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1884 Restaurante
Set romantically inside the historic Escorihuela winery on the outskirts of town, Francis Mallmann's 1884 Restaurante has dominated Mendoza's culinary landscape for nearly two decades. It is the superstar-chef's longest-running venture, and though his new project in the Uco Valley...
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Aramburu
Gritty Constitución would seem an unlikely incubator for molecular gastronomy. Your taxista may need some reassuring, but don't let the dubious neighborhood deter you. Gonzalo Aramburu's kitchen turns out some of the city's most imaginative, sophisticated fare. His twelve-course tasting...
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Azafrán
This classic dinner spot occupies a former spice depot downtown (its name is the Spanish word for saffron). Flea market curios adorn the walls, braided garlic strands hang from the ceiling and shelves are still lined with bulk spices, specialty...
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Bodega La Azul
The Uco Valley's smallest winery serves the least fussy of the area's wine-pairing lunches in a humble slab of concrete off star-studded Route 89. Inside, the space feels folksy and warm; tiny wildflowers and turquoise accents brighten the earthy dining...
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Cabaña Las Lilas
Porteño power lunchers in suits sit next to American tourists plotting their itineraries on large city maps at this traditional Argentine parrilla. Even the most discriminating meat-loving locals are willing to turn a blind eye toward Las Lilas’ touristy reputation...
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Café La Biela
What better way to soak up the local culture than to enjoy a coffee in this historic café with its large outdoor terrace overlooking a Recoleta park. This corner coffee shop is over 150 years old, and on Sundays, it...
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Café San Juan
This family-run San Telmo institution, helmed by the rakish Leandro Cristobal, has a great bistro vibe. Waiters scurry back and forth across the black and white checkered floor, ferrying chalkboard menus scrawled with Cristobal's winning interpretations of Argentine staples. Café...
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Café Tortoni
Yes, it is always filled with tourists but locals also adore Café Tortoni and the grand interiors are virtually as they were a century ago—and decades ago—when this was the haunt of the city’s great intellectuals. Founded in 1858, Café...
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Casa de Uco Restaurant
Casa de Uco’s farm-to-table restaurant is infused with a lot of heart from its chef, a Mendoza native, who uses only seasonal ingredients, many of which are grown in the estate’s vegetable garden or sourced from local farmers. The dining...
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Chila
This award-winning Italian eatery in Puerto Madero is a good choice for an elegant dinner. Take a walk along the docks after dinner for a romantic end to the evening.
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Club Francés
Locals rejoiced when Club Frances reopened, on the promenade in Recoleta. The menu features traditional French cuisine, and well-heeled locals laud the professional wait staff and spacious layout of tables. Perfect for an older couple, less so for cool hunters.
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Cumaná
This Recoleta standby specializes in the earthy cazuelas (casseroles) and locros (stews) of northern Argentina. Given its relaxed atmosphere and convenient location within walking distance of many of the city's best hotels, not to mention the extensive selection of empanadas...
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Dadá
Dadá’s martinis are the best in town and draw a young, cool crowd. The food is also good but the drinks and the scene are the real draw.
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Don Julio
Travelers in search of an authentic parrilla, Argentine barbecue, should stop by Palermo’s Don Julio. Away from the tourist crowds, this low-key grill has excellent meat, well-trained waiters and huge wine list.
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El Cuartito
El Cuartito's crusts are thick and doughy, draped unapologetically in dense, oozy mozzarella and liberally spangled with jamón (ham) and morrón (roasted red pepper). Authentic Neapolitan pizza this is not, but you're unlikely to find a slice—or a setting—that's more...
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El Desnivel
For a down-and-dirty, authentic Argentine parrilla experience (and the least expensive meal you’ll ever buy on vacation), do lunch or dinner at El Desnivel. It’s crowded, hot, badly lit and can be a bit rowdy, but you’ll enjoy some delicious...
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El Obrero
Locals and in-the-know tourists (plus the occasional celebrity) flock to this old school eatery in La Boca. Owned and managed by the waiters, El Obrero is a good stop for an authentic lunch after seeing the neighborhood’s famous painted houses....
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El Palenque
Designed to evoke an old-fashioned "pulpería" (a typical frontier saloon supplying lonely gauchos with provisions, gossip and booze), El Palenque is ideal for late-night empanadas and a pitcher of house wine, which is still served in retro ceramic penguin-shaped carafes....
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Fervor
This elegant, European-style bistro in Recoleta attracts an affluent crowd of locals, from bespoke-suited businessmen and bejeweled ladies at lunch to couples and families at dinner. Walking distance from the Recoleta hotels, Fervor is also a great option for visitors...
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Florería Atlántico
This subterranean restaurant is one of the hottest - and most hidden - cocktail bars in Buenos Aires. Access to La Florería is through a flower and record shop, via a door in the rear of the store, and the...
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Guido’s Bar
One of the most memorable meals I ate in Buenos Aires was at Guido’s, a colorful café just across the street from the zoo and a few blocks from the lush Botanical Gardens. When I asked my taxi driver to...
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Katharina
Located in the boutique hotel Entre Cielos, Katharina attracts more than just hotel guests. Its haute cuisine menu is popular with locals who come for a romantic meal with a view of the hotel’s vineyards and the Andes as a...
