Celebrating Beef at the Buenos Aires Parrilla or Steakhouse in Argentina

A feast of Argentine beef at a Buenos Aires parrilla or steakhouse is a must when you’re in Argentina if you’re a meat lover. A meal at an Argentine parrilla isn’t just a chance to tuck into a big juicy steak, it’s about celebrating beef – beef that for many is the world’s best beef. But a Buenos Aires steakhouse meal isn’t only about a plate of beef but a whole parrilla experience. We explain it and guide you on what to order in a parrilla so you don’t make the mistake some foreigners make and end up with over-cooked pieces of meat.

We met an expat friend for dinner in Palermo Soho the day that we’d been gathering prices for our Buenos Aires Price Check post and expressed surprise to him that prices hadn’t gone up much since we were last in Buenos Aires a few years ago. Robert said he felt prices had increased and that he didn’t even buy groceries much any more to make meals because the restaurant food in the city was so good and so cheap!

We don’t blame him. Eating out in Buenos Aires is a real treat – especially if you’re a meat lover and relish slicing into a hunk of succulent hunk steak. And while we’re big fans of Argentine beef and the best Buenos Aires parrillas or steakhouses that are masters at the art of grilling (or the art of barbecue, depending where you’re from), there’s so much to eat in the Argentine capital if you don’t eat meat.

We always find it amusing when travel writers and bloggers complain in stories that there is little else but empanadas and steak to eat in Buenos Aires. Because if you know where to look, there is plenty of food from other culinary cultures served up in Buenos Aires – albeit with varying degrees of ‘authenticity’, as loaded as that concept is.

You’ll find just as much variety in Buenos Aires as you will in Paris, London or New York. There is excellent Italian everywhere, there is authentic French, the Peruvian ceviche is divine, sushi is omnipresent, and one of our favourite places for a meal is Chinatown in Buenos Aires – and that’s just for starters. But we’re not here to write a guidebook to Buenos Aires. We did that on our last trip here.

Celebrating Beef at the Buenos Aires Parrilla or Steakhouse

This time, it’s all about savouring the beef and scouting out the best parrillas in our Buenos Aires neighbourhood. On this yearlong global grand tour, which is focused on exploring what’s local, authentic, and quintessential in a place, we decided to try as many Buenos Aires parrillas or steakhouses that we could in our barrio, Palermo Soho. (The word ‘parrilla‘ simply means ‘grill’.)

We had eaten at most of the the Argentine capital’s best steakhouses during our couple of months settled into Buenos Aires apartment rentals on our last trip, researching that Buenos Aires guidebook. And we were pleased to see that the economic downturn had weeded out the Buenos Aires steakhouses that weren’t up to scratch. What was left was the cream of the crop, the parrillas that Porteños frequent.

So what makes the beef in Buenos Aires so special? Every waiter and chef we ask in a parrilla always has the same answer: happy cows eating Pampas grass. The cows are happy because they’re allowed to roam the Pampas (wide open plains), free of antibiotics and growth hormones, and they don’t even know what corn feed is!

Traditionally, Argentine beef is not aged, and ‘cooking’ beef just means starting with the meat at room temperature, seasoning it, barbecuing it over hot charcoals, and serving it simply.

The Parrilla Experience

Unless you’re a local worker heading to a parrilla in Buenos Aires for a quick cheap lunch (many parrillas are very affordable), you would never order one dish in a Buenos Aires parrilla. A meal at a parrilla is a whole experience, even if it’s a weeknight and you’re a walk-in at your local neighbourhood steakhouse, as we were for all but one parrilla during our two week quest.

Snacks and Starters at a Buenos Aires Parrilla 

The full parrilla experience starts with the first course. But if you’re a Porteño (a Buenos Aires local) and you’re hungry or you’re eating with a group of friends or family, you’ll order some snacks to nibble on, such as a plate of salami and olives, and glasses of bubbly and a bottle of wine (Argentine Malbec, of course!) while you peruse the menu and decide what to order. We strongly recommend doing as the locals do!

