What to Eat in Valparaíso: Chorrillana Porteña, Caldillo de Congrio & Machas

Shaped by the cold, nutrient-rich waters of the Humboldt Current and more than a century of sailors, dockworkers, and European immigrants gathering in portside taverns, Valparaíso and its coastal neighbours Viña del Mar and Concón form one of Chile's greatest culinary regions. Here are the essential dishes and drinks to seek out.

1. Chorrillana Porteña and Caldillo de Congrio

• La Chorrillana Porteña: No dish is more closely identified with Valparaíso's bohemian nightlife than the chorrillana, popularised in the late twentieth century at the memorabilia-packed tavern J. Cruz M. (tucked down a passage off Calle Condell 1466). Designed to be shared among two to four friends with toothpicks or forks over pitchers of beer or borgoña (red wine with fresh strawberries), a true chorrillana porteña piles a platter of thick-cut fried potatoes with sweet slow-caramelised onions, tender strips of pan-seared beef loin, and either scrambled eggs or sunny-side-up fried eggs on top.
• Caldillo de Congrio (Pink Conger Eel Chowder): Immortalised by Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda in his famous poem Oda al Caldillo de Congrio ("In the stormy Chilean sea lives the rosy conger, giant eel of snowy flesh..."), this steaming earthenware soup simmers medallions of firm pink or golden conger eel (congrio colorado or dorado) in a fish-head stock perfumed with white wine, tomatoes, onions, garlic, potatoes, coriander, and a splash of cream. For the most authentic midday bowl, head to the upstairs cocinerías of the 1912 Mercado El Cardonal.

2. Machas a la Parmesana, Seafood Empanadas & Casablanca Wines

• Machas a la Parmesana: Invented on the Viña del Mar coast in the 1950s by Italian immigrant Edoardo Melotti, this beloved Pacific starter arranges tender pink tongues of native surf clams (Mesodesma donacium) on their half shells with a cube of butter, a splash of dry Casablanca Valley Sauvignon Blanc, and grated Parmesan cheese, broiled until bubbling and golden.
• Fried Merluza at Caleta Portales & Concón Empanadas: Watch artisanal fishing boats unload along the pier at Caleta Diego Portales before ordering crispy battered hake (merluza frita) or pomfret (reineta) with ensalada chilena (ripe tomatoes, feathered onion, and coriander), or head north to Concón for oversized fried empanadas de camarón-queso (shrimp and melted cheese) and empanadas de machas.