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Ever since I arrived in Santiago, Chileans have been begging me to visit a sandwich shop, Fuente Alemana. Every single one of them swear it’s the best sandwich in town, and that I have to try the lomito (pork sandwich). Based on the majority of my other experiences with Chilean food, I had nothing to lose.
Lomito Completo at Fuente Alemana
I went to the location on Alameda, just a few steps from the Baquedano metro stop, and had a seat at the counter. I ordered their signature lomito completo, which consists of thinly sliced pork, pickles, sauerkraut, a tomato sauce, and mayo. There are other varieties available, most notably with avocado, but I think ALL have mayo.
A few minutes later, a giant, sloppy monster of a sandwich was sitting in front of my face. It was such a mess that I had to eat it with a fork and knife.
Did it taste good? Yes, it was excellent, but I had to do some work on it first. The ungodly amount of mayo they slapped on it made it unbearable at times. I literally had to remove about 5 spoonfuls of it to make the sandwich edible. It was a huge task to finish it, but I was a good sport and ate the whole thing. No stomach aches or any other bowel-related problems showed up later in the day.
Conclusion
I will be back to try other versions of the lomito at Fuente Alemana, and I highly recommend giving it a try. It’s a Santiago institution that even Anthony Bourdain paid a visit to.
But I do have a lesson here: if you don’t speak Spanish and end up in Santiago one day, you must learn the phrase “sin mayonesa” – without mayonnaise. I will never understand the obsession with mayo in this country. I don’t hate mayo and I think it’s good in small doses, but after just six weeks in Chile, the simple sight of it makes me gag.
