As the City Paper noted this morning, today is Mexican Independence Day, and plenty of Mexican joints around town are celebrating with special deals and great menus. But there’s also a lesser-known South American independence day taking place this weekend, and there’s now food to celebrate it.

Paila Grill opened on Park Road in Columbia Heights in February, and has since been slinging otherwise lesser-known Chilean foods for eaters that may be more accustomed to the Latin American cuisine most often found in the District — Salvadoran. The small restaurant, owned by Chilean couple Daniela and Ricardo Bopp, is simple yet inviting, reflecting traditional Chilean staples with basic, yet hearty, flavor combinations.

You’ll find something familiar in the empanadas de pino, filled with a savory blend of beef, hard-boiled egg, black olives and spices, or the pastel de choclo, a close relative to Shepherd’s Pie. There are a variety of sandwiches, including the chacarero, filled with sliced beef and topped with green beans, avocado, tomato and mayonnaise, or the churrasco de chemilico, which finds the beef layered beneath a fried egg.

And whether or not you think it sounds odd — it is — the completo is something of a must. A singularly Chilean dish, it’s a standard hot dog covered in chopped tomatoes, mayonnaise, sauerkraut, and guacamole.

On Sunday, when Chile celebrates its independence day — known as el dieciocho, or the 18th — they’ll be focusing in on the staples and breaking out a few dishes they don’t regularly feature, including sopaipilla (fried dough, made with or without pumpkin) and alfajores (a light cookie sandwich filled with manjar/dulce de leche). If you want empanadas, their most popular offering, arrive early.

For a more complete celebration of all things Chile, head out to Westland Middle School in Bethesda (5511 Massachusetts Avenue) on Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. for a Chilean Family Festival. Fun fact: former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet attended the middle school while her father served at the military mission in the Chilean Embassy.