Some of the fancy Buenos Aires steakhouses that have become tourist hot-spots will set down plates of snacks in small dishes or a serving plate after you sit down at your table, such as the artisanal Patagonian salami selection and juicy green olives at La Cabrera – which also offers complimentary glasses of sparkling wine to customers queuing outside if there’s a long wait!

First Course at a Buenos Aires Parrilla 

The first course at a Buenos Aires parrilla will include plates of sausages called chorizo (‘chorizo’ means ‘sausage’ in Argentina, not necessarily the spicy sausage we associate with Mexican chorizo or Spanish chorizo), morcilla (pork or beef blood sausage), something from the offal selection or chinchulines (you must try sweetbreads, mollejas de ternera; our favourites are the veal sweetbreads), and some provoleta (smoky provolone cheese that’s grilled).

All of this is accompanied by chimichurri, a moreishly herbaceous oily sauce that’s regarded as the quintessential Argentine condiment. Chimichurri is always made fresh in house (never bought in!), often a day ahead (ie. to be eaten the next day), and is made by the parrilla chef to his own recipe (and preferred strength of heat).

But every chimichurri includes fresh parsley, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and red pepper flakes at a minimum. Many chefs add dried oregano – which is why chimichurri is best made the day before, so the the dried herb leaves are softened by the oil – and/or fresh rosemary. That’s it.

Many of the herbs used in the gringo versions of chimichurri are not used in Argentina. For instance, coriander/cilantro is not traditionally grown in Argentina, not used in Argentine cuisine, and never added to chimichurri. This was made very clear, as it seems to be a bone of contention due to foodie tourists complaining “the cilantro is missing”.

Don’t be surprised if the waiter tries to take away the chimichurri when clearing the table for the main course of grilled meats. While it’s okay to guard it with your life, your waiter won’t be surprised if you want to keep this dish of deliciousness. The waiter will probably bring a fresh dish of chimi with the mains.

Main Course at a Buenos Aires Parrilla 

By this time in your parrilla experience you’ll probably be starting to feel full and wishing that you’d brought along more friends. But the next course, the main course, is what you’re really here for, the beef! – the perfectly-cooked Argentine beef cut from the healthy cattle that feast on the fresh, lush, green grasses of the fertile Pampas.

There are many cuts of beef that you can order, but our favourite cuts of beef to order in a good Buenos Aires parrilla are the bife de lomo (tenderloin), bife de chorizo (no, not sausage, it’s actually strip loin), and ojo de bife (rib eye).

While the lomo is the most tender cut of beef in a parrilla (waiters at the best Buenos Aires parrillas will show off and ‘slice’ it with a spoon!), the other two beef cuts, bife de chorizo and ojo de bife have the most flavour, although they can occasionally be a little chewy – which is not a problem for Argentines, who appreciate the different textures and flavours of different cuts, and enjoy tasting that diversity in a meal.

Other beef cuts (cortes de carne) you’ll see on a Buenos Aires parrilla menu include: bife de cuadril (rump steak), bife de chorizo angosto (strip steak), bife de chorizo ancho (boneless prime rib steak), and bife de chorizo mariposa (butterfly sirloin steak).

Some fat is desirable in beef for the umami flavours, tenderness and juiciness, but if you’re on a diet, whether for health reason or weight loss, you can ask for lean cuts of beef called cortes magros. Lean beef cuts typically include bife de lomo (tenderloin), vacio del fino (thin flank steak) and bife de cuadril (rump steak).

Likewise, not everyone is a fan of messing around with bones (especially some foreigners; we’ve seen Argentines happily pick up a hunk of bone-in meat with two hands and eat it down to the bone, and we’ve followed suit!). If you’re also a fan of bone-in steaks, look for cortes con hueso on the menu, and take your pick of entrecote (entrecot), bife de costilla con lomo (t-bone), asado de tira (short ribs), and the like.

