158 Best Restaurants in Argentina

It takes a lot of moxie to open a restaurant not serving cordero, barbecue, or pizza in Patagonia, and former “fancy” chefs José and Leandro show they have just that with their homey restaurant, which uses vintage plow wheels to cook a traditional and ultimately delicious stew-style dish known as al disco. The al disco menu offers all sorts of meats and veggies cooked in beer, red wine, or white wine; more creative and quasi-modern options like Bife al Napolitana; or you can create your own. And you've got to love a restaurant that tells you not to bother with starters but rather just dunk your bread in the disco sauce. Great atmosphere, laid-back charm, and effortlessly tasty food have made this a popular spot in town.

Locals come to this friendly restaurant for its outstanding pastas and variety of entrées: expect meats from Patagonia to the pampas, fish from both oceans, local game, and fresh vegetables. Hearty portions make this an ideal place to end a long day on the slopes.  Empanadas and take-out items can be ordered at the entrance.

A great-value restaurant on a bustling downtown corner, Jovi Dos has several airy, high-ceilinged rooms with wood beams and plate-glass windows. Noteworthy starters include marinated eggplant and baked beef empanadas while grilled meats, seafood, pizza, and pasta have equal billing on the overly long menu. Dishes such as the ravioles mixtas (ravioli filled with spinach and cheese, then topped with a creamy sauce) are big enough for two people. The waitstaff is attentive, and the wine list is solid.

At lunch, the best tables are taken by groups of tourists being serenaded by a band of minstrels, but don't let that put you off. The food is simple, well-presented Andean fare, and the prices are very reasonable. The kitchen can cater to vegetarians, too.

Located alongside the Hipódromo, the city's hottest horse-racing track, this eatery has great views. Boisterous definitely defines the ambience as diners tuck into barbecued ribs, chops, steaks, pastas, and salads, all washed down with copious amounts of beer and iced tea. There are plenty of options for children on the menu. This is the top of the heap for diners searching for a U.S.-style chain, and it attracts local business executives during the day and families at night. Reservations recommended, especially for dinner, and there's almost always a wait for a table.

Sophisticated, elegant, and cozy all at the same time, this cozy corner spot in Palermo Soho offers a combination of classic dishes and modern creations. A favorite of Italophile locals, it's the perfect location for a romantic night out, perhaps with a reenactment of the famous scene from Lady and the Tramp. Housemade pastas are the stars here, topped with sauces so vibrant you know they were made the same day. The kitchen sometimes has a heavy hand with salt, so if it's an issue let your server know when you order. Service is friendly and efficient. The wine list, while an excellent selection, is a tad on the pricey side, but you're paying for the atmosphere as well.

A blast from the past, this historical café is one of the best spots in Recoleta for people-watching and celebrity-spotting. For the most part, it's a place to linger over coffee and a pastry, or perhaps a savory sandwich at midday, but there's also a full menu of local specialties, and it's open until 1 am. When the weather cooperates, locals and tourists mix and mingle at the outdoor tables—this despite the fact that there's a higher charge for the privilege. That leaves the dining room dominated by a local crowd.

This impeccably maintained riverside cottage is nestled in a verdant stand of lenga trees and overlooks the Beagle Channel and provides a warm, cozy spot for delicious loose-leaf tea or comforting snacks before or after a hike to the Martial Glacier (conveniently located at the end of the Martial road that leads up from Ushuaia). An afternoon tea with all the trimmings will satiate any peckish trekker, fondues are served at lunchtime, and at 8 pm in summer the menu shifts to pricier dinner fare with dishes like salmon in wine sauce (mainly for the guests at the adjoining cabin accommodation).

Huge slabs of Hereford and Aberdeen Angus steaks for sharing are cooked to perfection at this classic parrilla, and they're always accompanied by a variety of small side dishes, so there's little need to order anything other than french fries, though provoletas (gooey, crispy on the outside, grilled-cheese rounds) are a must as a starter. The same menu is served down the block at La Cabrera Norte, at 5127 Cabrera, which handles the overflow.  There's also a storefront in departures at Ezeiza International Airport for one last meaty bite. 

The specialty at this lively family eatery is the milanesa napolitana, a gut-busting plate of breaded steak topped with ham, mozzarella, and tomato sauce; tack on an order of papas a la provenzal (garlic-and-parsley fries) and you can easily feed two. The pastas and trucha (trout) are equally recommendable. Go early for both lunch and dinner: lines here can sometimes stretch down the block.

With a prime location in front of the Boca Juniors stadium, this bodegón is an institution for soccer fans, who pack it out on match day and a perfect pitstop after visiting Museo de la Pasión Boquense. Take a seat at a wooden table and order a choripán or a lomito steak sandwich; beer is more expensive than french fries.

This colorful spot is known for its large dishes of warming pasta, succulent local trout, and king-size milanesas and steaks. Decor is minimal but service is warm, and there are splendid mountain views.

Serving a buffet of salads and starters followed by a main course straight from the grill, La Juntada updates the classic pulperia (tavern) atmosphere with a good wine list and a fresh lick of paint. Go hungry for the typical Argentine fare such as grilled goat kid that's well-prepared.

This bustling spot is where locals go for their pizza joint fix, thanks to the typical Argentine-style pizza of thick crust and layers with stringy cheese. Their empanadas are just as good—pick up a few and you have the perfect pastry pick-me-up during a long day of exploring. With two branches on the main strip (one with a kids' playground and the other for more Patagonian-style dishes), the secret is out, but stick with the original pizzeria, as the locals do. If it's not crowded, you're in the wrong one.

