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A Buenos Aires food tour is a fun way to immerse yourself in the city’s passionate culture and flavorful food.
One of the best ways to experience Argentina local cuisine is at a parilla, or steakhouses. With a focus on the iconic Parillas of the city, the Parrilla Tour Buenos Aires promised a delightful culinary tour.
This food tour in Buenos Aires takes place in San Telmo, one of the most charming and bohemian neighborhoods of the city.
Combining delicious food with a walking tour in the oldest neighborhood in Buenos Aires had me definitely excited.
On this tour, you’ll not only get to indulge in Argentina’s iconic foods but also learn more about their history and cultural significance.
Plus, it’s a great way to meet locals and other travelers.
Buenos Aires Food Tour and Culinary Adventure
For this food tour in Buenos Aires, the meeting spot was at an authentic family-owned pizzeria in the heart of San Telmo.
Maria, a local expert, and a savvy wine Argentine tour guide greeted us.
San Telmo, she explained, is not only one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods but is also home to the most famous Parrillas.
With a small group of 8, this introduction kicked off our food experience through San Telmo learning about the food, history, and local culture.
AUTHENTIC FOOD QUEST TIP: This Buenos Aires food tour starts at 12:00 pm and runs for about three hours. Wear comfortable shoes and we recommend having a light breakfast as you’ll eat copious portions for this lunch tour.
Getting Started With Empanadas
There could not have been a better start to our culinary tour than diving into empanadas, the iconic Argentinian food specialty.
The local joint for our first stop not only served traditional Argentine dishes but also small bites like empanadas.
With a casual and friendly atmosphere, this first authentic experience set the tone for an Argentine culture immersion.
We enjoyed piping-hot mouthwatering meat or carne empanadas as Maria regaled us with local stories.
We learned about the history of the area, immigration and the Mercado de San Telmo connected to the restaurant.
AUTHENTIC FOOD QUEST RECIPE: How To Make Delicious Argentinian Empanadas Mendocino Style
Whetting The Appetite With Choripán
After a brief tour around the famous San Telmo market, we made our way to Cafe Bar Defensa, a local authentic joint.
Here, we got the opportunity of tasting choripán, a local street food.
This popular sandwich is a combination of grilled sausage, called chorizo, and pan, a crusty baguette like bread.
Put the two together with chimichurri sauce and you have a delicious easy to eat, but filling sandwich.
This is a typical fast-food sandwich that’s eaten on the go by the locals called portenos.
At this point, make sure to measure yourself, keeping in mind that you haven’t gotten to the main meal yet, you are still in the appetizing phase.
Be sure to keep room to experience the different cuts of beef and malbec wine.
Walking Tour in San Telmo Neighborhood
The Parrilla Tour Buenos Aires is strategically organized with walks around the San Telmo neighborhood interspersed between the restaurant visits.
After leaving Cafe Bar Defensa, Maria took us on a tour of the area right up to Plaza Dorrego.
Plaza Dorrego is one of the oldest in the city and a “must visit” for any tourist in the area. This plaza is usually bustling with activity especially on Sunday’s during the Feria de San Telmo.
We continued our walk to the next restaurant taking in the atmosphere and enjoying the street art.
But most importantly, digesting and making room for the main attraction – the beef and wine.
RELATED: 10 of the Best Buenos Aires Markets to Taste Argentina
Cutting Into The Beef
The Gran Parrilla del Plata, an authentic Argentine Parrilla, was the main stop on our tour to experience authentic Argentinian barbeque.
This emblematic restaurant located at the corner of San Telmo was jam-packed with locals and surprisingly, very few tourists.
A charming restaurant with rustic decor, we were ushered to our waiting table already prepared with white napkins and wine glasses, suggesting a perfect meal.
Our tour guide Maria had thoughtfully ordered ahead lovely Malbec wine and three cuts of beef to sample.
The three cuts of the beef were the Entraña or skirt steak, Asado de tira or short ribs and Bife Angosto or Strip Steak.
A nice change from the Bife de Chorizo or sirloin steak that I was most familiar with.
These were all a big hit at our table with my preference going for the full and tender flavors of the Bife Angosto.
In addition to the beef, we had a simple and delicious arugula salad with strips of fresh parmesan cheese. The perfect complement to all the meat.
Accompanying the meat was the famous chimichurri sauce, salsa criolla, a South American version of salsa, and a delicious basil and olive oil mix.
To drink, the Argentine wine and local beers added to the good food and unique tasting experience.
RELATED: Buenos Aires Food Guide – 10 Buenos Aires Foods You Want To Eat
Getting to The Sweet Stuff
We ended our San Telmo tour at the local ice-cream shop, Nonna Bianca. This is one of San Telmo’s hidden gems, away from the popular Freddo and Persico ice-cream chains.
Walking into the store, you are immediately struck by a dizzying array of choices, many of which are a variation of the very popular dulce de leche flavor.
I decided to taste something completely new and different. I went for the local flavors mate cocido a la crema or mate and cream, and Tramontana or vanilla and dulce de leche.
These flavors will rock your world.
In Summary
This is one of the best food tours to explore Buenos Aires and its local cuisine.
You get a feel for the local food scene in San Telmo, visit some of the best restaurants and enjoy traditional foods.
In addition to great food, you learn from a local expert about Argentine culture and history.
If you find yourself in Buenos Aires and seeking a solid food experience, you can’t go wrong with this Parrilla Tours Buenos Aires.
