Cafe Kaiken — Restaurant in Puerto Natales

Thoroughly impressed.

I was hesitant about going because the pictures of ravioli beckoned thoughts of “I’ll still be hungry” and “but this isn’t Italy” and “what… another trying to be fancy restaurant?” I was thoroughly disproven on all counts.

The meal was superb. Excellent ceviche and good wine… but that ravioli. Holy smokes. We got the lamb and the salmon and I honestly can’t say which one was better… but the lamb was less traditional and, therefore, a bit more reasonable to try.

(I can down a large steak any meal of any day, but the ceviche and two ravioli plates satiated us to the point of refusing dessert.)

The service was similarly excellent. The staff is attentive and friendly by a standard higher than you’d expect from a small, casual looking cafe like this. Smiles and all.

The prices were very digestible. Our pasta dishes were approx. $15 USD and our total, including tip, was roughly $50 USD (with wine and ceviche).

Note: we saw many parties get turned away due to not having reservations. Make sure to WhatsApp the crew (number is on their Facebook page) and...

I'm really really sorry. This salmon that you see here is really freaking delicious. But I'm not sorry about that. I'm sorry to the owners.

I had a pre-existing bowel condition (not connected to the food here), and I had to use the bathroom before we ordered. It took me 30 minutes, and ended up leaving the toilet in an unflushable state.

I forgot how to say "clogged" and I've never known how to say "plunger" in spanish. So I said that the toilet was "parado" and they gave me the weirdest look. Then I was like, "no anda" and he had to go see what I was talking about. So after that embarassment I got to order from the guy who helped me, and he didn't give me any weird looks.

Kudos to Cafe Kaiken. Really...

Wow! This place is absolutely amazing. Everything about it was charming, full of character and perfect for a traditional home style meal. My wife and I read about the history of this little 8 tabled gem on lonely planet and really glad we did! (This really enchanted the experience) I had the beef medallion which was cooked to absolute perfection! And my wife had the Cerviche. The staff were absolutely fantastic and gave us a warm welcome even though our Spanish was not up to scratch! It was so good we booked to go again the next night and it was just as good! I’d recommend getting in early as tables are very limited and it’s always full

Well done to everyone at Cafe Kaiken, it...