An absolutely first rate historic restoration cafe…read more Buenos Aires Cafes of the early twentieth century were legendary places. Both the Argentine government and appreciative entrepreneurs have been working to save these great old bars and bodegones. El Federal is one of five historic restaurants that are being run by one company that has the goal of saving them all. The job that has been done on El Federal is absolutely top of the line. This is an outstanding place to eat, an outstanding place to drink and an outstanding room to sit in. * * * El Federal is in San Telmo - already one of the most historic and evocative neighborhoods in Buenos Aires. El Federal takes pride in being a vermutaria. They make their own house vermouth. I have been grabbing house vermouth everywhere I can get it. If you want a Malbec, they got plenty of those too. But to my mind, nothing tastes better or is more refreshing than a good Argentine vermouth. The absolute best vermouth in Buenos Aires that I have found so far is at the Cafe San Juan, also in San Telmo. But the vermouth at El Federal is a formidable number two. It is better than ANY house vermouth I have had in Spain, ANY commercial vermouth I have had in the U.S., Spain or Argentina and any of my more limited tastings in Italy. A number two vermouth in a long run of vermouth tastings all over the world? You want to have this vermouth. * * * How is the food? Outstanding! 1) Big beautiful absolutely marvelous milanesas. Reminder - a meat dish with tomato sauce on top is generally going to be better in Argentina than in the U.S. because their tomatoes are better so their tomato sauce is better. The beef is better too, so I had my milanesa with nalga which is rump steak. Chicken in Buenos Aires generally does not impress, but beef is absolutely positively out of this world. Perfect meat? Perfect tomato sauce? Fine cheese and a great great kitchen? Sign me up! 2) The best french fries I have had in Buenos Aires. The Portenos serves french fries with everything. Argentine french fries are no great shakes. El Chori makes fantastic homemade ketchup to die for ... But the base french fries themselves are no thrill. El Federal makes an outstanding addictive french fry. I could have just drunk vermouth and eaten french fries for lunch and I would have been a happy boy. 3) A super filling super yummy Tortilla with potatoes and onions. That dish is fine in a lot of places, but it is first rate here. 4) A totally tremendous fig and brie dessert. I have been served a lot of fig this and fig that in Buenos Aires. Often the fig dishes are disappointments. THIS fig dish is stellar. The figs are small but first rate and super-tasty. The brie is mild - but it goes with the figs wonderfully. The house makes a compote syrup to go over the duo. They don't put on much, but the fig compote syrup is what takes the dish and sends it over the roof. This is an adult dessert - a combination of sweet and savory as opposed to a dulce de leche sugar pigout. This combination of sweet and savory is magical. * * * If you are in Buenos Aires for any length of time, You absolutely positively want to get to El Federal. But lets imagine this is a short trip and you have a very limited number of days. One neighborhood has two of the best kitchens in the city and the two best vermouths in the world. And it is a cute historic neighborhood to boot with great markets and live tango performances? I for sure would do both. I would go to San Telmo for the day, Have an early meal at El Federal which opens early, closes late and has super flexible hours. No matter what time of day it was, I would drink vermouth. Go messing around San Telmo seeing this and seeing that. On a day when they had their fairs I bought some wonderful artisanal scarves at a good price. (There is junk to be had there too. Use your judgment.) Avoid the tourist restaurants in the indoor mercado, and the overpriced tourist stuff for sale there. Then dinner and more vermouth at the Cafe San Juan. You have to reserve for the Cafe San Juan. You won't have a problem getting into El Federal. Amazing eating, the two best vermouths in the world, and a lot of fun in the afternoon. What's not to like?

Nostalgia is the best selling feature. Opened in 1846, I believe it holds the distinction as the…read moreoldest restaurant/bar in Buenas Aires. That's cool, but of course I care first and foremost about the quality of the food. Here I was left wanting. I tried both the spinach and the ham omelettes. They were huge and covered the majority of the plate, but the spinach one was a bit overcooked. The flavor was fine but uninspiring. I also tried a coffee with whisky and it too was okay but not as satisfying as I desired. The place also has a slight odor, but that could be due to the age of the establishment. It was groovy to enter, but I'm not sure if it is much more than a novelty at this point.

A simple souvenier shop at the beginning of the art street. Good pit stop as they have coffee,…read moresnacks and bathroom. The souveniers seemed a bit pricy..but I guess that's because it's part of the tour stop.

From the owner: Restaurante familiar, cocina tradicional. Todo tipo de carnes, pollo, pescado, pastas caseras,…read morepizzas caseras, comidas elaboradas, cerveza, vinos, café expresso. Pantalla gigante para vivir lo mejor del deporte nacional e internacional.

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.

Imperdible la tortilla a la española. Bien merece soportar las miradas de los parroquianos poco…read moreamigos de los sapos de otro pozo...

A true local spot. Not to be missed when looking for lunch in Buenos Aires. It is nothing fancy,…read moreyou may just walk past-don't. 6 of us walked in and were sat immediately. No one speaks English and we used Google translate for the menu. The staff is extremely patient as we decided on our meal. Everyone in our group loved their meal: Hake with sweet potato and mashed potatoes, grilled chicken, chicken with olives (like a soup), sausage and fries, steak and fries. All well prepared and delicious. Lots of activity and local ambience--the place was continually full! Service was great. If we had more time in BA, would definitely come here again

Great ambiance - local Argentinian food. Nothing fancy, but appealing in every way. Every waiter…read morewas kind and helpful. The portions were plentiful and just delicious. We were lucky to have stumbled onto a treasure.