Restaurants in Central Argentina
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Kato
Tired of the Arístides squeeze? This mellow neighborhood café/bar/restaurant is way hipper than all those places, and there's no fighting for a table. Empanadas, pizzas and sandwiches in a super-chic environment. Those in the know head straight for the lounging action on the sofas out the back.
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A
La Marchigiana
Mendoza’s most frequently recommended Italian restaurant. The decor may seem stark, but the service is warm and a few Argentine twists to the classic Italian menu keep things interesting.
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Sr Café
The most stylin’ little cafe in the center, this is a good place for coffee and a sandwich anytime. Weekend nights, pull up an outside table and enjoy the live music.
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La Tasca de Plaza España
With excellent Mediterranean and Spanish tapas (mostly seafood), great wines, intimate atmosphere, good art and friendly service, La Tasca is one of Mendoza’s best.
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Azafrán
It’s hard to figure what’s the bigger draw here – the rustic-chic decor, the small but creative menu or the extensive wine list. Who cares? Enjoy them all.
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E
de un Rincón de La Boca
Many argue this is the best pizza in town (it's the crust). The wine list is very average, but there's no corkage charge, so grab a bottle before you come.
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Malbec
San Rafael’s most frequently recommended parrilla holds no surprises, but has a good range of pastas and salads and, yes, some big juicy steaks.
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G
La Barca
There's nothing fancy going on here - just good honest food at reasonable prices. Excellent homemade pastas and a range of super-tempting daily specials.
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La Gringa
Despite its rather unappealing name, this is the go-to place in town for pastas, pizza and parrilla. Good salads, too.
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Decimo
Up on the 10th floor in the middle of town, this modern restaurant/wine bar offers a good range of well-cooked dishes with distinctly un-Argentine ingredients like quinoa, alongside sushi and risotto. If the meals seem pricey, the coffee is a good enough excuse to soak up the views from the sunny terrace. Catch the elevator in the Gómez building on Garibaldi. Don't bother looking for the sign - there isn't one.
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La Barra
Skip the slow service and mediocre food of the parrillas along Av Sarmiento and head straight for La Barra, where the owner personally tends the grill, cooking his meats with two types of wood (one for flavor, one for heat), while his partner tends to the blissed-out diners in front. The matambre de cerdo (pork) is truly sublime.
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Arco de Las Cuevas
In the nearby settlement of Las Cuevas, 10km east of the Chilean border and 15km from Puente del Inca, Arco de Las Cuevas has extremely basic bunks (AR$50) and only two bathrooms (which everyone in the restaurant uses as well). The restaurant, however, serves what one traveler called the ‘best lentil soup ever.’
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J
Remolacha
One of the biggest parrillas in town, the dining room is extremely ordinary, but eating in the garden is a lush experience. Get a table by the picture windows looking into the kitchen and you’ll be able to see your meal being hacked off the carcass before getting thrown on the flames. Excellent salads, too.
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K
El Palenque
Don’t miss this superb, extremely popular restaurant styled after an old-time pulpería (tavern), where the house wine is served in traditional pinguinos (white ceramic penguin-shaped pitchers). The food and appetizers are outstanding, and the outside tables are always full and fun.
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Blumen
With one of the widest menus in town, Blumen serves up good, tasty, if slightly expensive, dishes. It’s a great spot for a few drinks – the huge shady beer garden is all wooden tables and pagodas, with plenty of space in between and the microbrew beer flowing readily.
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Sol de Polen
A few short steps from the Che museum, this Cuban-themed restaurant serves up a couple of Cuban dishes alongside all the Argentine standards. Friday nights there’s live music and if you really like the place, it rents out basic double rooms at the back for AR$90.
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La Bordolesa
A laid-back, modern parrilla with two grills going – one inside and one out. If the weather’s good, grab a table on the lawn and a platter of picadas (finger food: AR$25 for two) – it’s a fine way to while away a few hours.
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Club Sirio Libanés
The Syrian-Lebanese club has by far the best-looking restaurant in town, with plenty of arched roofs and Moorish tile work. The menu's good, if a little light on Middle Eastern fare, but the tabouleh, hummus and kibbeh are all worth a try.
reviewed
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La Playa
This laid-back restaurant, with tables out on the waterfront shaded by palm-thatch umbrellas, is one of the more atmospheric places to eat. Bonuses include a swimming pool and sandy lake beach. Live bands play on weekend nights in summer.
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La Plazoleta
San Luis' most frequently recommended restaurant is a definite step above the competition in terms of service and atmosphere. The menu is fairly standard, with the odd Mediterranean or Middle Eastern surprise thrown in.
reviewed
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Parrilla Listo El Pollo
The roadside parrilla is an Argentine classic and this one’s a great example. Grab a sidewalk table (not that there’s any choice) and knock elbows with taxi drivers while feasting on big cheap chunks of meat.
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Desánchez
San Juan’s snootiest restaurant is actually pretty good. It has a creative menu with a smattering of seafood dishes, an adequate wine list (featuring all the San Juan heavy hitters) and a hushed, tranquil atmosphere.
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Wasaby
Wasaby ‘Asian food’ quite often means mediocre Chinese around these parts, but this little hole-in-the-wall turns out some surprisingly good dishes, and even a couple of Japanese-inspired options.
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Café Tibet
No visit to Uspallata would be complete without at least a coffee in this little oddity. The food is nothing spectacular, but the decor, comprising leftover props from the movie, is a must for fans of the surreal.
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Arte Bar
Breaking the German mold that so defines General Belgrano, Arte Bar is a refreshing café serving tasty sandwiches for lunch and a changing menu for dinner. Live music starts at 22:30 on Friday and Saturday.
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