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NDFightinIrish Mar 2, 2008 10:46 am

Best steak house in Buenos Aires
 
Can anyone recommend their favorite/the best place to get an Argentinian steak? This is my first trip to Argentina and I recall the steaks in Brazil being excellent. Thanks

keisari Mar 2, 2008 8:12 pm


Originally Posted by NDFightinIrish (Post 9345077)
Can anyone recommend their favorite/the best place to get an Argentinian steak? This is my first trip to Argentina and I recall the steaks in Brazil being excellent. Thanks

Steaks and beef products are beyond excellent in Buenos Aires. Once you get to Patagonia, lamb is incredible. If you are a little adventurous, I would try more than just steaks. Kidneys, sweetbreads, blood sausage, chorizos, bull balls, intestines are all yummy.
You will get a lot of advice on high end steak places. My 2 favorite places are La Estancia (LaValle 941 in the downtown area) and across from that is El Palacio de las Papas Fritas. The latter has great meat, steaks and other dishes and the most amazing fried potatoes called papas souflee which are puffed fried potatoes.
Both places are very reasonably priced, they are in the "tourist area" but they have been there for at least 40 years and still going strong.
By the way, make sure you order Charlotte almendrado for dessert. An iced desert cake with crunchy almonds and chocolate.

Gaucho100K Mar 3, 2008 6:48 am

Before I give you a list of some places to consider... perhaps you can explain what you expect from a Steakhouse? The reason I ask this is that in Argentina, we dont really have Steakhouses (outside of those created for the tourists), simply because beef/meat/steaks are served at just about every restaurant and every street cafe.

If you want a US-style Steakhouse experience, as in a relatively upscale establishment, with service on the formal side, etc.... then I would come up with one list... now, if you just want to eat the best beef, and are flexible on ambiance/decor and how elaborate the service is... then the list would be completely different.

Please give us some feedback and I will join others in listing their favorite locations...

stevenshev Mar 3, 2008 7:01 am


Originally Posted by Gaucho100K (Post 9348858)
Before I give you a list of some places to consider... perhaps you can explain what you expect from a Steakhouse? The reason I ask this is that in Argentina, we dont really have Steakhouses (outside of those created for the tourists), simply because beef/meat/steaks are served at just about every restaurant and every street cafe.

If you want a US-style Steakhouse experience, as in a relatively upscale establishment, with service on the formal side, etc.... then I would come up with one list... now, if you just want to eat the best beef, and are flexible on ambiance/decor and how elaborate the service is... then the list would be completely different.

Please give us some feedback and I will join others in listing their favorite locations...

That answer for me please, for a 4-day trip to BA in April.

NDFightinIrish Mar 3, 2008 8:38 am


Originally Posted by stevenshev (Post 9348890)
That answer for me please, for a 4-day trip to BA in April.

Thanks for your response. I simply want the best cut of beef/quality of steak. That is much more important than the decor or even the service. Thanks for your help.

Also if you could direct me or offer suggestion as to where some of the better places to get Cuban cigars may be I would appreciate it. Thanks for your help.

Siempre Viajando Mar 3, 2008 9:10 am


Originally Posted by NDFightinIrish (Post 9349279)
Thanks for your response. I simply want the best cut of beef/quality of steak. That is much more important than the decor or even the service. Thanks for your help.

Also if you could direct me or offer suggestion as to where some of the better places to get Cuban cigars may be I would appreciate it. Thanks for your help.

As I'm sure Gaucho100K will point out, there are oodles of good steak restaurants in BA. I'll just name one well-known favorite which is Cabaña Las Lilas, in the old docklands of Puerto Madero. Food is all-round excellent, good ambiance, prices high by BA standards but reasonable by international standards. Expect a pretty touristy experience as most of the customers will likely be English-speaking foreigners. Reservations recommended in my experience unless you're arriving before 21:00 or after midnight.

nytango Mar 3, 2008 12:59 pm


Originally Posted by Siempre Viajando (Post 9349402)
As I'm sure Gaucho100K will point out, there are oodles of good steak restaurants in BA. I'll just name one well-known favorite which is Cabaña Las Lilas, in the old docklands of Puerto Madero. Food is all-round excellent, good ambiance, prices high by BA standards but reasonable by international standards. Expect a pretty touristy experience as most of the customers will likely be English-speaking foreigners. Reservations recommended in my experience unless you're arriving before 21:00 or after midnight.

but I am will to bet that he doesnt say it is the "best" Most expensive, most touristy but not the best.