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La Bourgogne
Considering the Alvear Palace Hotel’s posh decor, it’s surprising that its French-influenced dining room, the Relais Gourmand–rated La Bourgogne, is modernly designed with clean lines, track lighting and bright yellows and whites. If you have the time (a meal here...
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La Brigada
Tables aren’t easy to come by at this classic steakhouse in San Telmo. Reputedly a favorite of Francis Ford Coppola, the meat is excellent and the atmosphere authentic. Says an Indagare member: “This is a delicious restaurant. The steaks were...
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La Cabaña
This is Buenos Aires’ version of the 21 Club in New York, and in fact, both were at one point owned by the Belmond Hotels company. So, yes, there is something historic and traditional about it but also a bit...
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La Cabrera
Widely considered to be a less commercial alternative to the parrilla experience at Las Lilas, this perennially packed Palermo restaurant serves all the same parts of the cow, minus a bit of the theater. Go early as both locations (they...
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La Calle
You have to know about this speakeasy to find it: The bar, boasting great music and drinks, is hidden behind a pizza and empanadas restaurant in Palermo.
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La Rambla
If you're looking for an authentic porteño café complete with locals reading the paper and old-school waiters wearing bow ties, La Rambla should not be missed. It’s a great spot for a quick bite in between touring the surrounding neighborhood...
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Las Pizarras
Las Pizarras, which describes itself as "a warm place stripped of all artifice", has a cozy, unpretentious ambience and a menu to match. Beloved by the residents of greater Palermo, it has managed to become a neighborhood institution without conceding...
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Little Rose
Between the eerie, spot-lit paintings of little girls, entirely black walls, beveled mirrors and clandestine entrance (you have to ring a buzzer and wait for a staff member to let you in), this restaurant feels downright scary at first. Never...
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Maru Botana
In addition to sweets, Maru Botana's bakeries offer salads and savory tarts, but to eat here without ordering dessert would be missing the point. It would also require superhuman restraint. The celebrity pastry chef is famous for her indulgent tortas,...
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Munich
The most old school of the Recoleta restaurants, Munich has no tables outside and is barely marked as a restaurant (just a brass plate and polished wood doors), which is the way the locals like it. Tourists tend to go...
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Nola
This Cajun eatery brings the Big Easy to Buenos Aires with its flavorful food, beer and laid-back vibe. Expect a combination of French, Spanish and Caribbean influences in a menu featuring seafood, rice and pork.
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Oak Bar
With its antique oak paneling, wood-burning fireplace and brown leather chairs, the Park Hyatt’s clubby bar lounge is a great place for an aperitif or nightcap.
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Ocho Cepas
This delightful little restaurant is set in a house, where living rooms, bedrooms and salons have been stripped of their original furniture and outfitted with dining tables. Located on the corner of a quiet, tree-lined block, Ocho Cepas feels like...
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Osaka
Considered by many to be the most stylish place in the city to eat Japanese and Japanese-Peruvian food, Osaka has locations in both Palermo and Puerto Madero. The newer Puerto Madero location tends to be more formal - a business...
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Oui Oui
This tiny French-inspired, expat-adored café is Palermo's uncontested Gringo brunch darling. Order a revitalizing mint lemonade to mitigate the weekend wait for a table on the sidewalk.
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Oviedo
Between its old school dining room—crown molding, octagon-tiled floors, and lots of bronze and wrought-iron accents—and its waiters dressed in black vests and bow ties, this traditional Spanish restaurant looks fresh out of 1930s Madrid. And Oviedo’s authentic tortilla, cod...
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Patagonia Sur
Argentine chef-restaurateur darling Francis Mallmann lives part-time on the third floor of his tiny La Boca restaurant—a short block from Caminito. Designer Laura O. produced the loft-like, narrow dining room’s shabby-chic look, with leather walls, heavy velvet curtains, paintings, objets...
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Persicco
The scene at Persicco is a bit more chic than most ice cream shops, so you’ll probably want to linger awhile. Pay for your ice cream, grab a number and ponder the flavors (banana split and maracuyá—a type of passion...
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Piano Nobile Salon at Park Hyatt
The Park Hyatt’s elegant Versailles-style salon serves pastries and light meals throughout the day as well as five o’clock tea—a tradition Argentineans take very seriously. Book a table on the outside terrace, which overlooks the property’s garden.
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Pulpería Quilapán
Pulpería Quilapán is a no-frills but decidedly atmospheric lunch spot set in a restored colonial era house. The restaurant features a whimsical and nostalgic aesthetic, but that is not all that shines; the food is classic and tasty and includes...
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Ruca Malen
Cap off a long morning of tastings in Luján with a wine-pairing lunch at Ruca Malen, which provides an excellent introduction to the siesta-inducing tradition (reserve well in advance to guarantee a table). Despite its size, the winery's tiny dining...
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Siamo Nel Forno
Most everyone in Buenos Aires seems to have an Italian grandparent—and a favorite pizza joint. And yet, it can be surprisingly (and frustratingly) difficult to find a perfect, chewy crust. The family-run Siamo Nel Forno is one of few establishments...
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Siete Fuegos
Francis Mallmann, whose 1884 Restaurante put Mendoza on Argentina's culinary map in the mid-90s, has partnered with The Vines Resort & Spa to open Siete Fuegos, where all the theatrics of cooking with fire are readily on display. Here Mallmann's...