Tío Jacinto Restaurant
A converted house on Calle Uribe in the city's residential belt, Tío Jacinto has been serving the freshest Pacific seafood for over four decades without ever needing to advertise. There is no printed menu — the waiter recites what the boats brought in that morning, and you choose. It is as close to the ocean as you can get without getting wet.
What to order
The signature dish is Chupe Mixto — a bubbling gratin of crab and locos (Chilean abalone) blanketed in molten cheese, served in a clay pot hot enough to keep burning your fingers throughout the meal. The Lenguado (flounder), grilled or pan-fried with sautéed potatoes, is another non-negotiable.
Everything is made to order from scratch, which means it takes time — but the kitchen's patience produces results that no fast-service restaurant can match. Start with a cold Escudo beer and let the kitchen do its work.
The atmosphere
The dining room is small — a handful of tables in what feels like someone's living room — and fills up fast at peak lunch hours (1–3 pm). Arrive before 1 pm or after 3 pm to avoid a wait. The staff are warm, patient with non-Spanish speakers and genuinely proud of what they serve.
Tío Jacinto is the kind of place that locals take visitors they want to impress. It has none of the tourist-facing polish of the Costanera restaurants, and that is precisely its charm.
Tío Jacinto Restaurant on video
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