Don Julio Parrilla - The Meal That Changed My Mind About Buenos Aires…read moreAfter spending a week in Buenos Aires, my hotel concierge had secured reservations at five of the city's hottest restaurants & trendy spots, Michelin-recognized destinations, and some of Argentina's highest-rated dining experiences. Unfortunately, the first two nights were disappointing. I started wondering if the legendary reputation of Argentine beef was simply an illusion. Perhaps the quality of the meat was exceptional, but the execution wasn't. Then came Don Julio. Our reservation was for 9:30 p.m. at one of the hardest restaurants in the city to book, and within minutes of arriving, every negative thought I'd had about dining in Buenos Aires disappeared. Guests waiting outside were welcomed with complimentary Prosecco and warm empanadas while tables were prepared. We stepped aside to take a few photos and struck up a conversation with a friendly couple from New Jersey. Like us, they admitted they hadn't been blown away by the city's food scene, until Don Julio. We were seated at a cozy table with a clear view of the chefs expertly preparing and carving beautiful cuts of beef. The atmosphere reminded me of Pastis in New York... classic, lively, elegant, yet relaxed, like a charming Parisian bistro. The Wine & Starters We began with a bottle of Balbo red wine, smooth and velvety without heavy tannins. Fresh bread arrived with rock salt, spicy olive tapenade, and a bright pico de gallo that was unforgettable. The menu was refreshingly simple: exceptional ingredients, no unnecessary theatrics. Endive & Shaved Walnut Salad - 30/10 I never expected an endive salad to be memorable, but this one was extraordinary. The leaves were buttery and tender, perfectly dressed, with shaved walnuts adding texture and balance. Midway through the meal, my boyfriend said, "Now this is a dish you can't replicate." I replied, "Challenge accepted." Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Jersey Butter - 10/10 As a self-proclaimed mashed potato connoisseur, I can honestly say these were among the best I've ever tasted silky, buttery, rich, and luxurious without feeling heavy. Grilled Cauliflower - 4/10 Well prepared, lightly charred, and served over a smooth purée, but after the incredible salad, it simply couldn't compete. The Star: Bone-In Ribeye for Two - 100/10 After several disappointing steaks earlier in our trip, we learned that ordering medium-rare in Argentina often resulted in something closer to medium-well. This time, my boyfriend ordered the steak rare with a charred crust, and our waiter understood perfectly. What arrived was one of the greatest steaks I've ever eaten: tender, juicy, perfectly pink, and incredibly flavorful. I've dined at some of the world's most celebrated steakhouses, and this ribeye belongs in that conversation. Halfway through dinner, I leaned over and whispered, "Has our entire trip to Argentina just changed because of this restaurant?" Three of our four dishes were phenomenal. This wasn't just the best meal of our trip--it may have been one of the best meals I've ever had. Dessert - 9/10 Skipping dessert was never an option. We ordered crêpes with dulce de leche, finished with a crisp brûléed top and served with rich Jersey milk ice cream. Our waiter also surprised us with a complimentary serving of dulce de leche cream, one of my favorite bites of the evening. Service - The service at Don Julio deserves a standing ovation. Our waiter was warm, knowledgeable, attentive, and incredibly professional. When I dropped my fork, another appeared instantly. Every time someone left the table, a fresh napkin awaited their return. Wine glasses never sat empty, and the maître d' checked in without ever interrupting the flow of the evening. Every detail was noticed. Nothing was overlooked. It's the kind of hospitality that makes you feel genuinely cared for rather than simply served. Final Thoughts Don Julio completely changed my opinion of Buenos Aires' dining scene. After several disappointing meals, this restaurant reminded me why Argentina has earned its world-famous culinary reputation. Outstanding food. Impeccable service. A warm, energetic atmosphere. An unforgettable experience from beginning to end. If you're planning a trip to Buenos Aires, make your reservation at Don Julio as early as possible. Trust me...it's worth every bit of the hype

