Disappointed with Food in Argentina

[Ries]

My current favorite pizzas in CABA:
la mezzetta, roma abasto, furore on esmerelda near corrientes, parodi on belgrano, electrica pizza vegeteriana in palermo, la sorrellina in colegiales, and antonios on tacuari.

 

[Lanick]

My gosh. Here we go again. You claim to be British. Have you ever eaten British food? Just terrible. Then you indicate it's just too much work to develop relationships at the local vegetable proprietor? What are you even doing here? Don't answer - it's a rhetorical Q.

We are not talking about the British food here. It’s absolutely not terrible but also in the UK in any city/town you can find a huge variety of international cuisine where all is above average. And a lot cheaper. Sushi, Viatnamese, Turkish, Pizza, Jamaican, Indian. You name it and we have it all. And also fish & chips or an afternoon tea. We were not that bothered with the culinary stuff in the past. Now we do. And having a lot of people from all over the world, we have amazing food options across the UK.

 

[DarrenKK]

Long time lurker here and I just have to chime in on the Food in Argentina.

I've been here alittle while and have also come to the conclusion that the food here maybe the worst I have ever experienced in any country and I have travelled quite a bit. Brazil absolutely destroys Argentina in the majority of food groups (especially fresh produce) and I say this because they are neighbors yet the Argentinians could care less to improve.

Issues----

Fresh produce is usually sitting for long periods of time in a non air conditioned Verdularia and thus, the food goes bad very fast. The owners don't seem to care about regular turn over when things get bad and wilted. It's City wide. I've checked. There might be a few that aren't but they are few and far between. However I think their business strategy is to sell old produce regardless of freshness.

Grocery store Produce is generally very bad and of bad variety. Some exceptions are located on the very most wealthy Streets. It appears they have a huge storage facility of produce somewhere and keep it there for extended times even past it's expiration dates, then try to sell it. How else could you explain the Carrot debacle. Looks like it was cut a year ago lol.
Side note. I've literally seen Apples double in price since Last June 2025..lol I guess apples are in HUGE demand. Aside from this Apples here don't hold a candle to Organic USA apples. Plus side the cheese here is decent.

The majority of bread and pastries(including empanadas)have Margarine for their main fat in the dough. I thought the world has moved on from Margarine? I guess not for Argentina. Explaining this to them on how bad it is for you is useless. They have so much beef fat, why not use that instead? Just an idea guys lol. As such I avoid all the majority of breads and pastries. If you do get all butter in the dough, you're gonna pay insane prices. Similar to USA.

Meat prices are soaring and now the quality I'm finding is subpar. My guess is most of the high quality stuff is being sent to the USA or Very high end Restaurants, as the recent meat export agreement is kicking in.

Restaurants{majority} for the most part are very subpar and the quality is hit and miss and waaay overpriced. One day the meat will be wow, yet a few days later I get the same meat{bife de chorizo} and it's tough and tastes like nothing. Btw it wouldn't hurt to salt the meat while cooking it, lol. Once again Brazilians destroy Argentina at the meat game in restaurants. The chicken used for milenasa is not even chicken...lol I''m kidding of course but why is it so weird? Peruvian Food in BA is actually very good.

Pizza------Just NO...lol what is that? Thick sauce less bland taste. Do they even know how to make a proper dough? I can make a superior Pizza in my place for a fraction of the price and I know what I'm eating.

Where is

My gosh. Here we go again. You claim to be British. Have you ever eaten British food? Just terrible. Then you indicate it's just too much work to develop relationships at the local vegetable proprietor? What are you even doing here? Don't answer - it's a rhetorical Q.

I’m not sure what being British stands in the way of your understanding of my views on food in Argentina. Stay focused. Every time I make an observation/experience-based post, I make sure I’m satisfied it adds value to the discussion. Hence I stand by my post.

 

[wineguy999]

We are not talking about the British food here. It’s absolutely not terrible but also in the UK in any city/town you can find a huge variety of international cuisine where all is above average. And a lot cheaper. Sushi, Viatnamese, Turkish, Pizza, Jamaican, Indian. You name it and we have it all. And also fish & chips or an afternoon tea. We were not that bothered with the culinary stuff in the past. Now we do. And having a lot of people from all over the world, we have amazing food options across the UK.

Everybody wants to bash food in UK. I have all the meat pies, bangers & mash, shepherd's/cottage pie, potato skins, and fry-ups that no one else wants. Bring me a Guinness with that, please, and don't forget the sticky toffee pudding to finish!

 

[Che1990]

As a Brit, while I agree that traditional British cuisine (from old times) isn’t great, the modern reality is very different. We eat international cuisine, living there I barely ate traditional British food.

