Day 1-2

[enbits]

I'm happy that you're enjoying the city. I recommend you to do the Teatro Colon tour, lots of history and amazing architecture. Palacio Barolo is also a must.

Coffee Places:

• Flat & White (specialty coffee), I recommend the filtered coffee that they prepare with Chemex
• The Shelter, located in the beautiful and parissine Arroyo Street
• Café Tortoni (traditional coffee), mostfly for the historic building.

Medialunas / Pastries:

• La Fonte D'oro
• Daniel Bakery

 

[CraigM]

What a great forum, so much great feedback and helpful suggestions. Thank you all!!

Tonight we had our first really big meal we ordered so much wine and beer and food, holy bananas. I have never left so much on the table and the bill with tip was about $300. I know that sounds like an enormous amount of money but in any US city that would have been multiples.

 

[Betsy Ross]

What a great forum, so much great feedback and helpful suggestions. Thank you all!!

Tonight we had our first really big meal we ordered so much wine and beer and food, holy bananas. I have never left so much on the table and the bill with tip was about $300. I know that sounds like an enormous amount of money but in any US city that would have been multiples.

How many people was that meal for? That is steep for locals but I agree that in many cities in the States probably would be 3 X the price. Each time I go back to the States I am flabbergasted at how expensive food there is and especially drinks. Here alcohol is much cheaper. Which restaurant did you go to @CraigM?

 

[Digital Nomad]

I'm happy that you're enjoying the city. I recommend you to do the Teatro Colon tour, lots of history and amazing architecture. Palacio Barolo is also a must.

Coffee Places:

• Flat & White (specialty coffee), I recommend the filtered coffee that they prepare with Chemex
• The Shelter, located in the beautiful and parissine Arroyo Street
• Café Tortoni (traditional coffee), mostfly for the historic building.

Medialunas / Pastries:

• La Fonte D'oro
• Daniel Bakery

Agree about Palacio Barolo tour. I thought Cafe Tortoni is overrated but still a beautiful and historic place but once you go that will probably be it and not back. Service is not too good.

What a great forum, so much great feedback and helpful suggestions. Thank you all!!

Tonight we had our first really big meal we ordered so much wine and beer and food, holy bananas. I have never left so much on the table and the bill with tip was about $300. I know that sounds like an enormous amount of money but in any US city that would have been multiples.

Exactly Craig! $300 seems like a lot but I am guessing that probably wasn't more than 4 people if you were at a nice place. I go out with my girlfriend for dinner and some nicer places or a meal at Osaka will set just the two of us back $150 with drinks. But fortunately that isn't the norm here. Lots of affordable places to eat. Easy to drop money in places like Don Julio which is expensive for Porteños but not too bad for a nice place in the States.

Sounds like you are hitting all the right places.

 

[Uncle Wong]

What a great forum, so much great feedback and helpful suggestions. Thank you all!!

Tonight we had our first really big meal we ordered so much wine and beer and food, holy bananas. I have never left so much on the table and the bill with tip was about $300. I know that sounds like an enormous amount of money but in any US city that would have been multiples.

Sounds like you probably saw so many good things on the menu Craig that you wanted to try all of them. I did that one night at a restaurant. Everything sounded so good we ordered one of each thing. Luckily the portions were not too big. Some places the portions are huge!

 

[Blockchain]

What a great forum, so much great feedback and helpful suggestions. Thank you all!!

Tonight we had our first really big meal we ordered so much wine and beer and food, holy bananas. I have never left so much on the table and the bill with tip was about $300. I know that sounds like an enormous amount of money but in any US city that would have been multiples.

@CraigM I am sure people will probably tell you to avoid Don Julio or it is a rip off or overpriced. But that along with El Preferido were my two favorite places for steak. I got some great recommendations from this forum on good places to go to eat.

I will save you some time searching around. Here were my favorite meals that I got from some of the nice members on this forum along with one of the Moderators.

- Republic del Fuego - Decent steaks and other good dishes. Great price compared to the other.

- Picaron - Great food and a lot of variety. Flavorful dishes.

- Tanta - Very good. Big portions

- Osaka - Only good sushi place. All the others were trash.

- La Mar - One of the only good places for seafood.

- Fogon Asado - This place also had great steaks!

- Aramburu - good place for a date night or special occasion. Beware expensive.


@Uncle Wong are there any good Chinese restaurants in BA? I went to Chinatown and most of the places were really bad. If anyone knows of any good Asian places please post. I was surprised even though Chinatown was several blocks most of the places were super touristy and didn't have good Asian food.

 

[Vero]

@CraigM I am sure people will probably tell you to avoid Don Julio or it is a rip off or overpriced. But that along with El Preferido were my two favorite places for steak. I got some great recommendations from this forum on good places to go to eat.

I will save you some time searching around. Here were my favorite meals that I got from some of the nice members on this forum along with one of the Moderators.

