Newcomer Don Julio or La Cabrera ?

[CartyHTY]

Both places seem to have their merits, but has anyone visited both? If you have, could you share your insights and perhaps suggest reasons for favoring one over the other? Appreciate it!

 

[CarinCot]

I've dined at both establishments, and if I were to choose, I'd go with Don Julio. Frankly, both places have received a fair bit of hype on various forums, leading to increased prices and limited availability. However, don't stress too much about getting a reservation at either. As mentioned earlier, there are plenty of other parrilladas in the city to explore.

 

[JulianBC]

I would recommend Don Julio over these two well known restaurants. The availability of reservations might play a role in your decision. Previously, La Cabrera was more accessible without a reservation, especially if you arrived when they opened. However, I'm not sure if that still holds true.

Keep in mind that there are numerous other parrillas offering excellent meats and quality service. La Chosa is also a personal favorite.

 

[CartyHTY]

Where is La Chosa located?

I would recommend Don Julio over these two well known restaurants. The availability of reservations might play a role in your decision. Previously, La Cabrera was more accessible without a reservation, especially if you arrived when they opened. However, I'm not sure if that still holds true.

Keep in mind that there are numerous other parrillas offering excellent meats and quality service. La Chosa is also a personal favorite.

 

[JulianBC]

You're looking for La Choza de Gascon, situated on the corner of Calle Gascon and Aráoz in Palermo. During our last visit, a local Argentine family at the neighboring table kindly cautioned us not to over order due to the generous portions. They were absolutely right my wife ordered a bife de lomo, and to our surprise, three steaks arrived, each as substantial as a typical fillet steak back home.

Where is La Chosa located?

 

[SpeededQ]

Are menus in English and do the waiters speak English? Is the majority of restaurants Spanish speaking only?

 

[Marci12]

Are menus in English and do the waiters speak English? Is the majority of restaurants Spanish speaking only?

I haven't had the chance to visit La Cabrera, but at Don Julio, you'll find menus in English, and they provide English speaking waitstaff. The overall experience at Don Julio, including the food, service, and ambiance, is truly fantastic. Honestly, you can't go wrong with either choice.

 

[JulianBC]

In Buenos Aires, you'll find a range of restaurants catering to international visitors, and many of them do have menus available in English. In areas frequented by tourists, like Palermo and Recoleta, it's common to encounter English-speaking staff, especially in more upscale establishments.

However, it's always a good idea to learn some basic Spanish phrases, as it can enhance your experience and interactions with locals. Even in places where English is spoken, locals appreciate when visitors make an effort to communicate in Spanish.

Are menus in English and do the waiters speak English? Is the majority of restaurants Spanish speaking only?

 

[StatusNomadicus]