Here’s why I struggle with food in Argentina as a Brit:

1. Variety of international cuisine

The UK’s a European country, with culinary “neighbours” like the French, Italians, Greeks, Portuguese, Spaniard, even Moroccans, so there’s all that influence there with immigrant communities from those countries.

You’ve also got lots of influence and immigrant populations from the countries it colonised, like Hong Kong, India, Thailand, Jamaica etc.

So British people eat this type of international cuisine - European, Asian and beyond etc - and it’s very easy to get hold of. You go to any Tesco or Sainsburys supermarket and all this is available and of decent quality.

Argentina’s history and geography is very different.

2. Much more nutritional awareness and fewer traditions

The healthcare system there is all public, the famous NHS. So the government invests a lot in educating the population on healthy eating and nutrition, to save money on treating weight and diet-related illnesses. So getting healthy food in the UK is very easy.

That doesn’t exist so much here.

I remember an occasion when I first came to Argentina (Mendoza) in 2009, said to my friend (who was the same age as me, lived in a barrio privado and went to a private school) that I wanted to eat a salad instead of pizza as I wanted to eat something healthy.

And he couldn’t understand why I’d want salad over a pizza, and the concept of healthy food. He was flabbergasted and even disagreed with me, saying pizza is better for you than salad as it fills you up etc.

I feel that attitude or general nutritional unawareness has since changed. But still, tradition and identity is very important here (and I love that about Arg). So people don’t frown upon eating medialunas, pizzas, empanadas, milanesas - you have to be proud of your traditions. I cannot imagine a school in Argentina teaching kids "don't eat pizza, its not healthy".

3. Convenience and efficiency is important

In the UK, like the US, Northern Europe etc, it’s all about "work work work work work" and being quick. So people don’t take the time, like they do here or in Spain etc, to cook and sit down and eat.

There, I grew up in London, going to work, working through lunch break and grabbing dinner on the go after work on my way to hobbies, classes, sports or social event in the evening - because there you can reasonably easily, cheaply and healthily.

I haven’t changed this routine here, I work full time on my own business, go to the gym, play tennis, take french class, portuguese classes in the evenings (not all on one evening!) and have a social life on weekends. My routine doesn’t have a food shop or cooking time built in - it never will. But it’s fucking nightmare trying to eat healthily here.

It’s interesting reflecting on the differences, and while over my 11 years here, there are many things I have adapted well too, the food isn’t one of them (and never will be). Even so, I still love Argentina.

 

[ksm76]

As a Brit, while I agree that traditional British cuisine (from old times) isn’t great, the modern reality is very different. We eat international cuisine, living there I barely ate traditional British food.

Here’s why I struggle with food in Argentina as a Brit:

1. Variety of international cuisine

The UK’s a European country, with culinary “neighbours” like the French, Italians, Greeks, Portuguese, Spaniard, even Moroccans, so there’s all that influence there with immigrant communities from those countries.

You’ve also got lots of influence and immigrant populations from the countries it colonised, like Hong Kong, India, Thailand, Jamaica etc.

So British people eat this type of international cuisine - European, Asian and beyond etc - and it’s very easy to get hold of. You go to any Tesco or Sainsburys supermarket and all this is available and of decent quality.

Argentina’s history and geography is very different.

2. Much more nutritional awareness and fewer traditions

The healthcare system there is all public, the famous NHS. So the government invests a lot in educating the population on healthy eating and nutrition, to save money on treating weight and diet-related illnesses. So getting healthy food in the UK is very easy.

That doesn’t exist so much here.

I remember an occasion when I first came to Argentina (Mendoza) in 2009, said to my friend (who was the same age as me, lived in a barrio privado and went to a private school) that I wanted to eat a salad instead of pizza as I wanted to eat something healthy.

And he couldn’t understand why I’d want salad over a pizza, and the concept of healthy food. He was flabbergasted and even disagreed with me, saying pizza is better for you than salad as it fills you up etc.

I feel that attitude or general nutritional unawareness has since changed. But still, tradition and identity is very important here (and I love that about Arg). So people don’t frown upon eating medialunas, pizzas, empanadas, milanesas - you have to be proud of your traditions. I cannot imagine a school in Argentina teaching kids "don't eat pizza, its not healthy".

3. Convenience and efficiency is important

In the UK, like the US, Northern Europe etc, it’s all about "work work work work work" and being quick. So people don’t take the time, like they do here or in Spain etc, to cook and sit down and eat.

