183 Best Restaurants in Argentina

Tucked away down a cobbled alley is one of the most beautiful and romantic restaurants in the city. Night after night chef Gonzalo Aramburu turns out an exquisite 18-course tasting menu of seasonal dishes, each reinterpreted through the lens of fine dining. It's worth the splurge; in 2023 Aramburu was awarded two Michelin stars. 

A slick setting, Osaka not only moved neighborhoods but also underwent an impressive facelift, taking the sleek style of Buenos Aires' leading Japanese-Peruvian (known as "Nikkei cuisine") restaurant up several notches. The tiradito 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 at Faena Arts Center.

Airy and charming, this traditional eatery's classic Argentine fare is consistently delicious. You can snack on cheeses, olives, prosciutto, salami, and eggplant en escabeche (pickled). The bife de chorizo (sirloin steak), meanwhile, is perfectly juicy, tender, and flavorful, and all the more so when accompanied by wondrous french fries with basil. The country-store-meets-elegant-restaurant atmosphere is just right. No wonder locals and visiting porteños alike vie for tables—on weekends, reservations are essential.

From ojo de bife (ribeye) to entraña (skirt steak), carnivores will find a delectable range of perfectly seasoned cuts to devour at this homey steakhouse. Platters are family-sized, so order a half portion if you're flying solo. The menu also includes pork, trout, lamb, and a superb plate of grilled vegetables, and you can ask to visit the ample wine cellar to select an accompanying vintage. The outdoor patio, shaded by leafy ash trees, is heaven in the summer.   The restaurant now boasts a twin location near Bariloche's train station.

Partners in life and in the kitchen, Mariano and Florencia traveled the world working in restaurants. They’ve brought that experience to their own intimate eatery, which offers a sophisticated tasting menu. The space may be small (it sits only 18 people), but you can expect delightful culinary creations with consistently appealing flavors and presentation. Staff can recommend wines by the glass or bottle to match the seasonally changing eight- or 11-course menus.  In 2023, the restaurant was awarded a Michelin star.

At this quiet rural retreat, chef Mariana Wolf combines seasonal ingredients—many from the garden out back—in beautifully presented dishes that are both elegant and comforting. Standout confections like prawns with rosehip relish, barley, and ginger can be savored while gazing out on the tranquil shores of Lago Gutiérrez. Husband Ernesto helpfully recommends perfect wine pairings from the restaurant's impressively stocked cellar.

Nestled between a golf green and tennis courts, Chez Gastón serves up unpretentious and fresh local cuisine in the smart Algodón Wine Resort. Surrounded by ancient olive groves and vineyards, you can sit outside on the brick patio where pine-log tables are surrounded by comfy couches with puffy white cushions. Many of the products used, such as the olives, fruits, and walnuts, are harvested on the property, and bread is baked daily in a clay oven. Ask about the Smoky tasting menu; Sunday lunch is dedicated to asado.

Herbes de provence in the greeting room, a tank of lively king crabs in the dining room: French chef Manu Herbin gives local seafood a French touch and creates some of Ushuaia's most memorable meals with views to match. The first-rate wine list includes Patagonian selections, while all dishes are created entirely with ingredients from Tierra del Fuego. Perched a couple of miles above town across the street from the Hotel Glaciar, the restaurant has stunning views of the Beagle Channel. Don't miss the baby scallops or the centolla (king crab) au gratin.

With a prime harborside location and a carefully curated tasting menu that delves into Argentina's abundant pantry, Chila is worth the splurge. Book a table on the water and allow the exemplary team (helmed by bright young culinary star, Pedro Bargero), to work its magic. The wine list is one of the city’s best; ask for the pairings.

One of the finest steak houses on the planet that regularly ranks on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list, Don Julio is notable for its vast indoor grill expertly managed by a team of parrilleros. A mix of locals and expats packs the place at lunch and dinner to feast on the fantastic ojo de bife (rib eye) and entraña (skirt steak). The wine cellar is one of Argentina's finest; ask to participate in the sensorial tasting before dining. Book well ahead, or line up around the corner.

