3 Best Restaurants in Chiloé, Chile

The tasty vegetarian fare made with fresh, locally grown organic ingredients at this cozy restaurant with an ocean view will impress even meat eaters. Creative dishes include the papas rellenas, the island's famed potatoes stuffed with sautéed veggies, quinoa, cheese, and a special pesto sauce. There are delicious classic tacos and homemade flatbread topped with goat cheese and veggies. Do leave room for the best part, though: real coffee with carrot cake or maqui berry pie. 

With a fresh, creative approach to traditional Chilote cuisine, this restaurant is a nice change of pace in the island's restaurant scene—and, most importantly, it serves up really good food. El Mercadito is in a restored house overlooking the waterfront in the historic Pedro Montt barrio. Exciting dishes include "Mi Borrachito," a spicy conger eel stew with choritos and fried native potatoes, and "Bombas de Jaiva," a breaded, fried appetizer stuffed with chupe de jaiba, a typical crab stew in Chiloé. Be sure to start your meal off with an icy pisco sour.

Co-owned by the authors of an award-winning cookbook about Chiloé cuisine, Travesia is a wonderful way to experience Chiloé dishes that are prepared with inventive, modern twists by a young team of chefs. A favorite is the out-of-this-world chancho ahumado (smoked pork), which is served with a delightful sauce made of local murta berries together with potatoes (a star ingredient here---Chiloé hosts 90% of the world's known potato varieties).