They've been serving homemade pasta at La Marchigiana since 1950, and many of the recipes were passed down from founder Nonna Fernanda; today her descendants carry on the tradition in the kitchen. Popular with Mendocinos looking for a reasonably priced meal (and a great lasagna), there's a second restaurant at Ruta Panamericana 3200 in Godoy Cruz.

A family-run and family-friendly Italian trattoria of the sort you might find in any big city, La Parolaccia stands out for its excellent homemade pastas—particularly good are the hand-rolled fusilli. And don't overlook the three-course lunch specials, which can be a great deal. The staff is happy to prepare half portions of pasta dishes for kids. You'll be greeted with a complimentary cocktail and sent off with a digestif of limoncello at the end of your meal.

Slotted neatly into the tiny Plaza Peloc, La Picanteria’s streetside setting makes for a great lunch spot to watch people come and go about their business. You can, of course, also dine inside, and enjoy the simple yet cozy aesthetic. There’s a brisk business for those after the three-course lunch menu, which might include spicy vegetable soup, llama escalope with salad or delicious handmade pasta. Dinner consists of a decent pizza—and pizza only—menu.

This casual, family-run restaurant has been hamming it up in the valley for 30 years, serving pork cooked in every way imaginable. A surprising number of vegetarian options are also available, and all the wines offered are from local bodegas. A small shop on-site sells artisans' items, such as hand-knit sweaters, blankets, and artwork.  If you like this place so much you don't want to leave, check into a reasonably priced cabañas behind the restaurant.

Empanadas, llama dishes, and other hearty regional specialties dominate the menu at this eatery on the main square. Take a seat by the window and watch the scene at the market stalls outside while enjoying jujeño staples such as picante de pollo (spicy chicken) or regional stews, or avoid the bustle on the airy back patio.

This parrilla is so popular that it starts serving dinner at 6 pm—teatime by Argentine custom. The local beef isn't quite up to Buenos Aires standards, but La Rueda's perfectly cooked bife de chorizo is one of the best in town. Locally caught surubí is another house specialty, but skip the traditional Roquefort sauce, which overwhelms the fish's flavor. The surroundings stay true to the restaurant's rustic roots: hefty tree trunks hold up the bamboo-lined roof, and the walls are adorned by a curious wooden frieze carved by a local artist.

It's a couple of extra blocks from downtown and across a little white bridge, but this parrilla is where the locals go for a special night out to watch their food as it's cooking; Patagonian lamb and beef ribs roast gaucho-style on frames hanging over a circular asador, and an enormous grill along the back wall is full of steaks, chorizos, and morcilla (blood sausage). The whole place is filled with a warm glow despite the lackluster decor. It's slightly more expensive than other parillas in the center of town—and almost always fully booked—but has a classier atmosphere that will make you want to linger for dessert, if you have room.

While the city's Chinatown is not all that big, it does have its fair share of notable eateries. Lai-Lai stands out for its varied menu, combining not just the more usual Taiwanese cuisine, but also spicier dishes from the Hunan and Szechuan provinces. Not to be missed are the Szechuan dumplings in broth (empanaditas chinas picantes, in Spanish), tofu in a fiery red sauce, and the big-enough-to-share half duck glazed in honey and tea.

Not known for its decor, this simple spot with tightly packed tables and fluorescent lights is filled with locals who love the coal-fired deep-dish pizza—a style you don't find frequently in this city. It's a great place to go on your own, as solo diners aren't uncommon. Not to be missed is the spinach and white-sauce pizza, a neighborhood favorite. For meat eaters there's the española layered with longaniza sausage, the city's answer to pepperoni. It can take awhile to get the staff's attention, and friendliness is not the first order of the day, but the wait and the attitude won't matter once you sink your fork into one of these slices.

"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).

A poetic narrative in the menu describes this place as "a haven for parched travelers," along the lines of the watering holes used for centuries by local shepherds. Top picks include empanadas baked in the clay oven at the entrance and a llama fillet served with orange sauce and colorful tiny Andean potatoes. They also cook up great asado (barbecue).

Like the proverbial tortoise, Buenos Aires's first Thai restaurant has kept a slow, steady pace and outlasted all its Southeast Asian competitors. Huge glowing flowers dominate the decor, and there's perhaps a bit too much incense filling the air. While the food here won't amaze anyone who knows Thai cooking, it's a great change of pace for locals looking to try something different or travelers who are tired of steaks. The options are fresh and tasty, particularly the curries, though if you want any heat, don't forget to ask for your dish to be served picante. Portions can be a bit skimpy given the prices, though there are lunch prix-fixe options that are more wallet friendly.

Ponchos on the walls, old paintings, native artifacts, stucco archways, and Andean background music are clues that this might be one of the best places to sample authentic Northwestern cuisine. Try the locro: a stew of maize, white beans, beef, chorizo, pancetta, and a wonderful red pepper–oil glaze, all of which come together in a mélange of savory, starchy flavors.  Ask for a table at the back for a more authentic and less-hurried dining experience.

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.

An expansive terrace overlooking the river is the appropriate backdrop for Tigre's best fish dishes. The kitchen favors elaborate preparations: some are so packed with unlikely ingredients that the fish gets lost; others, such as the sole in lemon-infused cream, are spot-on. Land-based offerings like pork belly braised in beer are equally well executed. Both the terrace and the sunny, peach-colored inside room fill up on weekends, when harried waitstaff often take a long time to bring your order or the check.