La Cabrera is absolute trash; I was just there last week. If you go to Applebee's in the USA, you will have a much better time, and spend less. Summary: we went for the 40%-off "happy hour" early dinner 18:30-20:00, and the steak was cooked extremely poorly and inconsistently, no one spoke English and my ~6 years of Spanish was still difficult to understand/inquire, the staff are very rude and you never have the same waiter, every thing they bring you is poorly explained so you don't really know what you're being shown (hot applesauce and cold mushrooms...do I just eat these as a snack, or wait until the steak to pair them with?), there is a 1400 Peso "cubierto" table service charge per person which is illegal in CABA unless they provide 250 mL of water, gluten-free bread options, and sodium-free salt options, my steak had 3 pieces of "tenderloin" which were all cooked differently rare/medium/well and really just average in flavor and quality (i'm no grill master, but i can do a better steak at home with a $8 cut from a normal grocery store), my partner's steak was the expensive Ribeye and it was raw inside and horribly tough (it went to the dog), they lied later when I complained about the Cubierto gringo-tax scam and said the waiter cut my steak and I told him it was good (no one cut our steaks, though they did cut one table's), the Canadian couple next to us were too timid to complain but their steaks were also bad and horribly uncooked in the center, another Expat couple gave my dog their leftover steak because it was horrible, the salads are complete sh*t and the "Caesar" was really bad with no romaine and not-Caesar dressing, my "Rucula" salad was literally just arugula with powdered Parmesan cheese dumped on top with no dressing (and I'm talking low-tier Kraft powdered parmesan that you get at pizza chains in packets), there was no wine/drink list, we weren't sat on time at 18:30 like they swore (you have to register by 18:00 for the 18:30-20:00 discount), they said if we were there past 20:00 we would be charged full price on everything then 19:30-20:15 we waited with credit card out and the waiters were nowhere to be seen, horribly unstaffed and the existing staff are bad and seem like they have never worked at a nice restaurant before, we ordered Agua Sin Gas but never got any water at all, the bill was still over $50 USD for 2 steaks and 2 salads and a bottle of wine all at 40% off (so it would have been at least $75 USD for that garbage meal, which would get you 5 tasty meals elsewhere for a couple), we finally got to pay and they tried to add the aforementioned Cubierto fee x2 and charge me for the bottle of water, I told them i'm not paying a Cubierto since the only thing the menu said was an "Entertainment Charge/Service" which made no sense and I still don't know what that was supposed to include, and after 30 minutes of stating my case with the female manager, she continually tried to argue the facts. she said a server swore he cut our steaks, but when he talked to me he said 'oh i must have been thinking about the other table,' and then when i said there was no salad dressing the other server pointed to the now-cleaned table where i once was and said there was a bottle of olive oil, i explained it wasn't there when i was there, they had just flipped the table over for the 20:00 full-price dinner and even so, there was STILL a missing Balsamic bottle hahaha, i finally got them to agree to drop the 2x Cubierto and the water, but they made no effort to make things right and didn't even offer me a discounted dinner, just words of 'this won't happen again, next time it will be a perfect dinner' blah blah blah, so I was forced and pressured to pay with 3 people standing around me, so instead of a bad conflict I just gave them my card and disputed the charge later with the bank. this was something i would expect to happen in some run-down restaurant in the middle of nowhere, but if you were sold the lie that I was that La Cabrera in Palermo is anything like a world-class restaurant/steakhouse like in Miami and elsewhere, we have been lied to, and it's all marketing from horrible employees at a crap company. the Red Blend Malbec was excellent...that was the only aspect that was enjoyable. 1/10, wish I had never gone, absolutely ridiculous. note that there are 2 different La Cabrera buildings: Cabrera 5127 https://www.google.com/maps/@-34.58...kqGDq7f8b6d7dRyQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?entry=ttu

and Cabrera 5099, south of it, in a corner building. https://www.google.com/maps/@-34.58...75oAS6zvCddDdwFg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?entry=ttu

i went to the corner building for the "Happy Hour" and i would expect the trash quality and crap service to be the same at the other location, even at the 20:00-onward full-priced menu. will not be back, but i'm hoping Don Julio isn't also a tourist trap.

 

[Darksider415]

I’ve always had good experiences at Don Julio, but it’s expensive for BsAs. I’d go to El Preferido or La Carneceria myself, if I’m not in a mood to try for a Don Julio reservation, or Somos Asado in Villa Crespo.

If you’re wanting a solid meat coma for less, there’s one on Salguero, between Honduras and El Salvador that I used to frequent. They apparently renamed, but it used to be called La Barata. Obviously, that was before the current inflation cycle hit. 😅

 

[Che Vos]

