One thing that is really great about Buenos Aires, is that you can get excellent steak for a cheap price. Everything else may be expensive, but a steak dinner is going to cost you much less than in the US.
Since I am traveling on a budget, I do not eat out at restaurants very often. I have been saving up my steak restaurant reviews over the few months I have lived in Buenos Aires, and now I am ready to share.
Welcome to Steak Extravaganza Week on The Travel Chica.
Well, it’s going to be two weeks because there is A LOT of steak in Buenos Aires.
I had steak at three of what I consider to be the “middle-end” steak restaurants in Buenos Aires in three different neighborhoods. Here’s what I think.
El Obrero
I had read about El Obrero online. It was described as a good value steak restaurant for locals.
So I recruited Rease and Ayngelina to join me in La Boca for dinner. This was actually my first steak dinner this trip to Buenos Aires, so I had high expectations.
I was not disappointed.
We started with the Provoleta. It is just fried cheese, but it is wonderful fried cheese.
My bife de ojo (ribeye) was absolutely wonderful. So full of flavor, and it was probably as big as my head!
I ate leftovers for 2 days!
Cost
Including a bottle of wine and appetizer split 3 ways, my meal cost 95 pesos (US$23.75) Not too bad for a meal this great, plus the leftovers.
Tips
El Obrero is in a pretty sketchy neighborhood in La Boca. Plus the buses that go through La Boca apparently do not like to follow their planned route, so you may get dropped off several blocks away and have to walk through a scary area.
Go for lunch instead of dinner. Take a taxi (especially if going at night).
Manolo’s
I wanted to go to Manolo’s as soon as I read Ayngelina’s post San Telmo Steakhouse Smackdown. Cheap and good is my kind of restaurant. So I recruited Jeff from Lengthy Travel to join me.
I have to say I was disappointed with my steak.
It was overcooked. In Buenos Aires, you have two options: jugoso (juicy, aka somewhere between medium rare and medium) or a punto (aka well done). I find it odd that in a steak-loving country there are only two traditional ways to order your steak, but that’s another discussion. I actually prefer my steak medium-rare.
So when I ask for it jugoso, and it comes out medium-well, I’m not happy. Note that if you put loads of chimichurri on an overcooked steak, it tastes much better.
On the plus side, the rest of the meal was fantastic.
We shared the mushrooms as an appetizer. Look at all that garlic!
The best part was the dessert.
The chocolate mousse at Manolo’s is un-freaking-believable!
Cost
Since we went at lunchtime, we ordered from the menu ejecutivo. For 40 pesos (US$10.00), we each had ½ bife de chorizo, a ridiculous amount of fries, a glass of wine, and dessert.
Tips
I later found out that Restaurante Manolo is not really known as a steak house, so try the other dishes. They have an extensive menu.
El Trapiche
I had heard from many expats that El Trapiche is one of the best places for lomo (filet) in Palermo at a reasonable price. Once again I recruited Jeff, and we went for lunch to take advantage of the lower prices.
I have a slight obsession with chimichurri.
As soon as I sit down at a restaurant, I ask the server to bring me chimichurri because I slather it on my bread and anything else they serve me. It is the perfect condiment.
El Trapiche has the spiciest chimichurri I have tried in Buenos Aires. Delicious!
I had the lomo with roasted veggies and fries.
The flavor of the steak was good, but it was a bit overcooked.
Cost
For the lunch special and splitting a huge appetizer, the cost was 53 pesos (US$13.25). Plus I once again had leftovers.
Tip
Don’t eat the flan. Food poisoning. I’ll spare you the details.
Our meal was so cheap because we went at lunch and ordered from the menu ejecutivo.
El Trapiche is located in Palermo Hollywood on Paraguay.
The Verdict
El Obrero wins this contest.
Excellent food at a good price in a good atmosphere. It is worth the trip to the ‘hood and the extra cost of the taxi.
Sebastian says
This is not fair!!! I am missing a good steak. Here in Bulgaria the food isn’t very good!
Sebastian recently posted..Hiking Mt. Musala in Bulgaria
The Travel Chica says
At least you are finding other things to enjoy in Bulgaria. I need to travel somewhere that the food is bad, so I stop eating so much
The Travel Chica recently posted..Buena Birra in Buenos Aires
Sebastian says
Unfortunately, even with bad food I don’t stop eating!