- Republic del Fuego - Decent steaks and other good dishes. Great price compared to the other.

- Picaron - Great food and a lot of variety. Flavorful dishes.

- Tanta - Very good. Big portions

- Osaka - Only good sushi place. All the others were trash.

- La Mar - One of the only good places for seafood.

- Fogon Asado - This place also had great steaks!

- Aramburu - good place for a date night or special occasion. Beware expensive.


@Uncle Wong are there any good Chinese restaurants in BA? I went to Chinatown and most of the places were really bad. If anyone knows of any good Asian places please post. I was surprised even though Chinatown was several blocks most of the places were super touristy and didn't have good Asian food.

These are all very good restaurants of Buenos Aires. Some of them are quite expensive. I have been to some before but they are out of my price range now.

Buenos Aires is not known for high quality Asian restaurants.

 

[Calgary Foodie]

What a great forum, so much great feedback and helpful suggestions. Thank you all!!

Tonight we had our first really big meal we ordered so much wine and beer and food, holy bananas. I have never left so much on the table and the bill with tip was about $300. I know that sounds like an enormous amount of money but in any US city that would have been multiples.

What a great start to your trip @CraigM. I admire that you are so busy and doing so many things that most tourists don't do. You are lucky to have good friends in BA to give you good advice on things to do. Also very true this forum is helpful. So much good information on this board.

 

[CraigM]

Agree about Palacio Barolo tour. I thought Cafe Tortoni is overrated but still a beautiful and historic place but once you go that will probably be it and not back. Service is not too good.


Exactly Craig! $300 seems like a lot but I am guessing that probably wasn't more than 4 people if you were at a nice place. I go out with my girlfriend for dinner and some nicer places or a meal at Osaka will set just the two of us back $150 with drinks. But fortunately that isn't the norm here. Lots of affordable places to eat. Easy to drop money in places like Don Julio which is expensive for Porteños but not too bad for a nice place in the States.

Sounds like you are hitting all the right places.

Thanks! It sure helps having a friend here, but also I kept a Word file of all the recommendations on this forum and that is keeping me busy!

The US Youth Orchestra was a paid event. I wanted to see a live orchestra at Teatro Colon and that was the only one on the calendar, the rest were operas and ballets.

 

[CraigM]

What a great start to your trip @CraigM. I admire that you are so busy and doing so many things that most tourists don't do. You are lucky to have good friends in BA to give you good advice on things to do. Also very true this forum is helpful. So much good information on this board.

Thanks and great name! I was born & raised in Calgary, now living in Austin and my family all moved to Kelowna, BC over the years.

 

[CraigM]

How many people was that meal for? That is steep for locals but I agree that in many cities in the States probably would be 3 X the price. Each time I go back to the States I am flabbergasted at how expensive food there is and especially drinks. Here alcohol is much cheaper. Which restaurant did you go to @CraigM?

La Carniceria, jeez the name says it all doesn't it? Looking at the bill this morning it was much closer to $225 or $250 (three people), guess I struggle with math after that much wine. I normally hate wasting food and eating too much makes me feel ill, but last night was all giggles.

Steak restaurants in the US are so expensive. Last night would have been at least $700 in Austin and closer to $1000 at a place like Jeffrey's. In NYC you would probably add 50% to that.

 

[CraigM]

@CraigM I am sure people will probably tell you to avoid Don Julio or it is a rip off or overpriced. But that along with El Preferido were my two favorite places for steak. I got some great recommendations from this forum on good places to go to eat.

I will save you some time searching around. Here were my favorite meals that I got from some of the nice members on this forum along with one of the Moderators.

- Republic del Fuego - Decent steaks and other good dishes. Great price compared to the other.

- Picaron - Great food and a lot of variety. Flavorful dishes.

- Tanta - Very good. Big portions

- Osaka - Only good sushi place. All the others were trash.

- La Mar - One of the only good places for seafood.

- Fogon Asado - This place also had great steaks!

- Aramburu - good place for a date night or special occasion. Beware expensive.


@Uncle Wong are there any good Chinese restaurants in BA? I went to Chinatown and most of the places were really bad. If anyone knows of any good Asian places please post. I was surprised even though Chinatown was several blocks most of the places were super touristy and didn't have good Asian food.

Thanks, more for the list! We ate at El Preferido on Friday night. Last night was La Carniceria. Good thing I'm biking and walking and playing tennis every day!

 

[Johnny]

Great trip report @CraigM! I am itching to come back to Buenos Aires. My apartment is almost done that I bought. They are finishing construction over the next 2 months. I have been to Jeffrey's in Austin for work and you are correct with drinks, wine and good steaks, sides, you can spend over $750 for 3 people. It is crazy.
@earlyretirement took me to Don Julio and it was by far one of the most expensive places in BA but we it was still probably 1/3 of what I would have spent on a business trip at a steakhouse here in the States. We also went to El Preferido for lunch and it was wonderful. The french fries there are the best in town!

