Of course, it was nothing of the sort. Arriving from Liverpool aboard the Mimosa in 1865, they found a region even more desolate than it is now. There was no shelter, limited water and very little food. Yet somehow, through determination (and a lack of other choices), they made it work.

Fast forward almost 150 years and some tourists arrive in these southern towns expecting the streets to be full of people waving daffodils in the air and singing Tom Jones hits. For better or worse, the reality is a lot tamer, yet there is still a strong connection between the old country and the Patagonian province of Chubut.

The Welsh-Argentine community is centred around Trevelin (“Milltown”), Trelew, and Gaiman, with the number of Welsh speakers estimated to run into the thousands across the province. If you time your visit with one of the area’s annual festival – such as the Eisteddfod poetry and music celebration in October – you can get a much clearer insight into how Welsh culture is being kept alive. Otherwise, you might have to make do with some tea.

Tea in Patagonia; Photo courtesy of Victor.

In truth, apart from visiting a few tiny museums or marveling at some stone houses, the best and only way to get a dose of this unusual heritage is to take one of the famed afternoon teas. Gaiman has the biggest concentration of teahouses. They’re tourist traps, of course, but provided you have a sweet tooth, they are an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours. Expect knitted tea cozies, bone china saucers, and a generous spread, featuring way more cakes than any person could eat in one sitting.

What’s so Welsh about it? Much is made of the local specialty, a dark, rich fruit cake called torta negra (black cake). The name is a Chubut invention, but the recipe itself is a twist on the “bara brith”, which in Welsh means “speckled bread” and relates to the concentration of dried fruits. Here’s a recipe for the Patagonian version.

And here’s tea house owner Ana Chiabrando Rees explaining torta negra’s significance:

Ty Nain Welsh tea house in Gaiman; Photo courtesy of Joachim Pietsch.

All tea houses typically offer a complete ‘menu’, including a pot of tea and a selection of several homemade cakes, with scones and sandwiches. In Gaiman, Ty Nain (meaning Grandma’s House and situated on Hipólito Yrigoyen 283) is a favourite, as it doesn’t allow tour groups.

Other Welsh Patagonian recipes include torta de crema (a baked cream pie) and a white grape jam. You may also find dulce de leche creeping into a few of the locally produced cakes, rooting you firmly back in Argentina.

Tempted? You can easily add a short side-trip to Gaiman onto a visit to the unmissable penguin colony in Punta Tombo.

To get you in the mood, the Welsh/Argentine film Patagonia has fully romanticized the two nation’s transatlantic connection. It came out last year and features Welsh singer Duffy.

If that doesn’t appeal, here – for no reason other than the loose geographical connection – is a penguin falling over. Penguins and cake: you can’t really ask for more from a day out.

I hate using the word ‘ubiquitous’ as much as the word ‘unique’ (and writers who try to get around clichés by starting sentence: “I hate using the word…”), but Quilmes ‘Crystal’ is ubiquitous in Argentina. Its blue and white angled logo appears on every kiosk, billboard and ashtray. Heck, they even sponsor the ‘Fiesta de la cerveza artesanal’. In a great many places there is a choice of two beers: Quilmes and Isenbeck, the latter we didn’t even have to tell anyone not to bring to parties. No one did.

Cervezas de Quilmes, photo courtesy of Jack Zalium.

Now, I’m not down on Quilmes; it’s cold, fizzy, and not the alcoholic equivalent of Kenny G (think Elbow). And it only came in 1-litre bottles. Wah-hey. The Argentines shared. Pah, not us Brits. And when you’re feeling flush, there is Warsteiner, by far the best of the commonly available bottled beers.

A New Dawn for Craft Beer in Argentina

Then around the turn of the century Antares opened. It is a bar bar: wood tables, copper pots, decent food and it served ‘artisanal’ beer made in Mar del Plata. We’ll forgive the tiny tasting glasses (only wine should come in ‘flights’) because they also served beer in pints and some of it was even good. Like predictable ex-pats, we packed the place, moaning about tea bags with string and why the Guardian doesn’t publish the quick crossword online over pints of Scotch Ale and Porter, although my favourite was actually the lager-like Kolsch. With the exception of the latter, we’d almost forgive the freezing temperature they served it at.

