Chile & Argentina Food🍛
This blog will include some of the restaurants we ate at in both Chile and Argentina. Chile and Argentina are probably the two most expensive countries in South America! We ended up having to eat some of the most basic meals for the six weeks we were in both countries to try and save money. Even buying groceries to cook in hostels cost a lot, so we did a lot of meal prepping and only ate out for special occasions.
Chile
El Hoyo, Santiago
Chile was our first country in our South American trip. After a fourteen hour flight from Sydney, we made it to Santiago. We arrived at 8am, so to push through our jet lag we forced ourselves to stay awake, and the only way to do this was by going out for a late dinner. It was also our first night so we decided this was special enough to eat out.
El Hoyo was recommended to us by our hostel because it serves the most delicious, traditional, Chilean dishes. We got Cazuela, which is a traditional pork and vegetable stew with mash on the side and then another Pulled Pork dish. The food was incredible here and the atmosphere was too. The perfect place for a few drinks, and experiencing a proper Chilean vibey restaurant.
Other foods in Santiago, Chile
- Seafood Market - it was recommended to go to the market and try the fresh ceviche. We went to one of the stalls and got the mixed seafood dish and shared it between us. It was delicious and tasted so fresh, but something we probably wouldn’t have as a full meal. We were expecting a tapas style dish but the portions were huge, so definitely recommend sharing and not getting your own.
- Empanadas are a well known Chilean pastry, so of course we had to try them. They are pastries with all kinds of different fillings, so most of our meals have been on the go, by grabbing an Empanada!
Puerto & Cochamo, Chile
It’s recommended to try completos, which are Chilean Hotdogs. They are famous for their huge variety of toppings for such a cheap price! Perfect meal to grab on the go and are pretty filling.
We did a day trip from Puerto Varas to the hot-springs in Cochamo and had the most delicious pumpkin soup and ham and cheese sandwich. It’s pretty expensive here as it’s a tourist spot, but we chose these two dishes and shared them. It was incredible and sparked our love for any pumpkin dish throughout South America!
Puerto Natales
After our five day W-Trek hike where we ate the most basic meals to get us through, we decided to treat ourselves with a huge greasy meal! We found a small local restaurant in Puerto Natales, I can’t remember the name of it but it served Chilean and Caribbean fusion dishes. We ordered the double cheese burger and steak flatbread, both with fries. The dishes were incredible and such huge portions, exactly what we needed after our huge hike!
Argentina
La Cantina, El Calafaté
One vibey restaurant to visit is La Cantina in El Calafaté, which is opposite to the Laguna Nimez Nature Reserve! Spend an evening here eating good food and listening to live music. We had the most incredible pork stew and steak sandwich, which we shared!
Don Mario, Buenos Aires
One the best traditional dishes to try in Argentina is Asado, Ned wanted to go all out so we went to this restaurant, which was recommended to us! It was kind of expensive but Ned had the best time and we got to try all kinds of different meats. It also came with a side of salad and friends, which helped balance out the greasy, salty meats.
Rapanui & Mamushka, Bariloche
Whilst in Bariloche you must pop into the different chocolate stores and ice creameries. Bariloche is known for its chocolate and dairy, with Rapanui and Mamushka being stand out shops.
Guerrin, Buenos Aires
You must visit this famous pizza restaurant in Buenos Aires, known for its incredibly delicious, huge portioned pizzas! We were recommended to share a pizza because they were that big with, double thick crusts. I shared one pizza with another girl but of course Ned had to get his own, which he managed to demolish himself! It is expensive but completely worth it and if you can’t finish it you can always take it away to have for the next day!