La Cabrera is absolute trash; I was just there last week. If you go to Applebee's in the USA, you will have a much better time, and spend less. Summary: we went for the 40%-off "happy hour" early dinner 18:30-20:00, and the steak was cooked extremely poorly and inconsistently, no one spoke English and my ~6 years of Spanish was still difficult to understand/inquire, the staff are very rude and you never have the same waiter, every thing they bring you is poorly explained so you don't really know what you're being shown (hot applesauce and cold mushrooms...do I just eat these as a snack, or wait until the steak to pair them with?), there is a 1400 Peso "cubierto" table service charge per person which is illegal in CABA unless they provide 250 mL of water, gluten-free bread options, and sodium-free salt options, my steak had 3 pieces of "tenderloin" which were all cooked differently rare/medium/well and really just average in flavor and quality (i'm no grill master, but i can do a better steak at home with a $8 cut from a normal grocery store), my partner's steak was the expensive Ribeye and it was raw inside and horribly tough (it went to the dog), they lied later when I complained about the Cubierto gringo-tax scam and said the waiter cut my steak and I told him it was good (no one cut our steaks, though they did cut one table's), the Canadian couple next to us were too timid to complain but their steaks were also bad and horribly uncooked in the center, another Expat couple gave my dog their leftover steak because it was horrible, the salads are complete sh*t and the "Caesar" was really bad with no romaine and not-Caesar dressing, my "Rucula" salad was literally just arugula with powdered Parmesan cheese dumped on top with no dressing (and I'm talking low-tier Kraft powdered parmesan that you get at pizza chains in packets), there was no wine/drink list, we weren't sat on time at 18:30 like they swore (you have to register by 18:00 for the 18:30-20:00 discount), they said if we were there past 20:00 we would be charged full price on everything then 19:30-20:15 we waited with credit card out and the waiters were nowhere to be seen, horribly unstaffed and the existing staff are bad and seem like they have never worked at a nice restaurant before, we ordered Agua Sin Gas but never got any water at all, the bill was still over $50 USD for 2 steaks and 2 salads and a bottle of wine all at 40% off (so it would have been at least $75 USD for that garbage meal, which would get you 5 tasty meals elsewhere for a couple), we finally got to pay and they tried to add the aforementioned Cubierto fee x2 and charge me for the bottle of water, I told them i'm not paying a Cubierto since the only thing the menu said was an "Entertainment Charge/Service" which made no sense and I still don't know what that was supposed to include, and after 30 minutes of stating my case with the female manager, she continually tried to argue the facts. she said a server swore he cut our steaks, but when he talked to me he said 'oh i must have been thinking about the other table,' and then when i said there was no salad dressing the other server pointed to the now-cleaned table where i once was and said there was a bottle of olive oil, i explained it wasn't there when i was there, they had just flipped the table over for the 20:00 full-price dinner and even so, there was STILL a missing Balsamic bottle hahaha, i finally got them to agree to drop the 2x Cubierto and the water, but they made no effort to make things right and didn't even offer me a discounted dinner, just words of 'this won't happen again, next time it will be a perfect dinner' blah blah blah, so I was forced and pressured to pay with 3 people standing around me, so instead of a bad conflict I just gave them my card and disputed the charge later with the bank. this was something i would expect to happen in some run-down restaurant in the middle of nowhere, but if you were sold the lie that I was that La Cabrera in Palermo is anything like a world-class restaurant/steakhouse like in Miami and elsewhere, we have been lied to, and it's all marketing from horrible employees at a crap company. the Red Blend Malbec was excellent...that was the only aspect that was enjoyable. 1/10, wish I had never gone, absolutely ridiculous. note that there are 2 different La Cabrera buildings: Cabrera 5127 https://www.google.com/maps/@-34.58...kqGDq7f8b6d7dRyQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?entry=ttu

and Cabrera 5099, south of it, in a corner building. https://www.google.com/maps/@-34.58...75oAS6zvCddDdwFg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?entry=ttu

i went to the corner building for the "Happy Hour" and i would expect the trash quality and crap service to be the same at the other location, even at the 20:00-onward full-priced menu. will not be back, but i'm hoping Don Julio isn't also a tourist trap.

Can you use paragraphs? It's hard to read your post.

Honestly, if you can't understand Spanish and you took 6 YEARS of it then you sound like a very slow learner."

