Santiago is, without a doubt, a city that does lunch. In every neighborhood, you’ll find bustling restaurants full of professionals and families enjoying set lunch menus. These lunch offerings are great—they usually include some sort of starter, a main, a dessert, and some beverages, with some variation. It’s often a great way to try a restaurant that is pricier at dinnertime. Here are 6 of the best set lunch menus in town.
N°1 El Txoko Restaurant – Bella Artes
El Txoko – This Spanish restaurant nestled on a short street in Bellas Artes is a bit small, but the décor is lovely—you feel like you’re walking into Northern Spain when you step inside. The lunch menu consists of an appetizer, a main, and dessert, along with a pisco sour, wine or soda, and coffee for 10.000 pesos. As with most lunch menus, it is available Monday-Friday.
N°2 Europeo – Vitacura
N° 3 Anakena – Las Condes
Anakena – For a weekend treat, try the Sunday buffet at Anakena, a Thai restaurant located in the Grand Hyatt hotel in Las Condes. 24,500 pesos per person includes the buffet as well as dessert, tea or coffee, and unlimited soda or wine. It’s open from 12:30-16:00. Reservations are recommended.
http://santiago.grand.hyatt.com/es/hotel/dining/Anakena.html
N°4 New Horizon
N°5 Dominó
Dominó — It’s certainly nothing fancy, but there’s nothing more Santiaguino than munching on a completo for lunch. A completo is a hot dog with toppings like avocado (palta), mayonnaise, and tomato. Dominó has many takes on this traditional Santiago lunch, with different toppings and sauces. Lunch menu prices and offerings vary, but they always have some sort of hot dog, side, and beverage special.
N° 6 Tirso de Molina – La Vega
Tirso de Molina — This is a bit different from the other options—it’s an indoor market, located just south of La Vega. If you head to the upper level, you’ll find lots of restaurants stands with waiters eager to get you to eat at theirs. It’s not upscale (in fact, it’s quite the opposite), but the food can be really good. Take your time deciding where to eat, as there are many options. You can usually find a menú with salad, bread, and a main with a side for around 3.000-4.000 pesos. Drinks and dessert are generally not included. No address: In Recoleta between Av. Santa Maria and Av. Artesanos
Of course, these are just a few suggestions. Most restaurants in Santiago offer a lunch menu—it’s a customary practice designed to bring in the professionals on their lunch hour. Many places will offer several options of starter, two or three choices of main, and dessert for a set price of around 5.000-8.000 pesos, depending on the neighborhood and the caliber of the restaurant. If you’re not working, try to go a little bit before or after the general lunchtimes of 13:00 or 14:00, as the places tend to fill up and service can lag a bit during those times.
Article by:
Erin Morrissey