The Dandy is a modest chain of ten restaurants in various Buenos Aires locations.
The menu is standard Argentinian. They have some of everything.
They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.
None of the Dandys show up on any "best of Buenos Aires" list that I have seen, either published by Argentinians or published by other Latin America food or turismo reporters.
But locals love the place. Or at least, locals love the Dandy in Alto Palermo.
It has customers at every hour of the day. The Dandy draws a significant crowd for dinner.
The locals are 100% correct.
The Dandy Alto Palermo is an outstanding establishment.
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The Dandy Alto Palermo is in a first rate piece of real estate, a fine older building with twenty foot ceilings on both floors.
The second floor has balconies where one can sit outside and survey the passing scene.
The corner of Santa Fe and Coronel Diaz is super busy ... so there will be plenty of coming and going to see.
They have redecorated carefully to bring on the feel of a late nineteenth century dining room - but with English language slogans painted here and there.
The combination of a good basic building and fine interior decoration works admirably.
The room felt beautiful when we entered - and we were mellow the entire time we were there.
Service is slow and gracious because you are here to make an occasion of your meal.
The prices are unbelievably cheap for what you get.
My wife and I have had two meals here ...
One a "Brunch" special served at lunch time,
and once for a late dinner with substantial salads and sandwiches.
In both cases, we ate like kings and queens.
* * *
Two notes for Americans travelling to Argentina.
Argentinians know this already.
a) Argentine fruit is much better than what we get in the U.S.,
Although not necessarily as good as what is available in Brazil.
That said ...
ARGENTINE FRESH AVOCADOS ARE AMAZING.
One of the stars of our grand bouffe was an enormous slab of avocado toast.
That one slab would have been a meal for one person all by itself.
The avocado on that avocado toast sent both me and my lovely wife to another dimension.
b) Argentine sandwiches are amazing.
Dandy's sandwiches are no exception to this rule.
* * *
My wife and I are eating our way through this city with a number of carefully planned destinations.
Dandy was sort of a "lucked on" discovery.
But we are so big on Dandy that we are kind of making it our "dining hall".
If we are not doing a planned review, and are just hanging out near our apartment,
Dandy is where we go.
Sure there are other places near where we live ...
But why mess around? read more