Food Tour STGO, Eat like Locals!
Description
What makes this food tour truly unique is that it’s designed to make you feel like a real local. Unlike other tours, this experience goes beyond simple tastings — it immerses you in the authentic daily life of Santiago. As your guide, I come fully prepared with all the essentials to ensure hygiene, comfort, and safety throughout the journey. You’ll have the rare opportunity to taste fresh fruits and local Chilean products directly from the market, just as locals do. Every detail of this tour has been carefully planned from start to finish to guarantee an unforgettable experience. My guests’ reviews speak for themselves — all positive, all confirming that this is one of the best and most genuine cultural experiences you can have in Santiago, and perhaps anywhere in the world.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Fall in love with tasty Chilean cuisine on a food tour in Santiago. Enjoy a selection of 10 food and drink tastings carefully curated by your enthusiastic local host, just for you and spread across at least 3 different local spots. From rich must-haves like Humitas to unique and typical city dishes like Sopaipillas; you're in for a treat, so bring your appetite.
After exploring the colorful markets and tasting local flavors at La Vega Central, we’ll take a well-deserved lunch break at one of the most authentic and welcoming restaurants in the area — La Vega Chica. Here you’ll sit back, relax, and enjoy a delicious tasting of Chile’s most traditional and iconic dishes, freshly prepared with local ingredients. It’s the perfect moment to unwind, share stories, and pair your meal with an ice-cold local beer or two while soaking in the true spirit of Chilean culture.
Next Stop – La Piojera: After our lunch break, we’ll continue to one of Santiago’s most legendary landmarks — La Piojera, the oldest bar in the city, founded in 1896. This iconic spot is a true piece of Chilean history, famous for its vibrant atmosphere and its signature drink, the Terremoto — a sweet, powerful cocktail that every visitor must try! Here you’ll have the chance to experience it just like the locals do, surrounded by music, laughter, and the authentic spirit of Chile. It’s an unmissable stop and one of the most traditional bars in the country.
Next, we’ll head to Mercado Central, a magnificent iron structure brought from England in 1872. This historic market is one of Santiago’s most beautiful architectural landmarks, featuring an elegant water fountain at its center and a lively atmosphere filled with local flavors and traditions. It’s a wonderful place to walk around, take a few photos, and enjoy the authentic charm of everyday Chilean life.
Final Stops – Plaza de Armas, Traditional Desserts & Lapis Lazuli Jewelry: On our way to the final stop, Plaza de Armas — the heart of Santiago — we’ll enjoy a taste of Chile’s favorite traditional dessert: mote con huesillo, a refreshing combination of cooked wheat and dried peaches served in a sweet, chilled syrup. It’s one of the country’s most beloved treats and a must-try for any visitor. At the Plaza, you’ll also have the chance to taste a scoop of lucuma ice cream, made from a unique native fruit found only in Chile, known for its smooth, caramel-like flavor. We’ll end our experience at a local jewelry gallery where artisans sell pieces made with lapis lazuli, Chile’s national gemstone. This is where locals shop — with prices nearly half of what you’d find in tourist areas or airports — making it the perfect way to finish our tour with a beautiful and authentic souvenir of Chile.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(45)
We had an outstanding tour and can highly recommend our guide Pablo! His knowledge was exceptional—not only about the food, but also about the people, the history history, politics, economy, and culture of the region. He answered every question with great expertise and made the entire experience both super engaging and insightful. It seems that everyone at the market hall knows him and that made it very special for us too. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and would not hesitate to book another one with him anytime. Thank you for a fantastic experience, Pablo - you rock!
Pablo is such a great host and very friendly. My husband and I always do a food tour when we go somewhere new to learn the lay of the land. Pablo gave us a very in depth local tour. We walked around the busy and exciting Vega Mercado. We tasted all kinds of fruit and veggies. The vendors were so nice and even gave us little presents. We ate like kings not once BUT twice!!! Sadly, we were too full to experience all the food. However, the pumpkin bread was the best! We did not leave hungry at all. Pablo was always looking out for our safety, making sure all our items were secured and that we were close to him. He also gave us a present, took our pictures and gave us a lil history of Chile. I highly recommend taking this tour!
This tour was one of the highlights of our time in Santiago, and our guide, Pablo, made it truly unforgettable. From the moment we met him, Pablo's energy, warmth, and passion for his city were infectious. It was just the two of us on the tour, which made the experience feel incredibly personal. As we strolled from the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes to the local market, Pablo shared fascinating stories about Santiago's history, culture, and people. He was engaging, knowledgeable, and genuinely fun to spend time with. Pablo also became our personal photographer for the day, taking countless photos along the way and then generously sending us over 100 pictures afterwards – a thoughtful touch! The food experience itself was exceptional. We were completely spoiled with tastings throughout the market, sampling delicious olives, avocados that can actually be eaten with the skin on, and an array of local produce we had never seen before. Pablo picked up local pressed ham, cheeses, breads, and pastries before setting up an amazing tasting feast, including a traditional Chilean hot dog loaded mayonnaise, and avocado plus other delicious local specialties. Walking through the market with Pablo was an experience in itself. He seemed to know everyone. Shop owners greeted him like an old friend, and there was constant laughter, joking, and storytelling. It felt as though we were exploring the market with a local celebrity, giving us a genuine insider's experience that we could never have had on our own. Although the tour was scheduled for three hours, Pablo happily extended it so we could enjoy a wonderful lunch featuring traditional Chilean dishes, including Pastel de Choclo – Chile's version of shepherd's pie made with sweet mashed corn and filled with mince and chicken – along with fried hake, salad, local bone broth and pasta soup, fresh bread, and beer. As if all of that wasn't enough, Pablo treated us to a popular Chilean ice cream, gifted us some local Merquén spice to take home, and introduced us to several long-time market stallholders, making us feel like locals ourselves. This was so much more than a food tour – it was a cultural experience filled with amazing food, wonderful stories, genuine connections, and lots of laughter. Thank you, Pablo, for an exceptional and unforgettable day. It was the perfect way to spend our second day in Santiago, and we cannot recommend this tour highly enough. If you're lucky enough to have Pablo as your guide, you're in for something special!
We had a wonderful time looking and eating around the local markets and restaurants, we would recommend the tour to everyone
Wonderful tour! Went to local markets and kitchens, ate many national dishes, tried fresh local fruits, vegetables and delicacies. Learned a ton about the history and food culture of Chile and Santiago!
Very enjoyable. Pablo was very knowleadgeable & knew everybody. We tried some foods & fruit we've never had before.
Excellent, Pablo was a wonderful guide passionate for food & his city. We toured the local market tasting food, lovely local lunch & ended with dessert in city square. Lots of fun.
Very authentic experience that provides an opportunity to meet local market vendors and taste a wide variety of unique foods. It’s the real deal! Pablo was a great guide and knew all the locals. Amazing and unique experience.
Pablo brings excitement and passion to his guests. Food tours I've had throughout the world walk to various establishments for tastings, etc. With Pablo the tour is spent mostly in the original STGO Mercado where a real feel for the common man is better understood. As he walks through the market explaining and feeling the culture the vendor owners smile and greet him and his guests with kindness. He shows the food as consumed by the local citizens in a place where they purchase fresh seafood, meats, fruits and vegtables rather than a fancy restaurant.
Pablo was so easy to be with, always keeping us informed, wanting to know all about us, the whole time offering us bites of this, samples of that. Come hungry as the sit down at the market restaurant is four large shareable bowls of the local dining favorites. Wow! Yummy!! Then a secret treat at the end! Quite the cultural experience. Don’t miss this tour!
