Simply wow. I had high expectations for this place but they were surpassed. Although I'll admit I was also a little intimidated at the thought of not knowing what I'd be eating, I figured I'd have some clear favorites as it would be impossible for me to like everything on a blind tasting menu. I was so wrong...this meal was impeccable from start to finish. The staff was very efficient, friendly and described every dish as they served it so you knew exactly what you were getting. 040 is located downstairs at Tinto Boutique. It's simple, clean and intimate. Each table is decorated with a gold French bulldog figurine and there are small dishes with water to clean your fingers between courses - no utensils necessary (unless they bring them to you with a specific dish). Though the guide says it's mostly seafood, I found it pretty well-balanced. We opted for the Chilean wine pairing and the sommelier took his time to carefully describe each one. My personal favorite was the Imaginador Pedro Parra Itata 2017 because it was so different with a smokey finish. The courses are brought out at a great pace - slow enough to savor and enjoy each bite (and building up a little anticipation for the next!), but quick enough to not feel like a dragged out tasting experience. Everything is fresh, flavorful and delicately prepared with gorgeous presentation. Though I loved them all for different reasons and can't say I had just one favorite, the dishes that surprised me most were probably the garlic & almond ice cream that accompanied the salmon and a rice and peanut butter combo wrapped in fish (I'm not doing it justice with that description). It was honestly one of the best dining experiences of my life. For the quality of food that you get, I think it's actually reasonably-priced. We all joked that we could have gone for a round 2 of the meal (not because it wasn't enough food but because we literally loved everything on the menu). Of course the cherry on top is getting to go upstairs to 009, the exclusive speakeasy on the rooftop of the hotel, after your meal to enjoy some amazing handcrafted cocktails...but that's a separate review. From start to finish, I loved everything about 040 and will absolutely be back next time I'm in Santiago. read more

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I've been to a handful of nice restaurants in my travels and the 040 experience was absolutely memorable and top 3! 040 will most definitely be on our recommendation list to friends and we will make it a priority if we ever travel to Santiago again! We especially loved the risotto nigiri, crab cakes, octopus egg, and the tart! Prior to coming, I heard a lot of complaints about the decor....it could have been better as it didn't seem as cozy or intimate, but it did not effect our fantastic experience. Where the dining room wasn't so cozy, the speakeasy Room 09 had excellent ambiance! I also read about people complaining of the elevator, but My opinion is that they are negative Nancy whiny babies. The service was very friendly but it would have been helpful to have more English speaking waiters to explain the dishes better. We also went to Borago the next night and both agreed with should've just gone to 040 again instead! The one thing that would be a beneficial addition to the experience is a booklet that details the coursed dishes so we can more accurately explain to all our friends back and in my food/travel blog! read more

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Such a fantastic dining experience in a city that desperately needs them. This gem is located inside a tiny hotel in a buzzy little neighborhood that is absolutely worth your time on any visit. The menu itself is a journey through multiple courses, all bite sized and easy to eat with your hands (as is encouraged). Each of the morsels pack a lot of flavor and unique ingredient pairings, carefully prepared in whimsical styles that help to enhance the experience of what you are eating. You will find yourself excited to see the next course as it arrives each and every time. The wine pairing was worth the price to help enhance the dining experience, however, I will say that I wasn't deeply impressed with the wines themselves. Nothing terribly unique about anything that offered a strong point of view in this category. The environment is equally as whimsical with fake greenery walls, deep blue paint and stark white furniture. A bit too bright for my taste with the lighting and quite random music (all American adult contemporary). I would love if I could transplant the food experience to an above ground restaurant somewhere that has a bit more ambiance. The service was fantastic throughout the meal. All of the staff seemed genuinely excited to present food and wine throughout every course. They were attentive and very efficient. They also seemed to have a great pulse on the energy in the restaurant and tried to maintain a high quality dining experience for everyone in their care for the night. I will say that I was a bit disappointed with the speakeasy experience at the end. While worth taking a quick look at the bar upstairs, the process of getting there (and out), along with the wait to get a table is quite annoying. The drinks aren't that exciting as a pay off, so worth popping your head in if you are curious, but definitely something you can find elsewhere that will be much better in terms of an end result. read more

A fine dining experience we'll remember for the rest of our lives! What a treat to experience 12 of this master chef's creations in a mouthful or two. Truly wonderful and plenty of food. We had the #1 beverage flight of Chilean wine which paired wonderfully. There are other drink options: premium, international and non-alcoholic. We also enjoyed a couple of delicious cocktails before dinner. Service was spot on and the wait staff was very knowledgeable in explaining/translating the dishes to us. Don't fret about the dress code (as I did) because some guests wore t-shirt's and jeans. And they allowed photos- so I'll post a few. Price was very reasonable- it would be 2-3 x more at home in Los Angeles. read more

