Confitería Torres — Restaurant in Las Condes

For today's lunch, our tour guide Albero recommended Confitería Torres, also known as Café Torres. Established in 1879, this historic restaurant in the heart of Santiago has been a meeting place for Chilean politicians and intellectuals, including former Chile presidents and famous writers. The Soto Misseroni family currently manages the restaurant, which has expanded to a chain. We visited the downtown location, where the owner, Mr. Claudio Soto, warmly greeted us and shared a photo of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who had recently dined there. His daughter also assisted us in ordering authentic Chilean dishes, including the famous Pastel de Choclo (corn cake), Coupe de Jaiba, and Cupé de Cangrejo Real. We paired our meal with a Chilean Amber beer. The restaurant's grand interior was bustling with patrons, likely businessmen and politicians. Our dishes were delicious, and I enjoyed stimulating conversations with our travel companions. It was a delightful lunch in a great location with traditional Chilean cuisine among friends. We highly recommend Confitería Torres for a similar...

I'm giving it 3 stars for five reasons. Mainly because of the service. The food was good but unfortunately I ended up taking it to go because I didn't have enough time to eat it. They took quite long to bring my plate. First, the waiter told me to sit anywhere I wanted except for a reserved table at the corner so I sat at the next table. Second, a different waiter took my drink order then came back a couple of minutes after to move me because now my table was the reserved table. Third, at least another 10 minutes later my original waiter took my order. Fourth, several minutes went by. More people arrived (including the mister that comes every day for whom the table was reserved), ordered appetizers, received their appetizers and I was yet waiting for my plate. A third waiter checked on me. Someone else who seemed to be a manager checked on me. They finally brought my plate but I asked for the check and a box to go. (I had an airport transfer to catch). Fifth reason, they put my food in a box to go but they didn't have...

⭐The ambiance was lovely. I was worried it wouldn't be as cozy as the original location in Santiago Centro, but I honestly enjoyed it. 🍞 We ordered the Barros Luco, our favorite, served on a homemade marraqueta (a type of Chilean bread) made with sourdough (as we were informed). I can't express how delicious it was! ☕ We paired it with Irish coffee, which has whiskey. The waiter confirmed if we knew it contained alcohol, and we said that was the reason we ordered it. However, I must mention that I think it was too strong, almost like it was more whiskey with a bit of coffee. In any case, it was enjoyable, but not what I expected. 🍨 For dessert, I ordered the "harina tostada" ice creamout of curiosity. However, I struggled to find the harina tostada flavor; it tasted more like vanilla. But it was a good ice cream, and it came with a bit of natural berry sauce, no from frozen fruit. The service was excellent; the dishes arrived quickly, and everyone seemed concerned that everything went well. Would I go...