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What Food To Try in Buenos Aires and Food Prices

How much does lunch and dinner cost

Examples of food prices, cafes, street food and other dining options in Buenos Aires for 2024.

National currency: Argentine Peso, symbol — (international currency code ARS).
General Cafe Price Guide
Average prices in Buenos Aires cafes and restaurants
$6.9 
Quick Lunch for One
Starting from $4
$27.5 
Dinner for Two
to celebrate your trip
Starting from $20
$5 
Combo Meal
Starting from $4.75

What to Try in Buenos Aires

Must-try Dishes
Alfajores de Dulce de Leche - A sandwich cookie filled with rich, creamy dulce de leche and coated in chocolate. These are often enjoyed in the morning with coffee or shared during a friendly get-together.

Provoleta - Grilled Provolone Cheese - This is a gooey, melted provolone cheese typically grilled until bubbly and served with oregano and chili flakes. Locals often enjoy it as a starter at asados, or barbecues, while sipping on some wine nearby.

Asado - Argentine Barbecue - This is a feast of various meats, often including beef, lamb, and sausages cooked on an open flame. It’s a social event typically enjoyed on weekends, with friends and family gathering around the grill to savor each cut and share stories.

Empanadas - Savory Pastries - These are baked or fried pastries filled with a variety of ingredients, such as minced beef, chicken, or spinach. Frequently enjoyed as a snack or a quick lunch, you can find locals munching on these at family gatherings or street fairs.

Milanganesa - Breaded Meat Cutlet - A juicy beef or chicken cutlet that's been breaded and fried until crispy, often served with mashed potatoes or a side salad. It’s a common weekday dish, enjoyed at home or in casual eateries, sometimes mistaken as a steak because of its hearty appearance.

Choripán - Chorizo Sandwich - This street food consists of grilled chorizo sausage served in a crusty baguette, often topped with chimichurri sauce. It's best enjoyed during a late afternoon snack after a lively street fair or football match.

Fugazzeta - Argentine-Style Stuffed Pizza - A thick, doughy pizza filled with cheese and topped with onions, creating a savory taste explosion. Locals like to indulge in it for dinner, often complemented by a bubbly soda during family gatherings.

Locro - Hearty Stew - A thick stew made with corn, beans, meat, and vegetables, traditionally enjoyed during national holidays like May Revolution Day. It's a filling winter dish typically savored in homes, often accompanied by a glass of red wine.

Desserts & Drinks
Mate - Mate (herbal tea) - A traditional beverage made from the dried leaves of the yerba mate plant, served in a hollow gourd through a metal straw. You’ll often see locals enjoying mate in groups, passing the gourd around in a ritual that symbolizes friendship and connection.

Dulce de Leche - Dulce de Leche (sweet caramel spread) - A rich and creamy caramel made by slowly heating milk and sugar, resulting in a smooth, luscious texture. It’s a staple in many Argentine desserts, often spread on toast for breakfast or slathered on pastries during the afternoon merienda (snack time).

Cerveza Artesanal - Cerveza Artesanal (craft beer) - Locally brewed beer that’s become increasingly popular, with flavors ranging from hoppy IPAs to rich stouts. Many bars showcase their own craft brews on tap, and it’s not uncommon to pair a beer with a hearty meal or enjoy it casually in the plaza while soaking up the urban vibe.

Chocotorta - Chocotorta (layered chocolate cake) - A no-bake cake made of layers of chocolate cookies and a creamy filling of dulce de leche and cream cheese, often topped with cocoa powder. This dessert is a beloved staple at birthday parties and family gatherings, and the best part? It's best served cold after being chilled in the fridge.

Helado - Helado (Argentine ice cream) - Creamy and dense ice cream available in an array of unique flavors, with dulce de leche and chocolate amargo (dark chocolate) being favorites. Locals indulge in helado on a hot summer day, often enjoyed while strolling through the streets or at family gatherings. By the way, it’s common to order a “media kilo” (half a kilo) to share!