One of the most well known parrillas in all of Argentina and currently maintains one Michelin star…read more It's quite busy and very hard to get a reservation. I check a couple weeks out for any night of the week and only was able to find outside tables online. I came here on a Wednesday night around 10:30 in hopes of getting it less busy than a weekend night. I only had to wait about 15 minutes and also got a free glass of champagne and a mini empanda. As I came in they offered me a tour of the wine cellar which was full of unique and old wines. They have a massive wine offering which I think is one of the things that helps them out on the Michelin guide. It's a classic steakhouse offering, probably best approached by sharing a few cuts with a table. But as I was here by myself I went for the tasting menu so I could try more things. They brought over some bread to start with chimichurri, as well as an odd amuse bouche of a single endive leaf with a pretty bland green sauce. The first course started off with a thinly slice of beef kinda like jerky meets prosciutto. Very flavorful and tender, loved it. Second course was a sausage that was incredibly juicy and exploding with flavor, one of the best sausages I've ever had. Then came a sweetbread course which I've never had before. It was very unctuous and rich, bit too heavy for my taste and sort of made me want to stop eating at this point. It came with a very basic salad with simple vinaigrette. The next two courses were a ribeye broken into two components, the eye and the rib cap. The eye came with another equally bland salad. The cap came with a table side preparation of a sweet potato which was honestly quite comical. Fine dining is known for beautiful table side prep, but scooping out the inside of a sweet potato and spooning over melted butter is amusingly basic. With no other seasoning here but salt it was again, very bland. Steak was fantastic and juicy, a bit on the rarer side than I would normally go for but I think this is never given the unique leaner quality of Argentine beef. Chimichurri was classic, oddly I was offered a spicy chimichurri half way through my meal which I preferred, unsure why it wasn't brought sooner. Bread courses were very standard, again nothing spectacular here. The sommelier helped me pick out a couple glasses of wine and was generally very helpful and attentive. The wine I had was solid but nothing crazy, elected for some of the cheaper choices since this was the most expensive meal I had in all of Argentina. Pumpkin ice cream was nice though oddly lacking in sweetness for a country that seems to take many things very sweet. Overall, this is such a classic and well known place that I felt it would be wrong not to check it out, yet I had heard there are better places at cheaper price points and I would now say that is very true. The beef quality here is fantastic and prepared well. Staff is attentive and helpful. But this really just doesn't present a fine dining experience as you might expect for a Michelin star. It feels like it fits more into the bib gourmand category. And at this price point it's really hard to feel like the price is justified. I dined at other places for way less including another Michelin star that was a true fine dining experience for a little over half the price. Much more courses with each element thoroughly thought out. The bland salads and side elements here don't detract away from the meat but they don't bring anything else to the table either. They feel like they exist to be a line item on a menu and nothing more. While I'm glad I got to try this place out, I likely wouldn't come back. There are less busy places with just as good of steaks for much lower the cost.

Fire. Smoke. Steel…read more No gimmicks. No unnecessary theatrics. Just cooks standing over open flame, moving with quiet confidence while the room watches the ritual unfold. Every plate carried the flavor of fire and patience. The steak was perfect. The vegetables weren't treated like an afterthought. Even the simplest bites had depth, texture, and soul. The kind of place where you lose track of time because you're too busy watching the kitchen work. Buenos Aires knows meat. FOGÓN reminds you it also understands restraint, hospitality, and craft. One of the best meals of our trip. Easy 5 stars.

We went with a group of 6 for the 11 course tasting menu, as recommended by our local travel…read moreagency. They open at 7:30p and have only one dinner seating, we arrived a few minutes beforehand and waited out front for the doors to open. Once inside, we were all seated at a bar style table, where you could watch the food being prepared. Each course had a wine pairing, and if you wanted more wine you simply set your glass on the higher edge and it was refilled. The 11 courses included a nice selection of started, several asada dishes and dessert. It was an experience and a show, while being delicious!

Argentina makes some of the greatest steaks on the planet…read more And yet, there are times when nothing is better than an Argentine hot dog. I am not talking about the stupid everyday hot dogs which are called panchos. These are just like hot dogs in America. They depend on what kind of goop you put on top. I am talking about Choripan. If you think about how you eat an Argentine steak (with wine, gusto and reverent appreciation) And how you eat Argentine ice cream (squeals of oooooooh!) Choripan is right in the middle. Half Church of Great Amazingness and Half Little Kid Fun. * * * We don't have Choripan in the US. Choripan is derived from the Spanish-Catalonian hot dog tradition rather than the German frankfurters we eat in America. In a Catalonian hot dog house, you have a choice of 8 or 10 or a dozen different kinds of hot dogs ... Meaning 8 or 10 or a dozen different kinds of meat or flavoring right in the sausage itself. One sausage might be made with extra liver. One sausage might be made with lots of ground up mushroom. Usually there is a spicy one with Mexican chiles. Nowadays there is a vegetarian one. The sausages all taste dramatically different from each other. Choripans are larger than a traditional frankfurter but smaller than a knockwurst - more like a fatter version of a footlong. They are served on a small submarine roll. In Spain, you get a free choice of toppings. Most Spanish will only put one or at the most two toppings on their dog, Because they do not want to drown out the taste of the meat. Our hot dogs are boring. We put distraction after distraction after distraction on top to make us forget how lousy the base dog is. * * * Chori is widely considered to serve the best choripan in Buenos Aires. Choripan is all they do. There are ten choices of sausage. They are more rigid than the Spanish on toppings. They have figured out what topping goes best on each sausage - and when you order your hot dog, you get the chef's choice of fixings for each one. Believe the house. They know what they are doing. How are their dogs served the way they want to serve them? ABSOLUTAMENTE MAGNIFICOS !!!!!!!!!!!! * * * Special Bonus Section! Not only does Chori make its own hot dogs ... But it also makes its own ketchup. Once you have had Chori's ketchup, You will never be happy with the Heinz-style American ketchup we eat at home. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Argentines have better tomatoes than we do. But that is not the driving factor. They have put something dark and baritone and powerful into their ketchup. My guess is that they use balsamic vinegar rather than white vinegar as the base. However, I also think they have seriously reconsidered the spice mix and the use of sugar in the ketchup. Whatever, their secret is, you absolutely positively must get french fries with your choripan. And yeah, the fries themselves are nothing special. (I have only had really good french fries in one place in Buenos Aires, El Federal in San Telmo.) But Chori's ketchup on even average fries turns the fries into a dish to remember forever. Long after my hot dog was gone, I was eating each french fry one at a time as slowly as I could. The fries had already gotten cold but I didn't care. The ketchup was that good. * * * I don't think they put nuts in the sausages at Chori. But YOU would be nuts not to go to Chori while you are in Buenos Aires. Hey, there are more ways to have fun than just doing the tango!

