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.