Xiaoyan Gourmet — Restaurant in Punta Arenas

Xiaoyan Gourmet(好味来), Delicious Authentic Chinese Food in Punta Arenas!

After trying and being disappointed by 4 different oriental (Chinese, Japanese & Thai) restaurants in Punta Arenas, we finally discovered a really authentic Chinese restaurant : Xiaoyan Gourmet (好味来).

This is THE restaurant to go in Punta Arenas for everyone who likes delicious authentic Chinese cuisine. The restaurant is casual and clean. The dishes are really delicious, authentic, homey, and cheap! They remind me of the dishes cooked at home in China! Xiaoyan Gourmet became our home kitchen since we had discovered it, and we were eating there everyday for 6 days in a row until our last day at Punta Arenas. We just could not get enough of it!

I was speaking Chinese with the Chinese owner Xiaoyan, her son (chef), and her daughter in law (waitress), and ordering from their "secret" hand written Chinese menu, which is not typically offered to non-Chinese speakers. But they also speak Spanish and a little English, so feel free to ask them to explain to you the Chinese menu and pick dishes from it, if you like. Or even try to order something not on the menu!

We enjoyed each and every dish, which included Smoked Pork (腊肉） with Sour Cabbage (酸菜）, Kong Bao Chicken, Chicken Gizzard, Green Pepper & Squid, Braised Fish, Antarctic Shrimp, Tomato & Egg Soup, Seaweed & Shrimp Soup, Soup Noodles. Some of these dishes were not on their "secret" menu, but they are flexible and always cooked delicious dishes for us.

Another secret: Xiaoyan home made the smoked pork (腊肉)， sour cabbage (酸菜)， and spicy sauce (辣酱) and they are all so delicious!

If you are in Punta Arenas, do not miss out on...

Xiaoyan Gourmet is nothing short of a secret gem. Tucked away, the interior might look cheap, but the food is as authentic as you can get. The main menu is typical South American styled Chinese Food. But the secret to real success in here is to ask for the secret menu. One word of warning, you will either have to speak Spanish or Chinese. The secret menu is written in Chinese, and contains some real gems which are genuinely authentic, only a few of the staff are bilingual in Chinese and Spanish, and they will be the ones you need to direct your order towards. A masterpiece was the home-smoked pork with sour cabbage. Also a squid dish, a prawn dish, and various soups all stood out. And the authenticity really stands out. I've travelled extensively in China, and this is one of the most authentic Chinese restaurants I've eaten in outside China. Fabulous and highly...

The only real Chinese food I've found in Latin America, but you have to speak Chinese.

There are 2 menus, one in Chinese and one in Spanish/English. The dishes are not the same on both. In Chinese you can order water boiled fish, mapo tofu, eggs and tomatoes, Chongqing chicken, dishes like that. In the Spanish/English menu you can order chilean-chinese, which is similar to American Chinese.

The water boiled fish was pretty good. The mayo tofu was pretty basic. It didn't have that spicy black bean sauce nor much Sichuan pepper. I think she can't find all the ingredients she needs out here. Also it's very expensive. The mapo tofu was 16k and the water boiled fish 22k. If this were California or china I wouldn't recommend it; but it's literally the best Chinese food for a few thousand miles in...