Places to eat in Buenos Aires

We walked by this restaurant a few times and particularly during the later dining hours, it was typically quite busy. The interior settings are slightly elegant, but not pretentious. The menus are available in English and Spanish, but the staff may or may not speak anything but Spanish.

Almost all of the dishes come a la cart, so you should order side dishes as you like. Some items, like the ribs do come with fries. The side dishes however are a bit large and would be best split between two people unless you are very hungry.

Favorite Dish: The steaks are all very good, from the peppercorn steak to the sirloin with mushrooms. The ribs were a bit overcooked on the ends, but the center was very tender. The pasta was also well received by some at our table. I too even liked the spinach in cream sauce

On our first proper night out in BA we chose Sorrento for its enticing Italian menu which offered both plenty of meat Argentine-style and plenty of seafood options. Another appealing factor was that it seemed to be popular but not packed to the rafters like some places in Puerto Madero.

The restaurant didn't disappoint on either score. There was a good selection of dishes both for my carnivorous boyfriend and me, confirmed pescatarian, and we took some time looking over the menu. In the meantime we enjoyed the high-end, attentive, and yet friendly service. Other customers seemed to be locals and the atmosphere was good, although I felt a little conspicuous in my jeans as most people had dressed up for the occasion. You can out on the terrace with marvellous views of the area, but we ended up plumping for a table inside as it was a bit nippy outside.

We shared a starter of fried calamari, which was pleasant but not amazing and not particularly cheap at ARS 78. Our mains were very good, however. I enjoyed a seafood pasta dish (ARS 70 - see below!), while my partner ended up ignoring the meat after all and choosing grilled grouper (ARS 72.00) with potato puree (ARS 24.00), which he was satisfied with. The portions - including the starter, which was enough for two - were generous, and despite both of us being very hungry there was food left on our plates.

Still, we managed to share a dulce de leche pancake pudding, and there certainly wasn't a scrap of that left!

With wine (Alamos Sauvignon Blanc), water and cover charges, our total bill came to ARS 390 without tip. This was our most expensive meal in Buenos Aires, and I did think it was expensive by local standards but the service was excellent. The restaurant looks good and the location is fantastic, so I'd say worth it for a special meal.

Favorite Dish: Fetuccine fumicato - this was absolutely the best pasta I ate in Buenos Aires by a country mile (and as a non-meat eater I ate a LOT of pasta). The cream and salmon sauce was very tasty and balanced nicely with the fettuccine. I'd definitely order this again.

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I passed by this restaurant several times a day as I was staying in the very same neighbourhood. Being away during the days, I had no real opportunity to dine there - well, until one of the last days. One night I was about to make for going out and wanted to have a dinner on the way, somewhere close. I consulted the owner of the apartment, Vivian, a friendly lady, always helpful with advices and suggestions.

She recommended a typical gaucho restaurant La Querencia, a small and rustic place at very affordable prices, that developed its fame for the quality and prize. La Querencia has an attractive ambience with trunks on sight and quaint tables. Its pleasant decoration recalls the country's north. The friendly staff wear 'bombacha de gaucho', a typical gaucho dress.

Though they offer variety of regional main dishes, La Querencia is known for the best empanadas in the city. It would come as no surprise to find that every culture on the planet has 'some version of the empanada' (stuffed pastry). It is likely that empanadas are originally from Galicia, Spain. But there is something unique about Latin American empanada and Argentines would argue that theirs are the best.

The restaurant is open Mon-Thu noon-4pm, 7:30pm-midnight; Fri-Sun noon-4pm, 7:30pm-1am. Like many places in Buenos Aires, La Querencia also delivers to your doorstep.

Favorite Dish: I had a fine selection of empanadas of different shapes and fillings: spinach, ricotta, mushrooms and tuna. The delicious dinner was accompanied by a glass of Malbec wine.

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One of the many bars and restaurants crammed around Plaza Serrano, El Calero offers refreshingly spacious upstairs seating, a nice contrast to the smoke-filled downstairs. White sofas line the walls and tall windows look out onto the plaza.vsesti High ceilings with wooden beams stretching the length of the room are reminiscent of an old barn that perhaps once stood in this place. In fine weather people occupy the outdoor tables though. I passed by the restaurant on a sunny day so I took a seat outside. The food looked tempting and I decided to have lunch here.

El Calero offers a large menu with choices extending from salads, pasta, rice and meat dishes, pizza, as well a couple of vegetarian options. The drink list is extensive, offering popular imported alcohol such as Bacardi Rum and Jose Cuervo Tequilla, mixed drinks and wine.

During the day, this place is a calm and relaxing with couples, friends and families enjoying lunch or a late tea. After 8pm dinner is served and the scene slowly evolves from casual afternoon to pre-party dinner, and then, after 2am, finally into bar in full. It's a popular techno music spot on the Plaza Serrano evening circuit.

Favorite Dish: I had a very tasty vegetarian meal that consisted of brown rice, roasted pumpkin, soya steak, stemed carrot, courgette and aubergine and fresh soya sprouts with soya sauce. A glass of Malbec wine was a nice companion to the pure and natural taste of the food.

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Only in July 2006 opened, modern Gout cafe has very nice atmosphere, inspired in Paris cafes. It's owned and managed by a very nice Argentine gay couple. They have excellent coffee and there is a great variety of delicious pastries on offer. Meals are served as well though the selection is somehow limited. Some of their specialities are: onion creamy soup; vegetables with rice and shrimps (or meat) from wok; salmon with vegetables and ham; salmon sandwich and Caesar salad. Service is impeccable.

Usually I had breakfast in my apartment. But since it was my last day in Buenos Aires, only a couple of hours before my departure, I decided to have it somewhere else. Vivian recommended a Gout cafe which was in fact only around the corner from where I was staying.

It is open Mon-Sat 8am-11:30pm.

Favorite Dish: Chocolate and dulce de leche pastries were delicious. I also had a foamy capucino and natural orange juice which were nice too.

The Fusion bar is situated at the basement of the Florida Suites Hostel in downtown Buenos Aires. I decided to have lunch there when I arrived at the hostel that day and was waiting to check in my room.

I ordered a chicken caesar salad and it was delicious and filling. I cost me 28 ARP for both a salad and drink.

The bar serves sandwiches, salads and snacks during the day and has wide TV screens where you can catch up on the news, sport etc and in the evening it's a night spot for travellers and locals alike. Compimentary breakfast for the hostel's guests is served there.

Favorite Dish: I had the chicken caesar salad which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I tumbled across this Pizza Cafe late afternoon/evening as I was looking for somewhere to eat and be served quickly but didn't want to go to any formal restaurants. For just over 20 ARP, I got two slices of pizza and a soft drink. The pizza was very nice and left the cafe feeling very satisfied.

Favorite Dish: I order two slices of pizza which were fairly generous. The pizza was very good!

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I was looking to have steak and red wine at a reasonable price so I tumbled across this restaurant on Lavalle Street. The restaurant mainly serves pizza and mainly Italian fayre but they had a number of promotional offers varying from 30 ARP to 55 ARP. I chose the steak option which included fries and a glass of red wine for 35 ARP (around 7 GBP).

The food was good and I felt satisfield. It's a convenient place to have a meal as it's opened all day (from 11.00am) so you can able to have a meal whenever you want or worrying about eating too late!

Favorite Dish: I had steak and fries and this was accompanied by red wine. It was a lovely meal for the price I paid.