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$$ | Palermo |
The chalkboard-covered walls (las pizarras) at this appealing spot list the market-driven menu of a dozen or so creative dishes. The wine list is equally intriguing. Pricing is civil and portions are huge, though service can be a bit slow.
Thames 2296, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1425, Argentina
Known For
- Relaxed ambience
- Classy bistro fare
- Great wine list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch, Reservations essential
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$$$ | Palermo Soho |
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" seems to be playing in the background as you enter this boldly colored space. Five rooms—four of them decked out in yellow, red, blue, or green, the fifth in an odd combination of cantaloupe and purple—make up the salas of this converted home. Every surface, right down to painted speaker covers, screams each room's hue. In the yellow salon you'll find the open kitchen, where a variety of breads is baked daily for the great sandwiches, bruschettas, and other dishes. The theme is "Ring Around the Mediterranean," with dishes reflecting the flavors of coastal Spain, France, Italy, and Greece, as well as the Middle East and North Africa. Delicious pastas are favorites, as are the spicy seafood dishes (if you like heat, don't miss the papillote del mar, a fiery shellfish stew in a phyllo pastry nest).
Costa Rica 4901, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1425, Argentina
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$$ | Palermo Soho |
The porteño aversion to anything spicy means there's just not a lot of demand for authentic Mexican fare. But María Félix probably comes the closest, serving an array of Mexican dishes with a touch of Tex-Mex. The food is fresh and vibrant and the flavors are remarkably varied, if lacking in that hit of heat. Asking for hot sauce doesn't result in anything much stronger on the table. Still, it makes a nice change from the usual local fare, and when you wash it down with a reasonably good margarita you won't leave with any complaints. Thursday through Saturday evenings there's a wandering mariachi band.
Guatemala 5200, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1425, Argentina
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$ | Palermo Soho |
When you hear the term deli, you may think double-decker sandwiches laden with smoked and cured meats, but this place is more California than New York. Look for huge salads with an array of fresh ingredients, inventive sandwiches on excellent housemade breads, delicious pastries, and just-brewed coffee. Sit on the patio outside and you may as well be in a scene from The O.C., right down to the slow service and snooty attitude. Still, this is a great choice for a casual lunch or brunch. The kitchen stays open until early evening, so if you're looking for a quick, casual bite in Palermo Soho, it's a decent choice.
El Salvador 4701, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1425, Argentina
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No credit cards, Reservations not accepted
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$$ | Palermo Botánico |
The checkered floors and glossy black tables of Museo Evita Restaurante are as stylish as the great lady herself. Sticky and flaky, the medialunas here are some of the best in town.
J.M. Gutiérrez 3926, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1425ARF, Argentina
Known For
- Historical and elegant spot
- Open from lunch thru dinner
- Good wine list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$ | Palermo |
One of the city's best known and beloved pulperías, Ña Serapia (local slang that means the "Martyred Lady") is tiny, with only a dozen seats wedged into a space big enough for half as many. Grab some cheap eats, including great empanadas, local stews like locro or lentil, or even small pizzas.
Av. Las Heras 3357, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1425, Argentina
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No credit cards
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$$$ | Palermo Soho |
When you're searching for creative Argentine tapas, look no further than the eclectic selection of dishes off the rambling menu at this longtime favorite. Don't miss the perfectly poached eggs with bacon and grilled cheese, served up in a cocktail glass for dipping, nor the perfectly smoked fresh fish. Formerly Freud & Fahler (the NC stands for Nueva Casa), they took over the space vacated by the much-lamented loss of La Cupertina, everyone's favorite empanada shop. By turns coffee and pastry shop and evening tapas bar, with a few solid main courses thrown in, as well as a selection of prix-fixe and tasting menu options, this is not the place you'll remember if you visited the old location. Best bet, a bottle of wine and a selection of tapas from the ever-changing menu.
Cabrera 5300, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1414, Argentina
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., No credit cards
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$$$$ | Palermo |
New Orleans is where chef Liza Puglia grew up, and she brings her passion for the flavors of her early years to the table at this puertas cerradas, one of the city's famous "closed door" eateries. It's the only place in town to find Cajun and Creole cooking. Puglia doesn't stint on the spice, and also likes to add some flavors from Mexico. Using locally sourced ingredients to stand in for those she can't get from home, she turns out delightful, rustic dishes, including a superb gumbo. The dining room and its communal table are attended to by partner in life and work, Francisco "Ticol" Terren, who pairs some of his favorite local wines with the four-course menus.
Gorriti and Julián Alvarez, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1414, Argentina
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$$ | Palermo |
A bamboo facade gives way to a slick setting with plenty of black lacquer, creating a sleek ambience for Buenos Aires' leading Japanese-Peruvian (known as Nikkei cuisine) restaurant. The sushi is excellent, though pricey, and the service is spot-on, particularly at the gleaming counter. In the evening the bar scene heats up. There's a second location in Puerto Madero in the Faena Arts Center.