Food and Groceries in Buenos Aires

Vegetables, Fruits and Bread
Bread $1.42
Bananas $1.2
Oranges $0.73
Potatoes $0.67
Apples $1.49
Beverages
Water 1.5L $0.74
0.5L Local Beer $1.08
Imported Beer $1.86
Wine Rating >4.0 $3.5
Milk 1L $0.84

Various Groceries
Meat (Beef or Pork) $5.95
Chicken $3.91
Cigarettes $2
Rice $0.89
Local Cheese $6.45

Overview of Cuisine and Specialties

The first thing that hits you about Buenos Aires's food prices is just how affordable flavorful meals can be. For example, I recently had a delicious homemade pasta dish for lunch at a charming eatery in Palermo and paid just 1,500 ARS (which is a steal considering the quality). Visitors often come expecting to pay top dollar for a memorable dining experience, but they soon discover that the city is brimming with options that won't break the bank—especially if you know where to look.

Forget everything you know about lunch hours. While many cities stick to a strict 12-2 PM window for lunch, here it's more of a leisurely affair running from 1 PM until 4 PM. Watching groups of friends gathered around tables, laughing and sharing plates of empanadas well into the afternoon is a quintessential Buenos Aires experience. What's interesting is that many locals don’t treat lunch as a quick stop; it’s a time for connection and enjoyment, often stretching into several hours of conversation.

When it comes to payment customs, be prepared for some flexibility. You often settle your bill at the counter, which caught me off guard the first time. It’s kind of a communal approach, and I honestly enjoy the informality of it. Just remember to have cash on hand whenever possible since some smaller spots prefer it that way. Tipping is customary, around 10% if you’re happy with the service, although I’ve seen many just round up the total instead—like a nice local touch (and it keeps things simple!).

Let's look at dining areas: San Telmo with its bustling markets is fantastic for street food—try the choripán, a simple but tasty sausage sandwich, for about 800 ARS. Meanwhile, the upscale dining scene in Recoleta will offer a more refined experience, but you might be paying double for a similar plate, around 2,500 ARS. So, if you’re on a budget but still craving local flavors, stick with the traditional neighborhoods.

Oh, and before I forget, if you’re planning to eat at a popular parrilla, it’s wise to make a reservation for dinner since many locals eat late—around 9 PM to midnight. It’s also important to gauge the energy of the city, which really picks up post-sundown. That said, you might be disappointed if you expect prompt service during these busy hours; Argentine dining typically embraces a relaxed vibe, so patience is key.

The local customs also stand out—like sharing food. It's common for groups to order a variety of dishes, from asado to milanesa, and dig into everything together. This communal dining style illustrates the importance of togetherness in Argentine culture, as the meal becomes not just about food but about companionship.

These dining habits, combined with the evolving food landscape, suggest that Buenos Aires is adventurous at heart. Young locals are pivoting towards modern twists on traditional dishes, and there’s an exciting emergence of fusion cuisine cropping up in places like Colegiales that’s becoming increasingly popular. It’s a delightful evolution that captures the essence of this vibrant city!




Tourist Reviews

All photos and texts belong to their authors
@buenos_aires_guide
« Breakfast in Buenos Aires.

What makes a great start to the day for you? For me, it's 1) a delicious breakfast 2) in a visually appealing place 3) with unique presentation 4) and tea in a teapot! And yes, the teapot is super important. I’m definitely not on board with having my tea in a tiny cup with a teabag 🙅‍♀️

If you share the same aesthetic tastes as I do and love variety in breakfast options, you should totally check out this spot. It’s called "Tea Connection". You can find the nearest location on their website.

The price for breakfast is around 145 pesos or 8.5 USD. By the way, I plan to collect all my favorite breakfasts in Buenos Aires on one post on the site, but I haven’t gotten around to that yet. So for now, I'm doing it piecemeal. 😉 »
@ira.tarasevich
« Prices in Argentina are high, everything is quite expensive, and inflation is around 50% a year. 🤦‍♀️😱 My favorite bottle of Coca-Cola costs $45! 😱😩 If seriously, of course it's not in dollars, but in Argentine pesos.))) It was surprising to me that the emblematic $ symbol is no longer associated with the dollar, but with pesos. 🤦‍♀️ The Argentine peso has long been the main currency, and over time, merchants started abbreviating it as "Ps," and later switched to "S" with a diagonal line, resembling the stylized "P." Americans alongside its well-known symbolism began to associate it with pesos, and nowadays the dollar symbol is recognized by everyone as linked to the USA, even though Argentine, Mexican, and Cuban pesos are similarly symbolized. 😉 »
@allatsyganova
« At Don Ernesto, they serve the most delicious steaks. Prices range from $6 to $15 for a huge piece that is just impossible to finish. »