If you can't find a good steak in Buenos Aires you better just leave Argentina now. Ha. Ha. You are saying that 90% of places you get bad service. You sound like the ugly tourist that would complain anywhere you are. I admit my country is not perfect with a lot of problems but you sound like a very problematic ugly tourist.

Many restaurants charge a cubierto fee. Are you really complaining about a $1.40 US fee? Ha. You make me laugh. Your bad experiences in Buenos Aires are because you are a cheap and ugly tourist. All my American friends that aren't cheap like you have an amazing time in Buenos Aires. Spare yourself more bad times and just go home.

The biggest problem with ugly American tourists is they don't know they are ugly tourists. They think the problem is with everyone else. Imagine trying to convince people you have taken 6 years of Spanish classes and you can't communicate in a Spanish speaking country. We have some differences with words but no one I know that has taken 6 years of Spanish can't get around and communicate at restaurants. This sounds like a case of user error.

Your bad experiences in Argentina are because you're an ugly American complaining about $1.40 cubiertos.

 

[Che Vos]

I’ve always had good experiences at Don Julio, but it’s expensive for BsAs. I’d go to El Preferido or La Carneceria myself, if I’m not in a mood to try for a Don Julio reservation, or Somos Asado in Villa Crespo.

If you’re wanting a solid meat coma for less, there’s one on Salguero, between Honduras and El Salvador that I used to frequent. They apparently renamed, but it used to be called La Barata. Obviously, that was before the current inflation cycle hit. 😅

Yes, Don Julio's IS expensive and my family saves it for once a year type celebrations. We don't make much money but we still will save up for a special occasion. I agree El Preferido is very good and much less expensive. I don't think it's worth it to wait for Don Julio compared to many other places.

Out of these two, Don Julio is clearly superior. But it's more expensive too.

 

[Darksider415]

Yes, Don Julio's IS expensive and my family saves it for once a year type celebrations. We don't make much money but we still will save up for a special occasion. I agree El Preferido is very good and much less expensive. I don't think it's worth it to wait for Don Julio compared to many other places.

Out of these two, Don Julio is clearly superior. But it's more expensive too.

Likewise. I've been four times, once to celebrate moving to Argentina, once for my birthday last year, then for my first date in Buenos Aires with my wife, and finally for our shared birthday celebration.

As for the comments above about service... I personally enjoy the Argentine style of service of "get the order, bring the food and leave me alone unless needed." Also, we're in Argentina, it's only polite to try and speak to folks in Spanish.

 

[Che Vos]

Likewise. I've been four times, once to celebrate moving to Argentina, once for my birthday last year, then for my first date in Buenos Aires with my wife, and finally for our shared birthday celebration.

As for the comments above about service... I personally enjoy the Argentine style of service of "get the order, bring the food and leave me alone unless needed." Also, we're in Argentina, it's only polite to try and speak to folks in Spanish.

@Darksider415 you sound like a great local. You mentioned your wife is from Brazil so I'm sure in many ways you are like a Latino in many aspects. I read your posts and you come across as loving my country. Like you, we go for very special occasions to Don Julio. For us, it's a large % of our salary. We don't make USD like all of you so it's especially more special probably.

4 times is wonderful and you must have sentimental value on going to Don Julio. You sound like you are doing your experience in Argentina the right way.

I'm glad you enjoy our style of service in my country. Brazil is similar where no one is in a hurry. It is slower paced. Some Americans are in a hurry all the time. They think their time is so more important and valuable. We like to enjoy a meal here. We like to talk and drink coffee. We aren't rushed. The waiters here in Argentina do not rush the clients and let them enjoy their experience. Some tourists might think it's bad service but it's another way of life.

Yes I agree some places do have bad service. I don't dispute that. But that happens anywhere else in the world too. Some people should not be in the profession or having an off day. Things in my country are very depressing and difficult now.

