My Argentina Travel Guide

Plan your trip to Argentina alongside me, starting with Buenos Aires and ending with the best food. Uncover it all in my Argentina Travel Guide!

Two white cups of coffee on saucers sit on a speckled countertop, evoking memories of an Argentina travel guide. One cup holds a frothy cappuccino. Between them lies a chocolate-covered biscuit on a napkin, with a spoon resting on one saucer.

First, full disclosure: my trip to Argentina ended up being less about food and a lot more about people. To illustrate, I didn't take out my big camera even once and stuck to smartphone photography.

As this is a food blog, I think the Young Jewish Argentina Travel Guide would not be complete without sampling everything I tasted. You'll get a kick out of reading how I searched for food in the land of carne, asado and pasta.

Colorful street scene featuring vibrant buildings with balconies and detailed murals, reminiscent of an Argentina travel guide. Signs in Spanish add authenticity, while a streetlamp stands in the foreground. Overhead wires stretch across the scene, contributing to the lively urban atmosphere.

My visit also inspired my Argentinian alfajores, authentic Argentinian empanadas (three ways). These are my own vegetarian interpretations of all the flavours I loved during my visit. I also brought back a craving for Argentinian bread pudding, so I just had to make the recipe myself.

To give you the best alongside the worst, here are the food places I tried in Argentina.

See what, in my opinion, the best types of dishes to try while in Argentina are.

Buenos Aires

T-Bone

A plate of potato wedges topped with cheese and herbs sits next to a small dish of red sauce, reminiscent of an Argentinian snack. A glass of water, utensils, a bread roll, and a toasted bread slice rest on the table covered with a white tablecloth, inviting you to travel through flavors.

A white plate with ravioli in a creamy orange sauce, garnished with chopped herbs and walnuts, evokes the vibrant culinary adventures of an Argentina travel guide. A fork and knife rest on the side of the plate, ready to dive into this delicious dish.

Av. Sta Fe 2979, C1425BGE, Buenos Aires

When I was told that our first meal in Buenos Aires will be in a place called T-Bone, I have to admit I wasn't exactly excited. I'd heard that Provoleta (a huge chunk of grilled provolone cheese) was a thing in Argentina. But I wasn't relishing the thought of eating an entire cheese block for lunch. After entry to T-Bone, we were served a barrage of famous Italian-Spanish fusion-style dishes that Argentina has become known for. From potatoes in cheese sauce to delicate mushroom ravioli in walnut sauce and the best ice cream of my life, T-Bone ended up not disappointing. The stomach pain that ensued was well worth it.

El Lazo

Ambrosetti 268- Caballito, C1414BGQ, Buenos Aires

There isn't much I, as a vegetarian, can say about a kosher steakhouse. Those of us who ate meat (97 per cent of the group) said it was decent. I enjoyed a meal of deep-fried olives and grilled vegetables, which was surprisingly filling. It's important to note this was where I discovered that a) Argentinians do not season their salads but serve you olive oil and vinegar to do the job yourself, and b) Argentinian fries are the gross, seemingly air-fried pieces you get in any typical Israeli fast food place... except unsalted. My heart broke when I discovered I would not be able to gorge myself on fries as I would in every other steakhouse.

Dashi

A rectangular plate with assorted sushi rolls graces the dining table, echoing the vibrant flavors you might find in an Argentina travel guide. In the background, glasses and bottles shimmer while someone is distracted by their phone. The sushi features fish, avocado, and garnishes.

A rich seafood stew in a round wooden bowl, as featured in an Argentina travel guide, showcases a variety of shellfish and fish. It's topped with slices of red onion and a dark, round object at the center, possibly for heat retention. A person's arm is visible in the background.

Fitz Roy 1613, Buenos Aires

Though most of you will wonder why I went to a sushi restaurant in Buenos Aires, I'll say that by day four of the trip, I wanted something clean, fresh, and unadulterated; sushi was it. Dashi was recommended to us as one of the best sushi places in Buenos Aires, and it did not disappoint. The fish smelled like the sea, the combinations were inventive, and the atmosphere, bolstered by delicious cocktails, couldn't have been better. We had an incredible raw sashimi salad with passion fruit sauce, vegetarian rolls with mango that blew my mind, and a caipiroska maracuja (passion fruit caipiroska - more on these in the next post!) that was to die for. The prices were higher by local standards, but at $40 for the meal, nothing most North Americans aren't used to shelling for good sushi.

Abasto shopping mall

Av. Corrientes 3247, 1193 CABA, Buenos Aires

Abasto shopping mall has the world's only kosher McDonald's outside of Israel, and that's about its only claim to fame. I have nothing more to say about this place, except - just don't.

