…a Hit List and Sh… ehm, Not So Good Places.
Choices are endless in Buenos Aires for eating out, although certain cuisines are less common (Asian restaurants) than others (Italian restaurants and of course steakhouses). This list features places best suited for lunch, a list with places for afternoon tea / merienda and a list for dinner locations will follow soon. Places are sorted by preference in descending order.
Bao Kitchen, Microcentro
This post says it all: Bao Chicka Wow Wow
Bao Kitchen Taiwan Bistro
San Martín 960, Retiro, CABA
Opening Hours: Mon-Thurs 11.30am-6.30pm, Fri-Sat 11.30am-11.30pm
You’ll find their full menu on their Facebook page.
El Banco Rojo, San Telmo
This is the second venture of the owners of the very successful bar la puerta roja. I filed it under lunch because for dinner I would go to the bar (they have a small menu as well with pizza etc.). For me this spot was perfect when visiting the San Telmo market on Sunday, located on La Defensa street which is just one block off this little gem. The menu consists of burgers, tacos and empanadas. They have three meat based empanadas on their menu and one that changes daily and is usually vegetarian, e.g. fontana cheese and potatoes or pumpkin with cheese (I haven’t seen a vegan one ever and not sad about it). I recommend to have some empanadas or tacos which leaves you with enough cash to go over to Freddo and have an ice cream. The only item on the menu that I wasn’t really happy with was the pulled pork sandwich – too big and then too mushy so I had to eat it with fork and knife (see last picture below). However, the atmosphere is very laid back, food is delicious and cheap, mostly locals frequent this restaurant… Do I need to say more or are you already on your way to el banco rojo? 🙂
El Banco Rojo
Bolivar 866, San Telmo, CABA
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 12pm-12.30am, Sun 12pm-11.30pm
(Like many restaurants in Bs As, el Banco Rojo only has a facebook page, but there is not menu on it. To get a better idea, look here. This menu is from 2015, so prices and items are somewhat outdated, but it still gives you an idea what to expect.)
La Cocina – Empanadas Catamarqueñas, Microcentro
Places to eat empanadas are a dime in a dozen in Bs As, but the quality varies tremendously. This place has great empanadas, but they come at a price: ARS 25 (as of October 2016 – this might change tomorrow!). My favorites are choclo (mushy corn – slightly sweet), carne picante (“picante” only means that it comes with spices such as cumin, it is actually not hot) and queso y cebollas. A classic flavor is queso y jamon and they gave it a twist with ricotta y jamon, but sadly this is not a winner: the crumbly texture of the ricotta makes it rather dry. Still, this place is a must visit when in Bs As. I especially liked that the empanadas were baked and not fried. Be aware that the place is a bit hidden: Look for the Galería Boston on Florida street. It is located in the far back of the basement.
La Cocina – Empanadas Catamarqueñas
Florida 142, Galería Boston, Microcentro, CABA
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-5pm
430 Ramen & Drinks, Microcentro
My vacation this spring in Japan left me with a serious addiction to ALL Japanese food, ramen and gyozas included. Thus, it made me very happy when I stumbled upon this restaurant. Their menu features – suprise – ramen, gyozas, baos and some salads. The restaurant has two floors: in the basement is the bar area. Although the restaurant is open from Tuesday to Saturday until almost midnight, I still consider it to be more of a lunch place or to have some afterwork drinks and gyozas with it. I ordered a salad with pulled pork (I love Asian influenced salads and then with pulled pork – I had to have it) and vegetarian gyozas. And what can I say? It was delicios. Then add the very friendly and attentive service and this is a winner! Disclaimer: I haven’t tried the ramen soups as it was simply too hot in Bs As, but they looked and smelled also delicious.
