How to have dinner in Argentina: A photo essay in 15 steps

The perfect dinner in Buenos Aires can be achieved by following these 15 easy steps:

Dinner in Buenos Aires Step 1 Image

Step 1: Pick a good restaurant

(El Estrebe is our favorite parilla in Buenos Aires)

Dinner in Buenos Aires:  Salad and Provoleta el Estrebe Image

Step 2: Good entradas--rucula and hearts of palm salad on the right; the thing on the left is a giant slab of provolone cheese covered in bacon, ham, onions, tomatoes and a bell pepper

(Provoleta is one of the best food inventions in the world)

Dinner in Buenos Aires:  Good wine Image

Step 3: Great wine--this excellent Cabernet Franc from Vinas de Narvaez in Mendoza cost ~US$8

Dinner in Buenos Aires:  Bife de Lomo - Perfect steak Image

Step 4: The perfect steak -- we ordered one Bife de Lomo (~filet), they cut it into two halves for us to share at the table using spoons--seriously. This massive steak for 2 people cost about US$12

Dinner in Buenos Aires:  Chimichurri, Criolla and white stuff image

Step 5: You've gotta have good chimichurri (on the right) and good criolla sauce (lower left), not sure what the white stuff is, but the other two are phenomenal

Dinner in Buenos Aires: Perfectly cooked steak image

Step 6: Apply sauces, and cut into steak to revel in how perfectly cooked it is. Note: it will always be perfectly cooked, this is Argentina and while they may not be able to run an airline, they do know how to cook steak

(If you’re curious about how they run an airline, check out Aerolineas Argentina)

Dinner in Buenos Aires:  Perfectly cooked Argentine beef image

In case you were wondering, the other half turned out pretty good too

Dinner in Buenos Aires:  Empty plate Image

Step 7: Make sure your plate looks like this when you are done

Dinner in Buenos Aires:  Don't be stingy with the Chimichurri and Criolla Image

Step 8: Don't be stingy with the Chimichurri and Criolla--it should look more like this when you are done

Dinner in Buenos Aires:  Drink your awesome, cheap wine! Image

Step 9: Don't forget to enjoy your awesome and crazily cheap wine

Dinner in Buenos Aires:  Flan with Dulce de Leche Image

Step 10: Not having desert would just be silly; Flan with Dulce de Leche will do the trick for US$4

Dinner in Buenos Aires:  Enjoy postre slowly Image

Step 11: Make sure to savor every bite of the flan nice and slowly

Dinner in Buenos Aires: Finish your Flan Image

Step 12: Finish your Flan. Or else...

Dinner in Buenos Aires:  Enjoy your post dinner Limoncello Image

Step 13: If the waiter offers you complimentary Limoncello, drink it

Dinner in Buenos Aires:  Get your wine to go image

Step 14: If you failed to finish your wine due to the complimentary pre and post dinner cocktails (and/or the bottle you had at lunch), ask for the rest of your bottle to go. They will happily cork it and bag it for you to enjoy at home

I’m not kidding:  How to take your wine to go in Buenos Aires

Dinner in Buenos Aires:  Pay the check image

Step 15: Pay the bill. This incredible dinner for 2 with appetizer, salad, massive filet and great bottle of wine cost ~US$50

Not a bad night–we go here once a week.  Keep in mind though, this only covered 2 out of the 5 major Argentine food groups

What did you have for dinner?


6 thoughts on “How to have dinner in Argentina: A photo essay in 15 steps

  1. Pingback: Tweets that mention How to have dinner in Argentina: A photo essay in 15 steps | Consulting Rehab -- Topsy.com

  2. We followed your advice to the letter and had an awesome meal. Thank you so much for the recommendation. It will be hard to eat like this at home.

    • Maybe you should be asking yourself that question…

      As a fellow blogger, it’s time that you got yourself a gravatar so you have your own profile pic for blog comments: http://en.gravatar.com/ (feel free to use the grumpy purple face)

      Glad you enjoyed the dinner!

  3. Pingback: Where to eat in Buenos Aires: A few of our favorite BA restaurants | Consulting Rehab

  4. I’m a vegetarian and I’ve heard that they have some good vegetarian restaurants in Buenos Aires. That is sad that you didn’t want to try them or post anything about them. If they do meat meals this well, then I would imagine the veggie restaurants would be a lot of fun to try, too. And vegetables are usually pretty cheap. Even though I’m not a meat eater, and your pictures of the steak and the price even tempted me to return to eating meat, at least temporarily, I still enjoyed reading your posts. Thanks for the good information!

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