183 Best Restaurants in Argentina

When famed "anti-chef" Leandro Cristóbal decided to return to his roots, he dropped his trademark modern cuisine in favor of huge platters of rustic traditional dishes with little creative twists reflecting his own bad-boy personality. That carries over into the decor and setup—the room has a sort of farmhouse-chic feel with the addition of graffiti and tattoo-covered cooks working the open kitchen. Roast partridge with hazelnut stuffing, sweetbread-and-ricotta cannelloni, and tender wine-braised rabbit are among the stars here. A second location is open nearby at Chile 474 focusing more on pastas.

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.

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.

In the middle of the chaos of Palermo, Casa Coupage is an oasis of tranquility. Located in a converted home, the beige-on-beige dining area takes up most of the main floor. Decor is simple, mostly wine related, plus the odd choice of postage stamps glued in a swath around the rooms at eye level. Your best bet is the frequently changing tasting menu that lets you sample the full range of chef Pablo Bolzan's creative take on traditional Argentine cooking. A limited selection of à la carte dishes is always available. Sommelier Santiago Mymicopulo knows his stuff, and his great wine-pairing options are usually a much better value than ordering from the somewhat overpriced wine list.

At this adorable spot in Seclantás, Pío Díaz and his family cultivate heritage ingredients in their organic garden then harvest them to create delicious regional dishes. Many recipes, such as charquisillo made from jerky, have been passed down through the generations and are served in this gorgeous 18th-century farmhouse. Try the Díaz’ mistela wine as well as ulpada, a fermented corn beverage.

Picadas—assorted cured meats and local cheeses, accompanied by home-baked breads—are the star attractions here (try the smoked boar and trout). Although this deli and wine bar does get busy, the staff is generally friendly, and you can escape the bustle by retreating to the back terrace.  Wash down your meal with one of the hearty Los Morros-line reds, produced by Casa Moderna’s own small winery.

While puertas cerradas, or closed-door restaurants, have been a part of the Buenos Aires dining scene for decades, they were historically a place you discovered by word-of-mouth. In 2006, that all changed when Dan Perlman and Henry Tapia, the norteamericano and peruano couple behind this 10-seat communal-table home-dining spot, hit the scene. These days scoring a spot to dig in to their Mediterranean-meets-Andean cuisine, five-course menu with paired wines can be hard to do, so book early. You'll meet new friends, swap stories, and enjoy creative home cooking. The exact address is provided with reservation, made via the website only.

Exquisitely prepared Argentine plates, from pizzas and pastas to milanesas to vegetarian wraps (and don't miss their desserts!), are served here. It has a cozy, laid-back atmosphere with live blues music for dinner some evenings and an occasional poetry reading.

This restaurant and wine bar boasts a hipper-than-thou interior and modern menu serving such delights as Patagonian lamb with calafate sauce (calafate is a local wild berry). The Casimiro Biguá Parrilla, down the street from the main restaurant, has a similar trendy feel, but you can recognize the parrilla by the cordero al asador (spit-roasted lamb) displayed in the window. A third branch, also on Libertador, offers Italian dishes in a less formal setting. 

Easily one of the best microbreweries in Patagonia, this local Biergarten boasts a hearty German-inspired menu, with standout dishes such as smoked-trout-stuffed pretzels and goulash. The beers run from local IPAs to pilsners to hoppy ales, and there are hefty desserts if you've somehow managed to save room.

This lively beer hall claims it was the first brewpub in Argentina; true or not, its relaxed bustle hits the spot after a day on the slopes. Come in for an après-ski beer sampler, but stay for the pizzas, steak potpies, and other Anglophile dinner options. Don't miss the excellent bock beer, with a toasty coffee flavor, or if you prefer hard cider, the Fruto Prohibido.

An eclectic menu with a mix of seafood, international and Argentine classics, including all manner of beef options, this is a fine stop for a meal. They also have vegetarian and gluten free dishes. The service is excellent, but the prices are steep. 

Known for its no-frills decor, this Palermo Soho stalwart is where generations of locals have been coming to dine. It's located inside a soccer club of the same name and draws its clientele from club members, neighborhood residents, and pretty much anyone who wants honest cooking that doesn't put a dent in their budget. While the menu features three different pastas and a dozen items off the parrilla (grill), your waiter will tell you what's actually available for the day.

Dedicated to the cuisines of the Middle East, this sumptuous dining room on the third floor of the Syrian Lebanese Cultural Club serves up one of the city's best all-you-can-eat buffets. For a flat price you get unlimited trips to the cold appetizers bar, unlimited orders of from a palate-pleasing selection of hot dishes, and all the honey-laden pastries you can pack in. Belly dancers entertain on the weekends, when the prices also rise about 20%. If you're in town for an extended stay, Chef Abdala offers a series of classes where he demonstrates how to duplicate his recipes at home.

For decades the Jones family, owners of this stately redbrick corner building, ran a hotel and bar (complete with a boxing ring in the basement) here, but switched to serving steaks, pizzas, and pasta in between the tea cakes. The decision has been a success: on weekends locals pack themselves around the wooden tables to devour the generous parilladas (mixed grills).

Cozy and colorful, Dadá Bistró has a short but sweet menu, including risotto and gnocchi and also serves classic cocktails. An eclectic mix of locals and visitors pop in for dinner, a drink, or both. Perch at the bar or grab a booth at the back for extra privacy.

At this single large restaurant with a large patio that's perfect for outdoor dining and with lively folk music, the primary menu includes well-prepared pastas, local fish, and meats. There are separate menu pages for pizza, East Asian, and burgers, all of which they take seriously. The fresh pasta is especially good, maybe because the couple who own the restaurant are from Italy. The children's menu covers a lot of bases, but it's a little pricey.

