Buenos Aires City Guide

(Updated 2009)

DINING TIME:

• People eat very, very late in Buenos Aires. And I say that as a New Yorker. If you go for dinner at 8:00 pm, you will see the staff just starting to set up. 10:00 pm is respectable, but it's not unusual for restaurants to seat tables at midnight.

DO NOT MISS:

• Casa Felix. Chef Diego Felix cooks out of his house (you're allowed to do that in Buenos Aires). Space is limited so book in advance. It's a pescetarian tasting menu, with a focus on local ingredients and indigenous cuisine. Absolutely amazing.
• Diego cooks stateside too - he does a few private parties to subsidize his annual trip to the US. Read about my experience with that here. Get on his mailing list if this is something you might be interested in.

STEAK:

• It's delicious pretty much everywhere and cheap to boot. Be aware that locals like their steak cooked well done. To get medium rare, ask for "jugoso."

THE LOCAL EXPERIENCE:

• Enfundá La Mandolina. It helps if you speak Spanish, but I never let a thing like a foreign language get between me and a good meal.

MISC:

• Bakery: Best empanadas I had all trip were from Las Familias

AVOID:

• The dinner + tango show offered at El Viejo Almacén. Crazy overpriced and food that even an airline would be embarassed to serve. Blech.

Note: You can also search for other Buenos Aires blog entries using the tag "ARG-BuenosAires."