Can I Have Some Salad In My Ensalada? The Best Salads in Buenos Aires

I bet you have never heard anyone say, “I went to Argentina and had the best salad ever!” Why? Simple. Overall the salads are sucky, consisting of wilted greens and boring unripe vegetables, either not dressed at all or drenched in some weird mayonnaise-based “dressing” sauce.  When ordering a salad, many will respond in ridicule – judging you for attempting to eat consciously in a country known for its beef. But you can now tell all those nay-sayers to shove it, and show them this round-up of the best salads Buenos Aires has to offer.

La Cresta – Salad bar

THANK YOU ALMAGRO LORDS, Bulnes is blowing up with people making the long porteño line for La Cresta’s salads. This deli style to-go small shop serves more than 10 different types of inventive salads – creative flavor combinations that is delicious for not just Buenos Aires vegetarian standards.

Sudestada – Lunch special appetizer

Not only does Sudestada offer one of the best lunch specials in Buenos Aires, they also have an incredible salad as the first course. Light, fresh and simple, this salad with greens, bean sprouts, tomato, onion, a fried hard boiled egg and peanuts in a drink-the-leftovers-in-the-bowl lime-sesame-tamarind(?) dressing might just be the most scrumptiously simple aderezo in the city. I’d really like to bottle it up and put it on everything.

Baking BA – Caesar SaladCatering to the microcentro lunch crowd, Baking BA’s success is easy: healthy food, fast service, and quality products.  Comida para llevar, most all of Baking’s salads are pretty fantastic. Caesar salad with dressing that is much more than mayonaise, it’s probably the best take on the real deal this city has to offer. Kansas comes in a close second, but Baking’s under AR$35 price tag is hard to beat.

Miranda Parrilla – Antonia y Jacinta SaladsThe salads at most parrillas remain very simple, consisting of a lettuce, tomato and onion combination.  But the salads at Miranda are much more invented and elaborate, and can easily feed two people. Massive plates of grilled vegetables, fresh greens and even.. wait for it… dressing!

Marfa – Pollo y Espinaca / Pollo y Palta

Off of Marfa’s summer menu, this salad is packed with fresh greens, addictive crunchy chicken, mushrooms, avocado and cherry tomatoes.  You really can’t go wrong with any of Marfa’s salads because they are all OH SO GOOD.  Sometimes the dressing is a bit lacking with little flavor, so I like to whip up my own batch of a balsamic vinaigrette.

Pain et Vin – Quinoa, Lentil & Spinach

The sourdough bread bakery / wine shop might specialize in the bread/wine/sandwiches, but there’s something about ordering the simple spinach, quinoa, lentil and goat cheese salad that’s utterly enjoyable. Add on a glass of white wine, and you’ll be set for the afternoon.

Ninina Bakery – Mezze Plate

A solid brunch and lunch spot with super fresh, high quality products. The mezze plate has a good mix of babaganoush, hummus and tabbouleh for the Middle Eastern lunch trifecta.

La Alacena – Palta Salad

It’s a fact that avocado makes everything taste better. La Alacena’s salads might be a bit on the small side, but the fresh ingredients and crazy delicious mustard dressing make it worth it to watch my girlish figure and practice portion control.

Yeite – Salad Bar

This off the track Villa Crespo cool lunchtime hangout rotates the salads daily, which are colorfully displayed on the counter front and center of the room.

Hierbabuena – Falafel or Italian Eggplant Salads

If a zapper transporter existed in real life, I’d use it to beam me to Caseros street in San Telmo to Hierbabuena, a great (weekday) lunch spot on the Barracas border. The Italian Eggplant salad has grilled rolls of eggplant stuffed with queso de almendras (yup, your heard right, ALMOND CHEESE) and sprouts, and served with fresh spinach, peppers, sun dried tomatoes and basil. I’m pretty picky about falafel, and although it may not be the most authentic balls of garbanzo beans, it’s served with a bunch of fresh vegetables and with a tahini vinaigrette that almost takes me back to Aroma café in Israel.

Latino Sandwich – Too hard to choose just one

Even though this spot specializes in sandwiches (glorious, delicious sandwiches), they also make mean fresh salads as well – for both the ultra healthies, and ultra fatties. It’s hard to choose exactly which salad to order – so maybe just order one of each and have a ensalada fiesta.

Juana M – Salad Bar

A gem in the vegetarian world, Juana M makes both meat and vegetable lovers happy.  Not many places can serve a great steak and still offer a salad that includes more than just lettuce, tomato and onions.  With an unlimited salad bar, this is bound to please even the snobbiest of salad eaters.

Efímero Festín – Salad Bar

While most salad bars lean towards the make-your-own style – Efímero Festín does something a bit different: they offer about 8 different types of already salads already armados, using fresh, in-season and high quality ingredients. A great inexpensive lunch spot that never fails. (Photo from their FB page)

Any other Buenos Aires restaurants with great salads?? Spill it and share the food knowledge! 

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