Buenos Aires restaurants in the coronavirus days: what we can do to help, and a running list of spots open for delivery and takeaway

UPDATED MARCH 19, 2020, 9pm

We are in lockdown mode! The government issued a mandatory quarantine until April 1 April 12 May 10. That means you should stay in your damn house! Most stores will be closed except shops that sell food and “basic necessities”. I’ll be updating the food database below of what will be open, with tips from experts on how to consume these products safely.

In these frightening Coronavirus times, when history will never be the same again, it’s hard to know how the fuck to deal with all this crazy dystopian Black Mirror shit that’s going on. Our universe has been totally flipped upside down, and we’ve seen hundreds of thousands of people lose their jobs in all sorts of fields around the world — especially the restaurant industry. 

A few days ago I got a message from a desperately concerned restaurant owner in Buenos Aires who has 32 employees working at two of her restaurants.

We are very worried and don’t know what to do. We don’t know how many more days we can even stay open.

Many owners in the local restaurant community moved quickly to make the safest decisions on what to do during the pandemic, despite the economic ramifications. Some restaurants have decided to close for the unforeseeable future. Others I’ve spoken to have decided to cut staff in half, close the restaurant to the public, and offer a limited menu for takeout and delivery.

Imagine all the restaurants, vegetable shops, butcher shops, cafés, and bars across the city. Now think of the employees. All of those cooks and servers and cashiers and managers and bartenders and dishwashers and baristas who not only depend on these jobs, but are putting themselves on the front line, leaving their homes, taking public transportation, and continue to go to work, because, generally, restaurant workers live paycheck to paycheck. If you or have loved ones who have worked in the industry, you probably already know that most restaurants cannot afford to even close for one day. Now multiply that by days, weeks, and a Covid-19 isolation question mark, and you get a very scary future. Many people become unemployed overnight. If you follow restaurant news in the United States, you’ll notice that the restaurant industry is basically fucked, at a standstill, and pleading with government officials for a bailout. 

So what can we do besides panicking (don’t panic, it doesn’t help to panic!), look at memes, and helplessly scroll through doomsday Twitter (ahem, talking to a friend myself)? First of all, and most importantly, if you are fortunate enough to do so, please stay home!! Like for real, only go outside for a damn emergency. The spread of this virus depends on us, and if you aren’t sure why, or think it’s totally cool to go outside while the rest of us are overreacting, please watch this video and learn why social distancing needs to be our current lifestyle choice. Argentina is a few weeks behind Italy, and the US, and we need to take severe precautions now before it’s too late. (I do need to say that on the bright side, Argentina has taken drastic measures to combat the pandemic early on, and I feel safer here than I would be in the United States.)

Below you will find an ongoing spreadsheet of restaurants, health food stores, vegetable shops, and butchers offering takeaway and delivery services. This situation is changing by the minute, so I’ll be updating it regularly. For now, please stay safe. If you are privileged to be able to work from home, stay inside as much as possible. Practice social distancing. Wash your hands (like this!). Don’t touch your face. If you do need to go out, do it for emergencies only and have your inner OCD Howie Mandel come out and imagine little amoeba germs on everything you see. Keep yourself informed. Even if you think you are young and healthy, there are plenty of cases of those who are carrying Coronavirus with zero symptoms, so the threat here is spreading it to our loved ones and to those who are older or more vulnerable than us. Don’t be that selfish douche who thinks you are immune.

And most importantly, during these ultra stressful times, it’s even more important to remember we are a community. Let’s be sympathetic, tolerant, and kind to each other. Bottom line: don’t be an asshole pelotudo!

Here is a running list of those who will still be providing food services (yellow = open).

Note that these are not necessarily recommendations… I haven’t tried all these places, so it’s up to you to make a decision where you want to order. Also, if you have the funds, the least we can do is give our delivery people/restaurant workers EXTRA FAT BALLER TIPS! They are on the front lines risking their lives so we can eat, so tips are much needed. If restaurants offer their own delivery service, opt for that — services like Rappi, Glovo, Pedidos Ya, UberEats take out big commissions. Try to support free community-based websites and apps like Mi Barrio Chat, which was created in just 72 HOURS (!) in order to help small businesses connect with clients.

