San Pedro de Atacama eat · Eating in San Pedro de Atacama
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Eating in San Pedro de Atacama
Eating in San Pedro de Atacama
For starters, a piece of good advice: most restaurants have a set meal, called Menú. This is, almost always, the cheapest and best alternative, wherever you go. Only lower-end locales do not carry this.
There's a chain of restaurants which are by far the most popular. These are Café Adobe, Blanco, La Estaka, and La Casona. Each one specializes in a kind of food. While very good, they're not the best, and a bit pricey. Adobe caters especially to younger people; expect it to be chock-full at the evening, as its customers prepare to party later. Blanco is the extreme opposite: it has a relaxing, though cold, atmosphere. La Estaka is considered the place to eat; while the food's excellent, it sometimes doesn't live up to its reputation. If you have a large stomach, be prepared for a disappointment. Finally, La Casona carries typical chilean dishes-from Chile's center, that is. It's expensive, but will also give you some insight to the best chilean "parrilladas"-which is to say, the local grill. Expect cow's tongue, blood sausages, and more. All these are located on the main street, Caracoles.
A real alternative for vegetarians is Todo Natural, also located on Caracoles. The food's excellent, as is the service. They can be a bit sluggish, though, and the whole restaurant's a non-smoking area.
Farther away from the mayhem is Ckunna, a restaurant that can be completely hit-or-miss; it's either superlative or subpar, depending on the occasion. The atmosphere is superb, in any case, and is normally a lot less crowded than the others. It is located on Tocopilla street, two blocks away from Caracoles, and next to Vilacoyo hostel.
For people with larger budgets, Paacha and Paacha-Konna are not to be missed. The latter is considered, by local gourmets, the best restaurant in all of San Pedro de Atacama; it routinely combines local produce with more exotic ingredients, to create superlative meals. It's set within Kimal Hotel, in a very homely and secluded atmosphere. The buildings, courtesy of one of Chile's most renowned architects, combined with the talented chefs, and outstanding service, make it the best among the best. Paacha-Konna is the lesser sibling of Paacha, but still one of the better places in San Pedro to eat. It's more affordable, and carries a variety of typical chilean dishes, but always attending to it's parent restaurant's standard of quality. Both are by the lower end (to the west) of Caracoles street.
Catering to the lower end of the spectrum are countless restaurants. The most famous is Al Paso, a locale that's open 'till 2 AM (some say even later than that!). Al Paso's cheap and quick, and serves a variety of dishes at all times. It can be found at the eastern end of Caracoles. The cheapest, though, is to be had at the "carritos", which lie at the northernmost end of the handicraft's market (that is to say, away from the main square). These are decent, though a bit unsanitary. Another good choice is Solcor, located on Calama street, close to the main street. It's a bit overpriced, but offers a quiet and secluded atmosphere, along excellent food and competitive prices for beer. And then there's El Sol, located on Tocopilla street, which sports the best cazuela in all of San Pedro, along a variety of beers. Another budget option is Portal Andino Lodge, which serves $2000 peso lunch meals (Toconao 500).
The absolute best choice, however, is Inti-Sol (or Sol-Inti). If you want proof of this, look at the clientèle: half of them will be locals, the other half being lucky tourists. This restaurant has the best salads and sandwiches in all of San Pedro. Their spaghetti with mushrooms is also remarkable. If they offer meat on the Menú, expect it to be top-notch. The prices are not the cheapest, but more than justified. The waiters are slow, though, so it may pay to press the cashier into sending someone your way, and paying to him/her directly.
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San Pedro de Atacama Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.