We came here on our last night in town. We heard that it gets crowded with locals so we came a…read morelittle early about 8:30 I think. Staff was super friendly and it was full of locals, we did not see a single tourist there. They give you a complementary 2 ounce pour of their sweet wine which was nice, but not something I would drink regularly. We ordered the skirt steak (entraña) with french fries and to start we had the grilled provoleta. It was probably one of the best grilled provolone cheese appetizers we had in Argentina. Their bread basket was fantastic also. The server was very nice and interested in taking our pictures with the food etc. For dessert we ordered the berries with ice cream. It was nice because the berries were quite fresh and a little muddled in their own sauce and not too sweet. Highly recommend the place for people that like local flair but don't expect anything fancy. Most important thing about this place is that it is owned by the staff, there's a little story you can read about it on the menu where they bought the restaurant from the prior owner to keep it going after it was going to close. That makes them very vested in how well the service is and how good the food is. If you get there too late the door will be locked even though people will be waiting outside. They will have put their names in earlier and are waiting to be called in as people leave.

This place was on my list as a recommended steakhouse, particularly for their matambre and…read morematambrito de cerdo, basically, thin flank steaks. But review after review mentioned their pizzanesa, which is, more or less, just a milanesa (weiner schnitzel) in a big round pizza shape. And, apparently these guys are the originators of the concept. I do love a good milanesa, and, as one reviewer put it - "If you think you know pizzanesas, come here. You know nothing." Old school steakhouse feel, waiters as old as the restaurant, but friendly and helpful. The pizzanesa comes in two sizes, one for 2 people, one for 3-4 people. My waiter asserted I could always take the balance home for dinner, and I'd want to, he assured me. And damn, he was right. Pounded thin rump steak, still juicy and flavorful, in a paper thin, absolutely crisp fried to a golden brown crust, topped with zesty tomato sauce, plenty of good mozzarella, prosciutto, arugula, shaved parmesan, and olives (they have other selections of toppings as well). I actually made it through about 2/3 of it and then dutifully packed up the balance to eat later. It ain't cheap - 580 pesos - but it really is enough to feed two, so it's not all that expensive. And, absolutely delicious!

Cheap eats.... This is the place, you can get a $8 steak with sides. Not too bad for the recent…read moreinflation in Argentina. The steak was juicy and tender for something that is under $10. If you want a local dive, this is the place, rich history, this place has been here since 1932.

The food was great! I had a stake and I had no complaints. The way the Argentines cook their…read morestakes is without any seasoning. I didn't mind it because the beef here is just that good. You can put salt on it when you get it so not a problem. They have other foods you can order up at the counter. Also everything else is self serve so just go pick up what you want to drink. Had a great time here with my friend so just come and eat and drink the night away.

Putting it simple: this is where Argentinians go for meat! Go for 'Parrilla Libre' in the menu,…read moreit's an all-you-can-eat assortment of all the good things in a BBQ: empanadas (among the best in town), sausages, different types of meat, salads... all prepared the right way. Great service, amazing wines (try the Luigi Bosca Gala 4, thank me later). Consider you will spend no less than two hours enjoying every mouthful of food... just sit and relax! It's a bit far from downtown, but price-quality speaking is totally worth it!

This is an Argentinians' Parrilla. I mean, this is a place for the demanding locals. Not in a…read moretourist area but worth going there. Argentinians know their meats, they say, but they also know how to honor and respect their meats on a parrilla (bbq). This place is unique since they have all types of beef, pork and sometimes goat cuts. Me and my Argentinean friend started with chorizos, morcillas (black sausage) and one of those inventions that can only be thought of by people who feel for their food: Provoletta a la Parrilla. This is a slice of provoletta cheese, about half an inch thick that is put on the grill with some oregano and other mild spices and let it melt a little so the spices blend into the cheese and the oil from the cheese help form a crust. The warm cheese with a semi caramelized top and soft interior is heaven. After that we took a little rest and then we ordered sweet breads. This is another delicacy: cooked to perfection and with chimichurri sauce. Then we had the famous ribs. No sauce on them, just the perfect savory meat and the more perfect cooking. A new respite and we ordered pork. The pork was just sublime: cooked on the parrilla until the meat was glistening and the fat loose. The chimichurri elevated that pig like if it had wings. We had some beers with all that. Service was cordial and attentive to our request for small servings because we wanted to try several different meats. Go there ready to forget all you know about meats and let the pampa's people show what the gauchos eat without fanfare. It will not fail you.

