93 Best Restaurants in Argentina

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A haunt for foodies who adore the creative, contemporary Argentine cuisine and beautiful presentation, there's nowhere better in the neighborhood for lunch or an atmospheric dinner in the city's Architectural Association. The star of the lineup is the roasted, stuffed whole quail with squash. Service is very efficient and a top sommelier is in charge of the wine list and heads up the dynamic team.

This central restaurant serves up every meal of the day and while the chocolate fondue has some fame in the town, it's really the fusion cuisine in the evening that keeps punters returning. There's a relaxed but professional bistro vibe to Sugar and the chef has an eye for smart presentation.

The menu at this unassuming picanteria (restaurant specializing in spicy foods) has everything from trout to rabbit, but llama or quinoa are the dishes to try: give them a go as an empanada starter. Less adventurous eaters can sample one of the pasta dishes. Named after an Andean god, Viracocha has helpful staff, and the atmosphere amid the yellow walls and arches is happily relaxed.

“With the nobility of fire” is how this lively steakhouse styles itself, and for good reason—it offers a large menu of parrilla classics, in generous servings, as well as wood-fired pizzas. Fairy lights decorate the outdoor patio, while inside, the oak tables and low lighting give the restaurant an intimate feel.

In this boisterous wooden dining hall you'll share hearty steaks, warming soups, and wine poured from penguin-shaped ceramic jugs in a family restaurant that includes a hostel upstairs. The food is nothing spectacular, but the portions are big and just what a stomach needs after a long hike on the trail. It's also a friendly atmosphere in what is easily one of El Chaltén's most popular restaurants. They're consistently open for lunch and dinner in the off-season.

Empanadas, llama dishes, and other hearty regional specialties served in earthernware bowls lead the menu at this friendly spot. Standout dishes include regional stews such as lamb and quinoa; the house wine is worth ordering. Most evenings, local musicians such as the Pasakana band take to the stage, giving the restaurant much more of a lively peña animada feel.

About 100 yards west of the Estación Fluvial, this cozy eatery is seemingly miles away from the automobile and boat traffic. In a quiet quarter among a scattering of shops and cafés with bohemian flair, it's a great place to get away from the weekend crowds and enjoy a freshly made salad or sandwich. Aside from the tasty food and friendly staff, you'll be surrounded by freshly cut flowers, as the place doubles as a florist.

Locals are thrilled: finally, a date-night restaurant in Puerto Iguazú. Although the high-ceilinged split-level cabin seats too many to be truly intimate, the owners make up for it with well-spaced tables, discreet service, and low lighting. Softly gleaming timber from different local trees lines the walls, roof, and floor. Local river fish like surubí and dorado are the specialty: have them pan-fried, or, more unusually, as pasta fillings. Forget being romantic at dessert time: the chef's signature dessert, caayucayari, with almonds and yerba mate, is definitely worth keeping to yourself. Reservations are essential on weekends.

This restaurant in the center of town is one of the many typical and popular tenedor libre (all-you-can-eat) parrillas on the main strip—nobody orders à la carte. Skip the Italian buffet and Chinese offerings and fill up instead on the grilled meats and morcilla (blood sausage). Sit by the interior window toward the back where you see the parrillero artfully coordinate the flames and spits, and ask him to load your plate with the choicest cuts.

In a city known for its steak and potatoes, vegetarians generally have to make do with salads, pastas, and pizzas to get by. That’s slowly changing thanks to gems like Artemisia, which serves up what is arguably the city's best and most creative meat-free fare, spiced up with Peruvian flavors. It also offers what may be the city's best veggie burger, packed with flavorful lentils. If you're traveling with omnivores, there's always one fish dish on the menu. The service tends to be a bit slow, but it fits the relaxed vibe. There's a sister spot at Cabrera 3877, also in Palermo.

The city’s finest purveyor of southeast Asian food started out as a closed-door restaurant in the chef's home but these days it has a prime Palermo Hollywood location. Adobo pao (steamed pork buns) from her beloved Philippines and delicious Thai yellow curry are two musts, best accompanied by a lemongrass and vodka cocktail. Book a table under the banana trees at the back for a romantic dinner.

The young owners of this resto bar provide friendly service, a creative take on Argentine and international cuisine, and excellent microbrews.

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.

The coolest bar in Pirámides is also the town's best seafood restaurant where—amid nets, nautical gear, and glam-rock posters—the requisite fish and steak dishes are offered alongside pizzas and homemade pastas.

After a bumpy three-hour drive to Cachi, the rounded wining and dining experience at this rural bodega run by fourth-generation vintners at the foot of snow-capped Cerro Cachi is most welcome. Sample the seven wine labels made at extreme elevation, including Sauvignon Blanc, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon, in a tasting under the pink pepper tree or over a barbecue lunch prepared by a champion asador at the old farmhouse a few blocks from Cachi’s main square.

The city's first microbrewery is in a prime position opposite Recoleta Cemetery, and it's a prince among frogs in a saturated craft beer market. There are seven different styles of beer (the Porter is highly recommended), and you can have a sampler of the whole range. Great sandwiches and one of the better burgers in the neighborhood are more reasons to drop in. Head up to the terrace on weekends. There are also pubs in Villa Crespo and Belgrano. 

Its façade leads into a tiny vermouth bar but the back is a huge dining room, where tattooed celebrity chef Lele Cristobal prepares tasty dishes with Spanish and Italian inspiration and Argentine heart, such as lamb meatballs with chickpea mash and ossobuco stew. Start an evening with a glass of the house aperitivo—vermouth comes on tap—with soda at the bar with just eight stools, then move onto the main salon for a buzzy evening.

Take a seat amid the Tiffany lamps and marble-topped tables, and contemplate the fact that you may be sitting in a chair once occupied by a former president, a renowned tango singer, or a world-famous artist or writer while they nibbled an exquisite pastry. The place and setting are from another age, thankfully well preserved, but you may have to wait for a table at the oldest—and highly popular—café in Buenos Aires. Reservations are a must for the dinner-hour tango show.

Founded in 1963, photos of visiting Argentine celebrities mingle with the marine-themed doodads that cover the walls at this local favorite. The best bet in town, they are most known for their large portions of fish and seafood dishes, but they also offer traditional Argentine cuisine.