Itineraries for Your Trip to Buenos Aires
3 Days in Buenos Aires for Foodies
When someone asks me which cuisine I’d pick over all others, I don’t choose Italian, French, or Mexican, like so many people might. Instead, I choose Argentinian—an unusual choice for a vegetarian. But that’s because Argentina, and in particular Buenos Aires, has woven a rich tapestry of dishes from the diverse heritage of the people that make up the city. Sushi restaurants on every corner. Provoleta cheese grilled in cast-iron skillets. Empanadas with every filling under the sun. Then, to wash it all down, there’s malbec.
Best of all, eating spectacularly well in Buenos Aires is inexpensive. You’ll need a siesta after tucking into everything, too.
Expect hot summers, mild winters, and powerful flash storms.
If you only have time for one thing, make it steak dinner.
Welcome to Buenos Aires—I hope you’ve arrived hungry. Carnivores rejoice, it’s time for an Argentinian barbecue, or asado. No part of the cow goes to waste, grilled on open flames. Asados are convivial affairs, so enjoy mouthwatering cuts of meat, empanadas, wine, fernet, and dulce de leche in the company of locals in Palermo, one of the coolest areas of the city. Alternatively, go to one of the city’s best steakhouses and watch your feast be prepared before your eyes.
Steak this big and tender is never going to come from a city farm, so why not find out why Argentina’s meat tastes so good? The Pampas, Argentina’s low grasslands, cover an area of 460,000 square miles (1.2 million square kilometers), taking free-range to a whole new level. Steeped in history and traditional customs, this is the land of gauchos (Argentinian cowboys). Go horseback riding on an estancia and listen to stories told through music and over an asado and some malbec, of course.
Why do Argentinians always eat gnocchi on the last day of the month? What’s the correct procedure for a maté ritual? Can you put wine in a cocktail? Get answers while donning your apron and learning to cook like an Argentinian. More of a food appreciator than a chef? Take a food tour in Palermo Viejo instead, and eat like a porteño (Buenos Aires local). Before you head home, stock up on alfajores, a cookie sandwich filled with dulce de leche.
