9 Best Restaurants in The Southern Coast, Chile

This "Italo-Patagon" pizzeria in the heart of Patagonia mixes the best of Italian cuisine with local ingredients and cooking methods. There is the excellent clay-oven-baked pizza (the one with cordero meat is a running favorite), heaping salads, and inventive plates like grilled Camembert smothered in calafate (a local berry) sauce and homemade panzotti pasta stuffed with crab. If you're a beer lover, try the diverse microbrews made by Mamma Gaucha's sister company, Cerveza La Tropera. The restaurant is popular, but the wait is worth it. 

The restaurant's fireplace and library supply ambience while you dine on some of the finest food on the Carretera Austral, such as Chilean and regional dishes like grilled trout and roasted lamb, which are prepared with style and organic, locally grown ingredients. An added benefit is that the restaurant is co-run by a longtime American rafting guide who can give inside info on outdoor activities in the area. The restaurant's bar is also a local hangout, so it's a good place to meet people. Call in advance to get the best table.

Some swear Pizzas de Fabio has the best pizza in Patagonia, and that may well be. The Argentinean owner is a maestro with pizza cuisine, and he uses fresh ingredients from local organic growers. Italian-style, thin-crust pizza lovers will be happy here.

Here you can enjoy quality home-cooked meals prepared by the owners---such as incredible steaks, crab stew, and freshly caught fish---as well as yummy pastries, including apple cinnamon rolls straight from the oven.

On a cold, rainy day nothing is finer than partaking of a rico coffee and küchen cake at Café Mandala in Futaleufú. Their calling card is their fine breakfasts, but don't miss out on their hot chocolate, delicious cakes, and homemade bread.

Organic, fresh, regional produce stars in the indulgent Chilean-international fusion dishes at DaGus Restaurant. The menu is constantly changing, but standouts include pasta dishes and sandwiches like the "Terrible Pollo," a large grilled chicken affair with pesto, tomato, arugula, olives, and melted cheese. 

Homemade sandwiches and pizza anchor the diverse menu at this favorite local hangout. Try the "El Gordito," an oversize steak sandwich with lettuce, guacamole, egg, and French fries. The friendly owners also serve up a mouth-watering pizza according to your preference (you choose the four ingredients).

This restaurant is run by the González family—the mother cooks, her husband and son serve—and they all exude a genuine warmth to everyone who walks in the door. There's plenty of traditional Chilean fare on the menu, including Patagonian cordero (roasted lamb), their standout centolla (king crab) and langostino (lobster), and the hearty filete casona—roast beef with bacon, mushrooms, and potatoes. The design is orderly and pleasant, with fresh flowers in a vase on tables covered with white linen.

With quick and pleasant service and a diverse daily menu, Mi Sur has become an obligatory stop for hungry travelers who regularly drive the Carretera Austral. The meals are prepared with great care and are colorful, abundant, and well presented. Try the jabali (wild boar), or perhaps a caldillo de congrio (fish stew). There are vegetarian options as well.