Romelle Mar 3, 2008 1:56 pm

You probably can't go wrong in BA anywhere when ordering beef.

The menus intrigued me. Pictures of the cows first on the outside, then sketches of where various parts are located, then pictures of the raw meat, and finally pictures of the cooked products. I grew up on a farm so was OK with the detail, but thought I'd mention it so you aren't surprised.

I also learned the hard way that when I asked for a glass of "cold" milk, they heard "calde" and I got a glass of milk heated to near boiling, served on a plate with a doily. And the waiter had a very puzzled look as to why I should want such a thing.

Romelle

phreegreens Mar 3, 2008 2:21 pm

Don Julio's just down the road from where we were staying at the BoBo Hotel in Palermo, ate there three times last year, the service, the wine, the steaks were exceptional.

http://gridskipper.com/travel/buenos...lio-309689.php

http://www.fodors.com/world/south%20...ty_193580.html

Panam Clipper Mar 3, 2008 7:47 pm


Originally Posted by keisari (Post 9347299)
My 2 favorite places are La Estancia (LaValle 941 in the downtown area) and across from that is El Palacio de las Papas Fritas. The latter has great meat, steaks and other dishes and the most amazing fried potatoes called papas souflee which are puffed fried potatoes.
Both places are very reasonably priced, they are in the "tourist area" but they have been there for at least 40 years and still going strong.
By the way, make sure you order Charlotte almendrado for dessert. An iced desert cake with crunchy almonds and chocolate.

Without discussing the relative merits of steaks at El Palacio de las Papas Fritas (they really are good) I would be remiss if I did not mention this: there are two different Palacios on Lavalle, one is the above mentioned on the 900 block but in my experience the other one on Lavalle 735 is unquestionably superior. And while the Charlotte almendrado is certainly beyond reproach, that dessert pales in comparison with the world famous Panqueque de Manzana Quemado al Rhum. Try that and tell me you won't soon be back for more!

Gaucho100K Mar 4, 2008 4:27 am

I will come back later today and post more details... but for now, I will point out that Cabaña Las Lilas is IMO one of the places that I suggest avoiding like the pest.

Some reasons for this include:

- food & service quality is very volatile (inconsistent)

- if you go there during peak hours on a busy day, you are almost assured rushed & impersonal service, with your beef many times arriving cold

- very impressive wine list (in its printed version, a-la-telephone book), but they fail to deliver the correct vintage more times than not as their cellar has a huge turnover and the wine list is never updated. prices for wines are highway robbery

- prices are crazy (i.e. very expensive) for EZE standards

- its not an authentic Argentine experience.... its like a transplanted New York Steakhouse in the middle of Puerto Madero

Many folks ask me.... why is the place packed all the time...? Well, the management that runs the restaurant is very shrewd, they have all the concierge & front-desks at the major hotels properly greased.... so anytime a distracted and ill-informed tourist walks up to a concierge or front desk, they get sent to Las Lilas like cattle. Also, they have a very aggresive media & advertising agency that makes sure that all the journalists coming to EZE to write some piece on the city gets a meal there and will review/write about it.

mesadler Mar 4, 2008 4:33 am

While I actually like Cabana Las Lilas, maybe it's because I'm a gringo :)

One of my favorites is Parilla 1880, on Defensa in San Telmo...Man I'm jealous. Nine months without leaving India is leaving me drooling for beef.

apoivre Mar 4, 2008 5:15 am

I've only been to the other Cabaña - the one in Rodríguez Peña near Avenida Alvear. How do the two compare?

samftla Mar 4, 2008 9:52 am


Originally Posted by apoivre (Post 9354243)
I've only been to the other Cabaña - the one in Rodríguez Peña near Avenida Alvear. How do the two compare?

It is rated far below the other one, The Guía Oleo is a pretty decent on line ratings service for dining in Buenos Aires. Better used as a guide rather than gospel but a good place to start.

http://www.guiaoleo.com.ar/detail.php?ID=620

My two cents is take a pass on both of them. Cabaña Las Lilas used to be just overpriced but offering good food and service, now it is overpriced with so so food and poor service.

Sam

Jaimito Cartero Mar 4, 2008 10:27 am

Cabaña Las Lilas is way over rated. Their cubierto, which includes some appetizers, many that I would never buy, is way expensive for EZE. I often find many small and medium places that are much better.

Among these: Yugo's in Recoleta, and l'Alliance on Cordoba near 9 de Julio (almost next to the to be avoided Chacra). At both of these places, you can find a nice big steak in the 20 peso range, or low 30 pesos.


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