Despite having a breakfast in Chile out of home is not common at all, and Nescoffe displaced italian expresso coffe machines, still we can find few places to enjoy a breakfast and even a good coffe.
Usually Chilenians have a quickly light coffe with biscutes at home. If not enough, they hold on until early lunch at 12:30.
It explains why is almost imposible to find a coffe breakfast place in the city, and the few of them are never open until 10am, and closed on weekends... They use to be an after lunch or evening coffe places with cakes, when office or elder use to spend hours doing arregements or pasing the time.
It explains also why this places are so expensive (2015 a coffe with milk cost 2.000 pesos, that means 3€ or almost 4$), even when look normal and not luxury.
Usually chilenians prefer Nescaffe fast machines in every shop (700pesos or 1€) and if too hungry to wait few street sthalls offers unexpensive fried buñuelos called "sopaipillas" (300pesos), very common in cold south chile cities. In Concepcion bakeries sell them. Be ware sopaipillas are totally forbiden by docs to fat or high collesterol people. Try them but dont get use to them every day.
Empanada de Pino
Salty Snacks all the day around can be found in bakerys like the world famous chilenian empanadas, or just "empanadas". A baked wrap with different insides: just cheese, "empanada de pino" with meet, fried onion, olives and sometimes boiled eggs, or with saussage and cheese, or jam with, or chicken with corn... Some "empanadas" can be very big and chilenians, specially students, use it as a fast lunch. Too much for a breakfast.
Still if we want a sit down place to have a breakfast (instead an stand up nescoffe and sopaipilla) there are few places on the city to enjoy without being assaulted:
Mammut breakfast
If you are as far as Carrera bussiest ave the Copec petrol station chain offers complete breakfast sets for 2000pesos all over Chile. Still too far from the center if you are not around.
For big stomachs an "omelette coffe juice toast breakfast" is offered for 2000 pesos at "Mammut" hamburger chain (barros arana pedestrian and mall at the center 4th floor). It is the biggest for the cheapest you can get in town. Also biggest hamburgers with fries at Concepcion (5200 pesos).
At "Subway" baggete chain (Ohiggins main ave near Ymca gym) the special "economico" sandwich of the day with a nescoffe, in a sitting place under 2000pesos is another solution.
But if you want a good coffe for a good price (800pesos), nowhere else better than the small "Café Coyoacan". A mexican owner toast hos own imported grain coffe. Also a key place to buy coffe for home (3500 pesos for quarter ground or grain coffe).
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At the other hand Lunch can be pretty cheap (starting from 2200pesos). Maybe is why chilenians wait until 12:30 to have a proper meal, instead spending almost double money in just a coffe with a toast. And reserve this "luxury" for more important things at the afternoom.
Of course Lunch places offer from 2200 pesos to 3500 are light meals, with an only one dish with a drink, bread, chile sauce and sometimes a small disert. Even a small soup is offered as a starter. ¿What else you can ask for this beating prices?
Remember at night these same places only offer menu dinners that use to cost 6000pesos and up.
So.... having lunch out of home is super common in Concepcion as you can imagine.
And dont be too late, because after 1:30pm many dishes of the menu star to be not available.
Lunch Menu dishes can be choosen for a variety of 3 to more choices.
Still everywhere are pretty the same.
In winter "cazuela de ave" a complete chicken big soup with vegetables and corn is one of the favorites.
Again baked or fried chicken with (choice between mass potatoes/salad/french fries/plain rice/pasta) use to be almost everywhere.
Fried fish as merluza can be found in many places.
Beef is not rare also.
Bolognese spaguetti is common, but not as you can imagine... avoid it when posible (spacially if you are from italy).
Cazuela de Ave
Shushi, Arab sawarma and Pizzerias, along with more expensive famous Peruvian restaurants, are the exotic touch in the town. Some has not lunch menu, so leave them for dinner.
Some more clean and fancy places for lunch are:
By the center main "Plaza de Armas" square some can be easily found, including "casa España" restaurant.
Barros Arana with Rengo has many places for lunch, as gob offices are there. Like tradicional "fuente Alemana" (rengo with oHiggins ave) and more.
In the alley of the main pedestrian comercial street Barros Arana also, specially near the gob town offices at the crossing
In the upper floor of the Mall of the center you have all fast food companies (start from 3000): hamburguers, chinesse, hotdogs and pizza. The unhealthiest at the town.
But if you really want to have a lunch in a very nice cool place, or having an special afternoom coffe and cake, the really favourites are:
French victorian style caffe BAC in Victor Lamas st in front of the park (6000pesos). Expats can be seen here having a tea or coffe.
Beautiful gardenered "Chocolate Victoria" in Victoria st. (named before as the movie "para agua con chocolate") is a perfect coffe place and lunch restaurant if you are in the university UdeC area, a fovourite for teachers to invite foreign visitors and fancy students (3500pesos), of course one of our favorites in town.
B&B restaurant, Orompello st in front of the Mall. A small oasis garden in the midle of the concrete busy center. Offer lunch (3500) but also a good night place to meet.
Restaurant X in Paicavi st, one block away from "plaza Peru". A prefered by young hipsters with bigger wallets (4500).
Tucapel 470 (near oHiggins ave). A big white house converted into a hipster place with alternative shops and a backyard with a caffee. An alternative style place to enjoy a tea or a unique smoking egyptian Narguile (yes you hear well, a tabacco water pipe). Lunchs also served (4000)
Tucapel 470 (near oHiggins ave). A big white house converted into a hipster place with alternative shops and a backyard with a caffee. An alternative style place to enjoy a tea or a unique smoking egyptian Narguile (yes you hear well, a tabacco water pipe). Lunchs also served (4000)
"Caffé AñosLuz", in Diagonal ave, the nicest street on town. One of our favorites for afternoom coffe and cakes, easy lunchs (2500pesos), etc. It is an alive old toys and colectionables caffe museum with its friendliest owner. A special place you should not miss at least once.
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Another places to mention at the center are:
Also Tai food and Mexican food can be found in small student restaurants near University, at "Peru square" or "plaza Peru" and the Diagonal ave beside . Full of students (from 3000 pesos lunch)
As Universities runs private, food in their cantines is not a good choice. Even cheap, use to be very poor in both quantity and quality. A good idea while travelling in Europe, in Chile even Students prefer to go outside.
Along with the baked traditional "empanadas", new popular hotdogs, named "Completos" are all around the city, unexpensive and unhealthy are very popular and you may end in one of them few times.
While Doogies is one of the worst chains, la "fuente alemana" is maybe the best quality ones, offering also meet sliced hamburgers named "churrasco".
Churrasco & Completo
Just to finish, a small place for the so common french fries places. There are many places, but "Assuan" chain boost with 7 or more open places in the center. Cheap and fresh fries, for 800pesos or 1200 for double size, you get more than you can eat. A preferred by "Penquistas" (the gentilician name of the Concepción inhabitants).
From now you have no more difficulties to find nice places in town to eat and enjoy...
Thanks for reading and hope it is usefull.
If nice places are missing, please write to cesarmariscal@gmail.com to add them to this list.
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