Gastronomy in Buenos Aires

Argentines (don't call them Argentinians) don't hold back when it comes to cuisine and dining. Each dish echoes the passion and love of life the residents share.

The best places to eat out in Buenos Aires

With several million packed into the city and millions more if we include “Greater Buenos Aires,” there is a plethora of places to eat and enjoy the local cuisine. Below are some of the favourite local foods and the best places to try:

Don Julio

Argentina is one of the top meat-consuming nations on the planet, and Don Julio can help you understand why. With choice steaks, delicious dressings and a staff which is passionate for customer service, Don Julio will impress.

El Sanjuanino

Heartwarming, El Sanjuanino attracts locals, expats and travellers with a pleasant atmosphere, great food and reasonable prices. Be sure to try Argentine wine served in ‘pingus,' jugs shaped like penguins. Either sit and relax inside, take your meal to the garden or order to-go.

Casa Felix

An impressive example of the ‘closed-door' or ‘home restaurants becoming popular in Buenos Aires is Casa Felix. Diego Felix is kind of a local legend. He serves up a five-course meal in the private garden. Seating is limited. They only host around 12 people each evening they serve — which is three nights a week.

Rodi Bar

The ideal place for those looking for a perfect steak at local prices. Far from the city centre, Rodi Bar is heavily favoured by locals. Rodi Bar blends local ingredients with quality local steak. The result is a homey feel with well-prepared meals.

San Antonio de Areco

If you're travelling in Argentina, San Antonio de Areco's is about a two-hour drive from Buenos Aires in the small 18th century down of San Antonio de Areco. Besides seeing more of Argentina, you will discover more great food at lower prices than can be found in Buenos Aires.

Meat dishes in Buenos Aires

There can seem to be as many meat dishes as there are “parrillas” or steakhouses. To slice through the confusion, here are vital words to know for the best experience in steak.

Asado may refer to beef ribs or a cook-out — think BBQ. The asador or asadora is the grill maestro.

Parrillada - A mixed plate consisting of organ meats and other affordable cuts.

Bife de Chorizo

Sirloin — don't confuse it with chorizo, a sausage

Salchicha parrillers - Grilled sausage, longer and thinner than chorizo; it is grilled in a spiral form.

More meat-related terms to know:

• Bondiola de cerdo: pork shoulder
• Chinchulín: chitterlings, small intestine
• Chorizo: sausage
• Cuadril: rump
• Entraña: skirt steak
• Lomo: tenderloin, filet mignon
• Matambre de cerdo: pork flank
• Molleja: sweetbread
• Morcilla: blood Sausage
• Ojo de bife/bife ancho: ribeye
• Papas a la provenzal: french fries with garlic and parsley
• Parrilla: translates to both steakhouse and grill
• Porteños: the people of Buenos Aires
• Riñon: kidney
• Tira de asado: short ribs
• Vacío: slank or flap steak

Nuances of different steaks

Argentines consume around 55kg of beef every year and is about double what North Americans eat.

Here are just a few of the 14 cuts you can try:

Roast Beef - A cheaper cut taken from the neck, it's best drowned in a tasty sauce and is used for mince.

Ojo de Bife / Rib Eye - Full of marbling fat which bestows it with tons of flavour. It's a big chunky steak and comes from the best cut.

Bife Ancho / Prime Rib or Rib Eye Roast - Very close, almost like cousins, to Ojo de Bife, ancho steaks are sliced from the rib-eye roll. The two choices are to get it boneless or bone-in, packing more flavour into a superbly tender, tasty and marbled cut.

Cuadril / Rump Steak - Used in everyday cooking, the classic rump is a thick, meaty cut of better than average quality, and you get a lot of it for your pesos. If you end up extending your trip, this is one to cook at home.

Stew

Beef Stew, Locro Stew, Criolla Stew, Receta del Locro Stew, Patagonian Beef Stew, Argentine Lentil Stew, and the list goes on. Strongly influenced by Italian and Spanish cuisines, stews in Argentina are not spicy.

Empanadas

These little pockets of fried or baked dough are ubiquitous like the black and yellow cabs. They are everywhere. Although not exclusively an Argentine snack, they can be found throughout Latin America.

There's an everyday vibe to the snacks. They can fit in with any gathering, fiesta, protest or just a binge-fest when hanging out in the plaza. Half-moon shaped and filled with beef, chicken, caprese, ham and cheese, onion and cheese, humita, roquefort or vegetables, they can be found in restaurants with meat and mushrooms, chicken with mustard or even port.

A new favourite is plum and pancetta.

Healthy eating in Buenos Aires

So where's the healthy food? Scattered across Buenos Aires!

Healthy eating and the food choices which go along with it have been ignored in South America's second-largest nation. But as the world shrinks, the “old guard” dies off, and younger generations gain control, healthy dining has taken a front-row seat.

As the demand for healthy alternatives continues to grow, more places are offering sophisticated vegetarian, organic natural food dishes.

The three best health food stores in Buenos Aires are:

Green Eat

Av. Santa Fe 2461

The vegetarian dishes change daily, and the sandwich and tart specials are good. Wash them down with a glass of freshly made lemonade and finish the meal with any of the delicious puddings.

Naturaleza Sabia

Balcarce 958

With quite an extensive menu, breakfast is served from morning until lunch. They also have on the premises a tiny market where a person can stock up on organic products.

Dietetica y Deli

Teodoro Garcia 2398

Possibly the oldest and definitely the most established health food store in Buenos Aires is Dietetica y Deli at the corner of Teodoro Garcia and Cabildo.

A pioneer in the healthy food movement in Buenos Aires, Dietetica y Deli has been a powerhouse at it serves up organic food — a tradition which goes back years.

Besides the full shelves of everything from healthy potato chips to empanadas to green sales, Dietetica y Deli has recently added pasteles dulces to the selection.

Insider tip

Put The Gaucho Festival — Fiesta de la Tradicion — on your calendar. It always takes place in November and is a great event to help celebrate Pampas culture and Argentine cuisine.