Wanting to cover all of our food from South America, here is our continuation of the Foodie Edition for Buenos Aires. Vegetarians beware: Argentina loves meat and the cow is King. Be prepared for some red meat and red wine food options throughout BA and beyond.While we were there, we were fortunate enough to stay in two different regions of Argentina. Two days on the boarder where we visited Iguazu Falls and three additional days in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires. After meeting our Falls tour guide, Juan, he told us that if we liked beef, we should make sure and get it everywhere we could. The farms are all grass-fed and free range, so the cows eat only the best. And, because the American dollar was so strong (9 pesos per dollar), we dined exceptionally well every time we went out. We were able to get a bottle of Malbec (always in Argentina), appetizers, steak dinners, and our own desserts for roughly $60, including tip!! With the help of our Argentinian tour guides, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, we were able to find some amazing food throughout Argentina. So, without further adieu, here are our favorite food places in Iguazu and BA. Iguazu, Argentina: Il Fratello - A cozy, Italian themed restaurant near tourist shops and stands. I actually can't recall how we found this place. I believe we took a taxi into the town's center and began walking around. This place had outdoor and indoor dining and it looked charming, so we went for it. It wasn't recommended by our travel guides, but the recommended eatery didn't exude the right vibes and sometimes you just have to go with your gut. It ended up being an amazing dinner with the standard cut of steak being the size of your face. Probably close to 16 oz.! Along with potato frites, our first taste of authentic Argentinian wine, and of course dessert. The wait staff was used to Americans but they weren't the friendliest... What can you do? Overall, it was a great find and we ended up recommending it to others who dined there on their second night and enjoyed it better than the travel guides' options. Aqva Restaurant - This was a recommended spot from Juan, the local guide who took us to and from the falls. It was also one of the more upscale spots in town. Still, we dined for about $75 for both of us partaking in three course meals and splitting a bottle of Malbec. It was another great choice is Iguazu. The beef is really something I had never had before... it was about 16 oz. and cut like a NY strip. Juicy and tender, since returning to the states, I haven't found anything as good as Argentinian steak. Be prepared to be ruined for beef after visiting Argentina. After our meal, the waitress gave us a souvenir print of an aerial shot of Iguazu Falls. A very sweet dinner, indeed. Bonafide - The last morning, before catching our flight to BA, we walked from our hotel into the town's center and grabbed some coffee and pastries at Bonafide. We later found out from our tour guide that they are all over Buenos Aires, much like Starbucks here in the states... Or everywhere I guess. We really enjoyed the change of pace here. It was quiet, catered to a local crowd and different from the hotel breakfast we had the last two days. We did not get Bonafide again while we were in BA but that's because we found some wonderful, old cafés that we had to check out instead. Buenos Aires: Pizzería Güerrin - Late night pizza at it's finest. We hit up this three story pizza place right next to our hotel because, thanks to the airlines going on strike for the afternoon, it was nearly midnight and we would have eaten anything at that point. We actually went with a big group from our tour and I think we all throughly enjoyed the pizza, empanadas, and red wine (pictured is the evidence of 10 satisfied Americans... The 4 in the far back are our Iceland travel buddies!). Café Perla - In the La Boca neighborhood, we knew we had to stop at this café notable to get some serious espresso. It was my first time ever having hot espresso and in the form of a macchiato. It was love at first sip! This place was old, packed with black and white memories and the grumpy barista must have owned the place, but it was exactly what we excepted from a coffee house from the 1800s! Oui Oui - On our second full day, we made our way to the northwest neighborhoods hunting down some french spots. BA is sprinkled with French influence from the immigrants that fled there in the 19th century so we wanted to try some of their french inspired cooking! We took the metro from the city center to Oui Oui, a fabulous café with awesome brunch. When we got off at the metro stop is was very residential so we felt like we had left the city but it was only about 4 miles from our hotel. Croissants, Cafe au laits, and Croque Madames all around! It was quite delicious and ridiculously charming! We have to thank Pinterest for this find (as well as the next stop... keep reading). Les croquants- the second place on our French list was this little macaron shop, just a neighborhood away from Oui Oui. we grabbed a cab after breakfast and drove over to Les Croquants. We found this adorable shop on Pinterest and was so glad we had a chance to swing in. They had roughly 15 different flavors of macarons so we got a large box and filled it with a dozen or so. This place is kind of a hidden gem; the owners seemed confused as to how we found it but were so kind to us, even though we were obviously tourists. Don Julio - after grabbing the macarons we walked our way back into the Palermo neighborhoods for some shopping and exploring. Don Julio was in our guide book and on several blog food lists so we wanted to make sure we had time for a late lunch there. We made our way to Palermo Viejo and took a seat in the cozy cottage like restaurant. We snacked on appetizers of cheese and steak bites with a bottle of wine. It was well worth the stop! Again, the steak was awesome and the atmosphere was top notch. Café San Juan - on our last day in Argentina, we had just enough time to take the metro out to the San Telmo neighborhood to grab lunch at this tiny hole in the wall restaurant. Another place we found on social media, Café San Juan has about 15 tables smashed into the dining area space. We were lucky enough to get in right before they locked up the doors for last call. They close in the afternoon to prep for evening reservations, so be aware of their hours. The menu was written on a 16"x 20" black board that the waitress toted around from table to table for ordering. I, of course, got steak and Chase ordered the rabbit. Both dishes were wonderful but in the end, Chase was disappointed he didn't go with the beef! It's a lunch we hold in our memories as being special since it was the last meal before heading back to the states. Notable Mentions: Café Tortoni - the oldest café in BA so be ready to wait for a table, doing dinner and a show at one of the many tango shows around town, and eating some beef empanadas wherever you can find them!
If you are planning to visit BA or Argentina, make sure and research some of the finer restaurants in the area. The American dollar is still strong so go ahead and treat yourself! Until Next Time, C + D
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