Has a reputation as being one of the most authentic Neapolitan restaurants in the city. Let's just…read moresay they should take a trip to the beaches (spiagge) of Naples, and sample some of the actual food of the region, because this ain't it. Four of us descended on the place for our weekly lunch.... The only dish we all really liked, and actually, one of the better versions of lengua a la vinagreta (tongue in vinaigrette) that I've had here in BA. Tender as could be and really well seasoned and tangy. Easily the worst thing on the table, gummy, cold, unseasoned and unpleasant eggplant fritters. Nothing redeemable about these. Not even doused with lemon juice and salt. Famous for their pastas... the thing is, Naples is more famous for their dried pasta dishes - thin ribbon pastas like spaghetti and linguine, and tube shaped pastas like paccheri and ziti. So maybe our fault for what we ordered, although the only one of those four that was available on the menu was spaghetti. Fussili with pesto. Okay, the pasta itself was pretty well made, and cooked al dente. But the pesto was little more than chopped basil and garlic in a whole lot of oil. A whole lot. Beneath that pile of pasta is a roughly 1/2″ deep pool of cheap olive oil. No salt, no cheese, no pinenuts. No dice. There is a Neapolitan lasagna. It's a lasagna replacing the meat sauce with a tomato sauce, and replacing the bechamel with ricotta. This did have the ricotta, but then it was layered with ham and cheese (that's very Argentine, not Italian), a lot of cooked spinach, and then topped with bolognese (although, to be fair, while it was the waiter's recommendation, we did have the option of ordering it with classic Neapolitan tomato sauce, which, it turns out, we should have). There is actually a Neapolitan version of bolognese, inspired by the classic ragu of Bologna, using ground beef, carrots, and tomatoes - so this was more or less that. It's just that none of it came together. We will give them that the meatballs weren't bad - surprisingly light, and quite well seasoned, and... there's that tomato sauce that should have been on the lasagna! All around, however, kind of a fail, and we choose to disagree with the assessment of it being an authentic Neapolitan spot.

Definitely a local favorite but not a tourist friendly place as no one even the patrons understood…read moreanything other than Spanish. Google translate doesn't help either. Waited 15 minutes in the table to be acknowledged. Ordered steak medium rare, told him 'jugoso' at least ten times but steak still come out well done. Ordered

Food is great and prices are reasonable. Atmosphere is old…read moreschool. Service is friendly

We had no idea that we were near such an iconic old-school neighborhood fixture when we booked an…read moreinexpensive apartment for our BA stay. It's made all the difference, as there's nothing better to soak in the local culture. Cervantes II is a parilla, a restaurant focussed on the grilling of beef. (Non-beef alternatives include chicken, pork, seafood, salads, and even ravioli with tomato sauce.) Parillas focus on serving a variety of dishes, quality food, quick service, and low prices. And quantity. Each order will be more food than you imagine. As written previously (and I translate badly from the Spanish), Cervantes II is "a neighborhood tavern, a large inn, with large capacity and frequently overcrowded with people waiting by the door." It's true; it's always full. Don't let this scare you: the service and turn-over is fast; you'll be sitting shortly. There's also take-out. We've come here several times, trying different things, working through the menu. Recommendations -- thus far -- include rabas (calamari), matambre (fried pork), bife de chorizo (top sirloin steak), and bife de lomo (tenderloin steak). Everything is made to order, there's free Wi-Fi, and there's never any feeling of being rushed from the table. Enjoy.