3 Best Restaurants in El Norte Grande, Chile

Popular with locals, this unassuming restaurant may have simple decor, but the food is excellent. The serving staff bring out endless plates of steaming seafood and barbecue delights. The fettuccini a la mancha is as good as anything you'd get in Italy (perhaps a little spicer though!). Prices are a little steep but fair for Antofagasta, which is a pricey town. 

This hip eatery creatively combines Peruvian, Japanese, and Chilean flavors in dishes served straight on the waterfront. You can expect Chilean classics like ceviche and empanadas as well as Peruvian and Nikkea staples of lomo saltado and rich seafood broth. The cocktails are also a highlight, and often use local fruit and herb mixers.

Wicker furniture enhances the cool South Pacific atmosphere of this pleasant, open-air restaurant that literally sits above the water on stilts. The seafood, lauded by locals, is always fresh; ask the waiter what the fishing boats brought in that day. House specialties include octopus grilled in lemon and olive oil, and sea bass in the pineapple-flavored salsa amazonia.