Chilean food has the smallest restaurant footprint of any South American cuisine in Dubai. There is no Asado-equivalent powerhouse, no chain like Gaucho, no high-profile celebrity-chef opening. What there is, instead, is a small ecosystem of pan-Latin venues that take Chilean dishes, wines, and piscos genuinely seriously. After three years of eating my way through every venue with a Chilean dish on the menu, here is the honest ranked list.
For each, I'm listing the exact dish to order, the price, and the one warning I would give a friend. If you want the closest thing to real Chilean food in Dubai, head to #1 in Al Quoz and order two empanadas de pino. If you want a serious Chilean-wine experience with a steak, head to #3 in DIFC and order the beef tenderloin with the Don Melchor by the glass.
Sabores del Sur
A small Latin-American restaurant tucked into a side street off Alserkal Avenue, run by a Santiago-born chef. This is the closest Dubai gets to a Chilean restaurant. The empanadas de pino are the city's only proper version — large, oven-baked, hand-cut beef with onions, hard-boiled egg, an olive, and a raisin. The completos italianos on Friday lunch are a Santiago street-food re-creation. Weekend brunch adds sopaipillas, chorrillana, and occasional pastel de choclo.
Order: two empanadas de pino (AED 28 each), one chorrillana to share (AED 65), and the manjar-filled alfajor for dessert (AED 18). No alcohol licence — BYO from MMI with a corkage of AED 30. Bring a Carmenère.
Inca Cocina
Primarily Peruvian, but the chef is half-Chilean and runs three serious Chilean dishes: pastel de choclo (Wednesday-only special, AED 95), a Carmenère-paired beef tenderloin (AED 220), and a Chilean-style salmon ceviche with merken (AED 110). The Chilean Pisco Sour is correctly made (no egg white). DIFC business-lunch crowd at noon, dinner-date energy in the evening. Licensed bar.
Order: the pastel de choclo on Wednesday, paired with the Errazuriz Max Reserva Carmenère by the glass (AED 65).
Coya Dubai
A pan-Latin upmarket restaurant whose Chilean credentials live on the wine list. Six Chilean wines by the glass, 22 by the bottle, including the prestige cuvées (Don Melchor at AED 280 per glass, Almaviva at AED 750 per bottle). Two Chilean-leaning dishes — the salmon ceviche with merken (AED 110) and the beef tenderloin with Carmenère reduction (AED 220) — are the only specifically Chilean items, but the wine programme makes Coya the most serious Chilean-wine destination in Dubai.
Order: the beef tenderloin (AED 220) with a glass of Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon (AED 280). Pricey, but it is the city's best Chilean wine pairing.
Pisco Bar
A dedicated pisco bar in Marina with five Chilean piscos by the glass alongside the Peruvian roster. The Chilean Pisco Sour (no egg white) is on the cocktail menu next to the Peruvian version — do a side-by-side. Food is bar bites only (empanadas, ceviche, beef anticuchos). The room is small, the bartenders know their pisco, the prices are Marina-priced but worth it for the spirit selection.
Order: the Chilean Pisco Sour first (AED 85), then the Capel Reservado neat (AED 95) to taste the spirit unmixed.
La Mar by Gastón Acurio
Gastón Acurio's Peruvian flagship at Resorts World, with a wine list that runs Chile honestly — eight Chilean bottles by glass, including a strong Casablanca Valley Pinot Noir from Cono Sur. No Chilean dishes on the menu, but the ceviche programme is South-America-defining and the Chilean wine pairing is properly considered. Worth visiting once for the wines alone.
Order: the seabass tiradito with leche de tigre, paired with the Cono Sur 20 Barrels Pinot Noir (AED 95 per glass).
How To Choose Between These 5
- You want real Chilean food — Sabores del Sur Al Quoz, hands down. Order two empanadas de pino.
- You want pastel de choclo — Inca Cocina DIFC, Wednesday only. Book ahead.
- You want Chilean wine with a steak — Coya DIFC for the Don Melchor by the glass.
- You want Chilean pisco — Pisco Bar Marina, side-by-side Chilean and Peruvian Pisco Sours.
- You're already going for Peruvian — La Mar at Resorts World has the best South-American Pacific-coast wine pairing in the city.
More Chilean & South American Food in Dubai
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a fully Chilean restaurant in Dubai?
Not as of May 2026. Sabores del Sur Al Quoz is the closest — pan-Latin-American with a Santiago-born chef and the heaviest Chilean weighting on the menu. Dubai's small Chilean community has been campaigning for a dedicated venue for years — watch this space.
Where can I get the best empanada de pino in Dubai?
Sabores del Sur in Al Quoz is the only place in Dubai serving a proper Chilean empanada de pino — large, oven-baked, hand-cut beef (not minced), onions, hard-boiled egg, single olive, raisin. AED 28 each. Order two for one person.
Can I drink Chilean wine in Dubai restaurants?
Yes, increasingly easily. Coya DIFC has the deepest Chilean wine programme — six by the glass, 22 by the bottle. Inca Cocina DIFC pairs Chilean Carmenère with its beef tenderloin. Asado at The Palace lists 8 Chilean wines. MMI and African + Eastern carry 30+ Chilean labels.
What's the difference between Pisco Bar and the other venues?
Pisco Bar in Dubai Marina is a dedicated cocktail bar built around Peruvian and Chilean pisco. The Chilean Pisco Sour (no egg white, lime-forward) is on the menu alongside the Peruvian version. They stock five Chilean piscos by the glass including the rare Capel Reservado.
