Restaurants & Food
Here are some suggestions for places to eat. Buenos Aires is renowned for its restaurants and eateries of all sorts. Here are some of our recommendations (with nearby places in San Telmo at the top of the list). Food Nearby: In and around San Telmo... Amici Miei (Fantastic Italian Food, Very Close) Phone: 4362-5562 Address: Defensa 1072 (upstairs at Plaza Dorrego) Website: http://www.amicimiei.com.ar (in Spanish) Note: Some of the best Italian food in Buenos Aires. Don’t miss it! The chef (and co-owner) is Sebastian Rivas. He’s a great guy and a true artist in the kitchen. The charming manager is Fabian. Great ambiance, romantic lighting—balconies look down on Plaza Dorrego. The pasta is something you dream about. The desserts are a work of art. Go early in your trip, you will want to come back. Tell them Dina & Kerry sent you. Wi-Fi. Mercado San Telmo (Indoor Market, Very Close)
Accessible via Defensa, Carlos Calvo, Bolívar, and Estados Unidos 
Open Monday-Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. This block-long indoor market was first opened in 1897! It’s filled with antiques, junk, and secondhand clothes on one side; meat and cheese markets (very tasty), bakeries, and vegetable stalls on the other. Don Carlos, AKA "Carlitos" (Fun Restaurant—A Unique Experience!) Phone: 4362-2433 Address: Brandsen 699 (y Del Valle Iberlucea), La Boca (next to La Boca Soccer Stadium) Short taxi ride south of us. Owner: Juan Carlos Zinola. Fluorescent lighting and formica tables, but a real experience. Don’t miss it—definitely worth doing! Juan Carlos just keeps bringing food. Pass on things you don't want, so you don't have to pay for them. Owner's daughter is Gaby (Gabriela) Zinola: she is a wonderful person and good friend. Make sure you go when she is there. Tell her we say hi. Francis Ford Coppola says it’s his favorite in BA. Website review: http://www.saltshaker.net/20060221/tasting-menu Nonna Bianca (Ice Cream, Very Close) Phone:: 4362-0604  Address: Estados Unidos 407 (nearby: near the corner of Estados Unidos and Defensa) Note: Flavors you’ve never had before. Try "Chocolate Semi-amargo" "Super Dulce De Leche" or some adventurous fruit flavors. They will let you taste (Sp: probar). It’s across the street from Freddo, a popular ice cream chain and definitely worth a trip. La Brigada (Restaurant, Very Close) Phone:: 4361-5557 Address: Estados Unidos 465 (At Bolívar), San Telmo Website: http://www.labrigada.com Note: Popular restaurant very close to you. A bit upscale. Very good steaks, provoleta, caprese salad. Mustachioed Hugo Chavarrieta is the boss. Rivas (Restaurant, Very Close) Phone:: 4361-5539  Address: Estados Unidos 302 (on the corner of Estados Unidos and Balcarce) Note: Good food, fairly priced. Club sandwich for 25 pesos is quite tasty. Ask for Melina. she’s super-nice. Ask about live music upstairs. Wi-Fi. La Bistecca Madero (Good, affordable food, all-you-can-eat style) Theme: All you can eat buffet. Address: Av. Alicia M. De Justo 1890. Phone: 4514-4999 Website: http://www.laparolaccia.com.ar/ (Use Firefox web browser, navigate to La Bistecca Puerto Madero. Map on website. About 6 blocks away.) Recommended. Similar to Siga La Vaca (see below), but food is higher quality, about the same price. Nicer ambiance. Open for lunch and dinner. Tomo I (pronounced Tomo Uno) (Restaurant) Phone: 4326-6698 Address: Carlos Pellegrini 521 (On Avenida Nueve de Julio, just north of the obelisk, in the Panamericano Hotel) http://www.tomo1.com.ar/eng/home.html Note: One of our favorite splurges. Fantastic service and fantastic food. For about sixty dollars American (for the prix fixe menu) you can have a great meal, with Luigi Bosca wine included. If you’re a foodie, you must go here. 1880 (Restaurant) Phone: 4307-2746 Address: 1665 Defensa, San Telmo http://www.parilla1880.co.ar Note: Closed Mondays. 