Santiago Market Food Walk: Mercado Central, La Vega & Chilean Empanadas
Day tour
Food tour
Standard
Departure point
→
Destination
Santiago, Chile
Santiago
1N (Participation Duration)
Walking (Transportation)
English (Language)
Number of participants 0/8
0 booked
Tour description
Chile is a country four thousand kilometres long and eight hours wide, with the coldest productive ocean in the world on one side, and Santiago's markets are where all of it arrives.
We start in the Mercado Central, an iron-framed hall shipped from England and opened in 1872, where the fish counters run down the middle: congrio, reineta, merluza, erizos - sea urchin the size of a fist - and machas, the razor clams that are grilled with parmesan and are Chile's best argument for itself.
Then across the river bridge to La Vega and Tirso de Molina, which are the real markets - cheaper, louder, and where Santiago actually shops. On the second floor of Tirso, the cocinerías serve cazuela, a clear broth with a piece of meat, a chunk of pumpkin and corn on the cob, and pastel de choclo, minced beef and chicken under a sweetcorn crust baked in a clay dish.
We also eat an empanada de pino from a shop that has been baking them inside La Vega since 1930, and finish with a pisco sour and a lesson in what separates Chilean pisco from Peruvian.
Small group, maximum 8 guests, entirely on foot.
We start in the Mercado Central, an iron-framed hall shipped from England and opened in 1872, where the fish counters run down the middle: congrio, reineta, merluza, erizos - sea urchin the size of a fist - and machas, the razor clams that are grilled with parmesan and are Chile's best argument for itself.
Then across the river bridge to La Vega and Tirso de Molina, which are the real markets - cheaper, louder, and where Santiago actually shops. On the second floor of Tirso, the cocinerías serve cazuela, a clear broth with a piece of meat, a chunk of pumpkin and corn on the cob, and pastel de choclo, minced beef and chicken under a sweetcorn crust baked in a clay dish.
We also eat an empanada de pino from a shop that has been baking them inside La Vega since 1930, and finish with a pisco sour and a lesson in what separates Chilean pisco from Peruvian.
Small group, maximum 8 guests, entirely on foot.
Meeting point:
View on map
Mercado Central, Ismael Valdes Vergara entrance, Santiago
We meet at the Ismael Valdes Vergara entrance to the Mercado Central. Your guide will have a small sign with your name. Metro Puente Cal y Canto is a 5-minute walk.
Detailed itinerary
Stop 1 - Mercado Central: The 1872 iron hall, with your guide naming the Humboldt Current catch - congrio, reineta, erizos, picorocos - and explaining why Chile's fish is what it is.
Stop 2 - Machas a la parmesana: Razor clams under melted parmesan and white wine, grilled and eaten straight from the shell.
Stop 3 - Caldillo or ceviche: A bowl of congrio soup, or Chilean-style ceviche, which is gentler and more citrus-led than Peru's.
Stop 4 - Empanada de pino since 1930: Beef, onion, olive, raisin and a boiled egg inside baked pastry, from a bakery inside La Vega.
Stop 5 - La Vega and Tirso de Molina: A walk through the fruit and vegetable halls with your guide on Chilean produce, and a stop at the juice row.
Stop 6 - Cazuela and pastel de choclo: A clear broth with meat, pumpkin and corn on the cob, and minced beef under a baked sweetcorn crust, at a second-floor cocineria.
Stop 7 - Pisco sour: Made properly, with your guide on the long argument between Chile and Peru about who owns pisco.
Stop 2 - Machas a la parmesana: Razor clams under melted parmesan and white wine, grilled and eaten straight from the shell.
Stop 3 - Caldillo or ceviche: A bowl of congrio soup, or Chilean-style ceviche, which is gentler and more citrus-led than Peru's.
Stop 4 - Empanada de pino since 1930: Beef, onion, olive, raisin and a boiled egg inside baked pastry, from a bakery inside La Vega.
Stop 5 - La Vega and Tirso de Molina: A walk through the fruit and vegetable halls with your guide on Chilean produce, and a stop at the juice row.
Stop 6 - Cazuela and pastel de choclo: A clear broth with meat, pumpkin and corn on the cob, and minced beef under a baked sweetcorn crust, at a second-floor cocineria.
Stop 7 - Pisco sour: Made properly, with your guide on the long argument between Chile and Peru about who owns pisco.
Tour price includes
• Small-group English-speaking local food guide (maximum 8 guests)
• All food and drink tastings listed in the itinerary
• One pisco sour or a soft drink
• Bottled water and wet wipes throughout
• All taxes and service fees
• All food and drink tastings listed in the itinerary
• One pisco sour or a soft drink
• Bottled water and wet wipes throughout
• All taxes and service fees
Tour price excludes
• Hotel pick-up and drop-off unless stated
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for your guide (appreciated but never expected)
• Meals and purchases outside the programme
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for your guide (appreciated but never expected)
• Meals and purchases outside the programme
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour start time for a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours are non-refundable. Tours run rain or shine; the markets are under cover.
Other notes
Runs Sunday to Friday at 09:30. We do not run on Saturdays, when one of the anchor stops on this route is closed, and the markets all shut by late afternoon so there is no evening version.
Safety: muggings in central Santiago have become more common and some now involve weapons, and distraction scams around the markets are routine. We run in daylight only, keep the group at eight, ask you to keep phones away, and do not walk the centre after dark. We also do not run on Friday afternoons, 11 September or 1 May, when protests around the Alameda and Plaza Baquedano are likely.
Water: Santiago's tap water is safe to drink, although it is hard and tastes strongly of minerals. We provide bottled water anyway.
Cards work almost everywhere in Chile, including many market stalls. Your guide pays throughout.
Michelin does not publish a guide for Chile, so treat any Chilean restaurant marketed as Michelin-starred with suspicion.
Dietary needs: tell us at least 48 hours ahead. Vegetarian is workable via pastel de choclo, empanadas de queso, humitas and the produce halls.
About 2 km of walking on flat streets.
Safety: muggings in central Santiago have become more common and some now involve weapons, and distraction scams around the markets are routine. We run in daylight only, keep the group at eight, ask you to keep phones away, and do not walk the centre after dark. We also do not run on Friday afternoons, 11 September or 1 May, when protests around the Alameda and Plaza Baquedano are likely.
Water: Santiago's tap water is safe to drink, although it is hard and tastes strongly of minerals. We provide bottled water anyway.
Cards work almost everywhere in Chile, including many market stalls. Your guide pays throughout.
Michelin does not publish a guide for Chile, so treat any Chilean restaurant marketed as Michelin-starred with suspicion.
Dietary needs: tell us at least 48 hours ahead. Vegetarian is workable via pastel de choclo, empanadas de queso, humitas and the produce halls.
About 2 km of walking on flat streets.
Detailed price list
| Guest type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adults | $55 |
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