Squadritto

Rosal 332

Barrio Lastarria

Santiago

Barrio Lastarria is one of Santiago's most magical areas, located close to Bellas Artes, is a group of houses of the 1920's which are still in pretty good condition mixed with some buildings of the 70's, a bohemian and artistic neighborhood. There you find "El Biógrafo" cinema, where you can watch all these movies you won't find on the other theaters, most of them in french or other European less spoken languages. Also you find there several cafes and good restaurants. Today I want to share with you Squadritto. It's decoration is pretty pompeyan, is a no smoker's restaurant, so far, but the food is a real hidden treasure, fresh pastas are home made! and they taste deliciously, the menu is in English as well and the prices are quite convenient for such a flavor experience. I recommend pastas there.
They said that soon they're going to have a lounge next to the restaurant with an independent entrance where smoking will be allowed, is going to be ideal for a drink before going to eat. I'm looking forward to seeing it!

Average Price per couple: USD 30, CLP 15.000
With a drink and main course.

Atmosphere: Italian music, sometimes pop Italian music, at times opera. Pompeyan decoration.

Service: good

Location: very good

Things to do before or later: go to "Berry" bar and have a drink, walk around Lastarria and Bellas Artes neighborhood, walk around Parquet Forestal, visit de Museum of Contemporary Art, buy some old books, handy crafts, antiquities, etc on the street.

L'Aperitivo

Av. Italia 1152

At L'Italier (Art Gallery)

Cristian and Bruna are the owners of this small and welcoming place. They are a Chilean-Italian couple who decided to live in Chile and do something on their own. L'Aperitivo is around the corner from El Patio Suizo. This small restaurant is located inside of L'Italier, an art gallery with decoration and clothes stores.
There you will NOT find Pisco Sour, but you will find a lot of interesting Chilean wines and Italian aperitifs, just because is a small piece of Italy inside of this huge city and Pisco Sour is not italian.
Antipasti Time, is between 6 and 9 pm, then you just pay CLP 4.500 (9 USD, approx) and you become a glass of wine (red, white or rosé) and you can eat a la discretion different kind of snacks, warm or cold, prepared by Bruna, who is the chef. Bruna is Italian from Milano area and she learn cooking with the women of her family. I tasted at this restaurant from the hands of Bruna at Antipasti time the BEST SOUP I have tasted in at least 15 years, she had a zucchini soup which was just D E L I C I O U S, perfect, unforgettable.
Cristian is Bruna's husband and the other owner of this place, he is 100% present and willing to talk and share.
Very recommendable!

Salute!!

It's fall!

Brown is back again. Fall is a nice season to enjoy Santiago, eventhough sunset is earlier, about 6 pm, there is a lot to do during sparetime. Theather, cinemas, concerts, restaurants, people keep on going and there is a lot to see and do. Somedays you might have some drops of rain, but is nothing serious, after this you will enjoy great views of the snowed Andes mountains.

Soon is going to be Fondue and Racklette season. Typical Swiss traditions for Santiago's winter.

La piccola Italia

Coyancura 2265

Providencia

Outside from the subway station "Los Leones" in Providencia's shopping area you will find this very well known restaurant. You will see many locals around that area because there are several stores where you can find almost everything and also offices. After 8 pm you will even see "street malls" at the corner of Ricardo Lyon and Av. 11 de Septiembre where you can find Luis Vuitton bags for 10 USD (of course not original), you can bargain, but for that you need to speak fluent Chilean dialect. It's interesting to see how this "street malls" run away as soon as they notice police is around, so if you are going to purchase a film, bag or other accessory try to be fast before you stay will standing all alone as the walking mall goes away. They get back though, right after police is gone, then police comes again, they fly away, police is gone, they get back again and so, over and over and over again... many times a day, everyday. Around this area, in a short street called Coyancura you will find this budget restaurant, where for 8 USD per person you can have a main course and beer or soda, tummy will be full soon and the pocket will have no pain. Is not a top restaurant, but is ok if you're hungry and waling around this area. Service is very fast, not 100% of the times, but yes a 90%, dishes come usually very warm, the area is relatively quiet and the only thing that might bother is that sometimes some people go by asking for money, or they sing or play some instrument and would like to have a tip, but they are not aggressive or something. Food is mainly Italian, but they have fish as well. We recommend it because is budget price, fast and the food is good. We have never eaten the fish there before, but yes lots of pastas :) Ask us how to get there!

Update (May 30th, 2010): we still love La Piccola Italia, food is good, comes quickly and the prices are very convenient.