Degustación de Antares, photo courtesy of Christian Van Der Henst S.

Everyone loved it. And I’d say it kick started the current wave of artisanal beers in Buenos Aires. Pedants will point out that Buller Pub, a true brew pub, in Recoleta existed long before, and some of its beer is very good. But no one goes drinking in Recoleta.

The Best Brew-Pubs in Buenos Aires

As the novelty of cheap, good red wine began to wane and the thought of yet another night on Quilmes beckoned, I began to make more of an effort in finding quality beers. And to do this I needed to search the bars. Antares sells Antares, and while it’s a nice bar, I can’t haul my beer belly to Palermo every time I want a pint. Thanks then to Otro Mundo that set up in 2004 in Santa Fe and immediately started brewing complex and flavourful beers. I found them on a wayward night in Las Cañitas (no one goes drinking here either – unless you are the type that turns up your collar on a polo shirt). But if you do end up around here, it’s to Van Koning Dutch Pub you go. Fazio, the owner, made beer, real beer. Their hoppy Golden Ale was superb. The Red a little sweet for British palates – but it is an enduring success: I saw it in Spain once.

Cerveza Artesanal Antares, photo courtesy of polmuadi.

Fazio pointed out another little bar in Boedo called Cossab in an odd little nook in a galería. I walked in to the incongruous sound of Yes and hunted down the landlady. “My husband and I love prog rock,” she told me. “And all things British, especially the beer, so we made our own.” Today she presides over the pub with the true elan of a London boozer. As she plied me with beer, the soundtrack barely wavering from Genesis (the early stuff) and Blind Faith (original gatefold sleeve on the wall), the stout (Cossab Negra) was a highlight as was their IPA. It was a revelation. It was the nearest I’d seen to a proper boozer (along with Bangalore, which serves Antares along with other brews, and Gibraltar). I was a Cossab Rubia and a Cossab Scotch down, when I finally got up to the bar. Oh my. There were more than 100 beers from microbreweries all over Argentina and beyond. Quite simply, if there’s one place in Buenos Aires to find beer it’s Cossab – as the little Viking logo attests, it’s beer Valhalla.

Argentina’s Artisanal Beer Boom Continues

Since then, beer has spread beyond the preserve of homesick Brits and become a significant industry, with a reputed 800 beers on sale across Argentina, made in Argentina.

The artesanal beers that you’ll find most often in Buenos Aires are Barba Roja (go for the ‘Strong Red Ale’), the experimental El Bolsón from Patagonia, and Zeppelin which makes English-style golden and pale ales as well as a ‘Robust Porter’.

It’s not all good of course – Argentinian beers tend towards sweetness and malt – and hops seem as elusive as a non-leaking air con unit, but somewhere along the learning curve the beer has reached excellence.

The image has been promoted abroad through the traditional Argentine steakhouse – a place of rustic charm where vegetarians fear to tread. And it may have been reinforced by the recent ‘Malbec – made for meat’ campaign to boost sales of the country’s best-known wine. The chef Fernando Trocca, who runs Sucre in Buenos Aires and is also executive chef at the Gaucho Group of Restaurants, says “Argentine Malbec is a great wine, but we also have many other types of grapes offering great quality. It’s a similar analogy to how we also have other great varieties of food outside our parrillas and asados.”

Ceviche at La Flor de la Canela, photo courtesy of LWY.

Argentina’s Rich Culinary Heritage

Put simply there is far more to Argentine cuisine than empanadas and steak. Which is obvious when you think of the ingredients that make up this country – Hispanic, pre-colonial and endless waves of immigrants, all mixed together in a rich stew. The Italian influence is everywhere and not just in the variety of pastas, pizzas, polentas and risottos you can find in a city like Buenos Aires. “The Argentines have the benefit of such great raw produce,” says Martin Williams of the Gaucho Group. “They don’t have to tart it up too much. So it’s always been a fairly unfussy food based on very good quality ingredients in the same way Italy is.” Even the simplest tomato salad for example can be packed with flavours you will never find in one made from those tasteless Dutch tomatoes sold in northern Europe.