10-12 blocks South of our apt. Very good steaks, order the great provoleta. Great dulce de leche pancake dessert. Wine: Uxmal Cabernet Malbec not too pricey - muy dee-licioso. Campo Alto (Restaurant, Nearby) Phone: 4362-3734 Address: Balcarse 761 (y San Lorenzo), San Telmo   Home Page: http://www.campoaltoparrilla.com.ar/ Note: nearby, good steaks, clay oven, friendly staff. One website says, “Traditional and typical dishes from the Argentine countryside made in a clay oven. Here the "colonial" empanadas filled with chopped meat are cooked in public view. They also make excellent Argentine-style grilled meat characteristic of this country. On the lower floor there is a wine cellar with prestigious national wines, a great selection of labels that is worth visiting.” Petanque Brasserie (French Restaurant) Phone: 4342-7930 http://brasseriepetanque.com Address Defensa 596 (at Mexico), San Telmo (5-6 blocks North) Note: Very good French food. Specials are always tasty, as are the desserts. Pascal, the very nice owner from Switzerland, tell him we said hi! Habibi (Restaurant, Very Close, Middle Eastern) Phone: 4300-7172 Address: Humberto Primo 527 (between Bolivar and Peru) Note: Fun, hole-in-the-wall, neighborhood eatery. Reasonable prices, tasty food. Nice change of pace restaurant. Serves meat dishes and is also good for vegetarians. Siga La Vaca (Affordable food, all-you-can-eat style) Theme: All you can eat buffet.  Comparison: less expensive than average Address: Alicia Moreau de Justo 1714 Directions: Puerto Madero Website: http://www.sigalavaca.com Internet review: “This bustling restaurant in Puerto Madero does one thing and it does it very well - Argentine barbeque or parrilla (their name translates as "Follow The Cow"). A big, well-lit dining room with two different grilling areas where you can order meat directly from the grill plus a well stocked salad bar for one low price is more than many places can claim. Il Matterello (Italian Restaurant) Phone: 4307-0529 Address: Martin Rodríguez 517, La Boca Note: Excellent pasta. Go early or make reservations. Very busy Sunday afternoon. Reviewed in NY Times: “There everyone laughs, talks, drinks and feasts on superb homemade pastas, which Buenos Aires gourmands fancy almost as much as their beloved bife.” Cabaña las Lilas (High-end treat, tasty steaks, waterfront view)   Phone: 4313-1336 Cuisine: Argentine Hours: Daily noon-midnight Address: Alicia Moreau de Justo 516 (At Villaflor in Dique 3, Puerto Madero) Reservations recommended Web site: http://www.laslilas.com/restaurant.php?seccion_restaurant=menu      At the other end of the price spectrum from Siga La Vaca. From Frommer’s: Cabaña las Lilas is always packed. The menu pays homage to Argentine beef, which comes from the restaurant's private estancia (ranch). The table "cover" -- which includes dried tomatoes, mozzarella, olives, peppers, and delicious garlic bread -- (Kerry: mmm, puffy cheese bread balls!) nicely whets the appetite. (Warning: Don’t fill up!) The best cuts are the rib-eye, baby beef, and thin skirt steak. Order sautéed vegetables, grilled onions, or Provencal-style fries separately. Service is hurried but professional; ask your waiter to match a fine Argentine wine with your meal. The enormous eatery offers indoor and outdoor seating, and, in spite of its high price, is casual and informal. Patrons come in suits or shorts. And even if you're a vegetarian, they offer a large and very good salad bar, so everyone can be happy here. (Cost: figure about US$40-50) Other Puerto Madero Restaurants: 4-5 blocks to the East is Puerto Madero. There are dozens of restaurants here (and a nice walk along the water). Some are quite pricey—look around, no real need to spend top (tourist-aimed) dollar. Top suggestions (outside San Telmo, La Boca & Puerto Madero): La Cabrera (Trip Advisor - #1 rated restaurant) Address: 5099 Jose Antonio Cabrera. It’s the corner of Cabrera & Thames (strangely enough, pronounced Tah´-mess.) Phone: 4831-7002 (You must call for reservations! Don’t just show up or you will have an hour wait or more.) One of our favorite restaurants in Buenos Aires. Lots of great food at a good price. Portions are large, so you can share orders. Our favorite steak is the ojo de bife (rib-eye). The mascarpone ice cream and berries dessert is spectacular. www.parrillalacabrera.com.ar New York Times Review: In the shopping-friendly district of Palermo Soho lies this French bistro that takes Argentina’s amazing steaks in a new direction. The chef, Gastón Rivera, serves classic beef cuts like juicy ojo de bife, but serves it alongside an impressive array of untraditional side dishes including mashed pumpkin with raisins, beet purée and baked pearl onions in red wine. Arrive early to take advantage of the free champagne at the sidewalk waiting area, while