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El Masticón
Working men and students refuel at this diner-style joint. You'll get no fancy airs and graces here; what you will get are cheap and filling Chilean staples like lomo agregado (beef with side dish).
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El Mesón Nerudiano
The menu here takes inspiration from Neruda's favorite dishes, including the legendary caldillo de congrio (conger fish stew). There are also poetry readings and regular shows such as the traditional cueca dance (try it if you dare), making this elegant restaurant a delight for bohos with cash to splash.
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El Naturista
Look no further than El Naturista if you're hunting for a cheap and cheerful antidote to the meat-crammed menus that dominate Chile. This is the central branch of a vegetarian chain with an impressive range of pasta, salad and crepe dishes, although do not expect much in the way of finesse. There is also a more upmarket branch at Av Vitacura 2751 in Las Condes.
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El Otro Sitio
The atmosphere is low key, the mood relaxed and the waiters are informative and well accustomed to the international crowd at this established Peruvian restaurant. The camarones costanera (Ecuadorian prawns wrapped in chicken) are hard to beat.
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El Tablao
Dine on succulent fish platters to the stomp of flamenco in this vibrant restaurant/live music venue. The salmon cakes topped with mushroom and shrimp sauce are a winner. There is a cover charge for the live weekend dance performances and a weekday lunchtime set menu.
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El Toro
El Toro has transformed this little neighborhood from Bellavista backwater to hip hangout - spend a lunchtime here to spot the soap stars. Great value, colorful, open and rowdy, its tragos (alcoholic drinks) pack a punch, and the Chilean/Argentine cuisine is excellent - try the pastel de jaiba (crab pie).
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Emporio La Rosa
A rich caffeine aroma lures many into Emporio La Rosa, s charming delicatessen/café that stocks great bread, pastries, olive oils and delicacies such as caviar, pâté and Nutella.
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Fuente Suiza
Fuente Suiza is a bit like a late-night kebab house and is an enduring working-man's favorite that is rightly famous for some great fried empanadas and large, succulent lomo (pork) sandwiches.
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Galindo
A trendy media crowd still masses in this perennial favorite, where weekend crowds can turn a simple bathroom trip into an epic obstacle course. The menu features dependable Chilean staples. Book ahead for weekends.
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La Bohème
La Bohème is a popular French bar/restaurant that draws a relaxed, sophisticated crowd because it does the simple things well. Convivial yet cozy, its cuisine does the talking; the onion soup in particular has that extra je ne sais quoi .
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La Mia Pappa
Crammed full of tables, this is an incredibly popular all-you-can-eat pasta joint - you'll have to fight for a table at lunchtime. It's about pasta for your peso - do not expect haute cuisine. It includes a good-value take-away next door.
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La Pizza Nostra
This warm, accommodating pizzeria has more than 30 years' tradition in the area, and is one of the rare Providencia venues to open Sundays. It's the stone-cooked pizzas that get the accolades.
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La Tecla
A great place to spot the glitterati of the Chilean celebrity world, La Tecla (literally 'the keyboard', for reasons that will rapidly become clear on arrival) is a magnet for beautiful people. It specializes in pancakes - try the Chiloé version (smoked salmon and cheese.
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La Vitrina
Cute, cozy and candle-lit La Vitrina is tucked away in an attractive quieter part of Providencia with winding streets and opulent apartment buildings. Choose from good-value quiches and pizzas, and a weeknight happy hour cuts drink prices in half.
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Las Vacas Gordas
Las Vacas Gordas is a meat-lover's paradise that is so wildly popular the owners had to extend upstairs. Steaks and kebabs are expertly cooked on a giant grill at the front of the bright and bustling main dining area, and the service is impeccable despite the crowds. The value is extraordinary and everything is prepared to perfection. Good seafood and pasta are also on the menu. Get there early (whatever the day) to avoid disappointment.
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Le Due Torri
Italian immigrants and their descendants have tended the clientele at this stylish wood-paneled central restaurant for three generations. The packed lunchtime tables are testament to their enduring success. Tucked away in a shopping arcade, it's expensive but good, boasting 78 different varieties of antipasto.
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Les Assassins
An intimate, romantic ambience accompanies competent cuisine at Les Assassins, a petite French restaurant on the main Merced drag. Some find the service snooty, but there are good-value fixed-price lunches. It's worth booking ahead at weekends.
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Liguria
A legend on the Santiago restaurant circuit, Liguria has a simple recipe for its incredible popularity: line your walls with pictures and memorabilia, offer a great menu at a surprisingly low price and add a hefty pinch of bohemia and bustle overseen by slick waiters, then watch your locales fill so much that many would-be diners end up disappointed even on a weeknight. The great and the notorious have long flocked to Liguria - a drunken Marcelo Ríos (former world tennis number one) famously caused a kerfuffle here. Book ahead.
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Mercado Central
Mercado Central is a British-built wrought-iron central market that is one of Santiago's best lunch options, with great seafood restaurants as well as spectacular fish stalls.
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Ocean Pacific's
Sit down here and you may feel you've fallen between the pages of Jules Vernes' 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea . The sub-aqua-style decor is hardly subtle but a meal here is memorable and fun, especially with the extensive menu, which ranges from the traditional congrio a lo pobre (literally 'poor man's conger eel') to lobster. There's a take-away option, Ocean Pacific's Express, to the side.
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Off the Record
In-the-know Santiguinos dine at Off the Record, including some political top brass (Michelle Bachelet for one). Its charm lies in the relaxed, classy atmosphere, all-wood furnishings, mirrors, and art displays from local artists. The food is just as enticing - feast on the gorgeous crab crepes. It often hosts cultural and artistic events.
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OH! Salad Garden
Calorie-counters swear by this inexpensive and healthy lunchtime buffet, where a team of chefs washes, tosses and stirs an impressive range of salad dishes.
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Ostras Squella
One of the most established seafood restaurants in Santiago, Ostras Squella is known for its fish preparations with an Italian twist (fettuccini with prawns). The upstairs eating area is a scary clinical white, but the dishes are fresh, consistent and enjoyable.
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Patagonia Restobar
Patagonia Restobar is a log cabin-style refuge from the human traffic on Huérfanos, with an extensive wine selection to boot and a reasonable range of sandwiches.
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Peperone
The empanada is king (try the cheese and asparagus) at Peperone, a romantic little candlelit café that also serves tea, coffee, good beers (including Kuntsmann) and fresh juices.