How To Book Your Buenos Aires Food Tour
Signature Food Tours offers several tours in the city. This Parrilla Tour Buenos Aires is offered weekly at lunch time.
For over 3 hours, you will eat your way through one of the oldest neighborhoods of the capital city. Immerse yourself in the local culture while tasting some of the best Argentine food and beef.
If you love this guided culinary walking tour, you might also consider joining their wine tour and tasting experience.
You will visit a local wine cellar, learn about the country’s famous Malbec wine, and snack on picada, a typical Argentinian appetizer.
Savor the Adventure!
More Local Food Experiences and Recipes
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9 Ways How to Grill Like An Argentinian
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The Best Dulce de Leche in Argentina | Authentic Homemade Recipe
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Rosemary is the editor-in-chief and strategist at Authentic Food Quest.
Traveling slow since 2015 with her partner, Claire, she has explored the cuisine in 45 countries and more than 240+ culinary cities.
Her writing about local food specialties has been featured in Lonely Planet, Business Insider, Honest Cooking, Food Insider, and Huffington Post.
As a food and travel writer, Rosemary has co-authored three books, including one in collaboration with Costa Brava Tourism.
Rosemary is an avid runner when she’s not eating and exploring new destinations. She has run ten marathons and counting.
Before Authentic Food Quest, Rosemary held senior-level strategy positions in advertising.
Find out more about Authentic Food Quest
Great food tour you have shared with us good recap with. Thanks for providing this wonderful article. Keep doing good work.
You are most welcome, Thomas. So glad you enjoyed the article. How did you enjoy your Buenos Aires food tour?
This was a great read, I’ve always been interested in going on a food tour, so it is nice to get an idea of what kind of stuff happens. It’s especially interesting to learn that food tours can specialize in things like how yours focused on steakhouses. My wife and I have been looking at maybe doing a food tour either this summer or the next, so we’ll have to keep that in mind and find one that suits our tastes.
That’s wonderful and so glad you enjoyed the article. Food tours are such a delicious way to discover the local culture. And, as you noted they come in so many different varieties, so it’s easy to find something you’ll love!. Let us know where you end taking your first food tour 🙂 Enjoy!
I actually never had Argentinian food but I assumed it would be very meat-based. I see, I was not wrong 🙂
Hi, meat is indeed an important part of the Argentine culture. However, there is much more than beef. We go into details on the local authentic specialties in our book Authentic Food Quest Argentina. Do check it out for more options. Cheers 🙂
Wow that’s a great way to experience the place …a bit of history at the same time tasting the local delicious food.
You are right Anne, the food tour provided a great recap with local history and each dish. A great way to go!! Thanks for your comments.
Food looks so good! I was meant to go on a food tour while I was in Italy but I didn’t have enough time ?
That’s too bad Johna that you missed your food tour in Italy. That’s a great way to sample the local flavors. Perhaps next time 🙂
Wow, this looks like quite the meat filled tour, haha. It all looks so amazing though. Great re-cap of the tour. I will definitely look them up if I am ever in the area.
Hi Susanna, meat and beef is so much a part of the Argentine culture and it cannot be ignored! The good news is that with the tour, we went to great little authentic restaurants, which made for a great experience. Do check them out if you are in the area. Thanks for your comments.
I’m literally salivating from behind my computer screen. I always heard Argentina had great food…think I’ll just have to go and see for myself now!
Thanks Julie for your comments. Argentina really does have delicious food. Well worth the visit 🙂 Cheers!
Oh. My. God. I am so hungry now.
What a great post! Everything sounds so delicious; I would be afraid I would be full by the second place though lol Glad you had a great time and I will definitely watch out for these restaurants when I get to Buenos Aires.
Thanks Karla. You are right, with the amount of food offered, I had to go slow and eat small bites everywhere. Great food and indeed to keep the restaurant names in mind for your next trip to Buenos Aires. Cheers
Your food experience looks incredible! I would love to try the empanadas and that meat looks so well cooked it just melts in your mouth! Count me in for the next Buenos Aires food tour!
Okay Gina, we’ve got a deal. Next meeting in Buenos Aires on a food tour 🙂 So glad you enjoyed reading the post. We appreciate your comments.
The food, dessert, and wine looks and sounds amazing! What a fun experience!!
Thank you Jenn for your comments. A food tour with Bsas4U in Buenos Aires is a great idea for an authentic experience. Do check them out if you find yourself in Buenos Aires. Cheers!
That empenada looks top notch! That last photo really made me crave some ice cream right about now. It looks like you had an amazing time. Love how you eat your way around the world!
Thanks so much Laura. We are enjoying discovering authentic dishes around the world and highlighting them so that people can create their own food adventures. So glad you enjoyed the pictures. The “helados” or ice cream was divine. Thanks for your comments.
I could seriously do with a food tour! This looks fantastic 🙂
Thanks Tandy, the experience on the tour was nothing short of phenomenal. Authentic places and amazing food. The best of all worlds 🙂 Highly recommend if you travels take you to Argentina.
Wow- this all looks incredible and the portions are so generous. I made the mistake of reading this when I was hungry!
That’s so true Nathan…the portions in general in Argentina are humongous. Great tour and food experience. Thanks for your comments.
Love the idea of a food tour! That meat looks amazing, and that ice-cream. It sounds like your guides were able to steer you towards places with authentic local food.
Hi Elissa, One of the best parts about the food tour is that the places our guide took us too were indeed authentic. Delicious food and yummy ice-cream. If your travels take you to Argentina, do check them out. Thanks for your comments.