430 Ramen & Drinks
San Martín 430, Microcentro, CABA
Opening Hours: Mon 11.30am-5pm, Tues-Sat 11.30am-11.45pm
Green Curry, Microcentro
To find good thai food is a challenge in Buenos Aires. Green Curry is a gem in that sense. A busy lunch place, the curries are tasty, sometimes mixed with Argentinian food, i.e. fusion cuisine and prices are decent. Below you see a curry with meat balls (in spanish albondigas) and sweet potatoes – a perfect example for fusion cuisine.
The salads I tried were also delicious. In the picture below you see their thai salad with chicken (on a stick) an an acutualy salad DRESSING. I was afraid at first that the chicken might be a little dry, but it was tender and juicy.
Just STAY AWAY from the “Pad Thai”: First, it’s made with glass noodles (ok, that might be an option, but the rice noodles absorb the sauce just much better), secondly there are no sweet tangy flavors that make pad thais usually so delicious and addictive. I believe they do not use the tamarind sauce in their recipe, although it is mentioned in the description of the dish. The result can be best described as “pan-fried glass noodles with tofu, eggs and with the option to add chicken or shrimps”.
Green Curry
Tucuman 271, Microcentro, CABA
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 11.30am-4.30pm
Brioche Dorée
This venue is an international chain with locations in Europe, the US, Canada, Japan, China and the Middle East. Originally founded in Brest, France in 1976, the company went out to conquer the world. They offer breakfast items such as croissants and for lunch and dinner mainly sandwiches, quiches and salads. I went there for the salads, as it is difficult to find a tasty one in Bs As. Most traditional restaurants just offer lettuce, tomatoes and carrots with olive oil and vinegar (dressing is not a known concept to the Argentinians). And while you will also only get olive oil and vinegar with the salads, the salad compositions itself are pretty creative. I chose a combination of garden lettuce with mushrooms, peach, eggplant and brown rice with sunflower seeds sprinkled on top. You will find various locations throughout Bs As; I visited the locations in San Martin street and in the shopping mall Galerías Pacífico.
Brioche Dorée
several locations throughout Bs As
Opening Hours: differ by location
La Panera Rosa
This is also a chain (welcome to the globalized world) with various locations in Bs As. I visited the place in Palermo Viejo at the Armenia square on a sunny Saturday and enjoyed a savory crêpe with salmon, cream cheese and dried tomatoes. It was served with homemade potato wedges:
The food was very good and the homemade passion fruit juice was also delicious. Prices are around ARS 150-220 for main courses.
La Panera Rosa
several locations throughout Bs As
Opening Hours: differ by location
(The webpage seems to be under construction. More information can be found on their facebook page.)
Dogg, Microcentro
Hot dogs or – as the Argentinians call them – panchos can be found at every corner in Bs As. The problem is, none of them taste good. My personal problem when testing this place was that hot dogs are not my favorite food to start with. A soft, mushy bun with a far to fetty sausage in it is just not my definition of a tasty meal. Things are different when it comes to Swiss or German bratwurst though. With those you usually get a very crispy bun and the bratwurst is tasty and grilled to perfection. Anyway, back to the Dogg: As the name suggests, it’s all about hot dogs. They over different flavor combinations; from a combination with guacamole and nachos to a German version with sauerkraut, relish and pickles, they’ve got it all. The combo hot dog + fries + soda is in addition also purse-friendly (currently ARS 110 – but that can change any day). I visited the location in the Microcentro, however they have two more locations; one in Belgrano and one in Tribunales.
