By Kevin Vaughn.
Buenos Aires is a city filled with secrets waiting to be discovered. Behind a random entrance to an apartment building could be the best meal in Buenos Aires. The closed door restaurant scene is active with more than 40 active projects, but the community can be daunting for the perplexing variety of options and odd lack of information. Here are five spots we recommend checking out this week.
Almacen Secreto
The Onda
Almacen Secreto is run a multifunctional space in Colegiales run by Cintia and Maria. This remodeled home not only works as a restaurant that offers an extensive menu of regionally inspired food from the North, South and Center of Argentina but also is host to a gallery space, live music and one of the prettiest gardens we’ve ever seen in Capital Federal. The home is run more like a restaurant with separate tables, a great spot to get a warm meal with friends or a simple date.
The Menu
The menu is quite extensive with options from all over the country. We are particularly excited about the food from the North which includes tamales, humita and guisos. This Sunday the 25th in honor of the Revolución de Mayo the country will be indulging in the traditional locro – a homey corn based stew – and Almacen will be hosting a locrothon from noon to 2am.
The Essentials
The restaurant is open Wednesday through Saturday starting at 9pm in the Colegiales neighborhood. You can make your reservation by writing almacensecretoclub@gmail.com or calling 155 827 9093. Meals cost between 100-200ARS depending on what you order.
La Noche del Conde at Verne
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What’s not to love about a semi-secret bar with one of the city’s most exciting bartenders – Fede Cuco (also, that name!) – named after Jules Verne.
The Menu
Tonight Campari is organizing a pop up that will take over will challenge three bartenders – Fede Cuco, Lucas Dávalos and Gonzalo Cabado – to create three drinks each.
The Essentials
The event kicks off early at 6pm. It costs just 65ARS to get to taste all the creations. The address is Av. Medrano 1475.
Casa Oro
The Onda
Casa Oro is a beautiful home on the edge of Palermo Soho that specializes in Peruvian Nikkei. The space is a traditional colonial building that has been redecorated to absolute perfection. The restaurant is split up into various tables, but unlike other closed doors of the same style, you are wonderfully received by the owner Luis who will bends over backwards to make sure that the menu fits every dinners preferences.
The Menu
The Peruvian inspired menu changes once a week and features two fixed menus to choose from. Both options consist of an appetizer, main dish and dessert. This week you can choose from a papa pisada filled with poached fish or vegetables, fish of the day or rib eye with anticucho sauce over stir fry vegetables and a fresh pear dessert or chocolate volcano. Meat substitutes are available for those that prefer white meat.
The Essentials
Meals are served Tuesday through Saturday evenings in Palermo Soho. You can make a reservation by emailing casaororesto@hotmail.com. There is currently a promotional discount of 210ARS, drinks sold separately.
MASA
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MASA is a weekly dinner that began with the philosophy of providing an option that was both accessible and inventive by seeking new approaches to traditional homey foods. The dinner feels more like a low-key party amongst friends, with just 12 guests sharing home cooked meals over a communal table, cold beer and good music. Hosts Kevin and Evy might tell you to get your own damn beer from the fridge, don’t worry, it means they like you.
The Menu
Meals rotate between Mexican and American style menus. This week will be traditional Mexican food with homemade tortilla chips and fresh salsa to start the evening, followed by a main plate with a taco de barbacoa and a taco de cerdo adobado with Mexican rice and refried beans. The meal allows comes with a half-liter of cerveza Antares.
The Essentials
Meals are held on Thursdays in the Almagro neighborhood. 120ARS, cash only, additional beer sold separately. Make a reservation via email, kevin@masamakestacos.com, or call Kevin at 153 435 9093.
iLatina
The Onda
Voted #1 restaurant in Buenos Aires (according to TripAdvisor), iLatina is the brainchild of Colombian siblings Santiago, Juan Camilo and Laura Macías. iLatina is well-known for their multi course tasting menus and Sunday brunches, with their attention to creating detailed and exquisitely presented dishes that put a spin on traditional Colombian dishes. This is most definitely a fancy dinner, with a high price tag that makes this a very special occasion or a meal to enjoy when your parents are in town.
The Menu
This week’s tasting menu is a 10 dish meal which includes their famed bread bowl, confit duck, prawns, ceviche, coffee braised pork and avocado ice cream. You can find the full menu here.
The Essentials
iLatina is open Tuesday through Saturday in the neighborhood of Colegiales. The meal costs 600ARS, drinks not included. You can make reservations online, by email reservas@ilatinabuenosaires.com or by calling 4857 9095.