Pisco Sour and Kuntsman dark beer Chorillana It was delicious, but you best be hungry. Paired with a pitcher of local Valparaiso beer. Knowing that most restaurants would be closed on Sundays throughout Chile, my friend insisted I try a national dish, so we walked downhill to Mastodonte Restaurant to have Chorillana: fried topped with sausage, pork, cheese, grilled onions and fried eggs.We settled on Taulat. Ordered Pisco Sour and Kuntsmann dark beer. There are plenty of choices when it comes to rooftop dining and drinking in Valparaiso, all similarly priced and all equally crowded on a nice sunny day like when we were there. With lots of time to kill before our return 8PM bus, we decided to have some rooftop Pisco Sour and Beer.Piano Staircase The most famous steps in Valparaiso Further downhill is another famous set of steps, the Piano Staircase, at the foot of Iglesia Luferanza de La Santa Cruz.NOTE: on google maps, search for Upla (Faacultad de Arte) We arrived at the famous “We are not Happies, We are Happies” mosaic steps (featured image on left), but it was packed with people so we kept going to return later for some necessary Valparaiso shots.From there we simply took a leisurely stroll through the steps and hills of Valparaiso and I admired the large amounts of murals, mosaics and street art that make this hilly Pacific coast city so vibrant and colorful.The interior here is also whimsical and fun, and if you time your visit right you can see them making candies fresh! Here we sampled some Chilean sugar candies, and I got myself some Pisco Sour flavored ones which were delicious. From there we walked up the steep hill, Valparaiso is like San Francisco, to La Dulceria, a candy shop.
Well worth checking out and the art-deco touches are incredible. The art housed inside are mostly by local Chilean artists and many parts of the house, including original bathrooms and fireplaces are preserved. Right by the funicular station is Palacio Baburizza, an art museum housed in an Art Deco mansion built by an Italian-Chilean immigrant.After lunch we took the funicular, Acensor el Peral, one of two operational funiculars to reach the hilltops of Historic Valparaiso.La Playa Cristal Beer Seafood Empanada Seafood stew
This is a quintessential Valparaiso experience, as it is where the local fisherman of this fisherman’s village (now industrial port) gather! Here I ordered some Seafood Empandas and a seafood stew as well as one of the many local beers, Cristal.
One thing is for sure though, the wine is delicious, plentiful and wont break your bank. I think I liked Valparaiso better than Santiago, and if a direct comparison between Santiago and Buenos Aires, as many people seem to compare the two, I would prefer Buenos Aires. But today Chile is a vibrant country and I was shown the ropes by someone who had studied abroad there and knew his way around. Like many of its neighbors, Chile was not immune to dictatorship in the 20th century and itself saw some turbulent times under General Pinochet following his coups against Allende. Chile is a long narrow country in South America, home to famous wines, a desert and of course Patagonia (shared with Argentina). A few weekends ago I ventured off to Chile.