Thank you for saying people should try to speak Spanish in the country. There is no excuse today with all the technology like Google Translate. You can easily touch your phone and it can speak what you want to say. Sometimes I actually hear ugly American tourists getting mad at the waiters and speaking even louder English. It is true that many in my country still don't know English. Some of us are fortunate that we learned growing up but many did not have that luxury.

It astonishes me that an American would say they spoke Spanish for 6 year and then say "no one spoke to them in English". That tells the story to me. Someone complaining to the waiters about a $1.40 US cubierto for bread or snacks from there probably the waiter could speak in English but they pretended not to so they didn't have to deal with an ugly American complaining about each part of their meal.

Thank you for being a great guest in my country. Fortunately I have NEVER read about a tourist that can't find a good steak in Buenos Aires. In all my years living in my country, that is honestly the first time I have ever read or heard of something like that . It comes across as ridiculous to me and probably everyone else too.

 

[LongIslander]

@Che Vos I commented on another thread of yours. I will copy and past below.


@Che Vos I think you are being too hard on @StatusNomadicus. Also, I think that everyone has bad days. That includes tourists, wait staff, restaurant owners, etc.

I have been in my favorite restaurants sometimes where I go for years and they have an off night. Also, it might have been an off night and then an overly high expectation of a great meal.

One thing I totally agree with you with is that no one should expect anyone to speak to you in English in a Spanish speaking country. Especially if you claim to have been speaking 6 years in Spanish. I don't speak Spanish well but I can order off a menu or use a translator app. I notice when they see me at least trying then they will make a big effort as they respect that I'm trying. Maybe something is getting lost in translation.

I wouldn't necessarily assume he is an ugly tourist but I can't say either way. I know I have paid a cubierto in many restaurants and I'm happy to pay it if it includes something. It's never been more than $1 to $2 US each. If it is something that I will not eat then I tell them I don't want it. But typically if it's something I'm allergic to. I am always aware I'm a guest in their country.

@StatusNomadicus I think everyone probably has an off day. Maybe it was the restaurant, but maybe it was you. Posts are difficult to take true meaning and all we can do is judge by the writing. I do agree with parts of @Che Vos that you shouldn't expect anyone to speak English in a Spanish speaking country. I was a waiter in high school and also while at college. Sometimes we would have jerks for customers. I'm NOT saying that is the case with you, But sometimes when I knew someone was complaining from the get go, showed a sour face or I didn't think they were going to tip as they were being a jerk, I purposely didn't go around as often as I could as I was focusing on people that were kind.

I have eaten in La Cabrera before. I haven't had issues and the quality of the beef is usually quite good. But I have had off nights there. What you will find during that 40% off is it's a zoo. There are people lined up. The servers are very busy with many tables. Everyone is in a mad rush to order and dine and dash as there is a very little time to eat.

I think on these forums we need to be kind to one another. I like the intellect on this forum much more so than any other I have read. I'm a lurker on many forums and usually you get all the same type of people. But this forum has a big diversity of people which I think adds value. I enjoy all of your posts but I'd recommend to see things in the eyes of a local as well. These are tough times for a local and complaining about $1 in cover charge for bread probably is going to rub locals the wrong way both in the restaurant and on the forum. Just my 2 cents.

Reply

 

[Billy Goat]

