The best restaurants Patagonie

Voted "Chile's best picada" by popular vote in early 2012 and 2017, this delicatessen has been a local institution since 1932. The recipe has been handed down from generation to generation and Silvia, the current owner, continues the tradition. They serve round rolls filled with chorizo paste and cheese: the choripan and choriqueso. Eat two or three, accompanied by a glass of leche con plátano (banana milk), served at the single counter. Super kitsch decor. We can also take it to go. An authentic address to discover!

Renovated a few years ago (more space and light, with a second floor flanked by a small terrace for smokers), this address is as colourful and warm as ever. For very reasonable prices, Alfredo and his wife Lorena (they speak good French) offer a mixed menu that inspires the taste buds (it changes every six months). Ceviche or garlic soup as a starter, rabbit stew or guanaco to continue... it's a treat. Very popular, even with locals: remember to book in the evening.

Intimate and convivial, this address, run by a couple from the region and from Zambia, offers a real culinary journey: local products are combined with a certain fusion. A la carte: giant crab to lick your lips (also in a salad with mango), salmon ceviche, lamb with mint or apricots, beef and tuna tartar, Ecuadorian tuna steak... without forgetting the fabulous desserts. The plates look like real little works of art. Very attentive and professional service. Very popular and often full: remember to book.

The meeting of all carnivores. Specialty: cordero al-palo. Yes, the sheep is cooked in the main room, which finds itself smoked… Some of them are disturbed, but in our view it is part of the atmosphere, especially as the (very local) garden is nice as everything. Small adjoining room for smokers, less pleasant. Another corner (the «Shameless club») where you can play cards. Consistent pricing. A good address, that we prefer to Don Jorge on the same place (much more touristic and impersonal according to us).

It is more chic and therefore more expensive. The meat is excellent… say some. Others are reluctant, and, according to them, quality has fallen and lomo is not worth the tirelire.

This resto-bar offers typical Chilean cuisine with abundant quantities! Pastel de choclo, pichanga, chuletas... It's not author's cooking, but you can eat all you want and the homemade food is pretty good. If we appreciate this address, it is above all for the warm and relaxed atmosphere and the very attentive welcome of Marcelo, the owner! The service is young and dynamic, and there are good homemade beers. A nice place to discover with friends during the festive weekend evenings.

Very nice little restaurant without pretension, located in front of the sea... which is reflected in the plate! The chef renews his menu every week according to the fishing season and offers a selection of elaborate dishes. The menu varies but some of the most popular dishes remain the same: salmon ceviche, grilled octopus, fresh oysters, and pisco sour. Most of the products offered are from Chiloé or the region: local freshness guaranteed! The greediest will love the brownie and its ice cream. An address with an excellent quality-price ratio.

Creative vegetarian dishes of very good workmanship. Burgers, quiches, calzones, burritos, soups, chop suey, fresh salads, sandwiches (homemade bread)... The breakfast is excellent with a lot of choices on the menu. The plates are coloured with good products, mostly organic and local. During the week, the lunch menu is particularly interesting: vegetarian lasagne, burritos, lentil soup... The service is provided by smiling and caring women. A simple and efficient address that we like very much.

It's the oldest bar in town. Inaugurated in 1951 by a Spanish immigrant, Don Juan Buezaa, it is true that there is a special atmosphere here, imbued with many testimonies of the city's past and travellers now displayed on the walls. As in any self-respecting Irish Pub, flags hang from the ceiling and football matches are broadcast. One expects a correct fast food and finally one tastes several reasonably priced crab specialties. They also serve pasta, meat and fish. Ideal for small budgets.

In an exceptional setting, on the edge of the fjord, you will discover the succulent French fusion cuisine of Chef Hernán Basso, a true cordon bleu. Let yourself be seduced by the hare à l'escabèche, the homemade smoked salmon or the giant crab salad; continue with a divine fillet of guanaco, a southern whiting, a lamb mouse with Roquefort and red wine). Or would you rather have beef or lamb? In any case, be sure to leave room for desserts: the lemon and strawberry tart from Natales and the vanilla and manjar millefeuille are exquisite!

Make your way to La Puntilla, a small natural reserve on the lakeshore, a 10-minute walk from the town center. Here you'll find a dozen or so foodtrucks, each more original than the last, each offering its own specialty (coffee, cake, completo, etc.). Our preference here is for the Bless Yuz truck, run by three young Chilean entrepreneurs who are as vegetarian as they are friendly. The menu features sandwiches, plates and rolls prepared with love. The vegan desserts are to die for. All for a small price, and to be enjoyed overlooking the lake.

The main competitor of Tía Elvira restaurant, in a more authentic and cheaper version, but more kitsch. The house has gone hand in hand over the years, and today it is a valued table, although unequal in our view. In dessert, taste the pancakes to the calafate.

The same establishment as the previous (at a different address, attention), but this time, specialized in homemade pasta: A promising smell jumps to the nostrils by entering the restaurant. That is excellent. It is best to book in the high season.

This restaurant, all in yellow and blue and pleasantly decorated, with its large shelves full of wine bottles, offers a varied menu and fairly well prepared dishes. The speciality: the chupe de centolla: a succulent giant crab gratin ! Most of the time everything is very good and the menu is rather cheap: starter, main course, dessert and glass of wine, a good value for money! Don't forget to place your place of origin on the map! A classic, often crowded: sometimes you have to wait a long time before you get served.

Very good parrillas. Trout are also delicious. Cordero (sheep) can also be accompanied by vegetable cream sauce or sauce with peppers, onion and garlic. The clientele is mostly composed of tourists. The service is excellent.

In a small house with a Swiss flair and a nice atmosphere, it is very good fondue (even though it is true that cheese may not be worth those of our mountain regions).

It is a great place to enjoy the artisanal beers produced (in front of you) in this somewhat tourist-oriented establishment (a room on the right to drink and eat, another to the left to spend its underneath the craft or babioles!). Beers are really very honest and change some of the Quilmes! The dishes are generously served and the pizzas are really good.

Another address to enjoy the typical cuisine of Chiloé! We take the same unmissable dishes of the island and start again: it is here that everyone comes to try the famous curanto, or very fresh and tasty seafood. The decoration is original and typical, we find countless paintings that refer to the Chiloé culture. The view of the bay adds a very pleasant picturesque touch. The cuisine is good, even if it is not unforgettable, but we appreciate the honest prices and the small dishes that are homemade.

At the municipal market, turn left on the way back. This restaurant, which will suit small budgets for lunch, offers soft prices for a cuisine that remains of quality. You'll get your money's worth: the portions are gargantuan! Try the excellent local speciality, salmon or trout a la plancha, or conger eel, crab, shrimps... not forgetting a good pisco sour! The place is sometimes hectic and the service is not always properly provided, but Donde El Gordito is still an institution!

An often full restaurant and a great classic of the city at affordable prices. The house devotes itself more to its seafood specialties, including the famous curanto or sea paella. You have to try the congrio al arriero, delicious. Choice of sea urchins, picorotos (giant barnacles, in fact), almejas (clams) and even seafood empanadas! You can also share picadas. Good value for money and large portions guaranteed even if the service is sometimes a little overwhelmed and the setting a little too impersonal.