in Chile, they are very slow. It takes a good 15 minutes before my food is ready, but the chicken is freshly pan-fried and my fries are also resh. The sandwich is on a big soft bun (bit dry), the chicken is thin but very tasty, and covered in a salty but flavorsome sauce and crispy onion strips. The fries are prefab but crispy and pretty tasty.

VERDICT: 82/100

Lima Mia is definitely one of the best food court restaurants I have ever eaten at, although also one of the more expensive. It offers fairly fresh American (not so) fast food with a Peruvian twist.

Grido Helado (Valparaíso, Chile)

Plaza Sotomayor, Valparaíso, Chile

 

Grido Helado is a chain of ice cream parlors in Latin America, founded in Argentina, and currently with branches in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. Its ice cream can also be bought in shops.

 

To be honest, I forgot how much I paid for the two scoop cone, but I think it was around $3. One of the flavors was a kind of stracciatella, which was not bad, but lacked the creamy taste of real Italian gelato. The other was orange and looked quite artificial, but tasted quite good.

VERDICT: 83/100

Not bad, but certainly not “the best ice cream in Latin America”.

Dominó (Santiago, Chile)

35 Hernando de Aquirre, Providencia, Santiago, Chile

 

Dominó (La Fuente de Soda de Chile) is a chain of restaurants that is known for its sandwiches and fresh juices. It offers an almost endless combination of sandwiches, where you combine type of meat )beef, pork, chicken) with style of condiments (mostly tomato, avocado, and green beans).

 

I order the “Mechada Chacarero” (Ps 4.300 / ca. $7). The sandwich comes on a large soft white bun. It includes a fairly thick piece of boiled (?) pork, which has pieces of carrot in it, with tomato and green beans, (snijbonen). It is quite refreshing even if it tastes overall fairly bland. Good that there are 5 different kinds of mustard on the table to add some taste.

VERDICT: 78/100

I assume they are really good at what they do, but I am just not such a big fan of what they do.

California Cantina & Restaurant (Santiago, Chile)

Las Urbinas 44/56, Providencia, Santiago, Chile, T: 2-361-10-56

California Cantina & Restaurant seems to be Santiago’s favorite (American) sports bar according to both locals and tourists. It gets great reviews online, so I decided to go there to watch the college football National Championship game. As I arrive, half an hour before kick-off, the place is already buzzing outside and in (it is a beautiful summer evening). There are far more Chileans than Americans, which I hadn’t expected. The menu is classic Californian sports pub: flatbread pizzas, burgers, tacos, wings. Unfortunately, on this evening they are out of almost everything except of burgers and flatbreads… no nachos for me.

I start with “La Loca Caliente” (Ps 4900 / ca. $8), a shortbread pizza with ‘red sauce’, pepperoni, pineapple, jalapenos, and cilantro (I leave Mozzarella off). The

Thin crust is a bit dry, but the pizza is overall quite tasty (despite lacking cheese) and has a good kick.

 

I later order the 3 Mini Burgers (Ps 6000 / ca. $9.50), which allows you to choose whatever combination of the eight options. I get one Maverick’s Big Wave (bacon, jalapenos & BBQ sauce), one Surf City U.S.A. (pineapple & teriyaki), and one San Francisco (grilled mushrooms). All come on a (bit too) big fresh bun and taste good, if a bit alike (quite sweet). The fries are pretty good.

VERDICT: 83/100

Good foreign version of American sports bar.

Flannery’s Irish Geo Pub (Santiago, Chile)

Las Condes, Santiago, Chile, T: 2-233-6675

 

 

I would normally not be caught dead in an Irish pub, let alone eat there, but Flannery’s is opposite to my hotel and I want to catch the second half of the Broncos-Colts game (we won!), so Irish Pub it is. Although it isn’t very busy, it easily takes 15 minutes before a waiter comes over. It would take another 15 minutes before another one finally brings my soda. You can imagine how long I will have to wait for my food (seriously, easily 20 minutes, if not longer).

I’m getting a BBQ Burger (Ps 5.550 or ca. $9). When it finally arrives, it turns out to be so bulky that it would make a US burger feel insecure about its size. The thick and large burger (a bit too well done but crunchy on the sides) comes on a big bun with huge lettuce leaves, huge slices of tomato, and caramelized onions and BBQ sauce (I ask for no cheddar). The burger is tasty, if a bit too salty. The BBQ sauce is (too) sweet and underwhelming. The fries are very thick and most are not very soft inside.

 

VERDICT: 84/100

It’s an Irish bar, what else can you expect (well, much faster service, ok).