Oxalis

Puerto Varas


File under one to watch: this newcomer offers expansive lake and town views from its perch on the southeast end of the costanera and gets high marks for creativity and commitment to local ingredients. The modern-European menu is peppered with Asian flourishes (tuna smoked in eucalyptus and green tea, rib eye with wild mushrooms and bok choy) and Peruvian touches.

It's a work in progress. Our salmon three ways (sesame, truffle, eucalyptus) flanked by oyster mushrooms was revelatory, but our fish, seared with crunchy-pepper pumpkin seeds, wasn't as thrilling in reality as on paper. Still, if this one finds its footing, it's in line for best new restaurant in town.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Puerto Varas attractions

1. Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón

1.58 MILES

The imposing and colorful 1915 Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón, overlooking downtown from a promontory, is based on the Marienkirche of the Black Forest,…

2. Catedral de Puerto Montt

9.96 MILES

Built entirely of alerce in 1856, this church, located on the Plaza de Armas, is the town's oldest building and one of its few attractive ones.

3. Casa del Arte Diego Rivera

9.98 MILES

A joint Mexican-Chilean project finished in 1964, the upstairs Sala Hardy Wistuba specializes in works by local artists, sculptors and photographers. Also…

4. Av Angelmó Street Stalls

10.76 MILES

Along busy, diesel-fume-laden Av Angelmó is a dizzying mix of streetside stalls (selling artifacts, smoked mussels, cochayuyo – an edible sea plant – and…

5. Teatro del Lago

13.47 MILES

This amazing 12-years-in-the-making, US$25-million world-class performing-arts center opened in 2010, and has single-handedly put Frutillar on the global…

6. Museo Histórico Alemán

13.96 MILES

The Museo Histórico Colonial Alemán was built with assistance from Germany and is managed by the Universidad Austral. It features nearly perfect…

7. Monte Verde

17.62 MILES

A small child's footprint discovered in a marshy field 28km west of Puerto Montt turned the archaeological world on its head in 1975 – evidence of human…

8. Museo de Puerto Octay

24.64 MILES

A small but well-done museum inside the historic 1920 Casa Niklitschek telling the story of Puerto Octay via antiques.