Country Information

While Chile is unlikely ever to be known for its sophisticated cuisine, there have been notable signs of improvement in recent years, particularly in Santiago and other areas visited by international tourists. The capital has a wide range of options for eating out, from sushi and excellent vegetarian restaurants to hearty, good-value grills.

Outside of Santiago, options tend to be limited for vegetarians, who are likely to tire quite quickly of the meat and two-veg platters that dominate most of the restaurants in the provinces.

Valparaíso and Pucón are two other towns where visitors will find a reasonable culinary choice.

National specialities:
• Empanada (combination of meat, chicken or fish, with onions, eggs, raisins and olives inside a flour pastry).
• Seafood, including clams, sole, sea bass and oysters.
• Cazuela de ave (soup with rice, vegetables, chicken and herbs).
• Bife a lo pobre (steak with french fries, onions and eggs).
• Parrillada (selection of meat grilled over hot coals, often including delicacies such as intestines, udders and blood sausages).
• Pastel de choclo (a typical, hearty Chilean casserole dish made of ground corn, usually with chicken and basil).
• Pebre (a simple salsa, including coriander, delicious with bread as a starter).

National drinks:
• Chile is famous for its wine, particularly for the Carmenère grape, which was originally a French crop killed by blight in Europe but protected in this corner of South America by its isolation.
• Pisco (a powerful brandy distilled from grapes after wine pressing). Pisco sour is a potent but very tasty lemon-based cocktail that is popular throughout Chile (although Peru also claims it as its own).
• Grapes are also used to make the sweet brown chicha, imbibed in biblical quantities around the fiestas patrias in September.
• Popular Chilean beer brands include Kuntsman, Cristal and Escudo.
• Cola de mono (literally monkey's tail) is a coffee and chocolate based liqueur, usually associated with Christmas time.

Legal drinking age: You must be 18 to purchase alcohol in Chile.

Tipping: It is customary to add 10% to the bill. Some restaurants and bars automatically add this.

While many restaurants and hotels offer entertainment, there are also a number of nightclubs. Santiago gets lively at the weekends, especially in Pablo Neruda's former haunt, Bellavista, and in Barrio Brasil, the bohemian area to the west of the centre. Providencia and Nuñoa also have plenty of good bars. Lastarria, the area just to the west of Bellas Artes metro station is perhaps the most refined area to go out. Bands and acts frequently perform; listings sections can be found in Friday's La Tercera and El Mercurio as well as the weekend cultural section of The Santiago Times. Things don't usually get going until around 2200 or 2300 in restaurants, and 0100 in clubs and bars. Visitors should be aware that the English word 'nightclub' means 'brothel' in Chile.

Special purchases include textiles such as colourful handwoven ponchos, vicuna rugs, alpaca jumpers and copper and silver work. Chile is particularly known for its lapis lazuli jewellery, but jade, amethyst, agate and onyx can all be purchased. More and more little boutique stores selling well crafted jewellery and craft are cropping up in Cerros Alegre and Concepción in Valparaíso. Camping and other outdoor equipment can be bought in Santiago, although you are advised to buy essential equipment before you arrive.

Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 1000-2000, Sat 1000-1400. Large shopping malls are open daily 1000-2100.