Good food and great music roll together at this peña, located in a traditional 19th-century casona that attracts cafayenteños and visitors. Start with tiny beef empanadas and lashings of spicy llajua tomato sauce then follow up with entraña steak with quinoa salad. Once the live music starts, the conversation stops flowing. 

In a city filled with Spanish and Basque restaurants, there's not much of a tapas bar scene in Buenos Aires. El Burladero provides a mix of bar seating and communal tables, along with a more formal dining room, where you can mix and mingle with other diners. It serves up not only the best tapas selection in town, but also some of the best Spanish food. Don't miss one of the city's most satisfying versions of chipirones en su tinta (baby squid in its own ink), or the mouthwatering conejo en sidra (rabbit braised in cider). And speaking of cider, the bar pulls pints of the stuff to start off or accompany your meal. At lunch there's a fantastic three-course menu that costs less than a main course off the à la carte selection.

This iconic, zero frills, pizza parlor is frequented by porteños who worship the pies topped with fresh tomato sauce and a ton of oozing mozzarella. Every square inch of wall space is dedicated to memorabilia of sports legends, musicians, tango dancers, and actors, and every local has their cherished dining spot. The best pizza is the classic mitad mitad, or half and half—one side a straightforward tomato sauce and cheese, the other swimming with anchovies. Dessert here is a winner, with the classic flan leading the pack.

The food, from steak to quinoa salad, is superb; the wine list is fairly priced; and the wooden floors, whimsical lights, and artwork make the space appealing. What's more, some evenings around 9:30 there's live music, generally performed by friends of the owners, award-winning chef Florencia Rodríguez. El Nuevo Progreso is right in the center of town, with windows looking out across the small plaza.

It may be cramped, crowded, and kitschy—and very warm in hot weather due to the roaring wood-fired ovens—but the empanadas are delicious. And they serve the city's best locro (corn, squash, and meat stew), lentils, and tamales, as well as delicious and iconic game dishes. Opt for the house vino served in pitchers, which is well-priced and drinkable. The waiters have fun with the crowd, and speak at least basic conversational phrases in a half dozen or more languages.

A small and deconstructed spot on busy Scalabrini Ortiz, the focus is firmly on raw ingredients in the kitchen, where chef Mariano Ramón brings together Asian and Latin American flavors using locally sourced products. The result is a taste explosion that has caught the attention of many die-hard Dabbang followers keen for spice and spices, who return for lamb curry, oven-roasted carrots with garbanzo miso, and squash seed mole, and don’t mind the fast table turnaround. Also opens for Saturday lunch.

A group of chefs launched a restaurant and catering service with high Andean cuisine as its goal—"high" referring to both the altitude and the gourmet techniques. The result is José Balcarce, in a brick-and-wood building with large windows just two blocks from bustling Balcarce Street. The menu is short, and the service can be slow, but the creative dishes—using local ingredients such as quinoa and llama—are delicious.

Enjoy a plant-led (but not exclusive) menu at this adorable bistro for just 22 diners, led by talented young chef Julio Martín who named it after his daughter. Low lighting creates an intimate atmosphere ideal for a date. Sample the tasting menu or go à la carte; the small culinary team enjoys playing around fermentations. Start with the apple, kiwi, and shiso salad before moving on to the Wagyu beef aged in barley koji.  If you can't get a reservation, try sister restaurant Franca, a contemporary steak house four blocks away. 

Daniel Ancina and his wife Graciela will greet you at this typical ranch house, about 20 minutes from town. Then they'll fill your wine glass, introduce you to the other guests, and seat you family-style at a long table. Regional cuisine rules. Little pots of sauces for spreading on pan casero (homemade bread) line the center of the table and out of the mud-brick oven comes a platter of crisp baked empanadas followed by a protein—goat, lamb, beef, chicken, or chorizo.

This successful microbrewery is famous in the region for its brews and comfort food. Of course, it's not just the hops bringing in the crowds; they also cook up delicious soups, snacks, empanadas, pizza, pasta, and a great locro (hearty traditional northern Argentine stew). The owners of this restaurant and bar pride themselves on the handmade beers, with the stout or negra not to be missed.

