Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Order a flight of infused ya dong shots.
Tep Bar
Thai-Chinese makes up Bangkok’s largest diaspora.
Nai Ek Roll Noodle
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
7 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
8 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
9 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
10 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Chile Santiago 99 Restaurante
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

99 Restaurante

A rotating nine-course menu offers delicious deep-dives into the foodways of Chilean agricultural valleys.

Santiago, Chile

Added By
Mark Johanson
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  Dagne Cobo Buschbeck for Gastro Obscura
  Dagne Cobo Buschbeck for Gastro Obscura
  Dagne Cobo Buschbeck for Gastro Obscura
  Dagne Cobo Buschbeck for Gastro Obscura
  Dagne Cobo Buschbeck for Gastro Obscura
  Dagne Cobo Buschbeck for Gastro Obscura
The first door to the restaurant at Prima Bar.   Dagne Cobo Buschbeck for Gastro Obscura
The second door to the restaurant.   Dagne Cobo Buschbeck for Gastro Obscura
  Dagne Cobo Buschbeck for Gastro Obscura
  Dagne Cobo Buschbeck for Gastro Obscura
You will experience Prima Bar, before you can go to the restaurant.   Dagne Cobo Buschbeck for Gastro Obscura
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Many high-end degustation restaurants aim for bold theatrics, molecular gastronomy, and colorful plates that will pop on Instagram. Chef Kurt Schmidt instead grounds 99 Restaurante in anthropology, meticulously studying the foodways of one Chilean agricultural valley at a time to design his rotating nine-course menu. The idea is to have a culinary history lesson rooted in honest flavors and sustainably-sourced ingredients.

The entire experience is intimate; the restaurant has seven tables (which are actually antique sewing desks) for a total of 14 guests. Diners start their meal at the same time, and they watch as the nine courses take shape in the open kitchen, just steps away. Curious to know what’s next? You can simply walk up and ask the chef, whose role is to curate the story of the designated Chilean valley.

The three-hour experience happens on the edge of Schmidt’s more casual eatery, Prima Bar. In fact, 99’s small dining space is hidden behind a wall at Prima Bar designed to replicate a palafito home from Chiloé, with wooden tiles (called tejuelas) made from native alerce wood.

The agricultural valley in focus changes twice each year. The inaugural location in 2024, when 99 reopened with a new concept after a four-year hiatus, was Huasco, about 700 kilometers (435 miles) north of Santiago on the southern edge of the Atacama Desert. Dishes on this menu included traditional donkey sausage; ice creams based around goat cheese and Chilean papayas (which are small, yellow, and mango-like in flavor); and a cold, ceviche-like mariscal with lapas (sea snails), piure (sea squirts), and sea urchins. Other Atacama seafoods like cochayuyo (a bull kelp) and locos (a large Chilean abalone) got similar star treatment. Many dishes were served in traditional red, white, and black pottery from the Diaguita, the area’s Indigenous community. 

To develop the menu, a team traveled to Huascoto meet its farmers, visit its fishing coves, and dine in its restaurants as well as rural homes.With producers creating wine from the Atacama Desert all the way down to northern Patagonia, sommelier Rocio Alvarado is also able to build hyperlocal wine pairings for each menu. She, too, travels to each valley to find local producers, often working with them to create bottles that will only ever appear at 99. For the Huasco Valley menu, for example, she cut the fat of billy goat meat with a powerful Petit Verdot developed exclusively to match that dish.

Unlike other anthropologically-minded restaurants in Chile, the mood here is not of a museum. There is no craft store or incessant panpipe music. In fact, the upbeat soundtrack might be best described as Andean EDM. Schmidt goes out of his way to ensure that the ambiance is cozy, but not sleepy. Yes, it’s a place to learn about Chilean foodways, but you’re meant to let down your hair while doing it.

Related Tags

Native American Cuisine Indigenous Restaurants

Community Contributors

Added By

Mark Johanson

Edited By

winnielee

  • winnielee

Published

June 26, 2024

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
99 Restaurante
Alonso de Córdova 4355
Vitacura
Santiago, 7560801
Chile
-33.403971, -70.587484
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

National Astronomical Observatory of Chile

Santiago, Chile

miles away

La Chascona

Santiago, Chile

miles away

Torre Telefonica Chile

Santiago, Chile

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Santiago

Santiago

Chile

Places 14
Stories 1

Nearby Places

National Astronomical Observatory of Chile

Santiago, Chile

miles away

La Chascona

Santiago, Chile

miles away

Torre Telefonica Chile

Santiago, Chile

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Santiago

Santiago

Chile

Places 14
Stories 1

Related Places

  • Elk and bison are regularly featured on the menu.

    Fort Langley, British Columbia

    Tradish's The Ancestor Cafe

    First Nations’ foodways are front and center at this food truck-turned-brick-and-mortar.

  • Maipú, Chile

    AMAIA Restaurante

    From maqui pisco sours to mote-mushroom risotto, the “Mapuchef” elevates endemic ingredients and celebrates Mapuche foodways.

  • Santiago, Chile

    Willimapu Gastronomía Ancestral

    In a corner of Santiago's largest market, this inventive Mapuche eatery shows "ancestral cuisine" doesn't have to mean old-fashioned.

  • The entrance to Owamni.

    Minneapolis, Minnesota

    Owamni

    The dishes at this restaurant by The Sioux Chef celebrate indigenous heritage.

  • The entrance to the museum.

    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

    Thirty Nine

    Named for the 39 tribes that live in Oklahoma, this restaurant's menu deliciously highlights local flavors.

  • An Indian taco on frybread.

    Sioux Falls, South Dakota

    Watecha Bowl

    Chef Lawrence West serves up Indian tacos, wojapi, and other Lakota dishes at the brick-and-mortar incarnation of his popular food truck.

  • Calgary, Alberta

    Little Chief

    What happens when a chef with indigenous roots takes over a hotel-restaurant?

  • Louis Trevino (left) and Vincent Medina (right) plate traditional food at Cafe Ohlone.

    Berkeley, California

    Cafe Ohlone

    This restaurant offers the original California cuisine.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.