Copiapó's food scene reflects its mining-city character: practical, generous portions, and built around Chilean staples. The city centre has a concentration of lunch restaurants catering to workers and office staff — the set-lunch menus (almuerzo) are good value and substantial. Seafood arrives fresh from Caldera and Bahía Inglesa, 70 kilometres to the west, and fish and shellfish figure heavily on menus. Pastel de choclo, cazuela, and the ubiquitous completo hot dog are all reliably found here.