A great way to get to know a country is through its food. Argentina is a destination that stands out because of their gastronomy.
They are known for drinking mate all day and being barbecues and sweets enthusiasts. In your visit to Buenos Aires, good food will not the missing. Here are some of their best dishes that you have to try!
Book Your Luggage Storage in Buenos Aires.
1. Milanesa
A classic in Argentina. A think cut of meat or chicken that is breaded and fried and served with french fries.
Its most popular variation of the milanesa is the neapolitan milanesa, in which the milanesa is served with cheese, ham, tomato and oregano on top. It tastes even better.
This is the perfect meal for lunch and its easy to find in most restaurants.
The restaurant El Antojo was awarded for having the best milanesa in Buenos Aires, and since they won this prize, there’s a line of people waiting to eat in their restaurant. So now you know, if you want to eat the best milanesa, go to El Antojo.
2. Bife Chorizo
For argentineans, barbacues and meat are sacred. Bife chorizo, which is beef, is one of their favorite dishes, paired with an Argentinean wine.
In 2018, the restaurant Estilo Campo in Puerto Madero was recognized for having the best bife chorizo in the city. Their secret is that the flame cooking of the meat in the grill. This is an old restaurant in this porteño neighborhood, that while being fancy, has an avant-garde style while conserving the old harbor facade.
3. Locro
Locro is a homemade meal that is mostly eaten during winter. It’s high in protein and fiber, and served warm it makes for a hardy dish that replenishes you from the cold winter. It’s a broth make from corn and squash, veggies and different types of meat. Some of the restaurants where you could get a really good loco are El Sanjuanino, Ña Serapia, La Querencia and La Morada.
4. Choripán
This Argentinean classic has always been around, but they’ve been varying it in time and now there’s a lot of versions of choripan. The most classic one is the barbacue one topped with chimichurri. They also top them wish mayonnaise, ketchup, avocado, tomato or whatever you wish to put on it. There’s even some more gourmet version where the sausage is made of lamb or wild pig, and there are other variations regarding the type of bread and sauces.
Choripan is something that you can eat passing through the street, or at a restaurant as a main course or as a starter to share. It’s also always present in any barbecue, it’s prepared before the meat as an entry that you snack on.
A good place to have a tradicional choripan in Buenos Aires is the restaurant Autentica Parrilla “La Luli” located in Palermo.
5. Alfajor
This is the best snack to have in Argentina, well because anything that involves dulce the leche is going to be amazing. Alfajores are not only from Argentina, but the ones in Argentina are the best. The cookie sandwich with dulce the leche in between, covered with chocolate. The best ones are the soft and with a really generous filling. As you walk by the streets you have to pass by a store and get one.
The best packaged ones are the ones from Havana and Cachafaz, but any of them that you try is gonna be great, and some of the coffee shops might have fresh ones made by them that are probably even better.
6. Flan with dulce de Leche
Apparently, flan wasn’t sweet enough, was Argentineans decided to put dulce de leche with it. And of course it’s delicious. This is the go to dessert in Argentina for the family lunch on weekends. The flan is sweet and soft, with the juice from the caramel and paired with the decadent dulce de leche, its to die for.
In the restaurant Inmigrante in Palermo Viejo, they prepared a flan that they call “Como lo hacia la abuela” (How grandma used to make it), which follows the traditional recipe and they serve it with dulce de leche and cream.
Tip: When visiting Buenos Aires, don’t forget to store your belongings somewhere safely to enjoy the city luggage-free!
7. Ice-cream
I know, every country has ice-cream. But this one is really good, trust me. They are really creamy and rich in flavor. A classic one is the dulce the leche and chocolate chips one, but they offer flavors from the typical ones up to elaborated ones like cookies and cream, brownies, and they even serve them with more dulce de leche.
It’s said that ice-cream in Argentina has nothing to envy to Italian gelato. So, get it as the perfect dessert after dinner, or just a snack in the afternoon. I’m telling you, it’s gonna be worth it.
The chain Lucciano’s is considered the best artisanal ice-cream shop in Argentina, but really you will find great ice-creams anywhere you go.
8. Yerba Mate
Mate in Argentina is a like a ritual, and one they take very seriously. As you stroll the streets of Buenos Aires, you will see the Argentinians always with their mate in hand. To them its a way to social gathering with friends or family, so now there’s also places in the city where you can go to get a mate.
We recommend Cumaná ,a restaurant in Recoleta where you can go to get supper of mate, toast and biscuits.
9. Pizza
Culture in Argentina has been highly influenced by Europe, mostly by Italy; and their food is no exception to that. That’s why you can get really good Italian food in Argentina like pizzas and pastas.
What makes Argentinean pizza stand out is that they do a really tall thick dough and they A LOT of cheese on it, up to the edges so that it overflows and gets golden. One of the go to variations is the fugozzeta, that has a lot of mozzarella and topped with caramelized onions that get all crispy in the oven.
The gastronomic route in Buenos Aires will leave you really happy with all of the different flavors you’ll try.
Also, if you want to know what to do in Buenos Aires, here are our recommendations of places to visit in 3 days in Buenos Aires.
Enjoy!
Hi! I am George and I am the Content Lead for Stasher.com. I love travel, writing, making music and meeting new and interesting people.