El Obrero is a parrilla located in the La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Now before getting into the restaurant let’s go over the La Boca neighborhood. To your typical tourist, La Boca makes us think of El Caminito (tourist trap) and the Boca Juniors Stadium (smells like piss). El Obrero is not located near either these two tourist attractions of La Boca. In fact, I wouldn’t say the part of La Boca where El Obrero is located is an area with much photo opportunities and forget about the tango dancers. I wouldn’t say that one should fear for their life in this area but just know that it’s rather poor and in some respect, the hood. Taxis don’t make their rounds over here. The only way out is by having the restaurant calling a taxi for you or having your own car. With that said, let’s talk about El Obrero.
Located in Puerto Madero, Cabaña Las Lilas is widely considered the best parrilla in Buenos Aires. The main reason is because of their beef which they raise themselves; it is considered the best. However, I’ll have to admit that I wasn’t impressed. Argentinian beef is amazing either way you look at it and so unless these folks at Cabaña Las Lilas are doing something different with their beef (like feeding, bathing, and massaging their cows in a combination of red wine & chimichurri or something far-fetched like that) I can’t really justify paying such a higher premium for theirs.
Bandola is a trendy-looking restaurant located in the Palermo Soho neighborhood. Surprisingly I went to a restaurant that had low-lighting and fancy place-settings. Actually I stumbled upon this place because it was lunch time and I was hungry and by this point I just wanted to go to any restaurant but refused to go to any of the restaurants along Plaza Serrano. What I ended up having was a very satisfying 3-course meal and discovering a unique restaurant that interested me to see how the nightime crowd was when the tango show ensued.
La Chacra is a parrilla located in the Retiro neighborhood near Av. 9 de Julio. I went here based on a recommendation by my friend who’d eaten here several times on his vacation to Buenos Aires. He told me that this place had the best chimichurri he’d ever tasted and that I needed to order their “Bife La Chacra”. I did both things and I left disappointed, very disappointed. In short, this place is an over-priced tourist trap.
El Desnivel is a parrilla restaurant located in the San Telmo neighborhood in Buenos Aires; more specifically Capital Federal. I’ve eaten here twice and have encountered both ends of the spectrum in terms of service and overall dining experience.
Christophe is a fine-dining restaurant located in Palermo Hollywood. After eating at many parrillas I figured that I should take advantage of the types of cuisine that Buenos Aires has to offer; Palermo Hollywood being the perfect area to try different unique restaurants. However, I think I would’ve been happier going to just any parrilla instead of this restaurant. Maybe my taste is not sophisticated enough for Christophe’s fusion of flavors but for what you pay and what you get I didn’t think the restaurant was exceptional in my Buenos Aires restaurant experiences.
Amongst all the trendy restaurants within the Humboldt/Fitz Roy and Guatemala blocks of Palermo Hollywood is Restaurante Oviedo, a humble looking establishment that serves up your typical parrilla but also has an extensive menu of other chioces. At this restaurant I was excited to see arroz con pollo on the menu and immediately made that my entree choice.
The Hotel Presidente is conveniently located in the Retiro neighborhood of Buenos Aires on Av. 9 de Julio within several blocks of the Obelisco. Under normal circumstance I won’t stay at a hotel in Buenos Aires because renting an apartment is such a big market that only the untrained tourist would pay for a hotel. In this case, I had an extra night in Buenos Aires and needed to find lodging. After walking up and down Av. 9 de Julio this was the only place that had a room; and just conviently it was their version of a suite; $180 USD per night. Now it was only for one night and I had no other options so sometimes you just gotta do it.
Paladar is a upscale market in the Belgrano neighborhood of Buenos Aires specializing in meats and antipasto. Antipasto is your cured meats and cheeses that go well as a starter for a meal to wet your appetite. I make specific note of Paladar because I consider this place as the Lexus of meat markets because the place is not cheap by normal market standards but the quality is unmatched.
Katmandu is an Indian restaurant located in the Palermo Viejo area of Buenos Aires. You’d be surprised but Katmandu serves up some pretty tasty authentic Indian dishes. The restaurant is not cheap by Argentinian standards but worth trying as an alternative to the parrillas and fancy fusion type restaurants. From the tandoori to the curries, the biryani and samosas; Katmandu has many choices that’ll satisfy anyone or just completely stuff a person beyond sufficiency.
