Italy, France, India and Thailand are world famous for their cuisines, but Argentina is world famous for its buttery, tender, melt-in-your-mouth steak. And where does one find this food of the gods? Why at the barbecue grill restaurants known as parrillas, of course.
Now, trying to name ‘the 5 best’ parrillas in Buenos Aires is actually a little insane. There are hundreds if not thousands of parrillas in Buenos Aires, and very few of them (by your author’s humble estimations) aren’t at least ‘quite good.’ So: I’m not even going to try. Yes, that’s right; the heading of this article is a total lie!
Instead of trying to nail the 5 best parrillas in Buenos Aires, the following list offers you some parrilla options that you might not have considered before. No La Cabreras or El Desnivels here. However, every parrilla listed here has a legion of devoted fans, and each of them would make a fine choice for your next meat feast fiesta. Enjoy.
If you are looking for a more extensive list of the best Parillas in Buenos Aires, check out this post we did, which lists 25 of the best Parillas in Buenos Aires.
Siga La Vaca (Alicia Moreau de Justo 1714, Puerto Madero)
This Puerto Madero institution is a tenedor libre, otherwise known as an ‘all-you-can-eat buffet,’ which makes it a nice option if you have visitors in town who want to sample a little bit of everything. Bife de chorizo, vacío, chicken, chorizo, bondiola, Patagonian lamb – it’s all here. There’s also an expansive salad bar and dessert options. The only problem with Siga La Vaca (‘follow the cow’) is that the lines can become very long after 9pm, so if you go, you might want to go a little earlier than usual.
La Rosalía (Scalabrini Ortiz 1538)
This parrilla, really more of a street café with meat than a restaurant, gets mobbed daily by its hundreds of loyal customers. Many of them sit at the tables inside, but many more just line up at the street-facing grill for a takeaway choripan or vaciopan. It’s people-friendly rather than tourist-friendly (an important distinction), cheap and delicious.
Don Julio (Guatemala 4691 and Gurruchaga, Palermo Soho)
Can you say ‘old-school’? Don Julio brings you the traditional parrilla experience that you probably imagined getting before you came to Buenos Aires: brown leather-topped wooden tables; ancient tiled floors; warm service; excellent meat, and all at a reasonable price. The cuadril (rump steak) is a particular specialty, so this is a good place to try it if you haven’t already.
El Trapiche (Paraguay 5099, Palermo Viejo)
Why choose El Trapiche? Well first off, it’s clean, well-lit and is packed with helpful waiters who know the menu backwards. Which is good, because the menu is vast. It also has a long and well-priced wine list, an often-overlooked feature. The matambrito de cerdo (grilled pork flank) here is famous, so if you can bear to order a cut of meat that doesn’t come from a cow for once, you might just be very happy you did.
Rodi Bar (Vicente Lopez 1900 and Ayacucho, Recoleta)
Rodi Bar is located ‘in the heart of Recoleta’ (right near the cemetery), and it’s wildly popular, a real local favorite. It draws Argies and expats alike with its unique blend of grumpy waiters, paper-covered tables, great food and low, low prices. The desserts are unmissable, the wine is cheap, and if someone in your group is tired of meat (perish the thought!) they do some good fish and seafood dishes along with the bife.
17 Comments on “The 5 Best Parrillas in Buenos Aires”
I LOVE Don Julio, the meat is good and the feel of the place cant be beat. I also really like La Brigada in San Telmo; although its touristy they do serve up some of the most tender beef, and YES they cut the steak with a spoon!
Hi. Siga La Vaca Express in Palermo is the best opcion for me. Good and “barato”.
Regards
ops, the website: http://parrillaspalermo.com.ar
Those are some truly excelente choices… We also just put together, with the help of expat Lisa Goldapple, our own list of favorite parrillas in Buenos Aires. See if you agree with some of our picks: http://www.therealargentina.com/argentine-national-dishes-parrilla-argentina-food/
One that I know many would include would be La Cabrera on the corner of Thames y Cabrera in Palermo Soho.
Another vote for Don Julio – went with friends recently and all very impressed, tis now my favourite parrilla. Also worth checking out is el primo, located in las canitas, tis very good!
Love Siga La Vaca, and also El Pobre Luis in Belgrano, and El Mirasol in Boedo.
Are U nut?? Do you really know about parrilas in BA? So, why don’t you mention Mirasol, La Brigada, La Cabrera as the famoust ones in the city?
Guillo, there’s a difference between “famous” parrillas and good parrillas. My favorites are parrilla peña, don julio, and la brigada
Really good choices here. We used to go to this hole in the wall called San Cayetano, on the corner of Arenales and Sanchez de Bustamante (close to Alto Palermo). We loved this no-frills place. The chorizo and morcilla were delicious. The milanesas were as big as bedsheets and the morron asado came with tons of chopped garlic. I wouldn’t recommend it for a first date :))
The best parrilla in all of buenos Aires is Los Talas del Entrerriano at Brigadier Juan Manuel de Rosas, Av. 1391, Tel. 4729-8527. It is a bit of a drive from the Centro but worth every mile. It is parrilla at its best campo style, very rustic – the plates are small wooden cutting boards, the restaurant area sits over 200 people. Everything is fresh, well made and home made, even the fries. They have all the variety cuts you can think of, if they bring a certain cut to the table which you don’t particularly like (i.e. undercooked, too well done, etc., they will gladly exchange it for another piece. Overall, it is a change of pace from the conventional parrilla restaurant.
when i visited buenos aires i met la rosalia 🙂
I quite like Don Niceto, its on Niceto Vega, between Gcruz and Uriarte. Like always, go early or else seating can be uncomfortable because its small. Also, Las Cabras, La Cholita, etc are priced really well.
I would like to suggest “La gran Hollywood” Bonpland 2205, ask for Parrillada Especial. 🙂
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This restaurant was horrendous!!!! It has definitely not improved since your review! Worst meal Ive had in Buenos Aires!!!!
Thanks for the tips. Headed to BB.AA. next week – can’t wait to sink my teeth into some bife de chorizo. It’s been too long!
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