Buenos Aires - Attractions/ Restaurants
 

Hello,

My husband and I will be spending 3 nights in BA in mid December on the way back from Antarctica via Ushuaia.

We've booked our hotel, which is in Palermo Soho, the Miravida Soho Hotel.

I'd love to read your recommendations for restaurants either in this area or further afield (please specify).

I'm also interested in ideas for attractions, maybe some shopping too.

We're not into nightlife/bars at all, so in recommending restaurants, we'd prefer to avoid those that are more bar than restaurant or that have extremely loud music or where noise levels are very high. I'm not looking for silent mausoleums either though, just places with focus on food and where we can hear ourselves talk!

We love meat, so some grills etc would be good. So too some recommendations for particular specialities to look out for.

Although I adore seafood my husband doesn't like it, so I would also like a recommendation for somewhere where the meat and seafood are equally good.

In terms of attractions, we're the kind that like to meander and take it easy. We don't rush around ticking sights off.

For shopping, quirky stuff, inexpensive crafts, knick-knacks are of more interest than fashion. Neither of us is into fashion at all and I'm the atypical female, I don't like buying shoes or handbags!

Anyway, many thanks, looking forward to your suggestions!

Kavey & DH: do not take offense, but, since your visit is still well over a month away, I have to suggest you do some research on the subject, both here and in http://tinyurl.com/nw9f4

I consider it part of the fun of travel.

Your request for "somewhere where the meat and seafood are equally good." is nearly impossible, but there is a new "parrilla" (grill), located in the heart of the Recoleta area, which serves BOTH fine meat and great grilled fish.

http://www.fervorbrasas.com.ar/

Have a great time in our town.

Hi Kavey,

My friends and I just returned last week from 5 days in BA. For one of those nights, we stayed at Miravida Soho's apartment, a block away from the hotel. The breakfast at Miravida Soho was seriously scrumptious, and we regret not having had a chance to eat dinner there (served only on Friday and Saturday nights, I believe.)

A lovely place for lunch an easy walk from Miravida Soho would be La Cupertina. Out of the dozen empanada places we tried throughout Argentina, these were the clear winner! Try the regular sized carne empanadas, as well as the double sized carrot, zucchini, or eggplant ones.

For steak, we tried La Cabrera in Palermo, Campo Bravo in Las Canitas, La Brigada in San Telmo, and Don Julio in Palermo. We thought Don Julio had both the tastiest meat and the warmest service, with a more laid-back, less mobbed vibe than La Cabrera or La Brigada. For other food recs, I'd suggest checking out Chowhounds' South America board: http://chowhound.chow.com/boards/56

We also enjoy meandering slowly. One of our favorite quirky places to meander off the beaten track was the Carlos Regazzoni sculpture park in Retiro. All of this eccentric genius's metal sculptures are made of old railway parts. We loved it, and afterwards, we enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea at nearby Maru Botana (Suipacha 1371), famous for their delicious cakes and pastries.

Even if you're not into nightlife/bars, you might enjoy going to hear some live tango music. Torquato Tasso in San Telmo was low-key, elegant, and populated mostly by locals. This is music only, NOT a tango dance show, though I think they do have a milonga some nights. Performances start around 10, and you need to make a reservation. There's no entrance fee for the show; just order a little something from the small menu.

One last rec for ice cream: We tried a lot of heladerias throughout BA, and our hands-down favorite was Cadore, on Avenida Corrientes, not far from the Congresso building. Their dulce de leche granizado, frutilla tropical, pomelo, and limon were out of this world. (You can tell we went back there several times!) It's a bit of a trek from Palermo, but if you're in the neighborhood, check it out!

Avrooster, I've done a whole lot of research both on this site, on several other sites, in books, in travel magazines, in newspaper travel supplements.

However, I didn't want to do a post that said "I've read/ been advised these are good. Are they?" as it tends to stifle new and fresh advice and turns into a discussion of what's already been recommended.

Instead I am looking for fresh recommendations that I can weigh up against the TONNE of research I've already done.

:D

Lil, thank you, that's exactly the kind of recommendations I was hoping for.

Glad to hear the feedback on Miravida Soho breakfast. Haven't a clue what days of week we're there, will check.

Don Julio's laid back vibe sounds appealing.

The slightly eccentric Carlos Regazzoni sculpture Park sounds right up our alley as does the afternoon tea afterwards! Absolutely great tip, thank you and not on my existing list!

And thanks too for the music recommendation. I know many people opt for tango shows in BA but they simply don't appeal to us. Music only may be a great alternative. What kind of music do they play?

