The document provides recommendations from Santiago local Pati Aguilera about things to see and do in the city, including museums, art galleries, restaurants, coffee shops, hotels and more. Some of her top recommendations are the National Museum of Fine Arts for its architecture and art, Plop! Gallery which focuses on illustrations, and Peluquería Francesa restaurant located in an old hair salon from the 1920s. She also highlights emerging culinary neighborhoods like Barrio Italia and Patio Bellavista.

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Which museums or galleries
do you love to visit?
The National Museum of Fine
Arts (Parque Forestal S/N) is
one of my favourites. The buil‑
ding itself is beautiful and has
a great history behind it. It was
designed by Franco-Chilean
architect, Emile Jecquier, and
opened in 1910 to commemo‑
rate the first centennial of
Chilean independence. Now
it’s one of the major centres for
Chilean visual arts.
What new things in the art
scene have caught your eye?
Every day you see more artists’
designs and illustrations
within the city, and I love that!
It’s what the ➊ Plop! Gallery
(Merced 349 Local 7, Barrio
Lastarria) is all about. We
specialise in illustrations,
cartoons and graphics. I really
enjoy being able to give artists
and illustrators the attention
they deserve through our
exhibitions, workshops and
presentations.
Where is Santiago's culinary
scene evolving?
In several areas, including the
up-and-coming Barrio Italia,
Concha y Toro in the west, and
Santiago’s ‘bohemian’ quarter,
Patio Bellavista that lies
between San Cristóbal Hill
and the Mapocho River.
Where do you head for
dinner with friends?
A special spot is ➋ Peluquería
Francesa (Calle Compania de
Jesus 2799) in Barrio Yungay.
The name means ‘French
barbershop’, and it’s an old
hairdressing salon that was
opened in the 1920s by French
immigrants. The barbershop
is still there, alongside a great
restaurant. It’s a really unique
place full of antiques, which
are also for sale.
What about a great breakfast
or brunch?
I go to Emporio La Rosa
(Avenue Las Torres 1424) in
the Parque Forestal. It also
happens to be one of the top 25
best ice cream parlours in the
world. The nearby landscaped
park, ➌ Cerro Santa Lucia, is
a lovely place to go for a walk
afterwards and offers great
views of the city.
And what about your own
favourite restaurant?
For ceviche mixto, I go to Casa
Lastarria (Lastarria Avenue
70). Their version of this – my
favourite – seafood dish is
absolutely delightful! One of
my new favourite places to chill
– and to feel near the ocean –
is Cebichería Constitución (on
the corner of Guillermo Prieto
Avenue and Ramón Guzmán
Avenue.) It is located in Patio
Bellavista, a touristic, gastro-
nomic hot spot that’s very
interesting to visit.
Where do you go to enjoy
a good cup of coffee?
To Café Colonia (Enrique Mac
Iver 161); it has a really classic,
familiar atmosphere. I also
like to go to ➍ Café del Ópera
(José Miguel de la Barra
esquina Merced). This is a
much more contemporary
place, and somewhere people
go to have a work meeting and
a chat.
Where can we meet you
to go shopping?
To buy clothes, I highly
recommend going to Hall
Central (Avenue Portugal).
The store brings together the
work of various Chilean and
Latin American designers, and
focuses on innovation, with
young talents experimenting
with materials related to our
identity.
Which new hotel in the city
would you love to check
yourself in to?
A good place is ➎ Lastarria
Boutique (Coronel Santiago
Bueras 188), a stylish hotel
where every room emanates
design and warmth. It’s
located in Barrio Lastarria,
a heritage district with a lot
of cultural movements.
And finally: a secret about
Santiago de Chile?
Downtown Santiago is full
of passages and galleries
where you can find all kinds
of commerce and shops. Some
of them are very old and have
been passed down from one
generation to another, remin-
ding us of what life was like
a few decades ago.
Artist and illustrator
Pati Aguilera co-founded
Plop! Gallery, together
with her husband and two
journalists, in 2010. She is
well known in Santiago for
her beautifully illustrated
blog about Chilean recipes,
Cositas Ricas Ilustradas.
cositasricasilustradas.
blogspot.com
Interviewed by Elly Kiss
from insiderei.com
This bustling
capital is
the ideal
introduction
to Chile
SantiagoInsider Pati Aguilera
Photography Tom Chenette
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