La Diablesse

Maipú 363, Barrio Yungay

Saturday night and it's raining a little bit in Santiago, perhaps the last drops of the year. Instead of staying at home watching TV with the heater on, we reminded of Hugo, a guy we met at the supermarket a few months ago, then he told us he was french and that he had a restaurant in Santiago's downtown and that its name was "La Diablesse". So we decided to head in direction downtown. This french restaurant is located at the Barrio Yungay in Santiago's downtown, a neighborhood who was born on the 19th century as an aristocratic quarter and today is part of the traditional-historic world of Santiago. Nowadays, in this part of the city's several cultural associations, universities, study centers, theaters, politic organizations are mixed with cafés, libraries, churches and museums. Barrio Yungay is in Santiago's downtown but is different to downtown it self, has an own identity.Hugo is a french who came to Chile from Avignon who studyied enology and speaks by now perfect Spanish. His menú is composed of meat, pasta, fish, salads, desserts. You can find there from the traditional Chilean Pisco Sour, deliciously prepared, to an outstanding Crème brûlée.

We totally recommend it!

www.ladiablesse.cl

Update (May 30th, 2010): this one is still a good choice and the house survived the earthquake very well.

Patio Suizo in Winter

Mucca

Av. Italia 810 - Providencia

Any day is a good day to have lunch around the corner. There are several alternatives around Patio Suizo, so we just started walking towards Italia Street, in less than 2 minutes we were there and we said: "today, let's go to Mucca". Menu for lunch was 4.000 CLP (approx 8 USD per person), is not expensive if we think it includes Entree or soup, main course, dessert, a soda and a coffee. The place is big, you can smoke there, besides menu you can have a la carte lunch or drink a pisco sour, etc.
The service is "Chilean"tough, it means that is kind of slow, it takes a while until they go to your table and ask you what would you like for lunch, but once they state this question it goes quicker. Is ok for lunch and for the price. Recommendable, but don't expect any gourmet dish or something like that. The coffee is not real coffee, is Nescafe, instant coffee.
We recommend it for lunch and for dinner.
Good environment, with music.

Update (May 30th, 2010): I don't know what happened to Mucca. This restaruant has been up and then down several times. When I wrote this comment on our blog it was going through an "up"-period, but now is down again. Food is not as tasty as it used to be and the service decayed a lot, last time we survived a cheeky waiter. Ever since, we haven't been back there. Maybe in the future we will give Mucca another chance.

Olán

Av. Seminario 96 (corner Rancagua)

This is a very small restaurant, located just 6 minutes away by walking from El Patio Suizo, you can't make reservations because is SO LOVED by everyone that is always full, so you have to know forehand that if you find a table when you get there, you're lucky, otherwise, you need patience to wait. They have actually 2 restaurants, one Olán is at the right hand side of the street and the other one at the opposite side of the Seminario Ave. Both are known, delicious and full.

The prices are really convenient and the food is very tasty. The dishes are more than enough and a MUST TASTE is their Pisco Sour, is great!! Ceviche is wonderful! the Pepper Steak with rice is marvellous, but the the only thing is that the restaurant is always so full that the service needs patience since they're a bit slow. But after all... we're having vacations! we're having fun! there's no rush!

We totally recomend it!

Atmosphere: totally casual

Prices: convinient

Opened from Mon to Sat lunch and dinner

Sunday only lunch

Update (May 30th, 2010): Olan is still a very good choice, prices went a little bit up, like everywhere else, but food is still great and dishes are very big!

Greca
Av. Italia 857, Providencia

This restaurant is just arround the corner from Patio, ideal for lunch, because they have a menu that is not more expensive than CLP 3800 (USD 7 aprox) and it includes a soda, water or wine! the wine is always from a good winery and enough. Lunch is tasty and convinient. During lunchtime is only non smoker. At night the place offers different dishes that mix greek, mediterranean and chilean food. Greca is a restaurant with a good service, good food and reasonable prices. Totally reccomendable!

UPDATE (May 30th, 2010): Greca is a good place for having lunch, the price is very convenient. But lately I've seen it closed at times when it should have been opened to public. I still recommend it for lunch. For dinner pick something else up.

De Cangrejo a Conejo

Av. Italia 805 Providencia ** Santiago

Just around the corner from Patio Suizo is this wonferful restaurant, one of our very favourite restaurants, overhead in sommer. The reason, the gorgeous backyard they have combined with an excelent a la carte menu and a great selection of wines. The name of the restaurant "De Cangrejo a Conejo" means "from Crab to rabbit" and it gives you an idea of how the menu is. They have everything meat, pasta, fish, shellfish, etc. You can chose among 12 dishes combined with different salads and joined by great chilean wines. It's a stylish restaurant and the service is very good as well. You can have lunch there or dinner. For lunch time they have a Menu (12 USD) with main course, a glass of wine, water or sodas, dessert & coffe or tea. If you wanted something else you can always order a la carte.

We really reccomend you to go there!

They open from Mo - Fri from 1 pm to 4 pm for lunch; 8 pm to 1 am for dinner

Sat from 8 pm to 1 am for dinner

cheers!

URL: http://www.decangrejoaconejo.cl

Update: (May 30th, 2010): STILL GREAT!