Food in Buenos Aires: 9 Quintessentially Argentinean Dishes and Where To Eat Them

Porteños (Buenos Aires locals) all have their go-to spots for traditional pizza porteña, a Buenos Aires food classic. Forget eating a floppy slice with your hands—you'll need a knife and fork for this mini feast with its thick, bready crust, thin sauce, and heavy layer of mozzarella. Go straight for the gold with a slice of fugazzeta: cheese-stuffed crust, minus the sauce, loaded with onions and more cheese, of course. Other traditional toppings include green olives, anchovies, or tomato slices. Try faina (baked chickpea flatbread) to layer atop your pizza as the locals sometimes do—it’ll keep the cheese from sliding off.

Where to try pizza porteña in Buenos Aires: Some of the most popular places are scattered along the theater-filled avenue of Corrientes. Catch a show, then discuss over pizza and a glass of wine or moscato at Las Cuartetas, La Americana, or Banchero. Closer to the gastronomic hub of barrio Chacarita sits Pizzería La Mezzetta of Netflix fame, where you'll usually have to wait in line on the sidewalk.

The almighty empanada pretty much tops the list of must-try food in Argentina. Whether basic or a little sophisticated, al horno (baked) or frita (fried), there's an empanada (or canastita—a stuffed, open-faced dough basket) for even the pickiest palate. Make your own with common fillings that include: ground beef, green olives, and hard-boiled egg; ham with cheese; humita (creamed corn); carne picante (spicy ground beef); caprese (cheese, basil, and tomato); panceta con ciruelas (bacon with plums); and chicken with red bell pepper. Hint: Cheese on a menu here usually refers to mozzarella.

Where to try empanadas in Buenos Aires: There are many options, but local favorites include El Gauchito in San Telmo, La Fachada, and La Paceña. For a twist on traditional fillings, check out Empanadas Tremendas, which offers combos such as pulled beef braised with malbec, pear with roquefort, and portobello mushrooms with cheese.

Do as the locals do and savor an asado barbecue, the pride and joy of Argentinean cuisine, with a grilling method that cooks the meat ever so slowly over the heat of embers. At a parrilla (steakhouse) you can usually choose from a dozen or so prime cuts of beef, pork, and sometimes chicken and vegetable dishes. While you wait for your main meat, start off with morcilla (blood sausage), choripan (a sandwich of pork-beef sausage), or a gooey provoleta—a nice, fat circle of provolone melted perfectly in a cast iron pan over the fire. Of course, an asado isn't complete without a pinguino—yes, it's literally a penguin-shaped carafe—of world-renowned malbec from the Mendoza region.

Where to try asado in Buenos Aires: To take part in this classic Argentinean experience, go hungry—and with a reservation—to El Ferroviario, Michelin-recommended Corte Comedor, or neighborhood fave Parrilla Peña, all of which are arguably some of the best restaurants in Buenos Aires for trying asado.

These popular sandwiches (a teatime classic) consist of three or four layers of thin, crustless bread packed with yummy things—some more unexpected than others. Although the ingredients vary depending on the bakery, there are a few staples to be found everywhere: tomato, ham, and cheese; jamon crudo (dry-cured ham); arugula and parmesan; egg salad with olives; and palmitos (heart of palm) with salsa golf, a blend of ketchup and mayo.

Where to try a sandwich de miga in Buenos Aires: To begin your sandwich de miga journey, check out the beloved Confitería Dos Escudos or La Piedad.

Choripan, a pork-beef chorizo sausage shoved into crusty bread, is a must-have while in Buenos Aires. It's the sandwich of the people, and typically the first round of food at an asado. Enjoy your juicy choripan with spoonfuls of chunky salsa criolla or classic chimichurri, or put nothing whatsoever atop this satisfying, handheld feast.

Where to try choripan in Buenos Aires: If no one invites you to an asado, simply head to a food truck anywhere along the city's coastline (from Costanera Norte to Costanera Sur, by the entrance to the Ecological Reserve) for the OG choripan. You can choose from several hefty salsas, but be sure to ask for extra napkins. For a more eclectic experience, snag a table at Chori in Palermo and get ready for some gourmet toppings.

Not to be mistaken for an actual croissant, medialunas (meaning “half moon”) are the traditional Argentinean pastry to accompany coffee or maté at breakfast or teatime and come in various sizes and different hues of yellow. When you order, specify which kind you want: medialuna de manteca is the sweet version (sometimes drizzled, sometimes drowned, in simple syrup, and made with butter); medialuna de grasa is usually the spindly looking one with crunchy tips, made with lard and therefore a tad salty.

Where to try medialunas in Buenos Aires: In Colegiales along Lacroze Avenue, Panaderia Santa Ana is known for its fat, fluffy, traditional medialunas with a lovely hint of citrus. Cuadra and Malcriada are hip cafés serving up enormous, simple syrup–covered medialunas that leave delicious flakes of dough sticking to your fingers. If you're heading to Tigre for a day trip, check out local fave La Vicente López Confitería that’s been around since 1905.

Any Argentine food guide will tell you that maté is an essential part of everyday life in Argentina. The majority of Argentines need this bitter, herbal caffeinated tea to wake up, or they just sip it at merienda (teatime), but some people drink maté all day long—whether staying awake until a 10:30pm dinner or 2am boliche (nightclub). To prepare: Set up a thermos of boiled water and a maté cup (made of wood, leather-covered glass, hollowed gourd, or silicon) filled with the yerba, or dried herb. Then insert a bombilla (metal straw), splash on a bit of room-temp water first so as not to burn the yerba, and slowly pour from the thermos until you see water bubble up just over the surface.

Where to try maté in Buenos Aires: Book a tasting experience at Matea in the Recoleta neighborhood, or head to parrilla restaurant Las Cabras in Palermo between 4pm and 7pm to enjoy a traditional merienda with maté and snacks. And if you make any Argentine friends, they'll likely invite you for a maté.

Drawing on their Italian roots, Argentines have mastered the craft of churning out seriously creamy gelato—although technically, helado is something between gelato and ice cream. On a food tour of Buenos Aires, you might find a heladeria (ice cream parlor) on every other block. Popular flavors include dozens of variations on the theme of dulce de leche, sambayón (based on the Italian dessert zabaione that's made with sweet wine, egg yolks, and cream), lemon pie, mantecol (peanut butter nougat), chocotorta (an endearing cake with dulce de leche, cream cheese, and chocolate biscuits), and the old-school kinotos al whisky (whiskey-soaked kumquats).

Where to try helado in Buenos Aires: It's hard to go wrong with Scannapieco, Antiche Tentazoni, or the tourist-fave Cadore. The Bariloche-based franchise of Rapanui has gorgeous locations in Palermo and Colegiales to indulge in flavors that use Patagonian chocolate and forest berries plus deliciously gooey ribbons of meringue.

In this land of cheese lovers and sweet tooths, it only makes sense to bring these two elements together. Known as postre vigilante, this basic dessert is made up of a soft, creamy cheese and a jammy fruit paste (known as dulce) made either of quince or sweet potato. The simplicity of this duo is deceiving—stack a cut of cheese atop a slice of dulce, take a bite, and let your palate be wowed by the delightfully contrasting flavors. A traditional Buenos Aires dining experience wouldn’t be complete without it.

Where to try queso y dulce in Buenos Aires: Larger parrillas or traditional Argentine restaurants, including those focused on pasta, often include queso y dulce on the dessert menu.