Sebastian recently posted..Hiking Mt. Musala in Bulgaria
steak dishes says
Marinades work great on cuts like skirt or flank steak since the acid helps break down tough connective tissue.
Matthew Cheyne says
I’m with Sebastian. I’m missing out on good steak too despite living in Australia where we’re supposed to be re-knowned for it. We’re also re-knowned for our ridiculously expensive restaurant steak. You’d be looking at $20 and above for a pieice of steak in a restaurant here in Australia and for that money there’s no guarantee that your T Bone is going be any good.
So when in Australia do what the Australians do. Eat Kangaroo instead. It’s not easy to find but good when you find it. Way way cheaper than steak in most places it’s got a rich flavor that people say is a bit like Buffalo not that I’ve had Buffalo.
I love the fact that the South Americans love their meat. Whenever anybody tells me to eat more veggies I always bring up Argentina and Uruguay where they eat tonnes of meat and little or no veggies and you don’t see people dropping dead in the streets. The meat of choice here in Australia by the way is lamb and it’s virtually unpatriotic to not eat lamb on Australia Day – January 26; the day we become one federated commonwealth nation.
Thank you so much for the reviews I’m going to check these places out come my chance to go to Buenos Aires.
The Travel Chica says
I have had buffalo burgers, and I really like the taste. I didn’t realize Aussies ate kangaroo. I will definitely give it a try when I get there…. sounds like I won’t be able to afford any steak
They may eat a lot of meat and very few veggies in Argentina (they think potatoes are vegetables), but I have to imagine there are a lot of health problems here. I do not know the specific statistics, but another expat commented on a previous post about the obesity and diabetes issues.
Bottom line: It is great to eat a lot of good steak in Argentina if you’re visiting, but you have to watch yourself if you’re going to live here.
The Travel Chica recently posted..Buena Birra in Buenos Aires
Matthew Cheyne says
Kangaroos have always been eaten by the aborigines of Australia but only in the last 20 years or so has it really been commercialized. They actually sell the meat in mince form in Coles – one of the major supermarkets here for around $6 a kilo which is the same that you pay for 3 star beef mince. It’s at least half the supermarket price of steak, maybe a third.
I’ve just done a Google search for Kangaroo Steak in Melbourne and it’s a rather expensive delicacy. I’ve found prices of between $28 and $38. The $28 restaurant is located in the famous Lygon Street restaurant strip where most restaurants are expensive. The link for it is here: http://www.lygonstreetcarlton.com.au/ilgusto/menu.htm It is for Il Gusto Restaurant only a few minutes drive time from the Melbourne CBD.
I first tried Kangaroo at a pub in South Australia the state to the west of us near a little town called Hahndorf about 30km away from the capital Adelaide. I had a Kangaroo steak pie and it was absolutely beautiful. I felt a bit uneasy initially about eating Kangaroo but once I took a bite I ended up loving it.
If you ever end up in South Australia I highly recommend a trip to Hanhdorf. It’s about an hour or so drive from Adelaide and it’s this German themed town where everything is German.
Oh! Before I go on. If you ever want to try German food we have this restaurant that is on top of Mount Dandenong which overlooks Melbourne called the Cuckoo. I went there in high school with a school group and it was awesome. I highly recommend it and Mount Dandenong as a day trip if you’re staying in Melbourne.
Back to Hanhdorf though. It’s about one hundred years old this town if not older. Here is a link to more information about Hahndorf which is conveniently located near several wineries in the Adelaide Hills http://www.exploringaustralia.com.au/showplace.php?s=adel&p=92 .
As for the Cuckoo restaurant a link for that is here: http://www.cuckoorestaurant.com.au/ . Expect snow if you go there in Winter because Mount Dandenong is typically snowing on a cold Melbourne winters day.
The Travel Chica says
You are going to be my go-to person for planning a trip to Australia. Excellent tips!!
By the way, I just finished the Bill Bryson book. He makes Australia seem like such a wonderful, magical place to explore.
The Travel Chica recently posted..Buena Birra in Buenos Aires
Matthew Cheyne says
Australia really is what Bill Bryson writes it to be.
We’re a country of huge contrasts. We’re only 23 million people inhabiting a continent but yet we’re more urbanized than Japan. We’re really well known for our outback but in my opinion the best of Australia is in places like Melbourne and Sydney; Melbourne in particular because it is always constantly evolving and something is always going on. Many different cultures yet one nation.