Scratch a little deeper and you will uncover all kinds of other influences. The country’s modern chefs have drawn on regional dishes beyond the Pampas and its famous grass-fed beef cattle. Hernán Gipponi, chef at the Fierro Hotel in BA, mentions the following home-grown produce worth getting to know. “The fish from the Mar Argentino, prawns from Puerto Madryn, spider crabs from Tierra del Fuego, baby goat from Malargue, and quinoa and carob from Tucuman.” Trocca adds other dishes such as locro – a hearty Andean caserole of pork, white beans and sweetcorn, as well as humitas – sweetcorn patties, and tamales – cornmeal tortillas filled with meat or vegetables.

Tamale, photo courtesy of fabulousfabs.

Inspiration from Around Argentina and the World

Others have been inspired by the river Paraná. At his Buenos Aires restaurant, Jangada, Ricardo Annichini, offers tararira, boga, and surubí – freshwater fish named by the Guaraní tribes that once fished the river’s upper reaches. So does Fernando Rivarola at El Baqueano, where you can indulge in a seven-course tasting menu that includes llama carpaccio, chinchilla wraps and caiman kebab. And if that doesn’t convince you that not all Porteños live solely on beef, check out La Vineria de Gualterio Boliva next time you are in BA. Here Alejandro Diglio, who once worked at El Bulli in Spain, will give you a molecular gastronomic treat you’ll never forget.

La Vineria de Gualterio Boliva, photo courtesy of scaredy_kat.

One of the country’s best-known restaurateurs, Francis Mallmann, opened Patagonia Sur in BA’s La Boca as a homage to the deep south. Having spent years cooking nothing but fancy French dishes he decided he was “through with the pretentiousness of haute cuisine. From that moment on,” he explained to the American food writer, Peter Kaminsky, “I wanted to cook with Argentine ingredients and wood fires, the way I had seen gauchos and Indians cook when I was growing up in Patagonia.” As well as its wonderfully succulent lamb, the region is rich in seafood like spider crabs, scallops, tiger prawns and merluza negra (Patagonian toothfish).

Sushi in Buenos Aires, photo courtesy of fabulousfabs.

Inspiration has also come from beyond Argentina. The cult of ceviche – the citrus marinated raw fish that is considered part of Peru’s national heritage, has spread south to be adapted and reinvented by creative cooks in Buenos Aires. In many ways the popularity of the dish in all its various forms has simply followed the wave of sushi and sashimi which first introduced the West to the idea of eating raw fish. As a starter it represents a deliciously feminine counterpoint to a main course of rare steak. It also subverts Argentina’s hoary old image of red meat and machismo.

Discover some of our favourite places to eat Argentina’s new wave cuisine around Buenos Aires here. And leave a comment below to tell us what restaurants you think are pushing the boundaries of traditional Argentine food.

Fiesta Nacional de la Fruta Fina (National Fine Fruit Festival)

Fiesta Provincial del Asado con Cuero (Provincial Asado Festival)

Festival Nacional del Peón Viñador (National Wine Workers Festival)

Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia (National Harvest Festival)

Carnivals on the Friday and Saturday culminate in a riot of singing, dancing and fireworks in the central park on Sunday. Local food and drink producers showcase their wares on street stalls throughout February and during the festival itself. Here’s a run-through of the main events.

Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia, Mendoza, photo courtesy of Moriz mdz.

Fiesta Nacional del Ternero (National Festival of the Calf)

Feria de Vinos y Bodegas (Wine Fair)

Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest in Villa Gral Belgrano, Córdoba, photo courtesy of patricioxxx.

Semana de la Gastronomía Porteña (Porteño Gastronomy Week)

Fiesta de la Cerveza Artesanal (Artisan Beer Festival)

Fiesta Nacional del Vino Torrontés (National Torrontés Wine Festival)

Home page feature photo courtesy of Anahí Menéndez.

South American Christmas in the Summer

A traditional Latin American Christmas is celebrated on the 24th – known as Noche Buena – not the 25th. The big meal happens after the sun starts to go down, which is another sensible move seeing as 30-degree heat and Christmas gluttony aren’t ideal partners. Just like on New Year’s Eve, fireworks go off left, right and centre around midnight, and the celebrations continue until the early hours of the morning. Seeing as things start later, it’s straight into party mode, meaning there’s a lot less time (ie none) for TV specials and charades.

However, there’s plenty of time for eating.