THANKS AGAIN, I so appreciate it.

Hi Kavey,

I think Torquato Tasso is all tango music, but I could be wrong. The night we were there, we heard the stunning Gabriel Menendez accompanied by the Cabuleros, a tango quartet of violin, accordion, acoustic guitar, and electric guitar. You can find a calendar here under Cartelera, Agenda:
http://www.torquatotasso.com.ar/

We also preferred not to attend an expensive, glitzy tango show but felt we shouldn't leave BA without seeing any tango dancing. Laura Murias at our first hotel, 1890 in San Telmo, suggested that we go to Confiteria Ideal for their milonga. We went late on a Saturday night, but the rain kept the crowds away and the milonga ended early. They suggested that we return the next afternoon for their big anniversary event, which turned out to be wonderful. We were riveted by the skill and intensity of the older dancers, and we were fascinated by the tiny gestures the men used to signal to the women. (Note: the crowd at Confiteria Ideal is definitely on the older side.) As far as we could tell, we were the only tourists in the entire place, but everyone was cordial and friendly to us. (We did try very hard to be as discreet and unobtrusive as possible, so as not to disturb the regulars. ) In short, this might be a good place to experience an afternoon milonga without feeling awkward and unwelcome, as we had worried might be the case.

My idea for a "fresh recommendation" was "Fervor" and it was not acknowledged.

Sorry, I hadn't looked at the link yet, so didn't comment yet. I didn't mean to suggest I hadn't noticed it.

For really creative takes on Argentine cuisine, and a good selection of fish, poultry, and red meat dishes, check out Pura Tierra in Belgrano - http://www.puratierra.com.ar/

Easily some of the best meals I've had over the four years I've been living here.

Another choice, also a bit "out of the way", would be Urondo, which is a personal fave for very laid back, casual ambiance, and creative multicultural cooking - http://www.urondobar.com.ar/

Hi Kavey ...
www.saltshaker.net is a good website for reviews as well as an interesting blog.
Sat and Sun go to Recoleta and enjoy the Hippie Feria where you will be able to enjoy quite a bit of shopping with all the hand-made items, knitted, silver , glass, leather and everything else. I did a lot of my Christmas shopping there last year..
On Sunday there is also the flea market in San Telmo..
you will be in Soho so go to the market at Plaza Serrano.. not to mention the shops in the neighborhood.
No shortage of shopping opportunities in BA. ( you know me lol )

For music..
look at these websites and see if anything appeals to you.. the great thing is that they are all Free.. although La Scala charges a tiny bit for tickets..

www.lascala.org.ar

Bibliotech Nacional is the big wacky looking library, google it, you will love it. They have a room just for music, acoustics are fabulous.. we have seen a few things and enjoyed every one of them..
www.bn.org.ar

The Colon Opera House is still being renovated so the venues are scattered around town. If you are interested in Classical music, you can attend free concerts with the National Symphony Orchestra .. we go almost every week.. just wonderful. Look for the word Conciertos..
www.derecho.uba.ar

La Cabrera is one of the most famous steak places in town and close to where you will be staying.. on Thames and Cabrera in Palermo Soho
For fish, Oviedo in Recoleta ... wonderful atmosphere, food and service.
Just about everywhere you go, you can get good grilled seafood as well as steak.. we don't eat meat and there are no restaurants that we don't find something good in .. salmon here is excellent !

There is a wonderful place in San Telmo, called Amici Miei .. on Defensa.. upstairs, wonderful seafood, pasta and meat dishes.. beautiful rooms and great service.
http://www.amicimiei.com.ar/

Fervor is very trendy and expensive ...

Since you will no doubt be in Recoleta at some point, you can go to Maru Botana on Ayacucho .. a tiny lovely tea room with wonderful pastries ..
If you get homesick, the Alvear Hotel does a High Tea !

FERVOR was recommended to me by an American TA destination expert who has lived in BA for YEARS and is married to an Argentine lady. That is why he knows his stuff.

I tried it recently and found you get a pretty good cost/quality ratio, which is why I would call it comparatively inexpensive.

Yes it is a little trendy, but it offers great grilled meat AND fish, which is why I recommended it to the OP, who asked for "somewhere where the meat and seafood are equally good."

Furthermore, unless you are a big eater, I'd say you can share the portions served.

I'm afraid I have gone a little "ballistic" on this restaurant subject, so please excuse me, but I'll go on.

The OP clearly asked for places "where we can hear ourselves talk!".

