Owners and propietors Romina and Beto have created a cozy café that feels like being at a good friend's house, if your good friend was a good baker and could offer you two different types of espresso, either stovetop or machine-made, depending on how strong you like it. This surprising cafe, which is right off the corner of Diagonal Oriente and Simón Bolivar is in Ñuñoa, a little-touristed part of the city with stately old homes and trees and a burgeoning nightlife surrounding the plaza. Café La Bicicleta is smoke free, has WiFi, offers both vegetarian and meat soups and sandwiches, and during the month of August (the coldest month), hosts an all-you-can-eat soup Saturday (cuchara libre) for those who pack a hearty appetite. They also host a book exchange and have installed a dance floor in the back room where salsa and cueca (the Chilean national dance) are taught for a nominal fee (see website for details on schedule and pricing) How to get there: Walk about 10 minutes from either the Plaza Egaña or Simón Bolivar metro stations on the blue line, or ride your bike, which you can store inside while you eat.