Argentina Christmas Food

The first rule of Christmas food in Argentina is: forget the roast turkey and learn to embrace Vitel Thoné (check out this recipe from Katie Metz de Martínez via Hispanic Kitchen). It may sound like a new French mineral water, but Vitel Thoné is actually one of Argentina’s most beloved Christmas dishes, originally hailing from Italy, like many Argentines. It’s made of peceto (veal), topped with a sauce of tuna, mayonnaise and anchovies. No, it’s not to everyone’s taste, but neither are Brussels sprouts, so grit your teeth if you have to and dig in. Note that peceto is not especially prevalent during the rest of the year, but come December supermarket supplies are stocked high. If you feel inspired to give it a go, here’s a video recipe (This one from Brazil actually skips the tuna, but it wins out over other internet offerings for having the jauntiest music.)

Vitel Thoné, of course, is not a main course in itself. It tends to be accompanied by a cold buffet, featuring various salads, the ubiquitous sandwiches de miga and empanadas. Of course it wouldn’t be a proper Argentinian feast without an asado (barbeque), so expect the parrilla to be fully fired up, despite sweltering humidity hanging in the air.

Ananá Fizz – The Traditional Argentinian Christmas Drink

As for drinks, this being Argentina, the vino does flow (the majority of Argentina’s wine production is consumed domestically). There’s also the traditional ananá fizz, which is made from cider and pineapple juice, and it is sold pre-made at bargain-basement prices. Drinking this in the sun must give the mamá of all hangovers. You start to feel the symptoms just looking at the bottle. Take the edge off the pain by making your own using better quality booze. Just pulp some pineapple and add lemon juice, a toqué of sugar and your choice of sparkling wine.

Something Sweet

Pan dulce, or panettone, is another European import that is a staple among Argentina’s Christmas food. Supermarkets carry an enormous variety of these sweet dome-shaped breads filled with dried fruits. If you don’t know what to pick, again, you can try making your own with this delicious recipe from Rebecca at From Argentina With Love.

Homemade Panettone, Photo courtesy of Nicola since 1972

By this time, you should be full to bursting. But that doesn’t mean you have to stop. This is Christmas. What you need is something to graze greedily on for the rest of the evening, like cattle in the pampas. Seeing as chocolate isn’t ideal for the heat and often ends up a molten mess, the popular choice tends to be turrón (nougat). Mantecol, made with peanuts and sold in block form, is the brand that goes hand-in-hand with an Argentine Christmas. (Here’s a recipe for an almond-based version. Tahini can be bought in Barrio Chino or Jumbo).

And what if Santa himself was Argentine? According to this Mantecol advert, he’d drive a colectivo, play truco with the reindeers and, of course, he’d come down your parrilla chimney.

If you have any other Latin America Christmas traditions or foods to share, please let us know in the comments below.

Fish aversion here comes down to a meat-driven culture and long-standing habits. Korea-born Chef Mun, one of the city’s leading experts on fish, has a theory: “Argentina has such fertile land and people who came here first were more farmers than fishermen. I think the farmers union became so strong that fish never penetrated the market.”

It’s not that Argentina doesn’t have good fish; it’s just that almost everything caught here gets exported. Fisherman from Japan and Taiwan travel all the way here from Asia to cast their nets in Argentina’s relatively unpopulated waters, which are kept cool by streams from Antarctica. The squid is said to be world class and, nearer to the capital, trawlers even pick up yellow-fin tuna.

But in Buenos Aires, what is an omega-3-deficient fish-lover supposed to do? It’s not all bad news. Fish is – excuse the pun – catching on. Or at least, it is in a handful of neighbourhoods frequented by foreigners and more adventurous locals. An interesting sign-of-the-times came about a few months ago when La Dorita, one of the city’s most popular parrillas, closed down one of its locations in Palermo Hollywood to turn it into a fish specialist, La Pescadorita.

For those wanting to get more in touch with the river, at the top of the list – at least for location – it has to be El Muelle at the Club de Pescadores, an iconic (and, dare I say, almost eerie) lone building jutting out into the River Plate. It may not serve the best fish you’ve tasted in your life, but it’s certainly a different experience from the usual steakhouse routine.

