La Bodeguilla de Cristóbal is a small Spanish tavern in Santiago de Chile, run by chef Cristóbal Morales, who is from Murcia, together with Jéssica Ayala. Its listing calls it intimate and tavern-style, and the physical setup backs that up: the dining room is a semi-basement, with a terrace up at street level.
Everything below comes from the restaurant's record in our directory. Where the record doesn't say something, we've left it out.
Where it is
The address is Domínica 5 in Recoleta. The listing places it in the Bellavista neighbourhood, a few steps from the entrance to Cerro San Cristóbal and the National Zoo. That makes it an easy stop before or after a visit to the hill.
The semi-basement matters to the character of the place. The restaurant says it gives the room a classic Spanish-tavern feel and makes it a space for long afternoons, which fits a Spanish habit of lingering at the table after lunch.
The chef and the paellas
Murcia is a region in south-eastern Spain that borders Andalusia and the Valencian Community. The listing doesn't go into which Murcian dishes are on the menu, so we won't guess. What it does single out is paella: Cristóbal occasionally cooks his paellas out on the street-level terrace, and the restaurant pairs that with cocktails and tapas for relaxed afternoons.
Because the terrace paella is described as occasional, it's worth asking ahead if that's the reason you're going. If paella is new to you, our paella page covers what goes in it and how it's served.
When to go
Our listing shows these hours:
- Sunday and Monday: 13:00 to 17:00
- Tuesday to Saturday: 13:00 to 21:00
So it is mainly a lunch and afternoon place, with early evenings later in the week. Check with the restaurant through its Instagram before you go, since hours change.
More Spanish food in Santiago
Two other Santiago venues in our directory take different regional angles:
- El Valenciano: Valencian-style paellas and tapas, with one location at the MUT and a second in Mall Plaza Vespucio with a terrace.
- El Txoko Alavés: Basque recipes at Mosqueto 485, with pintxos, seafood and meat dishes plus a wine list.
You can see every listing on our Santiago de Chile page.
