Castillo Forestal

The Castillo Forestal is a small French-style castle at the north-western corner of Parque Forestal, directly opposite the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. It was inaugurated in 1910 beside the park's former lagoon, inspired by the trips to France of the architect, soldier and diplomat Álvaro Casanova Zenteno, who built the two-storey building as a dock for the recreational boats he made. A plaque on the outside recognises him, and the building is listed as national heritage.

Its later history is surprisingly varied. Around 1944 it became the management centre for the park, from 1970 it housed an extension centre of the Colegio de Arquitectos, and between 1985 and 1998 it was the seat of the Corporación de Desarrollo de Santiago. Along the way it also served as an electoral registry, a kindergarten, a ballet rehearsal space and a municipal tool store. A remodelling in 2011 by the architects Mathias Klotz and Lilian Allen gave it its current form, and other past uses included an animal sterilisation centre and a risk-prevention office, a sign of how many lives the little castle has had.

Since 2013 the building has housed the Brasserie du Castillo Forestal, a French café-restaurant opened by Jérôme Reynes. The menu runs from breakfast and brunch to lunch menus and cocktails, and a croissant with coffee is the classic order if you just want a pause between museums. The castle is open every day, which makes it a useful fallback on a Monday, when the Fine Arts Museum across the road is closed.

There is more to the building than the brasserie. An ice-cream shop and a souvenir shop share the space, an exhibition room hosts concerts, and the basement holds the Museo del Juguete Chileno, a 50 square metre room with around 300 Chilean toys from 1930 to 1970. The toy museum makes it a good stop for families.

Plan to combine a visit with the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes and a walk through Parque Forestal. Barrio Lastarria is close by, and Bellas Artes metro station on Line 5 serves the area. The castle suits couples, families and anyone who likes eating in historic buildings.