Saturday in Santiago: Serendipity Deli
There’s something about 3-day weekends that makes me want to luxuriate in the freedom of an extra 24 hours. Simply getting to sleep in on Monday is special enough, but the addition of a holiday makes me want to do something to soak up every last second of it. Enter Serendipity Deli.
I’d heard a lot about this place run by a Chilean-Irish couple – he’s a chef, and it shows. This is no simple café with a couple sandwiches and a stale muffin to satisfy demand; here the food is just as important, and the creative combinations looked and sounded delicious enough that it was hard to decide.
I was tempted by a bagel and cream cheese – Chile is primarily a bagel-free zone, but a couple people have started offering a solution to this serious problem – but I was just in California, where I ate enough bagels to tide me over for a while. So I chose the salame foccacia, with melted cheese, tomatoes and a sweet tomato sauce. Every individual ingredient, starting with the homemade bread, was top quality.
Every sandwich comes with a large salad which incorporates the same ingredients as the sandwich and a complementary dressing, which was a nice touch. But while I’m loving the new camera, I’m definitely still learning. In the time it took me to figure out ISO and shutter speed, Rodolfo ate his salad. Oops. But his roast beef and caramelized onion sandwich and very large quince juice were ready for their close-up.
We didn’t have time for dessert, but the brownies looked incredible. I’m sure everything else looked equally incredible, but my brain had already fixated on brownies and had no room to take in the scones or cakes. Serendipity sells its treats to take home, not only in the baked goods category but also in the line of jams, olive oils and condiments. So when it’s not a 3-day weekend, you can still recreate the magic at home.
With a comfortable patio, blankets for when it gets cold and a cozy living room (with wi-fi!), Serendipity Deli is the kind of place I could spend an entire afternoon. My theory is that if I stay long enough next time, I’ll definitely have room for a sandwich, a brownie, and maybe even that bagel.
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Saturday in Santiago
Nice write-up. I’ve seen this place–It’s in Providencia, right? How about including address and other pertinent details?
Thanks, Peg! It’s on El Vergel right by El Bosque – exact address on the website which I linked in the post. I’m not sure about hours of operation, just that they are definitely open on Saturdays for lunch since that’s when we were there
No time for dessert!?! That’s a crime!
LOVE the name of the place.
I’m sure it won’t shock you to hear that we didn’t have time because Rodolfo had to go to handball…that damn sport is ruining my life!
This is one block from our apt and we always walk by when we take Obi out but we have never tried it. We’ll definitely have to remedy this bc your post and pics made me hungry!!
You have to go! We took Lola and sat outside, so I’m sure Obi could tag along. Baby- and dog-friendly walking outings seem perfect for you right about now.
THAT LOOKS DELICIOUS! I must find! (Who are we kidding? I can barely find your house – even though I’ve been there 30 times.)
There is an address on the website. Use Google Maps. I have faith in you