
Awasi Atacama
RESTAURANT SUMMARY

Where ancient Atacama traditions meet contemporary culinary artistry, Awasi Atacama + San Pedro de Atacama transforms luxury dining into an intimate desert sanctuary experience. This exclusive 12-suite lodge redefines fine dining in San Pedro de Atacama through its commitment to hyperlocal ingredients and personalized gastronomy that rivals the world's most celebrated restaurants.
Founded in 2007 by Ana Sainz de Vicuña Bemberg and Matías de Cristóbal, Awasi Atacama emerged from a vision to create an African safari-style luxury concept adapted to Chile's otherworldly desert landscape. The lodge earned prestigious Relais & Châteaux membership in 2011, cementing its reputation among discerning travelers. Under founding Chef Juan Pablo Mardones' seventeen-year tenure, the restaurant established its culinary identity before passing the torch to Chef Sebastián Prieto in 2024, who brings Lima's rising gastronomic influence while honoring the kitchen's innovative legacy.
The cuisine marries pre-Hispanic Chilean traditions with modern techniques, showcasing ingredients sourced from high-altitude Andean farms and Chile's Pacific coast. Daily-changing menus feature native quinoa, heritage potatoes, fresh salmon and mussels, and aromatic rica rica herb—each dish reflecting deep local terroir through creative interpretations of ancestral recipes. Guests receive personalized menu booklets documenting their culinary journey, while the kitchen's visible design creates an engaging theatrical element. This represents some of the best fine dining in San Pedro de Atacama, with haute cuisine-level execution that celebrates Chilean produce through sophisticated presentations.
The open-air restaurant terrace, partially covered yet open to desert skies, centers around a tranquil swimming pool within adobe-walled courtyards filled with native cacti and flowering plants. Handcrafted furniture and local textiles in warm desert tones create an atmosphere of elegant rusticity. The sommelier-led wine program features expertly paired Chilean vintages, while signature cocktails like rica rica-enhanced pisco sours showcase regional flavors. Meals can be enjoyed in the main dining space, poolside, or privately within individual villas, often al fresco beneath the Atacama's legendary starlit skies.
Awasi Atacama reservations require advance planning due to the lodge's exclusive 12-suite capacity and all-inclusive model that includes accommodation, meals, private guides, and desert excursions. The restaurant embodies the ultimate expression of place-based luxury dining, where each meal becomes part of a broader cultural immersion in one of Earth's most extraordinary landscapes.
CHEF
Awasi Atacama: Not Available
ACCOLADES
