La Mesita Grande, Punta Arenas 11-2016

This pizzeria was originally born in Puerto Natales and then the quality and reputation spread to Punta Arenas. It was the first taste of Italian food in South America and didn't disappoint.

The lasagna (CLP6,500) was served in a deep casserole dish with lovely melted cheese on top, layers of fresh pasta and a sugo with a hearty flavour and no tomato acidity. The Patagonian lamb pizza (La Mesita Grande - mozzarella, tomato sauce, marinated spicy lamb, onions, green peppers CLP6,900) was my first introduction to the regions famed animal. The redness in the meat was still visible. Although nice, it didn't seem particularly different from any other decent lamb I've had, but overall the pizza was good. The crust was relatively thin and chewy but I would have liked a bit more seasoning.

It was all washed down with a housemade lemon/lime-ade (CLP2,500) which was refreshing and had minimal fizz.