There, I grew up in London, going to work, working through lunch break and grabbing dinner on the go after work on my way to hobbies, classes, sports or social event in the evening - because there you can reasonably easily, cheaply and healthily.

I haven’t changed this routine here, I work full time on my own business, go to the gym, play tennis, take french class, portuguese classes in the evenings (not all on one evening!) and have a social life on weekends. My routine doesn’t have a food shop or cooking time built in - it never will. But it’s fucking nightmare trying to eat healthily here.

It’s interesting reflecting on the differences, and while over my 11 years here, there are many things I have adapted well too, the food isn’t one of them (and never will be). Even so, I still love Argentina.

Ib5hought

 

[ksm76]

As a Brit, while I agree that traditional British cuisine (from old times) isn’t great, the modern reality is very different. We eat international cuisine, living there I barely ate traditional British food.

Here’s why I struggle with food in Argentina as a Brit:

1. Variety of international cuisine

The UK’s a European country, with culinary “neighbours” like the French, Italians, Greeks, Portuguese, Spaniard, even Moroccans, so there’s all that influence there with immigrant communities from those countries.

You’ve also got lots of influence and immigrant populations from the countries it colonised, like Hong Kong, India, Thailand, Jamaica etc.

So British people eat this type of international cuisine - European, Asian and beyond etc - and it’s very easy to get hold of. You go to any Tesco or Sainsburys supermarket and all this is available and of decent quality.

Argentina’s history and geography is very different.

2. Much more nutritional awareness and fewer traditions

The healthcare system there is all public, the famous NHS. So the government invests a lot in educating the population on healthy eating and nutrition, to save money on treating weight and diet-related illnesses. So getting healthy food in the UK is very easy.

That doesn’t exist so much here.

I remember an occasion when I first came to Argentina (Mendoza) in 2009, said to my friend (who was the same age as me, lived in a barrio privado and went to a private school) that I wanted to eat a salad instead of pizza as I wanted to eat something healthy.

And he couldn’t understand why I’d want salad over a pizza, and the concept of healthy food. He was flabbergasted and even disagreed with me, saying pizza is better for you than salad as it fills you up etc.

I feel that attitude or general nutritional unawareness has since changed. But still, tradition and identity is very important here (and I love that about Arg). So people don’t frown upon eating medialunas, pizzas, empanadas, milanesas - you have to be proud of your traditions. I cannot imagine a school in Argentina teaching kids "don't eat pizza, its not healthy".

3. Convenience and efficiency is important

In the UK, like the US, Northern Europe etc, it’s all about "work work work work work" and being quick. So people don’t take the time, like they do here or in Spain etc, to cook and sit down and eat.

There, I grew up in London, going to work, working through lunch break and grabbing dinner on the go after work on my way to hobbies, classes, sports or social event in the evening - because there you can reasonably easily, cheaply and healthily.

I haven’t changed this routine here, I work full time on my own business, go to the gym, play tennis, take french class, portuguese classes in the evenings (not all on one evening!) and have a social life on weekends. My routine doesn’t have a food shop or cooking time built in - it never will. But it’s fucking nightmare trying to eat healthily here.

It’s interesting reflecting on the differences, and while over my 11 years here, there are many things I have adapted well too, the food isn’t one of them (and never will be). Even so, I still love Argentina.

I actually thought London had great Asian and Indian cuisine last time I went. I was impressed. I too love international food. I thought however the bread was very subpar in London. Maybe things have changed. It has been awhile. However the Asian in Argentina is very subpar and isn't cheap at all. A tiny bowl of noodles can be as much as a piece of meat. I don't get it. The margins on Asian restaurants must be incredible.

The USA gets a bad rap on the food there{because of the past}. Yes there has been years of abuse from big Agr but things are changing dramatically and in the right direction. Bad ingredients are being eliminated from food in a nice turn that has been a slow turn. Argentina however for example still puts High fructose corn syrup in most of their little packaged cookies, cakes snacks etc. along with Margarine. One bright spot I'm noticing is the addition of beef fat instead of seed oils in some packaging.

The USA contrary to belief does have a very high cooking culture. Most people strive to cook fresh at home most nights. I feel Argentinians frown at cooking at home and put eating out on a high priority even if's it's bad food and overpriced.

One thing that really ticks me off is when you go to a restaurant and they give you a basket of bread and sticks. These are all filled with chemicals, highly processed and loaded with salt and Margarine. Some exceptions do apply but on whole most places give you this highly processed filler garbage. Why not make bread fresh? It's so easy. Crazy.

