Disappointed with Food in Argentina

[FrankPintor]

I'm a crab fiend and I can tell you, anyplace I've tried to eat crab these past years—I couldn't. It's been way out of my reach. Crab legs in the U.S., astronomical, the last I checked in December (before I came back home). Crab here, much the same. In Chile it might be more accessible? I had it there years ago, in Viña Del Mar. I forget how much it was, but it was split between three of us. I might be able to afford a small bit of snow crab someday, but even that's asking a lot from my bank account. It's really the only seafood I miss, but I always felt it was a bit of a luxury item and not something ever truly accessible to the masses. Even a crab cake at a shoddy joint sets you back far too much for it being stuffed with a large portion of bread crumbs at most places.

Crab (jaiba) is very common on menus in Chile, though maybe most often as chowder (chupe), which might not suit. It’s not an especially expensive option. I imagine some of the more upmarket places would give you a whole one.

Fish is also much more popular in Chile, I particularly remember corvina and serrano as being good options. In general, the farther from Santiago and the farther south, the better the fish and seafood. Around Valdivia, for example, in Los Molinos, there’s a whole waterfront specialised in that.

 

[Rich One]

The crab in Ushuaia is on another level. I had it once as a treat but couldn’t countenance it again at the prices and that was over a year ago. Dread to think what it costs now

Dungeness crab 2lb x 15 legs platter $64 bucks seems reasonable? From Seatle

Dungeness Crab Snap-N-Eats™️

Enjoy our premium wild-caught Dungeness crab legs from the Pacific Northwest US. Our crab is sustainably caught, pre-scored, flash frozen, and shipped for free.

www.premiercatch.com

 

[perry]

Crab (jaiba) is very common on menus in Chile, though maybe most often as chowder (chupe), which might not suit. It’s not an especially expensive option. I imagine some of the more upmarket places would give you a whole one.

Fish is also much more popular in Chile, I particularly remember corvina and serrano as being good options. In general, the farther from Santiago and the farther south, the better the fish and seafood. Around Valdivia, for example, in Los Molinos, there’s a whole waterfront specialised in that.

fish is also very popular in Argentina when it's available and reasonable in Price . in Chubut costal communities there are much better fish options than buenos aires and prices are less . Iin Buenos Aires it seems fish is extinct on most menús

 

[perry]

For those who understand spanish these are the reasons that hundreds of thousands of argentinians are currently in Europe .​

​

Los precios de los alimentos en Argentina están entre los más altos del mundo | AgendAR​

[Image](https://agendarweb.com.ar/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/supermercado_GONDOLA-scaled.jpg)

«Llevamos a cabo un relevamiento en toda Argentina, en cadenas de supermercados y autoservicios. El kilo de bananas provenientes de Ecuador no baja de los $ 2.000. Sin embargo, a nivel mundial, el valor nunca pasa U$S 1,30. Tenemos el producto importado más caro del mundo» sostuvo el doctor Javier Miglino.

Actualmente, en nuestro país se consumen 10 kilos de bananas por habitante y por año. Estamos muy lejos de los 25 kilos que se comían en la década del ’90. Argentina no las produce. Suele importarlas desde Ecuador, Honduras y Guatemala.

ImageU$S 2,5 el precio de cada kilo de banana al cambio oficial en ArgentinaU$S 2,5 el precio de cada kilo de banana al cambio oficial en Argentina

En Francia, la banana ecuatoriana cuesta un euro el kiloEn Francia, la banana ecuatoriana cuesta un euro el kilo

¿Quién se ha quedado con mi queso?​

“A nuestros estudios sumamos las fiambrerías de barrio para medir el precio de los quesos contra el valor internacional de este lácteo. Otra vez encabezamos el ranking«, sostuvo el doctor Miglino.

En Argentina se consumían en la década del ’70 unos 12 kilos de queso por persona y por año. Hoy, el consumo bajó a 4 kilos debido a sus altos precios. En las preferencias marchan adelante el port salut, provolone, reggianito y la muzzarella que se usa para la pizza casera.

Determinados tipos de queso pasaron a ser artículos de lujo en los súper Determinados tipos de queso pasaron a ser artículos de lujo en los súper

Frozen, precios que te dejan congelado​

En el caso de los helados, nos ganamos otro título del mundo debido a nuestros valores locales.

El precio de 1 kilo ha quedado en un promedio de $ 16.000. Con un dólar oficial a $1.000 equivale a 16 dólares, por encima de cualquier país.

Miglino tuvo en cuenta tanto heladerías artesanales como industriales.

En nuestro país se consumían en la década del ’70 unos 12 kilos de helado por persona y por año. En 2024, el consumo bajó a la mitad. Se suma a la cuestión de los precios el cuidado de la salud ya que se trata de un alimento rico en azúcar y calorías.

Con el precio de los helados Argentina lidera tambièn el ranking mundial Con el pecio de los helados Argentina lidera tambièn el ranking mundial

Con el sachet de leche, Argentina no dice ni «mu»​

La consultora tomó como referencia un tipo de leche entera cuyo valor promedio en 15 provincias de la Argentina se ubica por encima de un Euro, al cambio oficial.