This homey chalet serves up an excellent cross-section of Patagonian specialties, including trucha (trout) and ojo de bife (ribeye). You can also sample ham-and-cheese sorrentinos (pillow-like ravioli) and, if you catch it right, roast lamb. Prices are eminently reasonable for cooking of this caliber.

There's a friendly atmosphere in this small bistro, which started out as a teahouse until the French owners expanded into Argentine-Franco breakfasts, lunch, dinner, and a wine bar.

While almost every restaurant proudly serves up tiny, handmade, clay oven-baked empanadas, this casual spot is one of the undisputed champions in the city. A popular place located in a 100-yeard old casona, as noted by the lines to get in and online discussions where it regularly features in the top three, the menu is to the point: beef or cheese empanadas. Perfect repulgues (folds), pastry charred just so and tasty fillings make La Salteñeria a go-to. Just remember to bite open the most pointy end and drop llajua sauce in.

This trendy bistro is filled with seductive cocktails, colorful plates, and fusion flavors. It might be located in a rural Patagonian town at the end of the world, but these dishes could easily come straight out of a trendy Buenos Aires restaurant—served with edible flowers, spirit infusions, and plenty of attitude.

For a contemporary spin on regional dishes, head to Los Morteros. The llama in Malbec, squash and quinoa ravioli, and succulent lamb stew are all noteworthy picks; this busy spot also cooks up a sizzling barbecue worth ordering for its smell alone. Reservations are a good idea.  Check out Los Morteros' wine cellar—it mostly stocks regional wines made at high altitudes.

Having made a name with award-winning fine-dining establishment Tegui, which closed in 2021, chef-patron Germán Martitegui has taken a fresh approach with Marti. The discreetly signed entrance leads you to a stylish greenhouse complete with open-plan kitchen, where the team creates a delicious seasonal plant-led menu that’s leading the veggie pack. DInner starts at 7:30 pm.

The first purveyor of contemporary Jewish cuisine in the city, award-winning Mishiguene brings classic Middle Eastern, Polish, and Russian dishes such as baba ghanoush, varenikes, pastrami, and borscht up to date. Vibrant Klezmer music, efficient service, and a party atmosphere add to the reason why these are some of the hottest tables around. Book the chef’s table for an exclusive tasting menu in full view of the open kitchen.  Can't get a table at this popular spot? Try casual sister spot, Café Mishiguene, open from 8 am to 8 pm, a handy eight blocks away.

In a meat-centric city like Buenos Aires, excellently cooked seafood is a welcome change, and Oviedo turns out beautifully plated fillets of fish—don't miss the daily catch with pickled baby vegetables or the pristine shellfish. Top it all off with wine from one of the city's finest cellars—the pride and joy of owner Emilio Garip—and you're in for a memorable lunch or dinner.

Although the all-female restaurant team caters breakfast for El Porvenir Wine Lodge’s guests, Pausa really comes to life over long lunches held next to the trellis vineyards and at dinner within the colonial-style salon. Salta-born chef Guadalupe Blanco naturally prepares excellent hen and beef empanadas, but also puts a spin on regional classics. Order tortilla, black sausage with free-range eggs, or lamb pie à la carte, or choose the five-course menu; regardless, kick back and savor the moment in this privileged location. The wine list is solely derived from the estate.  

In a charming and creative space that was once a private residence in Belgrano, chef Martín Molteni's dining room offers up a tribute to the lesser-known products of the region. Specializing in unusual meats—llama, wild boar, rabbit, and quail are regular offerings—as well as fresh fish, unusual grains and vegetables, and hand-crafted cheeses, Molteni brings his overseas training in France and Australia to bear on his Argentine heritage. The menu changes completely every two or three months to reflect the freshest seasonal ingredients. While the menu doesn't list vegetarian options, give advance notice when you reserve and the kitchen will turn out equally stunning vegetable plates. A chef's tasting menu is also available.