If you like Sushi go to Osaka and we also went to Lima Estilo Nikkei and it was very very good.

Lima Estilo Nikkei Recoleta · Hotel Hub Porteño, RodrÃguez Peña 1967, C1021 Cdad. Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentinien

âââââ · Restaurant

maps.app.goo.gl

I agree with Blockchain that the seafood places in BA weren't too good. We went to La Mar for happy hour a few nights and dinner and the seafood here was delicious. Seafood was also good at Osaka and Lima Estilo Nikkei. But nothing beat the homemade Asado that we went to. I still dream about that!

Have fun @CraigM!

 

[Digital Nomad]

Thanks! It sure helps having a friend here, but also I kept a Word file of all the recommendations on this forum and that is keeping me busy!

The US Youth Orchestra was a paid event. I wanted to see a live orchestra at Teatro Colon and that was the only one on the calendar, the rest were operas and ballets.

You sound very organized! That is the way to do it. That is what I did before I came down. I made a Google docs with a list of things that I read and a few months in and I'm still busy. There is a lot to see and do here in Argentina.

 

[Jenn]

Thank you! I think I will follow your itinerary. Also, @CraigM have you checked out any gyms at all? I heard personal trainers are very affordable there. I want to get a bunch of facials, massages and maybe yoga or personal trainer time as well. Please post if you find a good gym you like.

 

[Floripa]

Great trip so far @CraigM. Did you decide to go to Iguazu Falls? When you heading there? I will be curious what your thoughts are since you were initially hesitant to go. I think you will really love it.

 

[earlyretirement]

@CraigM I am sure people will probably tell you to avoid Don Julio or it is a rip off or overpriced. But that along with El Preferido were my two favorite places for steak. I got some great recommendations from this forum on good places to go to eat.

I will save you some time searching around. Here were my favorite meals that I got from some of the nice members on this forum along with one of the Moderators.

- Republic del Fuego - Decent steaks and other good dishes. Great price compared to the other.

- Picaron - Great food and a lot of variety. Flavorful dishes.

- Tanta - Very good. Big portions

- Osaka - Only good sushi place. All the others were trash.

- La Mar - One of the only good places for seafood.

- Fogon Asado - This place also had great steaks!

- Aramburu - good place for a date night or special occasion. Beware expensive.


@Uncle Wong are there any good Chinese restaurants in BA? I went to Chinatown and most of the places were really bad. If anyone knows of any good Asian places please post. I was surprised even though Chinatown was several blocks most of the places were super touristy and didn't have good Asian food.

I'm glad you got to hit so many of those places I recommended to you. Those are some of my favorite places in Buenos Aires. There are definitely some great restaurants in Buenos Aires. I hope you are planning on coming back @Blockchain.

Thanks, more for the list! We ate at El Preferido on Friday night. Last night was La Carniceria. Good thing I'm biking and walking and playing tennis every day!

@CraigM, I love El Preferido de Palermo. On the pricey side now but never had a bad meal there. I'm glad you're having such a great time and so active. Fabulous that you're playing tennis everyday. My kids do that when we are in town. They take a private lesson every morning. Glad you're doing the same.

 

[Spend Thrift]

I'm not sure if you like art @CraigM but the MALBA museum is worth a visit too if you like art. The Museo de Bellas Artes is also nice. It doesn't sound like you made it to San Telmo yesterday but that is worth visiting as well preferably on Sunday when it is busy. BA is also a fabulous walking city if you didn't figure that out.

 

[Anchor Baby]

Thanks Betsy! Lessons are $20-30/hr including court which is very cheap. There's a Whatsapp group for tennis in BA (mostly English) where you can find coaches and people to play.

This is the massage place https://www.instagram.com/estetica.jyn/, it's right on Santa Fe near Plaza Italia. I believe it was $25 including a good tip.

My friend here also set me up on the Ecobici bike app, otherwise I probably wouldn't have figured it out. The app has a really poor rating and I'm guessing it's due to the setup, because once you get past that it's really easy to get bikes and return them. Some of the bikes aren't in the best shape or have low tires but there's enough at each station to find a decent one. It's a fantastic way to get around and not have to worry about theft.

We use the Ecobici bike app daily and it works good. Glad you are enjoying your trip.

 

[Mother Russia Argentina]

Thanks! It sure helps having a friend here, but also I kept a Word file of all the recommendations on this forum and that is keeping me busy!

The US Youth Orchestra was a paid event. I wanted to see a live orchestra at Teatro Colon and that was the only one on the calendar, the rest were operas and ballets.

I also went to this on Saturday afternoon. Very nice and talented young people. Our favorite was the Third Act. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov composition was quite splendid! The acoustics in the Teatro Colon is like nothing I experienced before. Very nice. Glad you could enjoy it too @CraigM.