Buenos Aires, the land of steak, is seeing a total culinary rebirth. No longer are diners limited to parrilla (iron grill barbecue), pasta, pizza, and potatoes. There’s a new cooking generation in town, a crew of young chefs looking to bring diversity and redefine the traditional dining scene. Therefore, the best restaurants in Buenos Aires always give diners a friendly feeling, and with the most extensive menus.
Now more than ever the spotlight shines on homegrown ingredients from across the country, with a deliberate effort made to source Argentina’s unique local products and purveyors. From the classics to the trendsetters and all in between, welcome to Buenos Aires. Wondering where to start? In this article, we are giving you our list of “Best restaurants in Buenos Aires” to cover it all.
It’s hard to miss the lively Palermo corner with bunches of sausages hanging in the window. The walls are covered in bright yellow chorizo cartoon pop art, designed by local artist Alan Berry Rhys. If you love the choripán, you’ll probably fall hard for Chori, which puts a modern twist on the classic sausage sandwich. The menu might only have a handful of choripán options, but it’s hard to choose which sandwich reigns supreme.
If you’re a Chori virgin, go with the Ahumado, classic smoked chorizo served on cheese bread and topped with mushrooms, lettuce, orange, and garlic mayo. If this isn’t your first time at the Chori rodeo, try one of their inventive creations like pork sausage with kimchi, or the wild boar with pickled vegetables. This is one of the best restaurants in Buenos Aires.
The 2nd restaurant that we want to recommend to you on the list of the best restaurants in Buenos Aire is La Alacena. La Alacena is the type of café you wish you had in your neighborhood. The sunny corner spot with an adjacent bakery probably has such positive energy due to the ‘Buena Onda’ of its owners Julieta Oriolo and Mariana Bauzá, who also happen to be best friends. Whether you’re looking for a quick coffee and pastry, a hearty pasta lunch, a go-to brunch spot, or to crush into decadent desserts, La Alacena checks all the boxes.
Chef Mariano Ramón has a sixth sense for creating unique flavor combinations. Here, he’s known for his series of small and medium-sized plates that pack a lot of flavors —especially a balance between salty, sweet, and acidic notes. Gran Dabbang was inspired by Ramón’s travels across India and Southeast Asia and is named after his favorite Bollywood action film, Dabangg (the poster hangs on the wall). Come for the unique combination of Asian and Latin American flavors. Standout dishes include the fainá, a chickpea cake topped with burrata, harissa, and smoked eggplant; lamb curry with coconut chutney and raita; and Swiss chard pakoras.
Mishiguene means “crazy” in Yiddish, and that pretty much describes chef Tomás Kalika when he decided to open a restaurant honoring the Jewish diaspora in Argentina. Here, Kalika expresses the Jewish immigrant experience with a combination of Sephardic, Ashkenazi, and Middle Eastern flavors, remade in a modern way.
The walls are covered with Judaica and photos of Israeli markets, and the space feels modern and sleek with sexy low lighting and plush furniture. In between bites of baba ghanoush and gefilte fish, the lively crowd claps and sings to the klezmer band. Even though Mishiguene specializes in Israeli and Jewish cooking, diners go for the modern, fine dining feel, and not because of their religion. This is one of the best restaurants in Buenos Aires.
If you just show up at this tiny steakhouse, you’ll likely be turned away. Hipsters serious about steak, tables of Argentine males bonding over protein, and foodies keen for a different meat experience know to book ahead. Here, the cut of the day is either grilled or smoked; whichever you choose, it’s a vast hunk of meat that’s fit for sharing. Come for the night’s second service, where there’s less emphasis on ‘fast’ food.
7. Oviedo
Oviedo is one of the best restaurants in Buenos Aires which serves Spanish fantastic seafood dishes as well as several meat options. The menu has a number of recognizably Spanish offerings, such as Serrano ham or Spanish omelet, and a large selection of fish too. The interior is small but atmospheric, with comfortable booth seating. There is, of course, steak on the menu, but for those seeking something a little different, Oviedo is a great choice.
Above is a list of the 7 best restaurants in Buenos Aires that we would like to introduce to you. Hope you will have a pleasant trip and enjoy delicious food when you come to visit Buenos Aires.
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