The signature dishes of Punta Arenas are centolla (southern king crab), cordero magallánico (Patagonian lamb, slow-roasted over a fire), and the strange local sandwich called the chorripán — a chorizo in a bread roll, eaten standing up on cold afternoons. Seafood is excellent: shellfish straight off the strait, conger eel, hake, and a local stew called paila marina.
Restaurants tend to keep early hours by Latin American standards — dinner from 7.30 or 8 p.m., last orders around 11. Many places close on Sundays.