Mientras tanto, los avisos en medios de España y Francia demuestran que en el viejo continente este producto vital se vende más barato: no llega a un Euro por litro.

ImageImageImage## Cada jornada, la mitad de los argentinos se despiertan con un café

Finalmente, se escanearon precios de marcas líderes de cápsulas de café en distintas provincias de nuestro país**.**

Las 10 cápsulas representan aquí U$S 12 liderando cómodamente el ranking global muy por encima de España, Francia y la propia Italia.

Image

 

[Rich One]

For those who understand spanish these are the reasons that hundreds of thousands of argentinians are currently in Europe .​

​

Los precios de los alimentos en Argentina están entre los más altos del mundo | AgendAR​

[Image](https://agendarweb.com.ar/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/supermercado_GONDOLA-scaled.jpg)

«Llevamos a cabo un relevamiento en toda Argentina, en cadenas de supermercados y autoservicios. El kilo de bananas provenientes de Ecuador no baja de los $ 2.000. Sin embargo, a nivel mundial, el valor nunca pasa U$S 1,30. Tenemos el producto importado más caro del mundo» sostuvo el doctor Javier Miglino.

Actualmente, en nuestro país se consumen 10 kilos de bananas por habitante y por año. Estamos muy lejos de los 25 kilos que se comían en la década del ’90. Argentina no las produce. Suele importarlas desde Ecuador, Honduras y Guatemala.

ImageU$S 2,5 el precio de cada kilo de banana al cambio oficial en ArgentinaU$S 2,5 el precio de cada kilo de banana al cambio oficial en Argentina

En Francia, la banana ecuatoriana cuesta un euro el kiloEn Francia, la banana ecuatoriana cuesta un euro el kilo

¿Quién se ha quedado con mi queso?​

“A nuestros estudios sumamos las fiambrerías de barrio para medir el precio de los quesos contra el valor internacional de este lácteo. Otra vez encabezamos el ranking«, sostuvo el doctor Miglino.

En Argentina se consumían en la década del ’70 unos 12 kilos de queso por persona y por año. Hoy, el consumo bajó a 4 kilos debido a sus altos precios. En las preferencias marchan adelante el port salut, provolone, reggianito y la muzzarella que se usa para la pizza casera.

Determinados tipos de queso pasaron a ser artículos de lujo en los súper Determinados tipos de queso pasaron a ser artículos de lujo en los súper

Frozen, precios que te dejan congelado​

En el caso de los helados, nos ganamos otro título del mundo debido a nuestros valores locales.

El precio de 1 kilo ha quedado en un promedio de $ 16.000. Con un dólar oficial a $1.000 equivale a 16 dólares, por encima de cualquier país.

Miglino tuvo en cuenta tanto heladerías artesanales como industriales.

En nuestro país se consumían en la década del ’70 unos 12 kilos de helado por persona y por año. En 2024, el consumo bajó a la mitad. Se suma a la cuestión de los precios el cuidado de la salud ya que se trata de un alimento rico en azúcar y calorías.

Con el precio de los helados Argentina lidera tambièn el ranking mundial Con el pecio de los helados Argentina lidera tambièn el ranking mundial

Con el sachet de leche, Argentina no dice ni «mu»​

La consultora tomó como referencia un tipo de leche entera cuyo valor promedio en 15 provincias de la Argentina se ubica por encima de un Euro, al cambio oficial.

Mientras tanto, los avisos en medios de España y Francia demuestran que en el viejo continente este producto vital se vende más barato: no llega a un Euro por litro.

ImageImageImage## Cada jornada, la mitad de los argentinos se despiertan con un café

Finalmente, se escanearon precios de marcas líderes de cápsulas de café en distintas provincias de nuestro país**.**

Las 10 cápsulas representan aquí U$S 12 liderando cómodamente el ranking global muy por encima de España, Francia y la propia Italia.

Image

"Es lo que hay"

 

[Ries]

5 crab dishes here, amongst probably 20 to 30 seafood dishes available. Sister Fang, right next to Teatro Colon.
Many dishes below 20,000 pesos, the crab entrees are 28,000 right now.
All are large and meant for sharing.
Seafood is available in restaurants here, just not in traditional Argentine restaurants.
most of the 200,000 Chinese Argentines, the 40,000 or so Korean Argentines, and the 120,000 Japanese Argentines eat seafood regularly.

double trouble for the technophobes- this is a link to a qr code on instagram. But it is the current 100 dish menu, with current pricing.

And, no, it is not more expensive than many other restaurants here. We split 3 entres, with rice, between two of us, 60,000 pesos, and the leftovers were 2 more complete meals for us. So 3 meals, for two people, for 60,000 pesos.
We are older, and dont eat enormous amounts, but the servings are ample.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[Rich One]

Crab (jaiba) is very common on menus in Chile, though maybe most often as chowder (chupe), which might not suit. It’s not an especially expensive option. I imagine some of the more upmarket places would give you a whole one.