The iconic Club de Pascadores – Photo by Luis Argerich

Other good picks are Centro Vasco Francés in Monserrat and Oviedo in Barrio Norte. For something even more unusual, try Cameroonian restaurant El Buen Sabor in Villa Crespo, which serves up whole fishes that are cheap and big enough to share.

A quick poll on Twitter also threw up these recommendations, which I will add to my personal to-do list: Spanish-style, centrally located Plaza Mayor and Tancat, plus La Robla near Tribunales, and Pedro 94 in Caballito, which are both usually packed. (Feedback welcome below!)

The five-course, fish-focused menu by aforementioned Chef Mun at his puerta cerrada, Casa Mun, is highly recommended, especially as there’s no cheese in his sushi. (As to why all Argentinian sushi contains Philadelphia cheese, Mun is as baffled as the rest of us. “I am from a rice culture. I like some variation to my rice, but cheese?”) Authentic sushi can also be found at Yuki (Pasco 740, Congreso).

If you want to prepare your fish dishes yourself, you’d better head to Chinatown in Belgrano. Try and time it for Tuesday at around 3pm-4pm, when Casa China (Arribeños 2193) has just had a fresh delivery. Ostramar (Julian Alvarez and Santa Fe) also has a reasonable selection, as does Jumbo in Palermo (Bullrich 345).

Fresh fish at the Chinatown market – Photo by David

And when it comes to making the right choices, again, I turn to Chef Mun’s expertise: “If it smells, that is a bad sign. Good-quality fish should be firm when you poke it and bounce back into shape. Eyes have to be clear, not cloudy. Gills should be bloody red, not grey.” He gets his own fish from Chinatown, or delivered from Mar Del Plata (“Although then I don’t get to poke it”). He sometimes even gets it flown in especially from Ecuador, via contacts he’s made in the city’s Korean neighbourhood in Flores.

Outside of Buenos Aires, the opportunities start to open up much more. Patagonia has fine trout; Ushuaia is renowned for its king crab; and Rosario has some lovely river-facing restaurants, serving up fish from the Paraná. Argentinian river fishes to look out for are pejerrey, surubi, dorado and pacú. Repeat, that is pacú, not paco.

Ordering the latter is not advised.

It is estimated that up to 25 million Argentines can trace their family roots back to Italy and so it is no surprise that, aside from the great asado, the country’s most popular cuisine takes its influence from this part of the world. One of the great things about Buenos Aires is the abundance of fresh pasta – in supermarkets, listed on the chalkboard at your local bodegón, or in your neighbourhood pasta store.

Deli-style specialists still exist across Buenos Aires, selling nothing but pasta and its accompaniments (sauces, fresh parmesan etc). One such place – which offers the aforementioned personalised cannelloni service – is Impacto Fabrica de Pastas in Palermo Viejo (Carranza 1953), where pasta sheets are created on a rolling machine that resembles an old mangle. Meanwhile, a new kid on the block is Farfalla in Las Cañitas, which is owned by the same people behind the hugely successful Butterfly restaurant in Bariloche.

That’s the way we roll… – Photograph by Whitney

Those who come to Argentina expecting to eat like the Romans do, attenzione. Argentina definitely has its own way of doing pasta. Unlike the Italians, who eat pasta as their primo piatto, Argentinians tuck into a huge plate as their main course. Forget the idea of a ‘light’ pasta dish with a dash of olive oil or pesto, here you’ll be served a massive pile of the stuff, topped with heavy sauces of cream, tuco (thick tomato) or estofado (stew).

As far as styles go, you’ll find many of the classics: ravioli, tallarines (fettuccine) and fideos/espaguetis (spaghetti), and lasagna. You’ll also quickly become accustomed to sorrentinos, which are like big round disks of pasta, often stuffed with a cheese and basil filling.

You may expect sorrentinos to have come from Sorrento in Italy, but the Argentine legend is that they were invented in the coastal town of Mar del Plata in a restaurant called Sorrento. Here is a video tutorial showing you how to make sorrentinos, by blogger Myri, an Argentine expat who shares recipes from her new home in France:

Being in Argentina, it would be rude not to enjoy your pasta with a decent bottle of wine. Nigel Tollerman, sommelier and owner of Buenos Aires-based 0800 Vino, offers this advice for pairing wine and pasta:

“For cream-based pasta: I’d pair with a rich and full-bodied oaked Chardonnay. Chardonnay has a naturally buttery texture that perfectly complements cream and butter-based sauces. The heavier the base, the more oak I’d select. It’s important the dish doesn’t overpower the wine and vice versa.

