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The area where one of the most expensive restaurants in Buenos Aires reopened and promises to become a top gastronomic hub
November 28, 2023
A gastronomic hub gains strength with the arrival of top-level restaurants within a real estate project
The real estate project in which the new gastronomic center of Buenos Aires will operate
It is common that when a establishment leaves its mark on a neighborhood, neighbors and customers recognize it as a point of reference and aspire to visit it. That happened with the first branch of the Osaka restaurant on the emblematic corner of Soler and Fitz Roy, where it was born and operated for 17 years. That sensation is what was replicated in its other locations - in Puerto Madero, Lima, San Pablo, Santiago de Chile, Punta del Este, Quito and Bogotá - and that after leaving the epicenter of Palermo Hollywood moves with it to its new home in Colegiales.
Champion of Nikkei cuisine - which combines Japanese and Peruvian elements - those responsible for the chain invested approximately one million dollars to set up shop near the gastronomic centers of Palermo and Chacarita , precisely on the corner of Concepción Arenal and Conesa. It is an area of the city that began a reconversion process a few years ago and that promises to be a meeting point between the Buenos Aires neighborhoods of Colegiales and Palermo Hollywood.
Osaka reopened almost 10 blocks from its first branch
Agustín Latorre, owner of Osaka, says that he found in this new location a “pole of opportunity”: “When the first version of Osaka appeared on the corner of Palermo, the area was not what it is today. At that time we were pioneers and now we are once again betting on an area that is undergoing reconversion.”
Once again they chose a corner, this time one framed in an already completed real estate project and neighboring other gastronomic proposals that have recently arrived in the area. He maintains that the place where it is located is characterized by the development of new constructions and celebrates that this will attract more people who pass by the restaurant.
What is the new location like?
The change of location was motivated by the need to grow in space. “The previous location in Palermo had already become too small and any renovation, even tearing down the property to make it from scratch, would have been obsolete,” explains Latorre, and continues: “This opportunity then arose a few blocks away, close to our audience, with almost double the meters and new air.”
The restaurant opened its doors on October 17, 2023
Almost 10 blocks away, the restaurant changed its 450 m² for its new 780 m², washed its face and on October 17 opened its doors to the public. With an elongated design, the front of the store draws attention with its 45 meters of frontage on Conesa Street and the 20 meters that are also announced on Concepción Arenal. With 510 square meters covered, 110 diners fill the capacity of the interior room.
“It begins at its entrance, with a glazed reception box contained within an imposing openwork metal structure that we designed with figures that graphically refer to the Inca condor, the sacred animal of the Andes. From there and after passing an iron gate with wooden boards, you access the interior space, where the bar welcomes us,” describes the architect in charge, Ariel Chemi.
Inside there is an imposing openwork metal structure that they designed with figures that graphically refer to the Inca condor, the sacred animal of the Andes.
Wood continues to be the main element of its decoration
In the corner, the cocktail bar takes advantage of an operation independent of the restaurant. The bar is perceived as a large metal structure that can be seen from the outside and that has direct access to the terrace, meaning that it integrates the large living room with the outdoor space. “The back wall of the bar seeks to reflect the concept of Japanese art Kintsugi applied to a dark aged adobe wall. Under the beech wood countertop of the bar we applied a woven coating with a geometric texture that alludes to the keros, an Inca ceremonial glass,” adds the architect.
The restaurant has 780 total square meters
The presence of plants outside and inside is abundant
At the same time, a portico covered in wood is the element that marks the difference between the large living room and the bar, at the same time that it links both spaces to achieve an effect of continuity.
There is a strong maritime presence in the restaurant. Behind the sushi bar, “a vertical plane in a blue-green tone with a mesh pattern refers to the oxidation of copper in the sea and forms the background of the bar. A copper box made of perforated sheet metal gives scale to the space and acts as a light box,” describes Chemi.
For its part, the kitchen is hidden behind a system of wooden slats. In front of it there are three sectors of “tatami” under manually woven sculptures that emulate the concept of “clouds” on the eight-meter-high ceiling.
The covered terrace has space for 50 diners and, under a system of folded canvas, is surrounded by lush vegetation. Along these lines, there is an open patio with a flowerbed and natural soil that create a green lung.
The gastronomic spot has a covered terrace for 50 diners
A gastronomic hub that grows in a 15-minute city
The new proposal occupies one of the commercial spaces in Concepción, a new real estate development. The US$130 million investment project is the connection point between Palermo Hollywood and Colegiales, precisely located on Concepción Arenal between Zapiola and Conesa.The project of almost 82,000 m² total has 438 homes, offices and commercial premises and is located on a block of 12,700 square meters. “It is one of the largest linear works in the city, on one block,” says Cristian Méndez, partner of the project Trust, about the building that is in the process of handing over possessions, with more than 90 units. already delivered. He points out that the project is all sold and that in the resale units prices start from US$3800/m², a price that defends the values of projects of the same quality in Palermo.
Two of the sides of the project are made up at an initial level of almost 20 stores with options ranging from gastronomy, hair removal, gymnastics and clothing, among other items.
Above all, the strongest imprint is that of bars and restaurants, which enhance the gastronomic hub of the area. In that sense, there are five that are already operating normally: La Fábrica del Taco (a chain specializing in Mexican cuisine), the Italian ice cream parlor Antiche and the specialty cafes Nineveh and La Bici, in addition to Osaka. Soon, Club de la Birra and “other consolidated brands with an ABC1 profile” will arrive, according to Méndez, to complete the gastronomic scene.
The establishment of these food establishments complements and extends the foodie pole already installed in a five-block radius. Within this short distance there are proposals such as La Mar, Aldo's, Narda Comedor Diario, Tegui, the Uptown bar, Nucha, Pani, ice cream parlors such as Freddo, Bar du Marché, Fabric Nikkei Sushi, La Pastronería and Siamo Nel Forno.
The commercial base of the Concepción project
All these services, added to the amenities in the complex itself, make it become a “15-minute city” in itself. “There are a total of 21 spaces that solve a lot in the same place. It is a transformation for the core of Colegiales,” says Cristian Méndez about the project that is in the hands of Avalon Consultoría Urbana, the trust that he directs together with his partners, Tamara Goldfarb and Gabriel Lubelski.
Among the details, Méndez says that at the main door there is a 200 square meter hall with a mural by the artist Pablo Siquier. In addition to having green spaces that will total more than 6,700 m², distributed on the ground floor and the sixth floor landscaped with native species and athletics track that runs aerially across the entire block occupied by the project, as one of the most notable amenities.
Along with the residences, these premises are complemented by other important services nearby. For example, the project is located a few steps from educational institutions such as the León XIII and Santo Tomé de Aquino schools and a branch of the Universidad Católica Argentina and the Sí Foundation. In this sense, it also has a second gym a few blocks away; cultural spaces and the fairs on the Dorrego property and the Flea Market.
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