Buenos Aires may have a plethora of colorful parrillas, but none are quite like Parrilla Transeúntes.  Coined as the “Tranny Parrilla,” this meat serving establishment, sharing the same space with both a library and community center in Barracas, puts Buenos Aires on the map for one of the only restaurants in Latin America run by those in the trans community.  Transeúntes opened in September of 2011 with the help of the Cooperativa de Trabajo Nadia Echazú, aiming to serve up some good ole’ traditional beefy Argentinian asado while also providing work to those in the trans community.  A place where steak and LGBT activism meet, sounds like a winner to me.

Transeúntes, which means ‘passerby’ in Spanish (get it? Transssssexual, transsseúntes.. gotta love a good play on words) is run by superstar, mini-celebrity, baker, fashion designer and actress, Carla.  Originally from Salta, she came to Buenos Aires in search of the good life but found it extremely difficult to find steady work since her DNI marks her as legally male. Along with her sister (who is also trans) and other members of the community, they aim to raise awareness of LGBT issues in Argentina, provide work to those in the trans community, and serve up some meaty delights in the process.Simple food that is cheap with a buena onda staff, what more do you look for in a casual neighborhood parrilla?  Open only for weekday lunches, they offer asado-y favorites like chorizo, bondiola and vacío, including the option to add the pan suffix to convert into sandwich form.  The menu does show milanesas, pastas and platos del dia, but on the day I went, it seems as if they had limited ingredients stocked in the kitchen. Manning the parrilla, the asador cooked up some bondiola, vacío and a plate of grilled vegetables.Smokey parrilla.Perhaps verging on the chewy side, I thoroughly enjoyed the vacíopan since I’m pretty into burnt meat and like a good crispy charred crust on my steak.  The salsa criolla was quite good too, made with green & red peppers, onion, tomato and extra vinegary, in a good way.  There was also a homemade spicy chimichurri that I wish I could have bottled up for personal use.  Bitchin’ bondiola sandwich that I didn’t try. I bet you can imagine how it tastes.Extra charred grilled veggies: great array of onion, zucchini and peppers.

After the meal was pretty much over, out came two orders of french fries. At first, I didn’t want it since it’s hard to get an immediate second wind after you finish eating a big steak sandwich.  But let a few seconds pass and be lured by the thin, extra crispy potatoey perfection.  Who has the willpower not to eat bomb French fries just staring at you?  And dipped in that spicy chimichurri, that piece in the middle that was left in the oil for too long had my name written all over it. After I said I was finished with this plate, I still ate the remaining fritas.

To read more about Parrilla Transeúntes check out:
Un recorrido por ‘Transeúntes’ from Perfil.com
Parrillita Transeúntes: A Different Kind of Parrilla from The Argentina Independent, written by yours truly.
And see more photos of the restaurant on Facebook.

Parrillita Transeúntes
Aristóbulo del Valle 1851, Barracas
Monday–Friday: 11am – 3pm
Average price per person: $30