If you know of any delivery service, virtual supermarket, vegetable shop, dietética, carnicería, panadería, or any *small business* that is remaining open during the quarantine, please slide into my DMs @pickupthefork and I’ll add it to the list.

Before you order, please read these articles about how you can keep yourself safe when consuming takeaway:

 “Take-out meals and food are riskier than making food at home given the links between the people who prepare food, transport the food, and you. It is hard to know how much that risk is, but it is certainly higher than making it at home. But you can and should continue to support your local small businesses (especially restaurants and other retailers) during this difficult time by buying gift certificates online that you can use later.”  – Dr. Asaf Bitton, How to Practice Social Distancing, The New Yorker

“It’s the people, not the food, that is the issue. When ordering delivery, request contactless delivery. Discard or disinfect surfaces that may be contaminated. According to the CDC, it may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads. That said, you should still take the precaution of either immediately throwing away packaging materials that come with your food delivery or be prepared to disinfect the surfaces in your home that they come into contact with.” – Is It Safe to Order Delivery During the Coronavirus Pandemic?, Eater

So a basic rundown to please, please, please remember when ordering or picking up food:

• Support small local businesses; these are the ones that might not survive!
• Stay home. This is lockdown, quarantine, not a holiday. Don’t go outside if it’s absolutely necessary. I’ve heard from several business owners that 20-something clients stroll up looking to chill and drink beer. Not the time kids!! I know everyone needs fresh air, but we can’t be heading out once a day for basics. Keep a running list, when it gets really long, go outside once or twice a week.
• If you do go out, support NGOs like Red Cuarentena Solidaria that help those less fortunate than us who do not have homes or a place to go during the quarantine.
• Wash your hands before and after you leave your house.
• Wash your hands before and after you deal with restaurant workers or delivery people.
• (The above also goes for disinfecting your cell phone, which is germy AF).
• Bring your own tupper for takeaway, to-go boxes are expensive and can be contaminated.
• Be mindful of food packaging, transfer and throw away any containers immediately, disinfect any surfaces it has become in contact with.
• Call or write the restaurant ahead of time to ensure they are open and have stock. Try to order in advance so you aren’t waiting in line or outside too long.
• If restaurants offer their own delivery service, opt for that — services like Rappi, Glovo, Pedidos Ya, UberEats take out big commissions.
• Pay with debit or MercadoPago if possible; cash pesos are filled with germs.
• **If you can afford it, don’t be a cheap bastard! Give your delivery person/restaurant worker a generous tip!!!
• Be patient and kind. These are hard times for everyone, especially those on the front lines serving us 
• Don’t be a jerk! We have really tough times ahead. Let’s see some love and compassion and community.
• If you will be cooking at home, many Argentine chefs, like Narda Lepes, will be answering cooking questions on Twitter and Instagram live every day at 5pm.

And a plea to the deep pockets executives over at delivery services like Rappi, Glovo, PedidosYa, and UberEats — who I imagine are profiting big time: Perhaps you could consider reducing your commissions charged to small restaurants to help remedy this devastating blow? Maybe you could also offer extra emergency relief and benefits to your delivery workers risking their lives on the front line? And how about waiving fees and providing free meals to hospitals, doctors, nurses, and all other essential workers (bus drivers, police officers, etc)? Just sayin’.

Last words, I promise, because I know I’m getting longwinded and preachy AF (although writing this has proven to be helpful for my own therapy, and we all gotta do what we gotta do to survive, AMIRITE?). I can’t stress enough how important mental and physical health is at this time when we are all cooped up. We need to keep our immune system up, our bodies healthy, and our minds in a place where we aren’t freaking the fuck out in waves of terror every hour. Personally, I’ll be heading to Google Hangout workouts at Freddie’s Fit Club (contact them if you’d like to join), using my free year subscription of Balance Meditation App, watching TV series, reading, writing, and cooking, so figure out what works for you. If you need a full list of tips for exactly how to protect yourself and others, I’ll be more than happy to share, along with interesting articles, recipes, books, supermarket shopping lists, silly memes, music playlists, and series recommendations. Okay. Now I’m done. Stay in your house. Don’t socialize. And stay safe out there.

Sending love and delicious thoughts.

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