While "La Cabrera" certainly offers great steaks, it is also very crowded, the tables are very close to each other, it is so touristy you almost hear only English spoken and it is quite hard to hear yourself talk!

Oviedo is a fine place for Spanish cuisine, predominantly seafood, but also great "cochinillo" (pork). However, it is far more expensive than Fervor.

Thanks for these recommendations for restaurants and also the discussions about them. It's really helping me to get a feel for some of the places too and I'll visit the websites provided as well and of course google myself as well.

Thanks too for the shopping recos, Scarlett, what were your best buys?

I also have a few articles from travel mags on BA restaurants so, when I have more time, I'll grab those, see what crossover there is between the suggestions here and in those publications and also ask for your further input, if that's OK.

Thanks again, to all of you, I really appreciate it.

PS about that hearing ourselves talk thing, it's also partly because, whilst my husband doesn't have a diagnosed hearing problem, like all his family, he finds it extremely hard, harder than I and most people, to distinguish conversation when there's a lot of background noise, especially when that noise is also conversation. :)

Hi Kavey...
Here are some other restaurants that we like, prices are reasonable and they are definitely comfortable for a nice meal without a din around you.. ( I tried to think of places that are not all in the tour guides or talked to death on forums.. but that is difficult!)

in Barrio Norte/Recoleta
<b>Erin </b>
French 2929
I love this place, seafood, steak etc ..

In Palermo Viejo
<b>Cluny</b>
El Salvador 4618 / 22
I like it best for lunch but dinner is good too..

Palermo Viejo
<b>Meridiano 58 </b>
Jorge L. Borges 1689
Wonderful brunches and very good dinners..

In Recoleta
<b>Olinda Bistr&oacute; </b>
Jose Le&oacute;n Pagano 2697
candlelight and whispers across the table :)
Very nice, inventive and tasty food and great service.
Most restaurants you can eat outdoors too, which can be very pleasant.


I can't think of what my best shopping buys are ... I guess the best was our home lol... we have a wonderful apartment in Recoleta ...Imagine a large flat in Belgravia ? lol ... or Knightsbridge maybe..
anyway, shoes and handbags are nice , the leather here is so good.. but handmade jewelry is great also.. I have spent so much time shopping for home things, decorating and clothes, that it is all a blur.
Your money will go far, wherever you shop, you will most likely really enjoy it.
Hope this helps..

Great thread, thank u Kavey for starting it and thanks everyone for all the restaurant suggestions. I've been collecting restaurant to try for our upcoming trip and was interested in hearing about some different ones than the usuals that get mentinoed. Now the problem will be trying to choose among all the great recommendations!

Scarlett, I knew you enjoyed BA but had somehow missed that you bought an apartment there, how wonderful!

yestravel, when are you visiting?

bookmarking ( Scarlett
Date: 10/25/2008,)

Kavey, we leave for BA on Nov 14 -- can't wait! We're also spending 3 nights at the end of our trip at Miravida Soho.

Kavey, we moved to Buenos Aires a year and a half ago.. we are very happy with this move. Beware, it all happened as a result of a visit :)

Our son stayed in Palermo Soho when he first arrived here ( he visited us for 2 months) and he liked an Italian place called Art de Mafia .. lol.. he likes to find delicious bargains so that restaurant is in his reco list..

This might make you laugh.. here is the Youtube of the restaurant..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBxmTNJ-iA8

bookmarking

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum..._District.html

Here is the Buenos Aires forum on TripAdvisor if you would like to browse ... we are always talking about food and shopping ... chau ((F))

Scarlett, you MOVED lock, stock and barrel to BA? WOW, how did I not pick that up!?

Thanks again everyone for links and recos. I'll be checking them out and working a list out soon.

Would appreciate any additional ideas on attractions too.

THANKS

Hey Scarlett,

Haven't seen your name out there much. I'm printing out your recommondations. Gary and I will be in town Feb. 26 to March 26. We rented an apartment in San Telmo. We love that area so far. We just happened to find friends and family in that area. Any chance we shall see you in one of your recommended resturants? Would love to meet up with you and your husband at some point. We have taken in your accounts of moving to BA when we talked privately on email. If your up to a visit, email me privatley and I will give you our phone for our apartment.

Debra

Hello, I'm coming back for more advice!

I’ve been sifting through lots of information and advice from lots of sources.

First of all, on sightseeing, I'm finding it really hard to work out where the various attractions are (I have one map of the districts so have a rough geography, another of the downtown area only, and another of palermo district but none pinpoint the attractions), how close to each other they are or how difficult/ easy it is to travel between them all, which is making it hard for me to plan what we can two.