Fish is also much more popular in Chile, I particularly remember corvina and serrano as being good options. In general, the farther from Santiago and the farther south, the better the fish and seafood. Around Valdivia, for example, in Los Molinos, there’s a whole waterfront specialised in that.

At a resto (La Perla del Pacifico) located in ConCon 10 kmts from Viña del Mar, Chile. Prices of all dishes under $18k Arg

Great variety of preparations with Congrio, Corvina, Lenguado, Swordfish, oysters , abalones, Urchins, lobster, Crab meat , Machas/Razor Clams Parmesana, Caldillo de Congrio, etc.
Menu Prices seem outdated..?

https://www.tripadvisor.com.ar/Restaurant_Review-g488174-d6205471-Reviews-La_Perla_Del_Pacifico_Restaurante-Concon_Valparaiso_Region.html

 

[corsicawoods]

Alright
Enough of this. I'm calling it. Argentina has the worst food and food safety I have ever encountered.

I am suffering from a run of outrageous food incidents: from the pepperoni pizzas that taste like bleach, Pancho's same issue.

Do not bother eating out, it's the same every time.

A little seasoning and salt on meat would not go amiss. I assure you, the meats does not meet it's magic reputation like that, it needs seasoning.

I am currently eating what appears to be a soviet era front line soldiers Christmas ration posing as sirloin steak and it tastes like ass. I suspect it's not even real steak. I am not going to eat it all to make the owner feel at ease, fuck him. I've had enough of this shit.

Greasy house french fries, "papa fritas" cooked in nasty tasting oil.

All of the cans of drinks are off. They appear to have not yet discovered the scotch bonet and other spices that can be used to cover the baseline taste of generally nasty.

Let's not forget the stale soft biscuits openly sold in stores.

Don't trust anything you didn't cook yourself from a reputable business here.

A little fly control in butcher's would not go amiss.

Hate to break it to you. The meat does not deserve it's reputation.

Nasty.

They have the worst culinary habits in South America.

Indian street food is more appealing.

Everything is suspicious and tastes off.

I usually cook Asado to avoid this crap but I am fed up to the back teeth of interest from neighbours, just let me fucking cook peace.

There are way more vegan options here than in the states. I see why .

Oh boy, it's taken me a long time to get used to Argentine food and I went through the full 5 stages of grief regarding the culinary desert that is local cuisine.

Argentineans seems to be obsessed with soft mushy things with no spices. A hard baggette is "pan duro" worthy of feeding only pigeons, and a hard cheese other than reggianito requires hunting. Crispy fries, nope. Crispy bacon...how bout some floppy pancetta instead? A firm hotdog? Nope. But you can have a nice soft empanada, lomito or triple de miga or boiled paste-like hotdog on any corner.

It seems the only thing they like crispy is their carne, which they leave on the parilla of any asado for an hour until it's a hockey puck just in case someone wants it hot. God forbid they eat luke-warm medium rare meat.

I've had near fights at asados calling people out for "making the best asado" while putting "cero onda" in it. Even cracked pepper wrinkles their noses.

The trick is cultivating your own little islands of flavor little by little. There is a tiny fish market in my neighborhood that is run by a Venezuelan woman. Her husband happens to be Mexican and makes tacos on the side for occasional customers. You would never find this on any google search or PedidasYa app. But they are the most authentic tacos in town.

Flavor exists, but they are not in every restaurant.

I would like the address please.

 

[Vossos]

Oh boy, it's taken me a long time to get used to Argentine food and I went through the full 5 stages of grief regarding the culinary desert that is local cuisine.

Argentineans seems to be obsessed with soft mushy things with no spices. A hard baggette is "pan duro" worthy of feeding only pigeons, and a hard cheese other than reggianito requires hunting. Crispy fries, nope. Crispy bacon...how bout some floppy pancetta instead? A firm hotdog? Nope. But you can have a nice soft empanada, lomito or triple de miga or boiled paste-like hotdog on any corner.

It seems the only thing they like crispy is their carne, which they leave on the parilla of any asado for an hour until it's a hockey puck just in case someone wants it hot. God forbid they eat luke-warm medium rare meat.

I've had near fights at asados calling people out for "making the best asado" while putting "cero onda" in it. Even cracked pepper wrinkles their noses.

The trick is cultivating your own little islands of flavor little by little. There is a tiny fish market in my neighborhood that is run by a Venezuelan woman. Her husband happens to be Mexican and makes tacos on the side for occasional customers. You would never find this on any google search or PedidasYa app. But they are the most authentic tacos in town.

Flavor exists, but they are not in every restaurant.

As much as I tend to knock Argentinian cuisine for blandness - and that’s coming from a Brit - one thing I am glad of is the ubiquity of (medium/) well done steak. I seem to be the only one in my family who prefers steak that doesn’t still have a pulse