you listen to tango-themed electronica music and watch the beautiful crowd of jet-setting locals and trendy visitors. Club Español (Dramatic/Old World Restaurant) Phone: 4334-4876 Address: Bernardo de Yrigoyen 180 Note: Cuisine: Spanish Hours: Daily noon-4pm and 8pm-midnight From Frommers Guide: Reservations recommended. This Art Nouveau Spanish club, with its high, gilded ceiling and grand pillars, bas-relief artwork, and original Spanish paintings, boasts the most magnificent dining room in Buenos Aires. (Bring your camera!) Despite the restaurant's architectural grandeur, the atmosphere is surprisingly relaxed and often celebratory; don't be surprised to find a table of champagne-clinking Argentines next to you. Tables have beautiful silver place settings, and tuxedo-clad waiters offer formal service. Although the menu is a tempting sample of Spanish cuisine -- including paella and Spanish omelets -- the fish dishes are the best. Palacio de La Papa Frita (Restaurant) Address: Lavalle 735 (y Maipú), Microcenter (Downtown). Phone: 4393-5849 http://www.elpalacio-papafrita.com.ar/ Good inexpensive steaks. Known for delicious “puffy” french fries. Downtown. Sirop (Good Recoleta Restaurant) Phone: 4813-5900 Address: 1661 Vicente Lopez, Recoleta URL: http://www.siroprestaurant.com Suggestion: Good food. A bit upscale. To begin: share the tapas appetizer. Sottovoce (Excellent Italian Restaurant) Phone: 4807-6691 http://www.sottovoceristorante.com.ar/en/sottovoce.php Address: Avenida del Libertador 1098 (Ayacucho y Libertador) Another one of our favorites! Consistently excellent food. Suggestion: Rotolo alla Bolognese (rolls stuffed with veal, spinach & white sauce, au gratin with cream, tomato & parmesan cheese) -- getting hungry just thinking about it. Sarkis (Excellent, Inexpensive Armenian/Greek Restaurant) Phone: 4772-4911 Address: Thames 1101 (at Jufré) Suggestion: Great food at low prices! Definitely worth the trip. Go early, the place opens at 8pm, by 8:30 there is a line outside. Try the Baba Ganoush (pureed eggplant). Delicious Moussaka (vegetarian and/or with lamb). Although there are lots of meat dishes (kabobs, etc), for vegetarians this place is a real treat. Nice change of pace from typical Argentine meals. Fodor's Review: Full to bursting with cane tables and chairs, this chaotic family-style restaurant does great Middle Eastern food. You could easily fill yourself up on several dishes from the large selection of mezes, which are the restaurant's best work. Be sure to leave room for a few baklava and other dripping, nut-filled pastries. The place is really in Villa Crespo, but it's only about a block from Palermo Soho, across Avenida Córdoba. Primafila (Restaurant) Address: In Buenos Aires Design Center (conveniently right next to Recoleta cemetery) Phone: 4804-0055 http://www.primafilarestaurante.com.ar Note: very good pizza, great food in general. Great fresh salads.   Buenos Aires: Restaurant Review Websites: http://www.saltshaker.net/ http://www.vidalbuzzi.com.ar/ http://www.elgourmet.com/ http://guiaoleo.com.ar/ http://www.restaurant.com.ar/ http://buenos.aires.diningchannel.com/ http://elcuerpodecristo.com/http://www.amicimiei.com.arhttp://www.saltshaker.net/20060221/tasting-menuhttp://www.labrigada.com/http://www.laparolaccia.com.arhttp://www.tomo1.com.ar/eng/home.htmlhttp://www.parilla1880.co.ar/http://www.campoaltoparrilla.com.ar/http://brasseriepetanque.com/http://www.sigalavaca.com/http://www.laslilas.com/restaurant.php?seccion_restaurant=menuhttp://www.parrillalacabrera.com.arhttp://www.elpalacio-papafrita.com.ar/http://www.siroprestaurant.com/http://www.sottovoceristorante.com.ar/en/sottovoce.phphttp://www.primafilarestaurante.com.ar/http://www.saltshaker.net/http://www.vidalbuzzi.com.ar/http://www.elgourmet.com/http://guiaoleo.com.ar/http://www.restaurant.com.ar/http://buenos.aires.diningchannel.com/http://elcuerpodecristo.com/shapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1shapeimage_3_link_2shapeimage_3_link_3shapeimage_3_link_4shapeimage_3_link_5shapeimage_3_link_6shapeimage_3_link_7shapeimage_3_link_8shapeimage_3_link_9shapeimage_3_link_10shapeimage_3_link_11shapeimage_3_link_12shapeimage_3_link_13shapeimage_3_link_14shapeimage_3_link_15shapeimage_3_link_16shapeimage_3_link_17shapeimage_3_link_18shapeimage_3_link_19shapeimage_3_link_20shapeimage_3_link_21