If you see cortes de cerdo on a parrilla menu, it’s a pork flank steak, and it’s usually incredibly delicious if you’re not a beef lover.

Expats and visitors to Buenos Aires often tell us that they have trouble getting the right ‘doneness’ of steak they want on the plate in a parrilla in Argentina.

While we agree that it can be confusing, we completely disagree on the widely-held notion among foodie travellers and many travel writers that all Argentines cook all their steaks well-done. That’s simply not true. Tip: don’t ever say that to an Argentine!!! These writers obviously haven’t spent much time in Buenos Aires and don’t know many Argentines!

If the asador (grill guy) is cooking your steak well-done, that’s probably because of Argentines’ perceived notion that tourists want everything cooked right through! Because of this, in recent years, we’ve taken to ordering our steaks rosado con y bien jugoso literally meaning ‘red and juicy’. Which is just the way you want your Argentine steak cooked.

Ordering Sides at a Buenos Aires Parrilla 

Most of our local friends in Buenos Aires are focused on the meat for the main course and will happily consume a big hunk of steak with little else but chimichurri, a light green salad, and potato fries or mashed potatoes. But if they’re dining with friends or hungry (most of our Porteño mates don’t eat breakfast), they might order a couple of potato sides or three.

The potato dishes at Buenos Aires parrillas are always memorable, even when the steak is standard. Two of our favourite Buenos Aires steakhouse potato sides are La Dorita’s papas fritas con cebolla (potato fries with fried onion), and Don Julio’s papas Española (Spanish fries) – thin, crispy round potato slices that are soft in the centre, just like the famous fried potatoes in Jerez in Spain.

There are two noticeable difference between the fancy Buenos Aires steakhouses that tourists line up for and the simple neighbourhood parrillas in Buenos Aires where most locals are walk-ins. Firstly, it’s the size of the menu: the simple steakhouses might only offer a choice of a few sides: grilled potatoes, mashed potatoes, and French fries, the latter with the option of an addition of soft fried eggs. Highly recommended! Especially if you have a hangover.

The other big difference is the size of the side dishes. The posh Buenos Aires steakhouses will serve a side of grilled vegetables on little more than a bread and butter plate, while the sides at local steakhouses are big and hearty, served on main-size plates. If you’ve been at an everyday neighbourhood parrilla when a group of construction workers have piled in for lunch, you’ll understand why!

While we agree with our Argentine friends that a light green salad of mixed lettuce leaves and fresh herbs with a classic vinaigrette is sufficient – and many local neighbourhood steakhouses in Buenos Aires offer little else – some Palermo parrillas offer a choice of a few salads (perhaps as a concession to their foreign customers), while others, like La Cabrera, offer a long list of salads.

Dessert at a Buenos Aires Steakhouse?

The dessert list on a Buenos Aires parrilla menu is generally the shortest section of the menu, and the only time I’ve seen locals order dessert is when they’re dining with a group of friends (and might share a few sweets) or it’s a Sunday family lunch and desserts will be ordered for the kids and older members of the group.

The list of Argentine desserts (postres) will often include a plate of artisanal cheeses (quesos artesanales) and always include a flan – with the fancier steakhouses often noting that it’s a flan casero, a house-made flan, rather than bought-in. Another popular dessert is crepes with dulce de leche, panqueques con dulce de leche.

As part of our meat-focussed mission in Palermo, we tried many parrillas at all levels, from posh to plain – from parrillas that foreign food tourists book weeks ahead and would happily line up outside of for hours to parrillas packed with locals every day of the week, whether it’s walk-ins from the neighbourhood, business folks on long lunches, or groups of friends and families for long leisurely feasts of meat on weekends. We tried them all!

In our next post on the best Buenos Aires parrillas, we’ll look at whether a single steak at a parrilla popular with tourists is really worth an entire meal at another far less fancy parrilla that’s a local institution, as we take you through a list of local favourites, all tried and tested.