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This place is terrible. We planned a trip to Chile and made a reservation for this restaurant in December. The dress code on the website and in our confirmation email said "smart casual". We planned accordingly, packing nice jeans, nice shoes (but not dress shoes), and nice shirts. The reminder emails came from the restaurant before our reservation. The dress code was listed as "formal". Being in Chile already, we did not have formal attire. We did not have a dress shirt, slacks, dress shoes, or blazer. We asked to cancel the reservation and asked that they not charge us the cancellation fee given the circumstances, but they refused to. We had a lot of back and forth by email and phone. We told them we did not want to get charged for canceling and honestly didn't feel that we should be - they changed the dress code and shouldn't expect people who aren't from Santiago to have formal attire lying around. They told us they would charge us if we didn't show up. We said that if they held us to the reservation, we'd show up and be very unhappy diners, something we hoped they didn't want. They apparently don't care whether their diners are happy or not. The owner of the restaurant got on the phone with me and said as much, spending half the time yelling at me and the other half saying that he'd charge us if we didn't show up. I understand we didn't cancel 72 hours before the reservation, but it's not like we were reneging on a lease for an apartment or backing out of buying a car. It's a restaurant reservation. Get over yourself. If a diner really doesn't want to eat at your restaurant because you changed your dress code and they're unable to abide by it, CANCEL THE RESERVATION FOR THEM WITHOUT CHARGING THEM. A restaurant of this caliber should be better in so many ways. I'm so disappointed and so frustrated. read more

Coming from San Francisco, I know fine dining. 040 was simply subpar. Say want you want about the decor, the food was just so-so, and while the service was genial it was amateurish. There were a few good plates but overall it was inconsistent. Dishes relied mostly on one flavor and were not complex. The wine pairing was disappointing. For a "premium" pairing the wines were much too young. One glass was simply awful and the waiter refused to pour me a different glass. For the price, 040 is not delivering. If you are visiting from out of town I advise you spend your valuable time elsewhere. read more

Best small plate. Anywhere. What a delight when we spent a layover day in Santiago and discovered the BEST small plate restaurant we have enjoyed in a long time. Restaurant 040 focuses on Spanish tapas style small plates, tasty and beautiful presentations of seafood specialties, creative use of foams and purées. We had a selection of 10 dishes, almost all fish and shellfish but including one pork dish (there was also a vegetarian option). This was followed by two sweets, the final dish being a rice pudding in a tiny paella pan crafted to look like a miniature paella! Coming from the small plate center of the universe (Seattle, forgive me) this was quite a pleasant surprise. We also loved our first visit to this beautiful city which reminds me of Paris. What better getaway from the dark Seattle winter! read more

This place definitely gets a 5 for food. Hell, it should get a 10 out of 5 for food if that wasn't ridiculous. The tasting menu is an endless train of delights, surprises and overall deliciousness. I won't go into details because the menu will likely change by the time you get there, but just go with it - every bite is wonderful. Service also gets 5 stars. The staff are attentive and professional, quick to explain the dishes (even in English) and the sommelier is on deck to walk you through the wine list. Where I have to take off a star is decor/ambience. Maybe it's not my taste but I definitely felt the design was off. It was all a little weird: white birds, framed photos, the tables and chairs... nothing really matched. The music was an intolerable, bland playlist of washed-out cover songs. Luckily the food is so amazing you hardly notice the music. The fact it is in a basement is either cool or odd, you decide. And the secret bar upstairs is more eccentric than it is cool. But a shout out to the Host who works hard to ensure everyone is taken care of all night and brings you up the secret elevator to the rooftop bar. read more

We were excited to visit this restaurant helmed by Sergio Borroso during our visit to Chile. The food did not disappoint. After we were seated we were told that we would have a twelve course tasting menu focused on seafood. The first course was a pork dumpling we were told we should eat with a small cup of "broth." We were puzzled given the reported seafood focus. However, once we ate the dumpling and started drinking the broth we discovered the broth was a delicious dashi and perfectly complemented the dumpling. It was a strong start to a delicious meal. While there were a few low points to follow, the remaining courses were generally excellent, including an amazing fake-out beef carpaccio nigiri and a delicious bao bun that was inexplicably described as a ravioli. The food was, in general, excellent. The service, on the other hand, was terrible. My partner is a fluent Spanish speaker -- she lived in Venezuela for years and is a Spanish professor at a university in the United d States. However, when they asked before the meal if we preferred English or Spanish she said, "English," as she wanted me to understand everything. During the meal, we had constantly changing servers, most of whom didn't trust their English, which is fine, except we kept getting the one server who told us he didn't speak any English, and then he also had such a thick Accenture girlfriend couldn't easily understand his Spanish. To recap: the food is great and the service is a mess. The last tasting menu I ate, at Cinq Sentits, they made sure to ensure that the service was as remarkable as the food. 040 could be an amazing restaurant if they figure out the service. read more

This was such a unique and memorable experience. The chef takes a page out of the famous Barcelona restaurant El Bulli and brings molecular gastronomy to Santiago. Each course appeared in a unique presentation including one course in a Buddha statue and a another plate spinning on a turntable.! So glad we found this cool spot. The icing on the cake was a drink at the secret rooftop speakeasy with live jazz music. read more