5 Best Restaurants in Castro, Chiloé

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).

For coffee fanatics in need of a good cup of joe in southern Chile, Palafito Patagonia is the answer. Situated in a refurbished palafito on Ten Ten Bay, it offers nice views from the refreshing outdoor terrace; inside smooth tunes play while you kick back with a selection of gourmet coffee imported from around the world. They also offer fresh juices and delicious cakes. 

A blend of traditional Chiloé and international cuisine, this restaurant serves a tasty take on local food, such as the unique chochoca rellena, which is shellfish in a sort of potato-bread wrapping. The owner and chef is from Chiloé and studied and worked for several years at restaurants in Germany. Located just outside of Castro on the way to the Rilan Peninsula and Dalcahue, it has become a must-stop for locals and visitors alike.

Going strong since the late 1970s, Sacho features the favorite seafood plates Chiloé is known for, cooked in the traditional style, from fish and curanto to chupe de jaiba (crab stew). Service is friendly and mostly prompt, even when it fills up at lunchtime with locals. Though there is a nice bay view, it's not the ambience you're here for; it's for the Chiloé seafood. There are chicken and beef plates for nonseafood lovers.