San Telmo restaurant - where to go?

[AlexanderB]

I would like to put in a hearty recommendation for Desnivel, on Defensa.

 

[Stafford]

I'd tell you, but I'd have to kill the forum... No but seriously, on a slightly different topic, is anyone else with me when it comes to having just a few spots you kind of like to keep quiet about? For me they're just a handful of restaurants, plazas, recreation areas. Not much, but just a few things I really don't want to publicize. I guess that's that part of me that doesn't care to belong to any club that will have me as a member! (First heard by me from Woody Allen, its usually attributed to Groucho Marx, but appeared originally in Freud's Wit and its relation to the Unconscious) Is that so bad? Anyone with me on that? I kind of feel guilty about it. But for the most part, I like to spread the word. Just like to keep some things sacred :0

But to answer OPs question, Del Plata is great. If you arrive late, you'll miss the backpack crowd and your experience may be a bit more romantic. Although no matter what, its loud there. You should be alright with your price range, especially if you split a big steak. Try the papas rejilla a la provenzal and tell them to make them extra crispy. Yummy. Also, if you're as gauche as I am, go for a malbec rose (with ice cubes in the glass, baby!). Good price and incredibly refreshing in this heat.

And by the way, Guia Oleo can be a good resource. But its also hit or miss. Some places that are highly rated can be utter crap (the ratings go to the management's head). Stumbled across other places that have atrocious reviews, but are magnificent.

Probably in Lonely Planet by now, but Lo de Paka in Belgrano is pretty good too (kind of a hike from S Telmo ja ja) But you'll get more bang for your buck up here.

buen provecho chicos!!

 

[ArgentinaTravel.us]

Lo de Paka is very good but I thought you were going to keep some secrets;-) It is far enough away from the center and across the city from San Telmo I doubt many will venture over. We live in the neighborhood so we roll in weekly.

 

[Stafford]

Lo de Paka is very good but I thought you were going to keep some secrets;-) It is far enough away from the center and across the city from San Telmo I doubt many will venture over. We live in the neighborhood so we roll in weekly.

Hey neighbor! We'll probably run into you at Lo de Paka some day. I thought the cat was kind of out of the bag about that place, so decided to take it off my * secret* list. But yeah, that is one of the advantages of living all the way up here. They haven't appended the word "Palermo" to our neighborhood yet. And I overheard someone in English calling Belgrano "The Northern Suburbs" the other day. I couldn't help chuckling about that.

For Valentine's Day I wouldn't recommend any of these parillas mentioned, by the way. And Happy Valentine's Day folks!

 

[RichardP]

I would like to put in a hearty recommendation for Desnivel, on Defensa.

Yeah, that's where I saw a waiter steal a customer's cellphone off his table. First the waiter distracted the customer by telling him that some ladies at another table were checking him out and that he should definitely go over and chat them up. The kid fell for it and we along with others witnessed the theft. They "found" the phone when the kid went to the manager to complain. I bet this wasn't the only time this happened.
I never went back and wouldn't set foot in that place again.

 

[sinagua980]

We've since relocated to "The Northern Suburbs" and now have no trouble finding good places to eat. We'd still travel back to Cafe Rivas on a Thursday night, because it's THAT good. Live jazz trio outside. Wonderful.

 

[sinagua980]

We're still in love with Cafe Rivas. Here's a blog post we just wrote to show our appreciation.
http://beforeweage.com/2012/06/04/cafe-rivas/

 

[sgarlow]

Has anyone tried either of these restaurants? Restaurant Rioja or La Emilia romigna? They look good on guiaoleo, but I don't really trust guiaoleo.

Have a reason to be in San Telmo weekly, so looking for restaurant recommendations. Tried (and loved) Cafe Rivas. Also liked Caseros. Brasserie Petanque seems a bit too expensive. (Looking for restaurants in the 150 to 250 pesos range for two, with a bottle of wine.)

 

[starlucia]

If you're in the mood for something different, I recommend checking out Dobar Tek, a Croatian restaurant run by a friendly Croatian-Argentine family. The ingredients are fresh, the strudel is made from scratch, prices are reasonable, and the atmosphere is super-unpretentious.