Soler 5608, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1414, Argentina
Known For
- Fusion cuisine
- Great cocktails
- Smart clientele
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$$ | Palermo Soho |
In a beautiful tri-level space overlooking Plaza Armenia, chef Daniel López Martitegui serves up the most creative food in the area—do your best to get a table beside one of the tall windows. In general, the fare tends toward lighter, healthier options, with a good number of vegetarian dishes. The food is delightfully spiced with blends from China, India, and wherever the chef's mind wanders. Cocktails and teas are tasty, but tend to be made on the sweet side unless you ask for them otherwise. The vegetable carpaccio salad and various wraps are the best dishes on the menu.
Costa Rica 4562, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1414, Argentina
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$$ | Palermo |
This venerable steak house has waiters in bow ties and vests who maneuver around the farmhouse-style dining room, serving flavorful, tender cuts of meat including entraña (hanger steak) and matambrito (pork flank). Although the menu appears pricey, portions are massive, and they know it: the steaks are set atop small hibachis to keep them hot. Your best bet is to order one steak for two to share and a platter of the papas rejillas, and thick waffle-cut chips.
Cerviño 4499, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1425, Argentina
Known For
- Casual ambience
- Friendly service
- Abundant portions
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$ | Palermo |
Sure, this family-style restaurant can be chaotic, but it's the place to go for great Middle Eastern food. You could easily fill up on several of the small dishes from the expansive selection of mezes, which are the restaurant's best work. The lamb kafta completo is the most memorable item on the menu, but there are also great options for vegetarians. Be sure to leave room for one of the honey and nut pastries. Most nights there are belly dancers and coffee-ground readers wandering through the dining room. Arrive early or expect to wait for a table. The place is technically in Villa Crespo, but it's only about a block from Palermo Soho, across Avenida Córdoba.
Thames 1101, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1414, Argentina
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No credit cards
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$ | Palermo Hollywood |
After spending a year studying traditional techniques in Naples, pizzero Néstor Gattorna imported a wood-burning oven, specially milled flour, and extra-virgin olive oil to reproduce the best Neapolitan-style pizza. Italophiles looking for an alternative to cheesy pizza porteña jam into the place for his smoky, perfectly charred pies and equally good calzones. End your meal with a "white pie" filled with Nutella. Service can be abrupt, and you may have to wait in line, but it's worth it.
Costa Rica 5886, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1414, Argentina
Known For
- Casual ambience
- Fast turnaround
- Traditional Neopolitan pies
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch
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$$$ | Palermo Soho |
This Mediterranean-style bistro is wildly popular at night, and reservations are recommended if you're intent on sampling the creative fare. At lunch, when most of the same menu items are available, it's far easier to snag a table. Enjoy a risotto or pasta dish from the à la carte menu, or opt for the great value two-course lunch special. You can practically sit inside the open kitchen and watch the young cooks work their magic on a range of dishes, including many vegetarian choices. If you prefer dining alfresco, there's a small garden patio with a couple of tables and sidewalk seating out front.
Honduras 5182, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1425, Argentina
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner Sun., Credit cards accepted, Reservations essential
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$$$ | Palermo Soho |
When you step behind the red velvet curtains you'll feel like you've wandered into a carnival, because that's kind of where you are. Part restaurant, part cabaret, part sideshow, this exotic place is designed to distract your attention and separate you and your cash—although it's all in good taste and good fun. Bizarre names for dishes meant to invoke sexual situations are just a smokescreen for creative and interesting-sounding ideas—they don't always live up to the billing. The cabaret shows, a mix of sleight of hand, a teasing level of stripping, and sometimes even puppetry, are fun, but expect a modest charge on your bill.
Gorriti 5054, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1425, Argentina
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch, No credit cards, Reservations essential
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$$ | Palermo Hollywood |
On the southern edge of Palermo, this place serves pints of ale—not too cold, as is British custom—and what are easily the tastiest Indian-style curries in the city. The best part is that there's no stinting on the picante, as is more typical at Indian restaurants in this spice-averse city. These dishes will make you sweat, so you'll definitely need that beer. This place is a hangout for British and American expats, but there are always a few intrepid locals. If you choose to sit upstairs rather than take a seat in the pub, order your food before climbing the steps. The waiters will go up to deliver your plates but not to take your order.
Humboldt 1416, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1425, Argentina
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch, Reservations not accepted
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$ | Palermo Botánico |
Casual style, fantastic service and atmosphere, and a prime location in Palermo Chico make this one of the city's top Italian restaurants. For the more adventurous, don't miss the "surf and turf" of gamberi e animelle (perfectly grilled prawns and sweetbreads), or guanciale (braised pork cheeks). The multilayered house lasagna is also fantastic. There's a great wine list too.
Cerviño 3800, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1425, Argentina
Known For
- Casual ambience
- Excellent wine list
- Genuine Italian fare
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$$$ | Palermo Soho |
One look at the frozen margarita machines and bags of supermarket corn chips and you'll know what you're in for at this colorful dining room. But strangely enough, this is where you'll find some of the city's better Mexican food—it's reasonably authentic and comes truly spicy if you request. Don't expect to be wowed, but an ice-cold beer with a plate or two of quesadillas or the delicious tacos al pastor (stuffed with sliced pork) may just hit the spot.
El Salvador 4800, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1425, Argentina
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch weekdays, No credit cards
