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“Mi Buenos Aires Querido”

Many of our guests, when planning a trip to Argentina, ask us for our recommendations on restaurants and other places to visit in Buenos Aires. With those requests in mind, we’ve compiled a small list of some of our favorite places in our beautiful capital city and some surrounding areas. (Please keep in mind this is not even close to a complete guide, but just some of our personal favorites!)

Eating Out

Ah, the food! Eating out is fairly inexpensive in Buenos Aires, and choices abound for every type of food and any budget. Argentines are night owls, so dining rush hour doesn’t start until after 9 pm, and restaurants are open late.

Aquellos Años Locos is a classic favorite, serving quality beef as well as international cuisine, and located at the Costanera, a long strip of restaurants by the river in Downtown BA close to the local airport. Las Cañitas is a newer area in Buenos Aires proper with great ambiance and many restaurant choices, our favorite being Santino. La Caballeriza is a very authentic “Parrilla” (steakhouse) with huge portions of spectacular beef, and is located on Dardo Rocha avenue in the outskirts of the city, where a string of restaurants offer a great variety of foods – some of them in the “Tenedor Libre” mode - all you can eat for a fixed price. Great pizza can be found all over the city – some say that Buenos Aires has more Pizzerias than Rome itself! Most pizza places also have a good selection of empanadas as well. The traditional Los Inmortales on busy Avenida Corrientes is an old favorite for thin crust pizza (Pizza a la Piedra), and Las Cuartetas is a thick crust classic. Also on Avenida Corrientes is El Palacio de las Papas Fritas, home of the awesome “soufflé potato fries”. Wonderful gelato is also found in every neighborhood – famous chains like Freddo and other huge, stylish gelato-cafes with hundreds of amazing flavors of gelato, where people gather for a good time. You really can’t go wrong as long as the shop has a sign certifying they sell “Helados Artesanales”, meaning the ice-cream is made in house with natural ingredients.

Places to Visit

Downtown Buenos Aires is chock-full of museums, shopping, and sight-seeing. Getting around by public transport is best, and a vast network of subways, trains, colectivos (busses), or taxi-cabs can get you to any point you desire. Besides, traffic and parking are pretty much insane!

Puerto Madero is right by the central train station of Retiro, and makes for a nice walk by the river lined with shops, restaurants, and cafes, and possibly a tour of the Fragata Sarmiento boat museum on board of a real 19th century Argentine Navy ship.

Within walking distance of Puerto Madero is the historical Avenida de Mayo, a wide boulevard where the Casa Rosada (the presidential palace) and the Cabildo (seat of government in colonial times) both house historical museums.

The majestic Teatro Colon, a baroque acoustic masterpiece dedicated to opera, ballet, and classical music, also offers guided tours. Art museums and galleries are quite abundant, and on a recent visit we really enjoyed the Museo de Arte Latino-Americano (M.A.L.B.A.).

La Recoleta is a very prestigious neighborhood where you can shop for upscale designer goods or just enjoy great people watching at one of its many sidewalk cafes, like La Biela. The area is named after its historical and opulent cemetery containing magnificent mausoleums, many of which are national monuments, as ex-presidents and other famous personalities such as Evita Peron are buried there.

We love the many “Ferias Artesanales” or outdoor market fairs that are set up at several spots throughout the city, where tons of stands showcase unique and inexpensive handmade jewelry, leather goods, glass art, wood work, souvenirs, and much, much more! Many are only open on weekends, like the huge Feria de Mataderos. The unique Feria de San Telmo, in one of the oldest neighborhoods of the city, is a treasure trove for antiques – plus street Tango dancers, mimes, art galleries, restaurants, churches, and lots of history...

Our hometown of San Isidro has its own Feria in the beautiful Plaza de San Isidro across from the Cathedral. Enjoy a walk around the cobblestoned streets in this old residential area with colonial homes, many of them covered in ivy or framed by Bougainvilleas and surrounded by lush gardens and grand old trees. If you go by car, the ride down Avenida del Libertador is a beautiful one, driving through the Parque de Palermo, with plenty of opportunities for a pit stop at one of the many restaurants, cafes, and gelato places. An old favorite of ours is Fragola, just a couple of miles before reaching San Isidro. (If you take the Mitre train, look for a tiny hole in the wall called “Coquito” about 50 feet from the San Isidro train station, where the best hot dogs in the world are served!) Also near San Isidro is Peru Beach, a recreational complex with outdoor sports (windsurfing, kayaking, rock climbing) plus shopping, restaurant, and Pub/Night Club right by the river, strategically located by the Barrancas station of the Tren de la Costa. Just a few train stations (or a 20 minute drive) north of San Isidro is Puerto del Tigre. The old fruit market that took place here daily by the river delta for years is now yet another enormous Feria which can get very crowded on weekends. Here, you can also book a boat excursion touring the delta of the Parana River and the Port of Tigre.

Enjoy your trip!

Already been to Buenos Aires? We’d love to hear about your experience!