In A Nutshell: -Vega…read moreCentral is a produce market where you can purchase in small or wholesale quantities. -I saw a wide variety of vegetables & fruits that were stacked neatly & presented nicely. -The prices vary by vendor, but seemed to be pretty consistent. Overall, this is a medium-sized market, but they have enough choices to create many meals.

Santiago's main vegetable market (as opposed to Mercado Central that's more seafood), this is a…read moregreat opportunity to experience the variety of fruits and vegetables that are unique to Santiago and Chile. Many colorful displays of produce here, I have never seen "Chilean" corn which is different than American corn in that it's a lot thicker. Interesting! Garlic, plantains, red peppers, onions, peaches, apples. What's available depends on what season it is. Prices are clearly marked and are probably a little bit negotiable. As near as I could tell, vendors only accept cash.

A "full service supermarket" right in the heart of Santiago. Apparently owned by Walmart. Very…read moreconvenient and prices are good. But man is this place crowded. There is self checkout, lines are long but move fast. Dont forget to bring your own bag, they dont give you any, and your ID if you are purchasing alcohol.

It is virtually impossible to find all natural organic products in Santiago, this is why I love…read morePunto Saludable. It is one of the only small shops that has things like organic quinoa, maki, coconut oil, and lots of all natural cosmetics. They also have coconut water, all natural yogurts, and a wide assortment of healthy snacks. Punto Saludable reminds me a lot of all the health food stores I miss back home. The only downside is that it is super super super expensive. It is great if you go in once or twice a month to stock up on quinoa or other things for your pantry, but watch out cause it is really easy to go overboard and over your budget. However it is small and locally owned so at least you can feel good about buying sustainably and supporting the community.

Although small, this health food store has all of the basic, yet hard to find essentials to lead a…read morehealthy lifestyle. Although there are a couple of other organic/veggie stores close by Punto Saludable differentiates themselves by packing their small store with more than the average organic nuts, tofu and fruit selection of many. They offer gluten/dairy/soy free rice pasta, as well as lasagna sheets ($3590 CLP for a large box). They also sell gluten free rice and flax bread! They have 2 kinds fresh tofu, huevos de campo/free range eggs and sell all natural Pucara (local Chilean farm) yogurt for 2.000 per liter (seriously cheap!), along with pajaritos (the mother) to make your own yogurt at home. They also have natural food grade oils such as the all-purpose coconut oil. They also sell unsweetened (boxed) almond milk for 3 mil/liter. The best part is, from what I've seen, they are about half the price of other health food stores like Planta Maestra. The owners are super nice and friendly and will help you with answering questions and finding what you need. They even have a suggestion book for things they should carry!

This local mini market is great. Not only is it located right underneath my apartment on Miraflores…read morebut it has everything you might have forgotten on your trip to the super market. I go to Peta Zeta every time I need eggs, bread, afternoon chocolate milk, anything really. One of the things I really love about Peta Zeta is that they are open super late until about 2 to 3am. You can run over and get last minute beer, wine, Pisco, really any liquor you may need. Their prices are really good too. I hate when mini markets overcharge just because its late. Peta Zeta never does this and they are always super super sweet. During the wee hours of the morning just make sure you have cash on you as they will not accept credit cards at this time. One of their yummy specialties are their bread with salami and cheese, my favorite afternoon snack!

Although this mini-market sells a variety of different products such as pre-made salads and…read moresandwiches to even detergents and lighters, what I come here most for is alcohol. Not like I drink a lot, but whenever I am at my friends house (she lives right below) it is way easier to pick up more beer from the guys at Peta-Z than go anywhere else. Because of this, we have become friends with these guys - they are always super friendly and helpful. We broke the ice one night when my friend and I were fighting over who would buy and she ended up telling them they couldn't accept my money because it was counterfeit. Although they laughed it off (although I think they kind of believed her) and ended up not accepting my money. Since then, we have come down and they always joke about it. Great place for late night "shopping" as well as a place to pick up a quick bite to eat during lunch. Tip: Although they do accept credit cards, if it's night time bring cash, because they don't accept them after a certain hour.