“For meat-topped pasta dishes: I would probably go for Syrah, something with lots of dark fruits, fairly robust tannins, and a hint of spice. Otherwise a Cabernet Sauvignon would pair nicely, with or without oak.”

Spicy pasta matches well with a Pinot Grigio – Photograph by norwichnuts

Meanwhile, if you are feeling ambitious and want to have a go at making your own pasta from scratch, chef and cooking instructor Dan Perlman says it’s not as tough as it sounds. He offers personal tuition in his Recoleta home, with bespoke classes costing A$125 (£19) per person for a minimum of two participants.

Or if you want someone else to do the rolling, Dan recommends these places for pasta in Buenos Aires: Il Matterello in La Boca, Don Chicho in Villa Ortuzar, Salgado in Villa Crespo and La Parolaccia, in various locations across town. See also this list of recommended Italian restaurants.

What do you think of the pasta in Argentina? Let us know your favourite pasta restaurant or shop, if you have one. We’d be interested in any recommendations outside of the capital too.

Forget the US culture of queuing at a counter and taking away paper cups of French fries; these short-order dishes are served as a sit-down meal, with china plates and waiter service.

The tradition of minutas was invented to offer standard, affordable fare to workingmen. Siesta culture may be long dead in Buenos Aires, but, to this day, many workers still take the time out in the middle of the day to go to their local cafés for a hot meal, even on stiflingly humid summer days.

Those that are too busy to leave their place of work will simply order the same hot dishes to be delivered. (One of the great things about Buenos Aires is that all food can be delivered in the local area and for no extra charge.) These days, it is not uncommon to walk into an office and see people tucking into a hearty plate of a milanesa and mash in front of their computer.

Milanesa and Mash – Photograph by Carina Cristiano

The minutas menu varies little, and almost always usually includes these usual suspects:

1. The ubiquitous milanesa (beef schnitzel), sometimes served “a la napolitana” (with cheese and ham)


2. Bife (steak), churrasco (thin cut of grilled steak) or pollo (chicken), served with a huge pile of mashed potato or chips


3. Pasta: ravioles or tallarines (thick spaghetti), with a meat or tomato sauce

4. Merluza a la romana (battered hake) – pretty much the only fish dish that is commonly available in this river-side city


5. Noquis – especially on the 29th of every month, the so-called Día del Noqui


6. Revuelto Gramajo – a pile of thin potato chipsticks, with ribbons of ham and onions, mixed together with eggs (Disclaimer: presentation varies widely.)

Revuelto Gramajo – Photograph by Jesus Gorriti

Artemio Gramajo, who invented Revuelto Gramajo, is perhaps the King of Minutas. Legend has it that this military colonel (1838–1914) was a food lover, bored with standard military fare, and so one day decided to combine all standard ingredients in his own special way. He took his creation straight to the top by serving it to his boss, the twice-president-of-the-nation General Roca, and it went on to become the most Argentinian minuta of all. Spanish speakers can read a version of the story here.

Artemio Gramajo – Image courtesy Wikipedia

As is evident from Artemio’s waistline, the minutas menu does not contain the healthiest of dishes. In fact, even Jamie Oliver is worried about the country’s rising obesity. Perhaps porteños will have to wean themselves off habit of “supersizing” their minutas by having them “a caballo”, i.e. on horseback, i.e. with a fried egg on top. (The first time I visited Argentina, I saw this translated on the menu as “ham to horse”. Oh, how we laughed – before worrying that it might actually be horsemeat.)

These days, business areas, such as Microcentro and Puerto Madero, have an increasing number of sandwich joints, delis and juice bars, which shows a slight shift in culture. Nonetheless, sampling minutas is part of the Argentine experience and a good place to try the classics is at Club Eros in Palermo or at the La Farola chain. You could also order one via BA Delivery or simply take a punt on any down-to-earth café you pass.

I leave you with some words of wisdom from fellow Real Argentina writer Matt Chesterton: “If in doubt, order from the minutas menu. Why? Because these are the most popular dishes the restaurant serves, and so you can be sure the ingredients haven’t been sitting in the fridge for a week or so. Whatever the place is like, you’re almost always safe with a milanesa.” 

