Gaucho100K

On the subject of Ice Cream.... the average quality of Ice Cream in Buenos Aires is quite high. However, a list of the best places in my view must include....

- Volta
- Persicco
- Chungo
- El Piave

Freddo is not what it used to be, but regardless it is still world-class ice cream that competes with anything high end from Italy or wherever... its just not at the level of the other places I mention above.

Gaucho100K

Speaking about Italian Restaurants.... one of the best Italians is ItalPast. The bad news is that its very far away from town, but its well worth it.... actually its not a bad option for those that visit Temaiken, as the restaurant is in the center of Campana - this is 80kms North of Buenos Aires.

http://www.italpast.com.ar/

Please note that I do not mean the "branch" of ItalPast that exists at the Sofitel Cardales Reserve.... I mean the original restaurant that is in the city of Campana.

cheryltheperil

Hi Gaucho100k (and everybody else)

We're coming to Argentina next week and starting/ending our trip in BA. On our return to BA at the end of the trip, we land at the domestic airport at 20.30. We will be staying in Recoleta.

Assuming that everything is on time, then my plan was to go for dinner at around 23.00. I know that it is normal to eat late in Argentina but I was keen to go somewhere that would still be lively at that time - it is a Friday night - and relatively near (although I don't mean it must be within walking distance). And probably something quite casual and steak-based.

Given all these factors what would you do - or what shortlist would you advise?

All advice most welcome - even if its of the "you'll never make it" variety!

Thanks in advance
Cheryl the Peril

IMH

Others with more comprehensive local knowledge will soon make some great suggestion, I'm sure, but at 23:00 you don't need to have any worries at all about restaurants still being busy and lively.

VPescado

+1. I find a useful rule of thumb is to add three to five hours when considering BsAs supper and nightlife times in comparison to how it would work in the US.

This makes it great for those of us on LAX/SFO time to avoid jetlag.

From my experience, 23:00 is pretty much prime dining time, and your bigger concern might be waiting for a table.

cheryltheperil

Thanks for the advice.

CTP

Gaucho100K

Cheryl, sorry I missed this thread... was on vacation. How did you late dinner go..??

cheryltheperil

Thanks for asking Gaucho. It went really well.

Our Aerolinas Argentinas flight from Bariloche had 'only' a 30 minute delay and we managed to go for a late dinner in San Telmo - Gran Parrilla del Plata. I know that isn't on your list for beef but my brand new Time Out BA 2011 said it was good - and it was very good indeed (for me it was marginally better than Don Julio, but that's just a personal opinion).

We felt like locals bowling up for our dinner at 11.00pm and had a small wait while they re-set the table. Our smugness was of course later quelled by the fact that between 11.30 and 12.45, the real locals came for dinner !

While I'm here, I'll also tell you that we visited Sipan and enjoyed it very much - passion fruit pisco sour, delicious - and the waitress was extremely helpful in suggesting what to order and ensuring we didn't order too much.

We also went to Don Julio, as I mentioned above and again did enjoy it a lot and certainly we would go again - but for value for money for the quality, I just felt Gran Parrilla del Plata was better.

We also did an extremely (for us) late night pizza at, Piolo (?) or something similar. I picked this because it was in Time Out, it was about 10 minutes walk from our hotel and we knew we could turn up on spec after midnight - we were at the San Lorenzo v Boca Juniors game and didn't know quite what time we'd return.

Oh, and we also managed Cluny for a Saturday lunch too which was delightful, sitting in the courtyard on a beautiful summers day.

So all in all a delightful trip and once I've paid off my significant new handbag debt, I'll be looking to come over again. Thanks for your input into this Argentina thread, Gaucho, it's been really useful - from the F&B through to the money changing advice and the queue at immigration.

Gaucho100K

Hi Cheryl.. thanks for the excellent detailed report. The Pizza place you mention is called Pizza Piola... its a classic place known for quality pizza. Good choice !!!

Glad the info on these threads was of use to you, and very happy to read you had a great trip.

Cheers,
Alex / Gaucho100K

cheryltheperil

Ah yes, Pizza Piola - glad you approve. The one thing that I did notice was that even though it was well after 1.00am when we left, I got the distinct impression that only for us was it the end of the evening, rather than the start.

The other thing I noticed was that absolutely everyone was drinking the same drink, which looked like a glass of milk. I asked the waiter what it was and he brought us a sample each. I think he said it was milk, lemon and vodka? It tasted like sherbert. What's that all about?

Cheryl

Gaucho100K

Ah.... the mythical "Scropino".... its the signature cocktail that Piola introduced into fame during its initial explosion on the EZE nightlife scene. Its basically a milk/icecream base with lemon and vodks and some other stuff.... not exactly my favorite but I will down one from time to time.... reminds me of the old days when I was still a prowler (now long retired into a family man's life)...

cheryltheperil

Ah, mystery solved, thank you.

Molinari

We have made som reservations in BA for dinners for our honeymoon.
I am trying to figure out a budget (if one can have one on a honeymoon), and can anyone assist me on approx dinner prices on the following restaurants?

Parilla Cabrera
Tegui
Don Julio
M Buenos Aires

We have also made a reservation for lunch at Osaka. And are evaluating other options - so if any great tips for lunches - please let me know

Thanks in advance for tips

Gaucho100K

Havent been to Cabrera and Don Julio for ages.... will let others chime in. Tegui is an upscale place, would expect to pay at least AR$250 per pax plus wine. M Buenos Aires is also up there, expect AR$200-250 per pax plus wine.

As a guess, I would say Don Julio and Cabrera will run you about AR$120 per pax depending on how many sides and appetizers you order... plus wine.

Molinari

Thanks for your quick feedback
And thank you for all the tips you are giving on this forum. It has really helped us in the planning of this trip.