Very good sandwiches and variety of choripan. Lots of drink options also. Good space with clean…read morebathrooms and nice decor.

So my colombian footy buddy put me on…read more Shout out to Ronald from (@ParcerosUnited) (twitter) Alright, with that being said, my fav armenian/argentina restaurant. Yes I played it safe and ordered things that you can get in the states but the tabula was done well. The hummus was the best I ever had, not some Trader Joe's shit. I then got Carne en Fierro (beef on skewer). I was thinking some small cuts of beef on a skewer. No, they deadass gave me a big ass steak marinated like if it was going on a skewer. The steak was better than one from a steakhouse I got here. The place hasn't blown up yet with tourists, but a favorite for Palermo residents.

We stopped by at 7.45pm (that is considered early) and were able to get a table right away. We got…read morethe babaghanoush, tabouleh salad, potato kebbe, kabob and Muhadra. And the food was so so so good!!! They are able to do half portions and we loved it so we could try even more. Do get their chilies on the side. They were so flavorful. Service was great and you could see a ton of locals here. Highly recommend this place!

One of the best meals during our trip: - fair, considerate…read moreand professional service - high quality well executed food - prices reasonable for the value There's a reason why this spot is jam packed all day. Highly recommend if you are a meat lover and even the veggies were magnificent.

One of the Not-To-Miss spots in Buenos Aires! Great food made to perfection with an great wine…read moreselection. Great service that made good recommendations based on how/what ur looking for. The place is pretty small and reservations are highly recommended. Highly recommended!

One of the best alternatives to Don Julio in Buenos Aires. I get it, most locals will tell you that…read morea proper and truly authentic asado is done at home...and they are right because it tastes completely different and it's an experience. Here, they do all the right things and serve tons and tons of meats. They have it all, so good in fact, Diego Maradona himself once dined here when he was alive. The service was immaculate, everyone was very friendly and welcoming, we happened to walk in right during a slow day, and it was perfect. The ambiance is very cozy, lots of paintings of prominent Argentine figures such as Carlos Gardel and of course Diegito. I highly recommend coming to dine here, the food is well made and the wine selection is very nice as well (We opted for Coca W/ Fernet since we were on our way to watch Futbol)

Excellent Food, Service, and Ambience... Very easy going restaurant. Indoor and outdoor dining is…read moreavailable

Super cozy atmosphere and some of the best service we encountered in Buenos Aires. No wait at…read more7:30pm. Ordered empandas, locro, mondongo, and a humita en chala. The mondongo was our family favorite--this is some of the best soup I have ever had--super comforting and absolutely bursting with flavor, and the tripe pieces were so tender. Every dish here was tasty though, and this was one of my top restaurants of our vacation.

Great empandas and service. Brick oven style. Very cool overall experience and a place I would…read moredefinitely go back to.

Classic Argentinian barbecue! A must-go place if you are visiting Buenos Aires for the first time…read more Service and atmosphere are excellent! Recommended.

Easily our favorite restaurant in BA that we came here back to back days without reservations. Pro…read moretip - come here at 5pm to put your name down for their happy hour. You'll be seated at 6:30pm and your entire meal will be 40% off. Yes all food and drinks everyday. Isn't that wild?? We went with the mixed salad, ribeye, and house wine. Ribeye is perfectly cooked and served with a bunch of sides including mashed potato, roasted garlic, potato gratin, corn cheese, etc. Salad was very fresh and complements the fattiness of the steak well. Service can be a bit spotty as they're so busy but very worth it overall. Can't wait to be back!

Low-key, charming restaurant with delicious steaks and friendly service. We really enjoyed our meal.read more

Wow, what a neighborhood surprise!!! A complimentary glass of champagne, bread and a flight of…read moretoppings: eggplant, mixed peppers, chimichuri. A very generous glass of red wine. Half-order of garlic fries. And honestly the best ever Riv Eye steak!