 

[sergio]

I actually thought London had great Asian and Indian cuisine last time I went. I was impressed. I too love international food. I thought however the bread was very subpar in London. Maybe things have changed. It has been awhile. However the Asian in Argentina is very subpar and isn't cheap at all. A tiny bowl of noodles can be as much as a piece of meat. I don't get it. The margins on Asian restaurants must be incredible.

The USA gets a bad rap on the food there{because of the past}. Yes there has been years of abuse from big Agr but things are changing dramatically and in the right direction. Bad ingredients are being eliminated from food in a nice turn that has been a slow turn. Argentina however for example still puts High fructose corn syrup in most of their little packaged cookies, cakes snacks etc. along with Margarine. One bright spot I'm noticing is the addition of beef fat instead of seed oils in some packaging.

The USA contrary to belief does have a very high cooking culture. Most people strive to cook fresh at home most nights. I feel Argentinians frown at cooking at home and put eating out on a high priority even if's it's bad food and overpriced.

One thing that really ticks me off is when you go to a restaurant and they give you a basket of bread and sticks. These are all filled with chemicals, highly processed and loaded with salt and Margarine. Some exceptions do apply but on whole most places give you this highly processed filler garbage. Why not make bread fresh? It's so easy. Crazy.

You are right about the bread. Usually chemical rubbish.

 

[SlowWalker]

I actually thought London had great Asian and Indian cuisine last time I went. I was impressed. I too love international food. I thought however the bread was very subpar in London. Maybe things have changed. It has been awhile. However the Asian in Argentina is very subpar and isn't cheap at all. A tiny bowl of noodles can be as much as a piece of meat. I don't get it. The margins on Asian restaurants must be incredible.

The USA gets a bad rap on the food there{because of the past}. Yes there has been years of abuse from big Agr but things are changing dramatically and in the right direction. Bad ingredients are being eliminated from food in a nice turn that has been a slow turn. Argentina however for example still puts High fructose corn syrup in most of their little packaged cookies, cakes snacks etc. along with Margarine. One bright spot I'm noticing is the addition of beef fat instead of seed oils in some packaging.

The USA contrary to belief does have a very high cooking culture. Most people strive to cook fresh at home most nights. I feel Argentinians frown at cooking at home and put eating out on a high priority even if's it's bad food and overpriced.

One thing that really ticks me off is when you go to a restaurant and they give you a basket of bread and sticks. These are all filled with chemicals, highly processed and loaded with salt and Margarine. Some exceptions do apply but on whole most places give you this highly processed filler garbage. Why not make bread fresh? It's so easy. Crazy.

I think in the US cooking at home is common because of cost/affordability.
Where I am in Argentina, it seems like most people eat only a single main meal a day, usually lunch. They may just have mate and some crackers, or light sandwiches etc for dinner. Even when people go out for dinner, they may share an entree etc. Most meals are accompanied with a salad of sorts. I am generally surprised by how little they eat.

In terms of their foods, they may not be the healthiest, empanadas, pizzas, etc, but that is not the daily staples I see of most people. Some people I know will typically go heavy on empanadas when they are travelling or on a trip, but not daily or close to that.

My observation has been they are pretty health conscious. Salads, vegetables, single main meal per day, balance with some sport such as padel, football, cycling, hockey, tennis or gym (athletics, weights, pilates). Many people cook at home, and many from scratch.

An interesting note, since the beef is grass fed, it appears to be healthier for you than typical feed lot beef from North America. I was surprised that there wasn't more cardiovascular disease given the amount of beef consumed.

 

[perry]

I think in the US cooking at home is common because of cost/affordability.
Where I am in Argentina, it seems like most people eat only a single main meal a day, usually lunch. They may just have mate and some crackers, or light sandwiches etc for dinner. Even when people go out for dinner, they may share an entree etc. Most meals are accompanied with a salad of sorts. I am generally surprised by how little they eat.

In terms of their foods, they may not be the healthiest, empanadas, pizzas, etc, but that is not the daily staples I see of most people. Some people I know will typically go heavy on empanadas when they are travelling or on a trip, but not daily or close to that.

My observation has been they are pretty health conscious. Salads, vegetables, single main meal per day, balance with some sport such as padel, football, cycling, hockey, tennis or gym (athletics, weights, pilates). Many people cook at home, and many from scratch.

An interesting note, since the beef is grass fed, it appears to be healthier for you than typical feed lot beef from North America. I was surprised that there wasn't more cardiovascular disease given the amount of beef consumed.

Beef in Argentina is not grass fed and 90 percent is feedlot . In 2002 argentina had mainly grass fed meat and at any parilla it was superb. Now You have to pay top dollar for a decent steak much more than Even Australia !