Argentina Archives | Eat, Drink, Travel, Y'all!

I recently returned from an epic trip to Buenos Aires and I am telling y’all, it was some of the best food of my life and by far the best steak. I’m a southern girl and we grew up eating lots of red meat in my house, so I have had my fair share of beef and I like it rare to medium rare – bloodier is better. But, Buenos Aires has much more to offer cuisine wise than just steak.

Charcuterie and cheese from your local delicattessen

Specialty meat and cheese shops abound in Buenos Aires and you can get an elaborate assortment of charcuterie and cheeses for an incredibly reasonable price. This is the spread we got from the shop around the corner from our Airbnb in Palermo. We only spent 100 pesos apiece too, which is about $6 USD. Um, yes please!

Bife de lomo at Parrilla Peña

Parrilla Peña is consistently ranked one of the best parrillas (steakhouses) in Buenos Aires and as soon as you cut into your steak, you’ll know why. The meat is absolute perfection and the service is top notch. It’s also one of the more affordable parrillas in in Buenos Aires. Pictured is the Bife de Lomo (tenderloin) and I will confidently say it was the best steak of my life and only 240 pesos or about $15 USD. Yes, that’s right, $15 for an easily 14 ounce steak that would cost you five times that in the US. Add a nice bottle of Malbec to the meal for just 100 more pesos and now you’ve got a feast fit for a king for around $21 USD.

Shawarma at Medio Oriente

Who knew you could get killer Middle Eastern food in Buenos Aires? The shawarma at Medio Oriente in the Soho neighborhood was absolutely delicious. The meat was cooked perfectly and the flavors were on point. My friend Natalie stumbled upon this place shortly after moving to Buenos Aires. “It had a line of people out the door, so I knew I had to go eat there,” she told me. (How can you tell if a restaurant is good? If it’s busy, people.) They also have a little deli here where they sell homemade pita, different types of hummus and baba ganoush. (All of which I taste tested and approve.)

Pasta at Il Sorpasso

I read that Buenos Aires had incredible Italian food before I arrived, but I’m not sure I believed it (the guide book I purchased was bold enough to claim the pasta here rivals that in Naples or New York City). I am definitely a believer now. I had the best pasta of my life in Buenos Aires at a little restaurant we stumbled upon in San Telmo, Il Sorpasso. To be fair, I have not been to Italy, but I have dined at some of the best Italian restaurants on the West Coast.

Choripán at Los Chori

You must eat Choripán when you’re in Argentina. Choripán translates to a grilled chorizo sandwich and the ones at Chori can’t be beat! I got the Classic Pork and it consisted of tomato, potato, arugula, oregano and, of course, chorizo. It was bomb, y’all and at only 80 pesos ($5 USD), it’s a hell of a deal.

The Grand Bife at Las Hormiga

We loved Las Hormiga so much that we ate here twice in one week. The steak was killer and the prices were low so when I wanted one last lavish steak lunch before heading back to the states, this is where we returned. The Grand Bife (pictured) was a t-bone and this meal was for two people, y’all. Make sure you order your steak “jugoso” if you want it medium rare (otherwise it’s coming out medium, and in my book that’s a damn shame).

Milanesa

Milanesa is an Italian dish that’s very popular in South America thanks to Italian immigrants and it is something you have to eat when you’re in Buenos Aires. So what is it? Milanesa is a thin slice of beef, chicken, veal or pork that’s cooked “chicken-fried-steak-style”. It’s prepared by dipping the slice of meat into beaten eggs, salted and seasoned, dipped into bread crumbs and then shallow fried in oil. I had this Milanesa at an adorable restaurant on El Caminito in the La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires.

All the sweet things from your local bakery

Buenos Aires is packed with little bakeries on every street and you’ll want to pop in for your favorite sweet treat or empanada. Prices are uber-affordable (these insane brownies were just 30 pesos or $1.90 USD) and the desserts are ridiculous. I was literally a kid in a candy store with my camera and these stunning sweets.

El Caminito in La Boca

After spending twelve days in Buenos Aires this month, my body finally feels back to normal from the jet lag, 32 hour trip back (a total of four flights) and the copious amounts of red meat and Malbec I consumed while I was there. It took equally as long to get from Seattle to Buenos Aires (Seattle > LA > San Salvador > Lima > Buenos Aires), but it was well worth it to be reunited with one of my closest friends, Natalie, cocktail goddess and the bad ass chick behind Beautiful Booze. This was my first trip to South America, and I totally fell in love with this city. The food, the streets, the people; everything about this place just intoxicated me and I hope one day I get to go back.

All the steak and Malbec

Well, there’s no denying what my favorite part of Buenos Aires was: all the incredible food and wine and more specifically all the steak and Malbecs. Parrillas (steakhouses) are extremely popular with literally hundreds throughout the city to choose from. We ate our way through several extravagant steak lunches and dinners. (There is nothing like a late lunch of ojo de bife, which is ribeye, and a good bottle of Malbec, swoon.) I miss the steak, y’all. Truly the best I’ve ever had.

Sunday Market Street Fair in San Telmo

The colorful neighborhood of San Telmo has traditionally been known as Buenos Aires’ antiques neighborhood, with shop after shop and a vibrant Sunday market street fair. We walked for hours through the street fair that was lined with every kind of vendor you could imagine – from food to glass soda water bottles to hand made leather bound books. Jewelry, antiques, toys and pipes – they are selling everything here. Natalie does a lot of her shopping for glassware for photo shoots here and picked up some striking crystal whiskey glasses for just 40 pesos ($2.47 USD). This is a perfect way to spend a Sunday. Go get lost in the San Temlo street fair and then find yourself a cafe or restaurant for a late lunch; the food in this neighborhood is wonderful.

Cemeterio de la Recoleta

Would you believe that the top tourist attraction in Buenos Aires is a cemetery? Well, it is – Cemeterio de la Recoleta. I’ll be totally honest, I really had no desire to go into a city of coffins and tombs, but when it’s the number one attraction, you kind of just have to do it anyway. So into this city of the dead we went. Creepy? Definitely. I don’t believe in ghosts or the supernatural but I would not want to be here at night. It was also amazingly beautiful, though. Old statues of angels, gargoyles and crosses rise above ornate tombs in an eerily awesome way.

El Caminito in La Boca

El Caminito means “little path”, and it’s a darling street in the La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires that is famous for its brightly painted houses and lively restaurants and art vendors lining the streets. This may have been my favorite part of the city. Sit and enjoy a Quilmes (a local beer that I have dubbed the Coors Light of Argentina) and take in a tango show, another must do on your Buenos Aires list.

The Soho Neighborhood of Buenos Aires

I absolutely adored the Soho neighborhood of Buenos Aires. The street art is fantastic (and abounding!) and the food in this neighborhood is top notch. We spent hours on multiple days exploring the streets, shops, cafes and cervecerias of Soho after our daily morning coffee and work sessions (Natalie has turned me into a coffee drinker, thanks Nat.) More than one of my favorite meals was in this part of the city, and a fantastic wine shop as well. Stay tuned for my next blog on the Best Bites and Sips of Buenos Aires to find out what they were!

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