A lot of people in Australia when they retire either buy or hire a caravan and go traveling around the country as a fulfillment of their lifeline ambition. We call them the grey nomads and there are literally thousands of these caravans on the roads and people spend months sometimes years at a time seeing the country.
People under 30 on the other hand prefer to go overseas to Asia where prices are much cheaper than here in Australia or further afield to Europe or North America when it comes to traveling. It’s a strange thing with young people. They know a lot about overseas but haven’t traveled much within their own country.
50+ and on the r says
Another of your posts going in the file for our December. I’m not much of a carnivore, but those two giant sons of mine certainly are! Thank you!
50+ and on the r recently posted..And You Don’t Have to Go to the Mall
The Travel Chica says
They’ll love it here!
The Travel Chica recently posted..Buena Birra in Buenos Aires
Philip says
More great food pics. I never thought I would crave streak at 7:00 a.m. but right now I do! btw Stephanie, I am curious about your Globetrottng links at the bottom of your page. Are those working for you traffic-wise?
The Travel Chica says
I think a lot of Argentines eat steak at 7am, but it is because they are coming home from the clubs then
Will email you about the traffic.
The Travel Chica recently posted..Halloween Photo Fun with Foto-Ruta
Curt says
I’ll probably never visit either one, but they both look so inviting and beautiful!
Curt recently posted..Drive Your Traffic Thru the Social Network Tunnel
ayngelina says
Oh that really sucks, I loved Manolo and mine was so rare and lovely.
ayngelina recently posted..Jordan surprises a food snob
The Travel Chica says
Not sure what happened, but at least the mushrooms and chocolate mousse made up for it!
The Travel Chica recently posted..Halloween Photo Fun with Foto-Ruta
Jeff says
Well, there is/was an open question of whether I was the bad luck factor… Wish I had made it to El Obrero myself and I remember you telling me about it but then just sort of forgot to go
Jeff recently posted..Street Art: Buenos Aires, Argentina – Part III
The Travel Chica says
I forgot about Jeff’s bad luck with restaurants potentially ruining the experience.
Jeff, there is another one that I told you we should go to…. the splurge! I think the photos in that post might make you wish we had gone while you were in BA.
The Travel Chica recently posted..Buena Birra in Buenos Aires
Cheryl says
I love when the meal is so big that you have leftovers! Feeding yourself for more than one day is key when you have a budget.
Sorry to hear about the food poisoning. No fun!
Cheryl recently posted..Lock In Your Love in … Budapest.
The Travel Chica says
I was actually just writing a little something about ways to save money while traveling on a budget
The Travel Chica recently posted..Halloween Photo Fun with Foto-Ruta
DTravelsRound says
That first steak is HUGE!!!! Holy moly!!
DTravelsRound recently posted..I’m not full of it, I’m shoveling it
The Travel Chica says
I learned my lesson that first time to ALWAYS share steaks when you order in restaurants.
The Travel Chica recently posted..Halloween Photo Fun with Foto-Ruta
Andrea says
Ugh – I hated when they overcooked the meat in Argie. When they got it right, though, it was sublime!
Andrea recently posted..Savic Hotel: A Romantic Place to Stay in Prague
The Travel Chica says
Even more reason to cook for yourself here!
The Travel Chica recently posted..Halloween Photo Fun with Foto-Ruta
Steve says
I can’t believe how cheap it is for (what sounds and sure looks like) great food! I’d probably drop dead from a heart attack within a month, but what a month it would be!
How are they with other kinds of meats down there? Any good chicken?
Steve recently posted..Rawhide Western Town – How I Sent My Wife To Jail
The Travel Chica says
Yes, chicken exists in Argentina. But it is most likely going to be breaded and deep-friend as a “milanesa.”
They like their pork too, and in nicer restaurants it is really excellent.
But the carne still reigns!
The Travel Chica recently posted..Buena Birra in Buenos Aires
Emily S. says
Is it wrong that I was salivating more over the photo of the fried cheese than the steak?!
Emily S. recently posted..You Can Has Vacation With TravelScout
The Travel Chica says
Provoleta is a delicious and evil thing.
The Travel Chica recently posted..Buena Birra in Buenos Aires
Erica says
This makes me miss my beef from home so badly. We’ll be there soonish and I’ll fill my belly with yummy beef.