Note that I’m unable to walk very fast or for very long distances so we’ll need to rely on buses/ taxis and/ or the subway to get from place to place.

So, what time do we have?

We fly in from Ushuaia late on a Monday night, so probably won't do much other than dinner locally to our hotel. We'll likely be tired, judging from our last Antarctic trip, I crashed early on that night in BA.

We then have two full days in BA and our flight leaves at about 2pm on the Thursday, we've been advised that it can take a long time to check in and get through security. Anyone have any advice on just how long and therefore what time we'll likely need to leave our hotel for the airport? I'm trying to work out whether we can plan anything at all for that morning or just opt for a leisurely breakfast and departure?

OK, in terms of sightseeing, I haven't got a guide book yet, and am just starting to work through attractions but so far I'm interested in:

* Botanical Gardens (we usually love visiting such gardens, any input on BA ones, worthwhile or not, how long we might want to give to them). Are there any other gardens that you’d recommend instead? I read good things about the Japanese Gardens but it’s not a style I’m particularly fond of.

*Carlos Regazzoni sculpture park in Retiro

*Recoleta cemetary (we probably won't spend hours and hours here but would certainly like to visit) and a walk around the area

*Colon Theatre (wouldn’t mind seeing the building if we’re passing close by, but won’t be taking in a show there and am not interested in taking a tour inside)

*Caminito in La Boca (am I right in thinking that, as well as a colourful and interesting architectural style, there are also arts and crafts vendors?

*Shopping – I’d really like to give a few hours over to shopping (or at least browsing) but am not sure where to choose. As we won’t be there over a weekend, am I right in saying that none of the various craft fairs or flea markets will be open? (Tell me if I’m wrong, please!) I much prefer inexpensive shopping opportunities for unique crafts and bric-a-brac to regular mall shopping (unless the mall sells those kind of items). I’m not looking for leather bags, shoes or other such fashion items at all. Would really appreciate some further advice on which shopping opportunity might best fit me?

--I’m sure I’ve missed out some obvious attractions, can you steer me in the right direction? Is Puerto Madero worth a visit? Are there particular avenues/ roads we should make sure we walk along?

--Any recommendations on how best to plan my two full days to take in the list above (plus your additional ideas and shopping recommendations) to avoid backtracking?

--We're not planning, with our limited time, to visit museums. I know it's probably sacrilege but we're not planning to go to any tango shows either, though we have had some recommendations for Torquato Tasso in San Telmo (for a night of music) and Confiteria Ideal for a less commercial tango experience. Any thoughts? My main worry is that we’re just not late night people so, by the time we’ve enjoyed an evening meal, later than we’d usually eat, we’ll probably be pooped!

Next post, asking for further advice on restaurants…

Of the places you mentioned the one I would skip given you have limited time is
*Caminito in La Boca (am I right in thinking that, as well as a colourful and interesting architectural style, there are also arts and crafts vendors?&quot;
We thought it very touristy and one of the places we enjoyed the least. As u said there are colorful buildings and some vendors selling their wares, but when we were there nothing too special.

Thanks!

Kavey, we recently returned from Antarctica, BA &amp; Ushuaia. Re: Puerto Madero...visit only if you want to experience a very modern &quot;hip&quot; BA or you want to take a stroll through the Ecological Reserve. We stayed in PM because we wanted to go to the Reserve every morning. It fit our needs, but may not fit yours. However, PM is unique in that all streets are named after women.

FYI, we did the first of the year Snow Hill Antarctica expedition and encountered very little fast ice. While the same expedition last year could only get to within 30 miles of the Emperor penguin colony, our ship &quot;parked&quot; 5 miles from it. I suspect you won't encounter the problem of too much ice and you will likely be able to get to all landing sites, weather permiting. Bon voyage!

Marsha

OK, I’ve only tapped some of the many resources available for restaurant recommendations including this travel forum, two other travel discussion boards, travel magazines, website travel guides (including Saltshaker's blog) and my hotel’s owners' recos.

Here are some of the recos I’m leaning towards, would welcome additional input.

Top of my dinner list is <b>Don Julio</b>. It’s coming up trumps in every one of those resources so I’m probably going to ask my hotel to make a reservation for us. Any reason to pick Tue or Wed over the other? Also, I know portenos eat late but we’re Brits, we usually book tables for 7.30 to 8pm! I know we won’t be able to eat quite that early but what time is the earliest, do you think?