And there you go, that could always be the nation’s motto: “You’re always safe with a milanesa.”

Although the average steak is practically organic in Argentina, given that cows regurgitate pasture instead of being fattened up via feedlots, organic farming is not legally recognised and producers pay for a certified stamp.

However, that doesn’t mean an Argentinian organic food movement is non-existent – far from it. Although the differences between natural, live and organic foods are not always clear due to people’s unfamiliarity with the concepts, rest assured that cafés, restaurants, markets and shops using these terms are trying to educate the pizza-and empanada-eating brigade to show that organic Argentine food exists, even if it isn’t stamped.

In Buenos Aires, pick up the Urbana & Orgánica map. I found mine at the cutely ramshackle veggie café Masamadre. Including information on organic food stores, eateries, Reiki teachers and more, this fold-put map is an essential guide to sustainable living in the capital, also listing 20-plus organic food delivery firms.

Quinoa Risotto at Kensho – Photograph by Sorrel Moseley-Williams

Dine Fine

A chip off the old organic block is Bio. Set up 10 years ago, owners Claudia Carrara and Marisa Ledesma’s vegetarian menu includes soup, pizza, burgers, and a spot-hitting Bahiana-style mushroom curry slathered in coconut milk and chilli. If beetroot and oranges in one glass are your bag, create your own juice – provided they are in season. Café-style Bio also stocks organic produce such as jams, fresh bread, pasta, tea and yerba maté, and of course, dulce de leche.

Veggie Burger at Bio – Photograph by Sorrel Moseley-Williams

Although GreenEat doesn’t classify itself as organic due to the legal grey area, its sandwiches, salads and sweet treats are preservative- and additive-free. A perfect, tranquil spot to escape the Microcentro mayhem, there’s no skimping on the smoked salmon and alfalfa in the enormous bagels, the Caesar salad is abundant and as everything is bought and made that day, whatever is left over is given to charity. Conscientious gorging. I love it.

Shopping

Another pioneer in the market, Esquina de las Flores has most angles covered. Its self-branded products, from oats to sun-dried raisins, are available in most health food shops, and its Palermo Soho store includes an extensive restaurant complete with water feature. They also offer cookery classes and plenty of meals from the menu can be taken away.

Pasta Lunch at El Galpón – Photograph by Sorrel Moseley-Williams

For a more boho organic shopping experience, head to Chacarita’s El Galpón. This indoor market complete with organic parrilla, café and vegetable garden blooming next to the disused railway line opens Wednesdays and Saturdays and recently started a delivery service. Highlights include milk squeezed at 3am that day, organic meat and eggs, Colombian coffee, herbs and of course wine. Although it’s not as crowded as it used to be, that’s because several producers have moved to the Ecofería de Consumo Consciente, which open Fridays and Saturdays. Another popular indoor market is Mercado Bonpland, which sells delectable wholemeal veggie empanadas, regional goodies and clothes made from organic cotton among other items.

Further afield in the northern suburbs of Greater Buenos Aires, check out organic markets in San Isidro and San Fernando, respectively found at Márquez 3055 and the Tren de la Costa train station.

Tea Time

In warmer weather, a freshly made smoothie may be more tempting than a coffee, and the original juice maker in town is Pura Vida. Slurp down a Pura Energía – banana, coconut, pineapple and carrot – made by the people who introduced wheatgrass to Argentina. Meanwhile, B-Blue Deli is a Palermo option, and with all its blueberries grown on the owner’s estate in Corrientes, what isn’t exported ends up in your smoothie.

Butternut Squash Wrap at Cocina Verde – Photograph courtesy of Cocina Verde

Best of the Rest

Got any top organic tips I might have missed? Leave a comment below.

Max’s Supper Club, held at non-profit organization Juanele AR – Photo by Lisa Goldapple

The original US and UK supper clubs might have been anarchic counter-prohibition ‘anti-restaurants’, but not so in Buenos Aires. They are now part of Latin American culture – and some have been open for four decades. Behind closed doors, food breaks away from traditional Argentine dishes with experimental vegan cuisine, pan-Asian chow and – shock, horror – spicy food! But nothing is more surprising than the people you meet. These organised nights with strangers sat around communal tables are perfect for foodies, solo travellers, expats, Argentines who want to improve their English, and those who want to show off how much they know about the city. I warn you, don’t sit me next to a snorecore travelbore food blogger, or those carefully selected wines will be downed faster than a married man’s trousers in a telo.

