Pulperia Santa Elvira

Tucked into a 100-year-old antique-filled casona in Barrio Matta Sur, far from the typical tourist circuit, Pulperia Santa Elvira pulls off the improbable trick of being a high-end restaurant that feels as cozy as a grandma’s house. The menu changes with the season, but chef Javier Avilés always seeks out local providers and sustainable ingredients (including the clam-like chocha and tunicate-like piure) for creations that put an upmarket twist on the kind of classic Chilean home cooking that most visitors never get to experience. Meanwhile, the wines are similarly low-intervention and often come from family vineyards in the southern Itata and Maule valleys, which use less conventional grapes like Carignan and Cinsault.

Behind an anonymous-looking front door lies this charming restaurant, a short drive south of Santiago Centro. Choose your table from the various salons, including the adorable patio or a more private dining space, then pick your dishes from the short yet eclectic blackboard. Run by a husband-and-wife team, Chef Javier Avilés cooks seasonally and simply, allowing the ingredients sourced from small producers to shine.

After several years cooking in Buenos Aires, Javier Aviles returned home to Santiago to open Pulpería Santa Elvira with partner Florencia Velasco in 2018. An ambitious project for the outlying Barrio Matta Sur location (a heritage neighbourhood), they converted a 1919-constructed home, paying tribute to the multi-function pulperías of old that fused grocery stores with casual eating spots – and upped the gastronomic ante. By working directly with mushroom foragers and kale farmers to source fresh produce, Aviles adapts his short (just nine dishes) à la carte menu accordingly.

Cuando el equipo de cocina recolecta sus setas con especialistas se sabe que hay metas cuidadas. Ubicado en Matta Sur, un barrio trabajador cerca al centro de Santiago, la Pulpería Santa Elvira te acoge por el pasado del local mismo y te encariña por su presente y el trabajo del chef Javier Avilés quien, luego de varios años trabajando en Argentina, busca interpretar su país natal. Entre simpleza y búsqueda, también hay sabor, como el causeo de locos y chochos con un shot de piure.

reads the chalkboard on the patio at Pulpería Santa Elvira, and it’s not just for show. Set inside a restored 1920s house in Santiago’s Matta Sur neighborhood, this restaurant feels like stepping into a grandmother’s dining room, complete with antique photos on the walls and dried flowers hanging from the ceiling. The menu changes frequently, offering a handful of appetizers, mains, and desserts that highlight local, seasonal ingredients.

Pulpería Santa Elvira, ubicada en el histórico barrio Matta Sur de Santiago. Este acogedor local sorprende con una oferta culinaria que utiliza exclusivamente ingredientes de temporada. Con platos visualmente atractivos y exquisitos, Pulpería Santa Elvira destaca por sus s abores frescos y atención detallada.

Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants* compartió su **listado del 51 al 100** con los mejores spots culinarios de América Latina, en donde Chile consiguió posicionar a seis restaurantes: La Calma by Fredes, Olam, Pulpería Santa Elvira, Demencia, Yum Cha y Ambrosía*, todo ellos localizados en la capital.

Pulpería Santa Elvira is one of those places that conquers you from the start. Starting out because it is in a beautiful restored heritage house on Santa Elvira Street, near Av. Matta, with an open kitchen, different living rooms and a terrace.