Other restaurant recommendations that are catching my eye in amongst all the many excellent tips are <b>Pura Tierra</b> (looks like a good location given our hotel address), <b>Cluny</b> (again, this one is mentioned by many people and is also well-located for us), <b>Oviedo</b>, <b>Osaka</b> and <b>Freud &amp; Fahler</b> (would appreciate any feedback on all three).

PS I’m taking AVRooster’s advice to avoid La Cabrera given the noise quotient.

--So, of our three nights, Don Julio is pretty much a definite for one night. Which two would you pick for the other two nights, and which of those two would work best for a quicker meal within really close distance of the Miravido Soho hotel for our first night, when we’ll be pretty tired?

---

On the lunch list is <b>La Cupertina</b>. It’s near our hotel and said to be excellent for empanadas, again I’ve come across recos in numerous places. (Or, see above, would this work better for dinner on our first night?)

If I can figure out where Carlos Regazzoni sculpture park is I’m looking at <b>Maru Botana</b>, recommended both by Lil and Scarlett. Best for morning/ afternoon coffee break or lunch? What about <b>Oui Oui</b> and <b>Croque Madame</b>?

To be honest, lunch decisions don’t need to be pinned down, and will depend heavily on the itinerary for our two days, see post above. What I’ll likely do is take printouts of the recommendations with me and hope we’re within distance of one when we feel like stopping for food.

Ovenbird, thanks!
I have not encountered mention of the Ecological Reserve yet. Can you tell me more? This could be of real interest to us, time permitting.

It'll certainly be interesting to see how our return visit to Falklands, South Georgia and the Peninsula compare with 2004. We're visiting same time of year again.

Kavey
Check out the thread a couple of weeks back regarding the &quot;Artisan Fair&quot; in Buenos Aires this December. See if that fits into your time frame.

Following the links I think it finishes on the 14th, which means we'll just miss it, but thanks, looks like the kind of thing we'd enjoy.

Ha, I've spent way too much time today reading about BA! I've refreshed this thread 20 times in the last hour alone!

:D

PS Incase anyone's wondering why I'm trying to pin this down now, please note that I'm actually leaving home in just 3 weeks as we'll be spending 3 weeks on an Antarctic cruise before we head to BA on our way home.

Kavey:

I am going back to Buenos Aires in a couple of weeks and will also be staying in Palermo Soho at the Legado Mitico. Last year, I tried Cluny, Mott (across street from Cluny-very nice with open concept), Social Paraiso, Bar Uriarte among others. You will love the area. Great shopping, too. Just wander around and you will find all kinds of things that you never knew you needed.

Scarlett is a wealth of info-she was a big help for my trip last year.

Weekender

Kavey, here are a few links that talk about the Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve. We are birders so that is why we spent so much time there.

http://www.geobeats.com/videoclips/a...nature-reserve

http://argentinastravel.com/destinat...s-aires/parks/

http://www.buenostours.com/costanera...ogical-reserve

The Reserve is not a groomed garden like the botanical gardens, but is more &quot;natural&quot;. I use quotes around &quot;natural&quot; because it actually grew out of the construction debris from when they built up BA.

One of the passengers on our expedition had been on over 150 cruises to Antarctica (she's in the business). She said every trip was different. Enjoy!

Marsha

Weekender, of those restaurants, which was your single best experience, do you think?

Ovenbird, wow, 150!? Incredible! I'm looking at those links now, thank you!

Kavey:

Of the restaurants that I mentioned, I would say that Bar Uriarte is the most dramatic space. Was there for dinner and the lighting is beautiful. Good food, too. Cluny is delightful for either lunch or dinner. Both restaurants have outdoor spaces as well. The mood of these places is so much different after dark-you will see what I mean.

Thanks, Weekender.

Folks, can I have your input on Marini restaurant in Palermo? It's a &quot;tenedor libre&quot; place, which I know some people are quite dismissive about, but I've read that this is a better quality one and that the food is genuinely good, and that many locals do rate it. Is this true? Any thoughts?

I have not been to Marini Gourmet, but I researched it with:

http://www.guiaoleo.com.ar/detail.php?ID=1026

I don't think I would go.

Bookmarking - this is a great thread - we will be in BA Feb 1 through Feb 4.

Ovenbird: We are staying in Puerto Madero by default (using points for the hotel) but are also birders. Is it safe to go walking in the reserve in early morning? What birds were you able to see at the reserve? Any information you can share about the reserve would be appreciated.

Pamela