Dan Perlman of Casa Saltshaker, one of the best known puertas cerradas, first brought media attention to the scene a few years back. The New York sommelier opens his Recoleta home to “fancy home cooking” and themed menus coinciding with upcoming holidays. This July I celebrated Argentina’s Independence Day with his locro with a twist. There’s something about having each course’s cultural context being introduced by a charismatic intellectual that I like. It certainly doesn’t happen in my home.

Casa Saltshaker’s hearty locro and quiquirimichi - Photo by Lisa Goldapple

Here are some of my favourite dining out (but in) Buenos Aires experiences.

1. EXOTIC: Cocina Sunae, Colegiales

Enter the spicy, savory and sweet world of Sunae – Photo by Lisa Goldapple

For AR$110, a typical meal includes Thai hot and sour soup, Vietnamese summer rolls, a tasty Thai curry and Key Lime Pie – all topped off with her signature homemade green tea ice cream. Make sure you start off with a ginger kamikaze cocktail. They say a change is as good as a holiday – and Sunae brings Asia to Colegiales all year round.

2. FIERY: Casa Mun, Palermo

6 hours of shopping + 13 hours of prep = Mun’s attention to detail – Photo by Duff and Frances Photography

A newer puerta cerrada on the scene, Chef Mun’s unique selling point is a changing menu of intriguing Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Californian dishes. A recent AR$195 five course menu, including ludicrously generous wine pairings, featured sushi, sashimi, dim sum, bibimbop and Korean BBQ. His sushi is up there amongst the best in town and as for the ‘Fiery Fish Tacos’…

… Mmmmun – Photo by Duff and Frances Photography

More sensational than the food is Mun himself. Once a guest showed up a day early, so he opened a bottle of wine and she stayed until midnight. Now she dines at Casa Mun every month. That’s because as well as loving the food, wine, extended family table and modern bamboo-decorated space, everyone loves Mun. After an evening of sniper-like wineglass refills, I left more than a little tipsy as well as full – and surely that’s what you want.

3. HEALTHY: Jueves a la Mesa, San Telmo

It’s all about Meghan’s attention to little touches – there’s cinnamon in the water pitchers, she makes the sour cream from scratch and chocolate hearts by hand, plus prints the recipes out as a going home gift. Oh, and it’s BYOV – you can bring your own vino – all for AR$80. Bargain. The only thing missing is the fact you can’t go on Fridays, Saturdays or… you get the idea. Thursdays are the new black.

4. COOL: Ferona Club Social, Palermo

The very talented Chef ‘Fo’ (Agustín) draws on his experience at the Ritz Paris and working in Ibiza to design the AR$87 four-course menu – and cooks some of the best white salmon I’ve had. Book one of the four tables inside, or one of the four on the fun, heated balcony outside – and claim it until 5am (and-then-some). Rock and roll me home.

Ferona – encourages devil horns – Photo by Lisa Goldapple

5. ARTY: Max’s Supper Club, Barrio Norte

Spot the dog – Photo by Lisa Goldapple

At non-profit arts organization Juanele AR, London chef Max cooks up memorable bi-monthly themed nights that combine art with food. The launch was all about ‘Aphrodisiacs’ – saucy images were scattered over walls and the food was just as explicit to eat. We lost our oyster virginities, chomped on chorizo, and for dessert enticed chocolate to be licked off our faces.

Juanele definitely wins the award for the most photogenic room and colourful concept. Other themes have included Street Art/food and Hands (sans silverware). The five-course meal comes with wines for AR$190 or without for AR$130. If you’re shy, get over it. Buenos Aires is a friendly city with a very welcoming scene – if you’re travelling alone, this is the way to eat well and meet new friends – and potentially comedy dogs too.

Saucy. And for dessert, I’m having… – Photo by Lisa Goldapple

For more closed-door eateries to look out for, such as Peruvian fusion at Casa Jauretche, or popular pescatarian Diego Felix, click here.