El Sanjuanino

Top choice in Recoleta & Barrio Norte


This long-running, cozy little joint has some of the cheapest food in Recoleta, attracting both penny-pinching locals and thrifty tourists. Order spicy empanadas, tamales or locro (a spicy stew of maize, beans, beef, pork and sausage). Many take their food to go – Recoleta’s lovely parks are just a couple of blocks away.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Recoleta & Barrio Norte attractions

1. Palais de Glace

0.17 MILES

Housed in an unusual circular building that was once an ice-skating rink and a tango hall (happily not at once, however), the spacious Palais de Glace now…

2. Centro Cultural Recoleta

0.27 MILES

Part of the original Franciscan convent and alongside its namesake church and cemetery, this excellent cultural center houses a variety of facilities,…

3. Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar

0.27 MILES

The centerpiece of this gleaming white colonial church, built by Franciscans in 1732, is a Peruvian altar adorned with silver from Argentina’s northwest…

4. Museo Participativo de Ciencias

0.29 MILES

This hands-on science museum designed with children in mind has interactive displays with plenty of levers to pull and buttons to press. A great place for…

5. Cementerio de la Recoleta

0.3 MILES

This cemetery is perhaps BA's top attraction. You can wander for hours in this incredible city of the dead, where the ‘streets’ are lined with impressive…

6. Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes

0.39 MILES

This is Argentina’s most important fine arts museum, containing many key works by Benito Quinquela Martín, Xul Solar, Eduardo Sívori and other Argentine…

8. Facultad de Ingeniería

0.53 MILES

This neo-Gothic building (1912), designed by Uruguayan architect Arturo Prins, is an architectural landmark.