La Calma by Fredes & Ovalle

Overall, the seafood quality is clearly very good, but unfortunately I left feeling that the experience was not quite worth it. The oysters with sea urchin were excellent — incredibly fresh, creamy and beautifully balanced. Easily the highlight of the meal. The grilled octopus was much more disappointing. The texture was outstanding: extremely tender and perfectly cooked. Unfortunately, it was far too salty. I asked about it and was told that this was normal because of the ceviche-style preparation, but the saltiness completely overwhelmed the otherwise excellent octopus. What made it particularly frustrating was that the strong salty aftertaste stayed with me for so long that I couldn’t properly enjoy or even finish my Pisco Sour afterwards. The service was friendly and there is clearly a lot of quality in both the ingredients and the cooking. However, at this level, I would expect much better balance and consistency. One badly seasoned main dish ended up affecting the rest of the meal, and ultimately the overall experience just didn’t feel worth it. A good restaurant with real potential, but my experience unfortunately fell short of what I expected.

I wish I could give them 10 stars! La Calma experience was amazing and the best seafood in Santiago! We had to try the infamous 1/2 Calma which is for two people to share but we were so stuffed at the end of the meal without trying the dessert. It was an unique experience to eat sashimi Chilean style with lime, lemon&olive oil and mayonnaise. 1/2 Calma was a great way to be introduced to the vast variety of fresh seafood. The server was great and gave us great recommendations of wine, but we didn’t catch his name. We also tried their mashed potatoes with caramelized onions. It was delicious. Loved the seafood and the dining experience. We look forward to returning soon!”

I highly recommend this restaurant for tourists who want to experience authentic Chilean cuisine. I speak some Spanish, but not fluently. Our server gave us English menus and helped us navigate our order in Spanglish. It was easy to communicate, the service was perfect, and the meal? Well, it might be one of the best of my life. If you're an "extranjero" visiting Santiago, do not miss this restaurant!