52 Best Restaurants in Argentina

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  

Overlooking Tupungato volcano and the family vineyards, this small restaurant is the perfect spot for a lazy lunch in wine country. The colorful tasting menu is served with flair, from the assortment of starters to the juicy steak and hearty pasta dishes, and the final tasting platter of puddings. Order the well-priced three-course meal. 

One of the first Italian restaurants in Palermo Botánico, Bella Italia is the cornerstone of what has become the city's quasi-official Little Italy. The Lena family runs its flagship restaurant and a neighboring café (along with branches in Palermo and Belgrano) with grace, warmth, and elegance. The star of the menu is one of the city's few veal chops, a whopping cut of perfectly cooked meat encrusted with salt and rosemary and served over beautifully roasted potatoes. This dish is easily enough for two, especially if you start with one of the kitchen's stellar pastas. The restaurant also features a well-thought-out and fairly priced wine list.

Stepping into the wood-paneled dining room, with tables draped in white linens and a ceiling tented with a colorful carpet, you may feel like you've entered a British officers' club from the late 1800s. During the day the clientele seem to be mostly embassy employees and foreign-service workers, which just adds to that atmosphere. At night it changes over to a mix of neighbors and tourists enjoying the offbeat menu that's half Italian and half Indian. For those in the mood for spice, a half-dozen reasonably hot curries are on offer (the fish and prawn curries are the stars). For something milder, pasta is the thing, and the excellent lasagnas are the house specialty. The waitstaff is trained to sell and can sometimes seem a little pushy.

San Martín wouldn't be a ski town without a fondue restaurant, and this one is particularly appealing. The cheese fondue is smooth and rich, while the meat version comes with cubes of Argentine beef in assorted cuts and up to 12 condiments. (Vegetable fondues are, sadly, a bit limp.) Steaks and pasta are also well represented, and there's a fantastic wine list. The restaurant's two rooms—adorned with wooden panels and rustic tables—are equally suited to children and honeymooners.

A romantic bistro located down a secluded Recoleta alley, the sister restaurant to Aramburu deals in classy comfort food. Expect dishes such as rabbit terrine, Patagonian lamb, wood-grilled octopus, and a steak tartare that comes with mustard ice cream. The outdoor patio is lovely when the weather cooperates. In 2023 it was awarded a Bib Gourmand for great value by the Michelin guide. 

One of the few classic French brasseries in Buenos Aires, Petanque is a place to enjoy hearty French fare accompanied by local wines. The ambience is lively, with marble-topped tables so close to each other that you may find yourself participating in neighboring conversations, though service can be snooty. The best dishes are the most traditional, the confit de pato, or duck confit, is not to be missed.

This elegant corner Italian restaurant features wraparound windows overlooking Parque Paseo de las Americas was one of the first spots to bring some life to "Bajo Belgrano." Now, there are a half dozen restaurants within a block, and this area is a dining destination, not only for local Belgrano residents but for visiting gastronomes from across the city and globe. The duo that owns it—restaurateur Fernando Brucco (also owner of Happening in Puerto Madero) and local rocker Fabián "Zorrito" Quintiero (who also owns Soul Café)—have maintained the standards originally set by consulting chef and local food TV personality Donato deSantis. The stars here, other than the owners, are the pastas, made fresh in-house and topped with creative, delicious sauces—don't miss the "Unico," a whopping raviolo filled with spinach and cheese and topped with mushrooms and truffle sauce.

In the heart of the city's Chinatown, BuddhaBA is part pan-Asian restaurant, part tranquil garden, and part art gallery. The service is understated, but always gracious, and the food is a pleasure to both look at and eat. The tastiest dish on the menu is the paté imperial, a unique twist on the classic Vietnamese banh mi sandwich, reinterpreted as a pair of long, delicate, crispy springrolls. The Chinese sweet-and-sour dishes are always delicious, if sometimes erring a trifle on the sweet side. Finish up with a pot of tea, perhaps out in the garden during nice weather.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

Though it was recently overhauled by the Parrilla Don Julio team, much care has been taken to retain El Preferido de Palermo's authentic and traditional character. Order a plate of cold cuts—the charcuterie cellar is on display—and savor them at the kitchen counter. 

This eatery's design aesthetic—a bare, unadorned space illuminated with industrial lighting—doesn't translate to the dishes, which, while not fancy, include hearty portions of grilled and fried Argentine dishes and a smattering of Spanish specialties. At lunch it's packed with Palermo office workers, and at dinner there's a mix of locals and tourists, all tucking into the well-seasoned and properly cooked steaks and chops. Don't miss the boquerones (marinated anchovies) as an appetizer. The entraña, or hanger steak, particularly when accompanied by the excellent papas a la crema (creamed potatoes), are a don't-miss main course perfect for sharing. While the menu might look pricey at first glance, most of the steaks easily serve more than one person. There are also inexpensive prix-fixe lunch options.

A 20-minute drive from San Salvador, this Italian restaurant is a welcome addition to the city’s dining scene. After many years working in Buenos Aires, chef Daniel Hansen returned to his native Jujuy and opened Flor del Pago in the family home in Lozano. Part of the stunning colonial mansion lends itself to three dining rooms, where diners can savor risotto, solid homemade pasta, and a wine list focusing on Northwest Argentina labels.

Priding itself on cooking dishes like your Italian nonna would make, Fuente y Fonda offers hearty Argentine fare in family size portions that are designed to be shared by at least two people. Expect deep dishes filled with stuffed cannelloni, milanesa napolitana (topped with cheese and ham), or roast meats.

A dimly lit lounge houses the city's longest established cocktail and wine bar, attracting the local wine-loving set as well as hard liquor aficionados. They serve some of the best lounge food in town, including great sushi (don't miss the crispy prawn rolls), appetizers such as ceviche, and a great selection of wines by the glass. Note that it's a two-story climb up steep stairs to get here.

Covered with more knick-knacks than the space comfortably allows, the bar at the city's only Vietnamese restaurant looks like someone bought out a souvenir shop. The barstools are irrelevant, because there's no place to set your drink anyway. But that's fine, because you can just grab a table or relax on a sofa in the dining area and enjoy one of the signature cocktails while you peruse the menu of Vietnamese classics. Perennial favorites include the crispy smoked eggplant dumplings, prawns with rice pasta, chicken curry, and five-spice spareribs. Bowing to local custom, there's little heat in any of the dishes, even if you ask for extra chilies, but ask for a bowl of Sriracha hot sauce to be brought to your table.