Guide to Chilean Sandwiches

Know your Chacarero from your Churrasco Palta.

The Sandwiches of Chile.

I first fell in love with Chilean sandwiches in Punta Arenas, in the extreme south of Patagonian, the very end of the continent, after a quarter of the earth long chain of flights from Quito, Ecuador. I was in airports for close to 15 hours and landed late in the evening, though it was still bright out as the sun didn’t set until the early morning during that time of year. I dropped off my bags and stumbled around town and came to a chrome plated dive called Lomit’s on Avenida Jose Menendez, which is still around. I ordered a churrasco palta, a steak and mashed avocado sandwich, with a Calafate Ale, and it was everything I needed in that exhausted moment.

The Chilean love of sandwiches extends well beyond the Magallanes region. The entire country has iconic sandwich spots, going all the way up to Arica on the border with Peru. Many have waiters and decor reminiscent of an American malt shoppe in the 1950’s. They are generally small places that clustered together in unattractive town centers, near bus and train stations. You can usually add fries, beer or a shake. The food is generally cooked in open kitchens and, on occasion, there is seating on bar stools facing the grill as if it were a stage.