The Food Scene in Chile

One of the best parts about my adventures in Chile, was the exposure to the wide variety of foods I tried. Everywhere we went, there was always so many delicious options that it was hard to choose. Here is an overview of my favorite selections from the incredible variety of foods I consumed throughout the trip.

Breakfasts were usually simple, with toast, some sort of tropical fruit, and coffee.

Since we were out and about for most of the day, exploring different parts of the city, we bought our lunches in small groups at local cafes and restaurants. I often ate with the same group of classmates, and we would always order our aqua fresca’s first, because they were the perfect refresher and never disappointed! Then came the warm empanadas….with melt in your mouth flavors that always left us wanting more.

Our days were always full so we would often remind each other that by the end we would reward our miles of walking with a delicious dinner. We were free to try new restaurants. We often at traditional Chilean meals with appetizers that always included fresh bread and a salsa topping followed by a large meal of beans, meat, plantains, and other veggies.

My stomach learned to stretch more than it ever had leading up to this trip, especially when it came to dessert. I was never too full it seemed. I can vividly remember one night when we were getting dinner relatively late, it was somewhere around 8:30pm by the time we were searching for a place to eat. I was walking with a group of 4-5 friends and we got lost trying to find the original spot we were aiming for. So we walked a good 2-3 miles before we finally found a tiny, outdoor patio Italian restaurant. We had been so hungry before we went out but at that point our exhaustion from a long day had kicked in, it was almost 10pm and we only craved dessert. So we shared drinks and tiramisu, manicotti, and chocolate torte, and laughed our hearts out trying not to respond to the flirtatious waiter.

It was one of those nights that became one of the highlights of my trip, especially since we returned a few nights later to consume the divine four cheese gnocchi dish. Those are memories I will always hold dear to my heart both for the food, and the lovely friendships.