Mar del Plata

Several colorful fishing boats are moored along a concrete pier in a harbor, creating a picturesque scene perfect for any Argentina travel guide. The sky is overcast, and buildings can be seen in the background, adding depth to this charming coastal view.

Manolo

A table set for a delightful snack welcomes you, reminiscent of flavors found in an Argentina travel guide. Enjoy crispy french fries, a glass bowl of shredded carrots and lettuce with a spoon, and a wicker basket holding two bread rolls with butter packets. A knife rests beside the plates.

Rivadavia 2371, Mar del Plata

Ah, Manolo.

By day two of the trip, following a six-hour bus ride and a (surprisingly nice) lunch eaten at a care home for the elderly, I was starved for some real food. Sadly, this wasn't where I was going to get it. Instead, Manolo was where I threw my first tantrum of the trip, as my first meal in the seafood hub of Argentina took me to a place with laminated menus, photographed placemats and cheeseburgers, pizza and cheap pasta on the first few pages. It felt wholly inauthentic, and I was tired of stomach aches. I also felt like we were being infantilized like stupid Americans, whose only desires in Argentina was to eat the familiar foods of back home.

In hindsight, I know now that Manolo actually IS one of the most popular restaurants in Mar del Plata, and that they're famous for their churros, deep fried dough sticks stuffed with deliciousness like dulce de leche (which I sadly didn't get to try). At Manolo I ate a grilled local fish filet (sadly, I can't tell you what type of fish it was as I ordered off the menu, asking for something local) that was fairly delicious. I also split the biggest seafood platter I've ever seen in my life, overflowing with succulent pieces of fried white wish, rabas (breaded and fried calamari), WHAT (little fishies that are friend whole), and, the highlight of the evening, grilled Argentinian squid pieces (they are not breaded, red, and incredibly delicious).

All in all, Manolo wasn't a complete bust, but it wouldn't be where I'd send newcomers to Mar del Plata.

La Guapa

People are gathered around a dining table in a cozy restaurant, reminiscent of an Argentina travel guide. Plates of pasta and bottles of wine and water adorn the table. In the background, someone snaps a photo, capturing the warm lighting and elegantly arched walls.

Bartolomé Mitre 3214, Mar del Plata

A fancy steakhouse, La Guapa delivered on decor, atmosphere, cheap but excellent red wine, and vegetarian options. I had the zucchini sticks and gnocchi verdura (gnocchi with vegetables), and I was blown away by the pillowy texture of the little pasta bites, the veggies' perfect level of doneness, and the balance of flavours between the earthiness of the sauce and the saltiness of the Parmesan cheese (Argentinians don't salt anything with just salt, apparently). In truth, the food was so good I nearly forgot to photograph my pasta (blogger crimes).

Dessert was the only let-down of the meal - we tried thin crepes with dulce de leche and chocolate, as well as the more traditional flan with dolce de leche, and neither was stellar.

A plate with a portion of gnocchi and mixed vegetables, including carrots and green beans, graces a white tablecloth. Two wine glasses, one partially filled with red wine resembling those found in an Argentina travel guide, and a bottle of sparkling water are on the table. A folded napkin is nearby.

A ceramic bowl filled with golden-brown fried vegetable sticks sits on a white plate, reminiscent of flavors you'd discover in an Argentina travel guide. A lemon wedge is placed beside the bowl, all beautifully presented on a white tablecloth.

A crepe folded into a triangle is served on a white plate, drizzled with chocolate sauce—a delightful addition to any Argentina travel guide.

La Fonte D'Oro

A smiling waiter in a black and white uniform stands at a diner counter, reminiscent of an Argentina travel guide. Several patrons are seated, enjoying their meals as multiple clocks showing different times adorn the wooden wall behind him.

Peatonal: San Martín esq. Córdoba, Mar del Plata

Though this coffee shop belongs to a local chain, the coffee and alfajores at La Fonte D'Oro did not disappoint. Served with the requisite soda and a debonair spirit, this was a place you'd be as comfortable lingering as just shooting back an espresso at the bar. One of the trip's highlights.

But in truth, the best thing I ate in Mar del Plata was the pickled whole anchovies you buy in jars at the port. Don't miss those.

A cup of espresso coffee sits on a small saucer on a granite countertop, reminiscent of the vibrant flavors you'd find in an Argentina travel guide. Next to it lies a round chocolate-covered treat, partially wrapped in clear plastic, inviting you on a sweet cultural journey.

More Places to Visit in Argentina

To read more about my time in Argentina, see here and here. See all the other countries I have been to!

I spent a week in Argentina as part of the first-ever JDC Entwine mission for Russian-speaking Jewish young professionals. The generosity of the Genesis Philanthropy Group made my trip and this entire JDC program for Russian-speaking Jews (RSJs) possible.

All opinions expressed here are my own.

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