Erica recently posted..Photo Essay: Hangin’ in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
The Travel Chica says
Be sure to read Ayngelina’s post warning about what happens when you eat too much steak
The Travel Chica recently posted..Buena Birra in Buenos Aires
Erica says
Yeah, I’ve read it – Shaun won’t shut up about telling people the precautions – even OVER DINNER.
Erica recently posted..Non-Stop Partying in Bocas del Toro, Panama
Hogga says
I want alllll the steaks from everywhereeeeee!!!! PS I LOVE chimichurri! Do you know a good recipe?
Hogga recently posted..Awesome Events in London 2012
The Travel Chica says
I wish I did! I used the chimichurri mix pack, and it’s okay. But it’s not like the really good stuff you find in some restaurants. I also had a good one that tasted like it might have had some curry mixed in.
All I know is that I will greatly miss the chimichurri when I leave Argentina.
The Travel Chica recently posted..Buena Birra in Buenos Aires
TheWorldOrBust says
I remember eating steaks as thick as a text book like the ones in your pics and drinking a liter Quilmes every night for dinner for a month. I think I almost had gout by the time I came home. Beef = Happiness
The Travel Chica says
You definitely adopted the normal Porteno lifestyle
The Travel Chica recently posted..Buena Birra in Buenos Aires
Danielle says
Thanks for sharing the reviews on your steak experiences. Totally making me hungry! I have to say though that one of the best steaks I’ve ever had was in Australia (Melbourne). While it wasn’t cheap (food in general was expensive there), it certainly was worth it.
Jennie says
Great post !!! I’ve done a similar comparison in Columbus with veggie sushi and veggie burgers!!! LOVE the “El Trapuche” picture. Love the depth of field and the mushrooms….OMG!! Getting close to major holidays. Hope to hear more about how you cope so far away….
The Travel Chica says
Thanks, Jennie. You’ll have to fill me in on the best of Columbus when I return
Unfortunately, I find it easy to forget about holidays that are not celebrated where I am. I think Christmas will be the difficult one.
The Travel Chica recently posted..Buena Birra in Buenos Aires
Italian Notes says
Those servings look gigantic. Just looking makes me full:)
Italian Notes recently posted..What If Italy Lost Its Beauty?
The Travel Chica says
The one good thing about eating out in Argentina is that you can almost always split one dish.
The Travel Chica recently posted..The Impressive Teatro Colon Opera House in Buenos Aires
Rease says
Oh how I loved our El Obrero adventure. We are idiots for being there so late!
Rease recently posted..Becoming a Travel Writer: Get Paid to Travel
The Travel Chica says
Not so much being there so late but taking a bus and walking several blocks so late.
The Travel Chica recently posted..The Impressive Teatro Colon Opera House in Buenos Aires
Jade says
Yum! We don’t eat steak enough, even though there are tons of great restuarants in our area. Maybe this weekend… I’m starving now!
Camels & Chocolate says
It’s official: I would get FAT if living in Buenos Aires. All the food photos you post look amazing!
Camels & Chocolate recently posted..Siem Reap by Night, Angkor Wat by Sunrise
The Travel Chica says
I have gotten FAT living in Buenos Aires!!
The Travel Chica recently posted..The Impressive Teatro Colon Opera House in Buenos Aires
Indian restaurant Sandbach says
Definitely lovely and mouth-watering presentation just remind of me of the curry in Sandbach and I think one of the best I’ve tasted so far.
Turtle says
Wow… they all look so good! how am I going to fit so many steaks into my little (but growing) belly over the next couple of weeks! Arghhh!
The Travel Chica says
I warned you… better start hitting the gym while you’re living in Buenos Aires
The Travel Chica recently posted..The Impressive Teatro Colon Opera House in Buenos Aires
Emily says
Yum! We have some pretty darn good steak here in Texas, but it looks like Buenos Aires has some tasty meat, too! Can’t wait to go there and try it myself.
Emily recently posted..Five Ways to Stay Fit When You Travel
Nomadic Samuel says
Oh, the dessert definitely does look like the ‘best part’!
Nomadic Samuel recently posted..Teach English in Taiwan | Bamboo Butterfly
Victor says
Verdict: All dishes look like wonderful
Victor recently posted..Provence Cuisine of France – isn’t the King naked by any chance?!