Where to Eat in Buenos Aires: 5 Great New-ish Restaurants

Do people still read food blogs? Are we supposed to do substack newsletters now? Incessantly post on Instagram? Tweet threads? Make restaurant voice-over TikToks? Get into crypto NFTs on the metaverse? (I know the last one is nonsense, but somehow feels accurate.)

I don’t think blogs are still a thing, but I’m feeling retro and my mental health needs a break from Instagram scrolling. I, like many of you, have gone through a whirlwind over the last few years, and thus totally neglected PUTF, #SorryNotSorry. But actually, I am very sorry, because the Buenos Aires restaurant scene is having a very special moment and deserves your attention. There are so many awesome BA restaurants to recommend, so I thought the time has come to emerge from blogging hibernation and return to writing independently about where to eat in my favorite city in the world.

I truly believe that Buenos Aires restaurants are living their best lives right now. It’s one of the most exciting times to be dining out in Argentina.

I don’t want to make any promises, cuz I’m all about under-committing and over-delivering, but here’s the tentative plan: (Almost?) Every week I’ll be sharing with you beautiful gente my favorite new-ish* restaurants, bars, and cafés in BA that are totally worth your patronage. I’ll probably also recommend beloved classics. And maybe other things I like, too.

*Ojo: When I say new-ish, I mean restaurants that basically opened around 2020-2022, because did those years actually exist? I’ll save you from another pandemic reflection piece and instead just say that that time frame should be combined into one 2-year c-word headed monster. 

So without further ado, let’s get down to the good stuff: 5 delicious places you should visit in Buenos Aires.

CLIFF’S NOTES: If you TikiTookers don’t have the attention span to actually read, I saved you the trouble and made a handy Google Map. I’ll update and add more spots regularly. You’re welcome. 

Yiyo El Zeneize 

“Hey Allie, what’s your favorite restaurant in Buenos Aires?” That’s the most common question I get asked that I won’t ever answer. It’s not a good question, and impossible for me to have a response because it’s so dependent on my mood, who I’m with, what I feel like eating, how much I want to spend, my laziness level, etc etc etc. BUT, if you were to ask me, “Yo Allie, I have a friend visiting Buenos Aires for the first time, where should I take them?” Aha! I can help you out with that, amigue. And my answer in 2022 is: YIYO! 

This restaurant in Parque Avellaneda is a piece of gastronomic history. (You can read all about it in this article I wrote for Google Arts & Culture). The space is like an incredible time machine, serving food that reinvents Argentine classics, and cocktails that are SPOT on. My suggestion is to go on a Sunday for either a late or early lunch, before or after the nearby Feria de Mataderos, my favorite Sunday fair in the city. 

Av. Eva Perón 4402, Parque Avellaneda || Wed-Sat: 1pm – 12:30am; Sunday: 1pm – 6pm || Average price: $$-$$$

La Kitchen 

I can’t believe I lived in Argentina for so long and had never tried fosforitos. If you haven’t been enlightened by the sweet-glazed pastry dough filled with ham and cheese that’s usually found at birthday parties and family gatherings, I highly recommend you head to La Kitchen in Saavedra and try it.

While you’re there, you should also taste their wonderful pastrami on pletzalej sandwiches, croissants exploding with raspberry jam, and one of the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve eaten in Buenos Aires. La Kitchen recently expanded its original tiny location and now has ample indoor and outdoor patio seating. It’s the type of place that if I had it in my barrio, I’d probably move in.

Nuñez 3400, Saavedra || Tues-Sun: 9am – 8pm || Average price: $-$$

Picaron

Located a few blocks from the Chacarita cemetery and Los Andes park, Picarón is the perfect example of what an Argentine bistro looks like in 2022. Chef Maxi Rossi brought back the techniques he learned cooking in Europe, along with flavors and foods from his travels, his experience cooking vegan food, and boiled it down into a simple, seasonal menu.

There are excellent options for all sorts of eaters – meat dishes, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free – so if you have a mixed table of dietary restrictions, there’s probably something to make everyone say mmmmmmm. Think tonnato maiale, a spin on a local vitel toné Christmas classic; a beautiful piece of grilled fish in a passata sauce with white beans; asparagus with sunflower miso; and rib-eye with smoked cauliflower purée. If you’re a lunch diner like me, you’ll be very fond of their excellent lunch special.

Av. Dorrego 866, Chacarita || Mon-Sat: Lunch & Dinner || Average price: $$-$$$

Café Mishiguene

Mishiguene’s more casual little sister café specializes in Jewish, Israeli, and Middle Eastern dishes. It has a Russ & Daughters café vibe, communal and outdoor seating, and a deli section for takeaway. While Mishiguene (the restaurant) might be saved as a splurge for a special occasion or gastro night on the town, Café Mishiguene can be an everyday sorta situation for breakfast, lunch, merienda, or to-go.

What to order: The last time I went, my table was so full of small plates, no more food would fit on top. And I only tried half the menu. The highlights: Hummus, trout lox, pastrami sandwiches, falafel, babaganoush, pita, lajmayin, sabich, cinnamon babka, and the GREATEST latke-tater tot hybrid bites of golden potato joy. First-timers: Go with 3-4 people and order everything until you find what your go-to dish will be. Lunch on the weekends is madness, so my anti-social crowd-hating self prefers visiting on a weekday for breakfast, late lunch, or picking up the food to go.

Cabello 3181, Palermo (Parque Las Heras)|| Tues-Sun: 8am – 6pm || Average price: $$-$$$

Chuí

One of my favorite weekend morning hobbies is reading the one-star Google reviews at popular restaurants. And the reviews and responses of Chuí keep me quite entertained. Chuí was a hit since the day it opened. Why? Because of its magical secret open-air garden and entirely vegetarian menu. Sure, it’s trendy, gets insanely busy, and they don’t take reservations. That just means you can’t roll up on a Friday night at 9 pm and expect a table.

My advice: Go during the week before 8 pm, order some drinks or a bottle of wine, a spread of small veggie-centered plates to share, a pizza from their wood-fired oven, and you’ll have a grand old time.

Loyola 1250, Villa Crespo|| Tues-Wed 12pm-11:30pm; Thurs-Sat 12pm-12am; Sun 12pm-4pm|| Average price: $$$-$$$$

Inflations-A-Bitch Price Key (As of March 2022) This price is per person. Without drinks.

$$$$$ | Above ARS$5000

$$$$ | ARS$3500-5000

$$$ | ARS$2000-$3500

$$ | ARS$800-$2000

$ | Below ARS$800

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