Hello!
I am posting to see if anyone has any recommendations for these areas? I looked up previous threads on this but they were a bit older and most of the places on them were closed. Doing a wine tour with Peter wine tours in Mendoza but wanting to look around at good restaurants. Saw mixed reviews for 1884 in Mendoza so might skip that. Thanks for any recommendations!
We passed briefly through Buenos Aires last December, didnât really do restaurants, but had a great lunch at the Mercado St Telmo, noisy and busy, but fun.
Sorry, my last trip was pre-COVID, so canât help much, but this one I know is still there and still great:
In Mendoza (actually slightly on the outskirts)
Restaurant Don Mario
25 de Mayo 1324, Dorrego, Guaymallén, Mendoza
World class grilled goat, excellent wine list, usually some wines with bottle age available, reasonably priced, everything very good or better.
They also have another restaurant at:
Ruta Panamericana 2650 (Palmares Open Mall) â Godoy Cruz â Mendoza
Also very good, but not as good as the original
Dan Kravitz
Maybe Peter Cubillos can help. Worth asking if you havenât already.
Any updates?
Particularly in the Recoleta neighborhood , fish, Italian, pizza (donât want meat recs).
On the whole food is not great in BA. Not terrible, just generally not outstanding. Keep expectations tempered and youâll be fine.
The whole meat thing in Argentina is mostly legacy now. The parrillas still exist but meat quality has generally declined since the gov started allowing feed lot towards the end of the 90s.
Seafood is still not abundant but itâs on the rise. Max Rossi, the owner of Picaron just opened Ultramarinos in Barrio Chino. I left about the time it was opening so havenât tried it but I would go if you want seafood. I have been to Picaron which is good and he seems to have a handle on fish from what Iâve had at Picaron. I highly recommend Picaron. Some dishes kind of flop but most are good. Lunch is easy to walk in w/o reservations. Condarco across the street is OK too.
Inoue is acceptable sushi in Recolta.
Tori Tori is acceptable casual yakatori close to Recolta.
Closer to Recoleta you can get a decent trucha (trout) Patagonica at Los Galgos Bar. This is a reliable old style BA âbar notableâ serving fresh and updated (ie clean) versions of AR classics.
Despite the concentration of money, Recoleta is not a real restaurant or food hub. Roux is pretty close in Barrio Norte and Iâve had some very good meals there. I mostly get seafood there but thereâs a range of meats from which to choose.
Lots of Italian influence in AR but not much good Italian food. La Alacena rules it in terms of pasta. About a 10 min Uber from Recolta. Casual, trattoria style but fresh and good. Usually a little something like porchetta on the menu too. Also right next door at El Imperfecto are very good empanadas.
Pizza: I prefer the thin crust as opposed to old AR style that is very thick and cheesy. There is a Soler Pizza in Recoleta now but Iâve only been to the original on Soler. Itâs good. Take an Uber to Gordo Chanta in Villa Crespo.
Ipolitina is a little take-away slice spot in Chacarita. Good. Donât miss the cannoli!!!
Acido is a fun, slightly hipster resto.
Ajo Negro is pretty good.
Julia is good but I imagine a reservation on short notice will be tough. His sister, and slightly more casual, spot is Franca which is also good.
About a block down the street from Franca is Chui. Vegetarian but good. They also make a good pizza. Cool atmosphere.
Anchoita is arguably the best resto in BA but reservations are unfortunately booked about a year out.
Forgot about Resto SCA- close to Recoleta. The place flies a bit under the radar for the quality.
If you want to cook fresh pasta at home, try Salzamendi in Barrio Norte (close to Recoleta), near Parque Las Heras. Lots of different fresh pastas. I often got the noquis romanos.
Del Pratello might be my favorite pasta shop. There is one on Cnel Diaz. Again, get the cannoli if it is available!!!
Thanks TG, this is great!
There are a couple of restaurants in my hotel (Palacio Duhau) that seem good and are mentioned in Michelin (if that is worth anything there).
Iâll also be in Bariloche (outside town) and Mendoza for a few nights if you have thoughts about there.
De nada.
I never tried anything in the Dahau but I know a guy who basically just sticks to eating there and also the restaurant at the Four Seasons (I forget the name).
I really donât know Mendoza or Bariloche. Mendoza is supposed to have some good places although maybe leaning a little more on traditional asado type cooking.
The thing to get in Bariolche is the centolla crab. Remember to pronounce the ll sound like a french j. Kind of a zsh sound) In Bariloche the rest of the food such as the bread and salad that will accompany the crab is very old school Argentina and pretty bland.
Probably the best coffee in Bariloche today that I know is Delirante. The owner is quite the entrepreneur and recently opened a small Delirante outlet in Recoleta. He is also the owner of Salvaje bakery in BA. Some things there are pretty tasty such as budin (bread pudding). The breads are some of the best in BA although that isnât saying much. They are fine, just not outstanding.
Thanks! Where do the crabs come from?
Iâm expecting to skip a couple meals in El Calafate, I think it will be the culinary nadir, but perhaps theyâll be fresh fish.
That is the native (I think) king crab of the area in the very south. Not sure why but I never saw the crabs in BA.
I heard good things about the seafood at Crizia in BA but never tried it.
For a casual wine bar with decent wine bar food try Cuatro Perros Un Livin. The small plate thing has really just taken root in BA over the last couple years and thatâs what youâll find here.
Great tips!
Any wine bars/restaurants with Old World wines at not crazy prices?
Unfortunately Old World wines are rare in AR. Aside from local pride, there is a brutal import tax. I think that tax may be going away in a few weeks although I am not sure if it applies to all imports.
Re this, I forgot to mention Anchoita Cava. It is the wine bar of Anchoita and does not require reservations. Some of the best cheese and charcuterie in the city and also a very good list of wines including Old World. They were pouring Pierre Peters not too long ago.
Canti Bar is very close to Anchoita Cava if you want to hop around. Itâs tight inside and then some rickety small tables outside but itâs a cool spot with decent small plates. Only AR wines here as far as I know and leaning towards natural but OK.
Just a block or two away on Bonpland from Canti and Anchoita is Bushi. Ramen, dumplings and other small plates. Not highly recommending this as Asian is not the strength of AR but itâs fine and if youâre in the area and donât know where else to go it will be good.
Riccitelli is one of my favorite AR producers. The âOld Vinesâ line is pretty Old World in style.
I forgot about Barra Chalaca (lots of places in BA!). Itâs fairly new and I havenât gone but a friend went and she really likes it. Lots of seafood. Itâs owned by the same people as La Mar, an upscale Peruvian place. I walked by Chalaca a lot. Itâs more casual than La Mar. Looks and sounds good, especially if youâre looking for seafood. Argentina is shy with bold and spicy flavors so sometimes itâs nice to have something like Peruvian.
I got excited about La Chalaca I found out itâs almost a half hour away from my hotel. Probably because itâs rush hour (and the restaurant wonât even be open)
Lots of great ideas , thanks!
For Peruvian, La Conga is probably closer to Recoleta. Less expensive, much more casual surroundings, but tasty. Might have to wait a little to get in but probably not too long.
Little detour from the food scene: Most people think of the Recoleta cemetery when it comes to BA but Chacarita is pretty incredible too. Bigger than Recoleta and not nearly as many tourists. Iâve watched this vid several times since it was released and always find it calming and fascinating. Wild history behind the cemetery with yellow fever.
For years Chaca has been one of my favorite barrios. It had been a little overlooked and sleepy but itâs changing rapidly now.
