What food is Buenos Aires famous for?

The classics are asado (slow-grilled beef), empanadas, provoleta, choripán and dulce de leche sweets like alfajores — all best washed down with Argentine Malbec. A guided food tour in Palermo is the easiest way to try a bit of everything.

Do I need to go to Mendoza to taste Argentine wine?

No. Buenos Aires has excellent sommelier-led tastings that pour Malbec, Torrontés and more from Mendoza, Salta and Patagonia, with tastings starting from around $40. It's a great option if you can't make the trip west.

What is a closed-door restaurant in Buenos Aires?

A puerta cerrada, or closed-door restaurant, is an intimate dining room — often a chef's home — that seats a small number of guests and can only be booked in advance. Expect a set tasting menu paired with Argentine wines.

Home/Destinations/Buenos Aires/Food & wine day in Buenos Aires

Theme day · Buenos Aires itinerary

Food & Wine Day in Buenos Aires: A Taste of Argentina

Buenos Aires eats late, grills slowly and pours generously. A full day devoted to its food is one of the best things you can do here — from Palermo's markets to a smoky asado and a sommelier-led Malbec tasting. Here is how to plan the perfect food and wine day, with the top-rated tours and experiences to book.

At a glance

1Palermo food tour with empanadas
2Malbec tasting with a sommelier
3Long afternoon asado
4Closed-door dinner to finish

Morning: a Palermo food tour

Start in Palermo, the city's most delicious neighbourhood, on a guided food tour. You'll graze your way through empanadas, alfajores, artisan ice cream and strong coffee while a local explains what Porteños actually eat and where. Some tours add a hands-on empanada or alfajor class so you learn to fold and bake them yourself. Come hungry — the tastings usually add up to a full lunch.

Midday: Malbec with a sommelier

Argentina is the world's Malbec capital, and you don't need to travel to Mendoza to taste it well. A small-group tasting in Buenos Aires walks you through Malbec, Torrontés and Cabernet Franc with a sommelier who explains the high-altitude vineyards behind each glass. Tastings start from around $40 and last about ninety minutes — an easy, indoor way to spend the hottest part of the day.

Afternoon: the asado experience

No food day here is complete without asado, the Argentine art of slow-grilled beef. Book a parrilla experience — from a seven-course tasting with live music to a family asado in a local home — and settle in for chorizo, provoleta, short rib and premium steak cooked over embers. This is a long, unhurried meal built for conversation and Malbec. Reserve ahead, as the best small-group tables fill quickly.

Evening: a closed-door dinner

To end the day, seek out a puerta cerrada — a closed-door restaurant run out of a chef's home, bookable only in advance. These intimate tasting menus pair inventive Argentine cooking with local wines and a handful of guests around one table. It's the city's most personal way to eat, and a memorable finish to a day spent tasting your way across Buenos Aires.