La Cabrera is absolute trash; I was just there last week. If you go to Applebee's in the USA, you will have a much better time, and spend less. Summary: we went for the 40%-off "happy hour" early dinner 18:30-20:00, and the steak was cooked extremely poorly and inconsistently, no one spoke English and my ~6 years of Spanish was still difficult to understand/inquire, the staff are very rude and you never have the same waiter, every thing they bring you is poorly explained so you don't really know what you're being shown (hot applesauce and cold mushrooms...do I just eat these as a snack, or wait until the steak to pair them with?), there is a 1400 Peso "cubierto" table service charge per person which is illegal in CABA unless they provide 250 mL of water, gluten-free bread options, and sodium-free salt options, my steak had 3 pieces of "tenderloin" which were all cooked differently rare/medium/well and really just average in flavor and quality (i'm no grill master, but i can do a better steak at home with a $8 cut from a normal grocery store), my partner's steak was the expensive Ribeye and it was raw inside and horribly tough (it went to the dog), they lied later when I complained about the Cubierto gringo-tax scam and said the waiter cut my steak and I told him it was good (no one cut our steaks, though they did cut one table's), the Canadian couple next to us were too timid to complain but their steaks were also bad and horribly uncooked in the center, another Expat couple gave my dog their leftover steak because it was horrible, the salads are complete sh*t and the "Caesar" was really bad with no romaine and not-Caesar dressing, my "Rucula" salad was literally just arugula with powdered Parmesan cheese dumped on top with no dressing (and I'm talking low-tier Kraft powdered parmesan that you get at pizza chains in packets), there was no wine/drink list, we weren't sat on time at 18:30 like they swore (you have to register by 18:00 for the 18:30-20:00 discount), they said if we were there past 20:00 we would be charged full price on everything then 19:30-20:15 we waited with credit card out and the waiters were nowhere to be seen, horribly unstaffed and the existing staff are bad and seem like they have never worked at a nice restaurant before, we ordered Agua Sin Gas but never got any water at all, the bill was still over $50 USD for 2 steaks and 2 salads and a bottle of wine all at 40% off (so it would have been at least $75 USD for that garbage meal, which would get you 5 tasty meals elsewhere for a couple), we finally got to pay and they tried to add the aforementioned Cubierto fee x2 and charge me for the bottle of water, I told them i'm not paying a Cubierto since the only thing the menu said was an "Entertainment Charge/Service" which made no sense and I still don't know what that was supposed to include, and after 30 minutes of stating my case with the female manager, she continually tried to argue the facts. she said a server swore he cut our steaks, but when he talked to me he said 'oh i must have been thinking about the other table,' and then when i said there was no salad dressing the other server pointed to the now-cleaned table where i once was and said there was a bottle of olive oil, i explained it wasn't there when i was there, they had just flipped the table over for the 20:00 full-price dinner and even so, there was STILL a missing Balsamic bottle hahaha, i finally got them to agree to drop the 2x Cubierto and the water, but they made no effort to make things right and didn't even offer me a discounted dinner, just words of 'this won't happen again, next time it will be a perfect dinner' blah blah blah, so I was forced and pressured to pay with 3 people standing around me, so instead of a bad conflict I just gave them my card and disputed the charge later with the bank. this was something i would expect to happen in some run-down restaurant in the middle of nowhere, but if you were sold the lie that I was that La Cabrera in Palermo is anything like a world-class restaurant/steakhouse like in Miami and elsewhere, we have been lied to, and it's all marketing from horrible employees at a crap company. the Red Blend Malbec was excellent...that was the only aspect that was enjoyable. 1/10, wish I had never gone, absolutely ridiculous. note that there are 2 different La Cabrera buildings: Cabrera 5127 https://www.google.com/maps/@-34.58...kqGDq7f8b6d7dRyQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?entry=ttu

and Cabrera 5099, south of it, in a corner building. https://www.google.com/maps/@-34.58...75oAS6zvCddDdwFg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?entry=ttu

i went to the corner building for the "Happy Hour" and i would expect the trash quality and crap service to be the same at the other location, even at the 20:00-onward full-priced menu. will not be back, but i'm hoping Don Julio isn't also a tourist trap.

I agree about using some paragraphs if you can. I didn't even read all of your post as it was impossible to read with everything bunched together.

I don't think anyone will say it's cheap there at that place. It's not for local standards but it's dirt cheap compared to the USA. I have only had good steaks there but it sounds like you were looking for a bad experience from the get go.

I hope you have better luck finding a good steak. I've never had that problem in Argentina.