Don't expect any frills here, just great steaks, and side dishes such as the papas fritas provenzal, golden french fries tossed in fresh parsley and garlic. Take a table in the cavernous dining room, or grab something to go—steak sandwiches and empanadas fly out the door as fast as they can make them. The portions are huge and the prices are reasonable.

With a prime location right in front of the Boca Juniors stadium, this bodegón is an institution not only for soccer fans but for the likes of movie director Francis Ford Coppola and chef Francis Mallmann. Owner Carlitos Zinola basically chooses your Italo-Argentine menu for you, which could be steak, pasta, tortilla, pascualina tart, or a combination of them all. The neighborhood is dodgy, particularly at night—take a taxi to and from this restaurant.

This warm, festive, family-friendly locale serves dishes quite typical of Salta and the Northwest such as classics like humita (steamed corn husks filled with cheese) or the local locro stew, with beans and hunks of beef. You'll dine in a room steeped in local tradition, amid wine jugs and old wooden implements. Empanadas and meats are also reliable; the pastas are unremarkable, though. The location, across from Iglesia San Francisco, is very central. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

On a prominent corner of the downtown business district, Down Town Matías is the flagship of a group of Irish-themed pubs. Drop in at lunchtime for a simple steak with mushroom sauce, a well-prepared piece of fish, or a simple sandwich. Pints of ale on tap and plenty of noise, particularly at dinnertime, are the order of the day. Weekday evenings there's an early happy hour followed by live music, generally local rock groups, which can make dinner conversation a challenge. At the other locations outside of downtown, the ambience is a bit more laid-back, and prices are a touch lower.

An oasis of elegance and grace in the heart of Recoleta, flame-grilled cooking drives the menu, with standout dishes including butter-soft Angus tenderloin, crispy sweetbreads, and a decadent molten chocolate cake. If the weather is nice, ask for a table on the terrace overlooking the courtyard gardens. Don't miss a pre- or post-dinner visit to the wine-and-cheese bar with a fantastic array of each, and be sure to take an after-meal stroll through the hotel's underground art gallery.

When a top Buenos Aires restaurant moved to the northwest, salteños couldn’t believe their luck. Taking their concept of cooking exclusively with Argentine ingredients, chef Fernando Rivarola and sommelier Gabriela Lafuente now focus on giving  contemporary identity to the northwest’s abundant pantry, while illuminating alternative proteins; you can only order the tasting menu. There’s also a fantastic vista thanks to its location at the top of Cerro San Bernardo; taking the cable car up adds to the magic.

Leather placemats, calfskin menus, and the smell of wood-grilled asados leave no doubt regarding what's cooking at this popular steak house. And indeed, El Boliche has some of the best bife in Bariloche. Grilled steaks, chicken, lamb, and chorizo all arrive sizzling on a wooden platter, accompanied by empanadas, provoleta (fried provolone cheese), salad, fried potatoes, and chimichurri sauce (be sure to slather some on the bread). There are three locations: those at Elflein 158 and Villegas 347 specialize in barbecue dishes, while the one at Elfein 143 also does pastas.

This steak house perfectly captures the vibrancy of Las Cañitas—even on weekdays, when you can see couples and groups heading in the door as late as midnight. They come for the juicy cuts of beef and flavorful achuras (organ meats), all of which are grilled over an open fire by a professional staff. Grab one of the tables on the open second floor and you'll get an even better view of the parrilla and the action outside. Ask for your favorite steak vuelta y vuelta (extra rare) for best results.

An homage to the rugged terrain of the Argentine wilds, every surface in this downtown eatery seems to be rough wood or tanned leather. Chef Paula Comparatore turns out modern twists on classic regional dishes, often making use of rarely seen ingredients. Her tehuelches, a type of Patagonian empanada named after a near-extinct southern tribe, are among the best in the city, and her classic slow braises of lamb, goat, and beef are simply divine. For those with something lighter in mind, there are indigenous fish preparations and even a vegetarian dish or two.

Much like the neighborhood in which it resides, El Globo is touristy but good. Hearty pucheros (mixed boiled meat dinners), roast suckling pig, squid, and other Spanish-Argentine fare are served in a large dining area, as they have been since the restaurant opened in 1908. The cazuela de mariscos (seafood stew) is another specialty.

This is the city's oldest restaurant, dating back to the 1860s. The name, which translates as "impartial," was meant to offer up neutral territory for various Spanish and Basque factions that emigrated to the city during the mid-19th century. The menu is a mix of local Argentine fare and classic Spanish dishes. You're not necessarily going to be wowed by anything, but you're also never going to be disappointed. The paella and other rice dishes, particularly those with seafood, are the way to go. At lunchtime there's a three-course prix-fixe menu that comes in at less than the price of an à la carte appetizer. Don't miss the natilla madrileña (custard with caramel) for dessert.

No frills doesn't mean no charm at this longtime porteño favorite. Steaks, pastas, and salads are the draw, but don't miss the papas soufflés, meaning puffed-up french fries. If you want to go full-tilt local style, order them à la provençal and they'll arrive at your table tossed with minced garlic and parsley. After all, this place and the other three branches around town (Palermo, Recoleta, and another in Centro) aren't called the Palace of the French Fry for no reason.

With three dining rooms, a patio out back, a location just yards from the central plaza, and well-priced regional cuisine, El Patio is one of Tilcara's most popular restaurants. Anita Ponce's menu is an unpretentious yet delectable mix of dishes using locally sourced ingredients such as llama fillet, quinoa risotto, and tamales, and service is friendly. Order beef empanadas to start, and slather in llajua spicy sauce.