Iquique eats seafood. The cold Humboldt Current means the catch is excellent: corvina, congrio, locos (Chilean abalone), erizos (sea urchins), and machas (razor clams). The picadas — small unpretentious local restaurants — at the Mercado Centenario are the cheapest and best place to try them. Ceviche and a cold beer at lunchtime is the standard local order.
For a sit-down meal, the restaurants along the seafront in Cavancha lean upmarket and tourist-priced; the better-value places are a block or two inland. The city also has a strong Peruvian community, so Peruvian-Chilean fusion is everywhere — try a chupe de camarones if you see it on the menu.