Dogg
San Martín 657, Microcentro, CABA
Opening Hours: Mon 12pm-4.30pm, Tues-Fri 12pm-8.30pm
This restaurant was recommended in the food blog pickupthefork.com. While I usually agree with her reviews, this one was a disappointment. The venue is located very close to the Recoleta cemetry and the mall. I tried it on a Friday noon. First impression: The door is locked and the waiter looked rather annoyed to open the door for me (okay, I was dressed casually – but a waiter should NEVER judge a guest by his appearance). It is not unusual for certain restaurants to lock the door from the outside for the safety of their guests, but when the staff is not attentive enough to quickly open the door, a bell might be a good idea. Now to the food: they offer a menu over lunch with an appetizer, main course and coffee or dessert for ARS 265 equaling currently USD 18 (at least in November 2016 this was the price – might have changed by now). I ordered a mini pizza as an appetizer and as a main course risotto milanese with osso bucco:
The mini pizza was good; like a baguette topped with cheese and tomato cubes. The main dish was not what I expected: I thought it would be risotto with the meat on the side. Turns out, the meat was mixed into the risotto. Now risotto milanese is a risotto with saffron – a very delicate spice, which comes out best in a risotto or with noodles. Mixed with osso bucco, you couldn’t taste anything of the saffron anymore, which was a pitty. All in all a failed attempt of a reinvention of a classic. Otherwise, value for money would be okay, but the unwelcoming attitude of the staff makes this venue a no-go for me.
La Pecora Nera
Ayacucho 1785, Recoleta, CABA
Opening Hours: Sun-Fri 12.30pm-3.30pm and 7.30pm-midnight, Sat 7.30pm-midnight.
Frenchie, Microcentro
As the name suggests, the menu features French cuisine. This is a place for homesick French people as most of the staff speaks French. When it comes to food though, I only found disappointment on my plate. I went there twice, because I wanted to give it a second chance as the place itself looks so cute (but as always: don’t judge a book by its cover…). On my first visit I chose a quiche Lorraine and an eclair for dessert. Let’s start with the positive things: The dressing (yes, an actual DRESSING) or rather the vinaigrette was very tasted and the salad leaves where fresh. Sadly, the dressing reached the quiche and altered the texture of the dough to soft, mushy instead of crispy. It’s hard to say if the dough would have been crispy without the salad dressing compromising it. Sadly, also the filling didn’t live up to my expectations for this French classic. The only highlight of this meal was the eclair; the dough and the chocolate filling were flawless and yummy. My only concern is that all the pastries are not homemade, but rather purchased somewhere else.
On my second visit, I went for another French classic: Croque Monsieur. Oh boy, I wish I hadn’t. 🙁 The name itself means crunchy gentleman, i.e. the sandwich should be crunchie. It consists of toast, filled with boiled ham, topped with cheese and then baked in the oven or grilled in a pan or in a toaster. What they served me was a soft, mushy something in far too much Bechamel sauce – with one word ewwwh:
I would like to recommend this restaurant just for afternoon tea or – as the Argentinians call it – merienda, but sadly the venue already closes at 5pm, which is too early for Argentinians. Merienda is usually eaten between 5-7pm as dinner only starts from 9pm on, often rather 10pm. Other items on the menu are salads and pasta (not so sure what is French about penne, but anyway). I haven’t tried them, but the salads are more expensive than salads at the Brioche Dorée (to just name one). I don’t think the premium is justified. Overall, I just can’t recommend this place at all. The only exception would be if you are French and looking to speak your native language, then go there for a coffee and an eclair and stay away from the rest.
Frenchie
San Martín 687, Microcentro, CABA
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm
Green Eat
Unfortunately, this was another disappointing experience. Marketed as fresh and healthy food, they have added a premium for this to their prices, i.e. salads are 20-30% more expensive than at other venues. They offer salads, sandwichs and flavored waters. I had a salad with green beans, tuna and corn and a rasperry flavored water. So, the food tasted average, what really makes it an anti-recommendation though is the fact that I felt sick all afternoon afterwards! The rasppery flavored water was just bland. I usually like those healthy alternatives to soft drinks, but it still needs to taste good. This can be achieved without sugar. Anyway, I just can’t say anything good about this place. Argentinians though seem to like this place a lot, it seems to be crowded most of the times. For me it is just not worth the price.
Green Eat
several locations throughout Bs As
Opening Hours: differ by location.
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