Argentine restaurants in Madrid are beginning to be a reliable representation of the gastronomy of the vast South American country. The increase of citizens from this country -between 2020 and 2021, the migratory flow of Argentines to Spain increased by 65.8%, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE)- has brought new airs to Madrid’s hotel and catering industry.
Argentines have known how to fuse and start from scratch with all their roots to make their own flagship. Now that culinary richness is a good part of its identity. And since in Madrid going out for a drink -no matter the day of the week, even the time- is essential to feel like a local, there is no new proposal that is not welcome.
1. Fayer
Fayer knows how to bring out the best of various gastronomies. Its Argentine-Israeli mix results in one of the most interesting restaurants in the country Chamberí and has opened the way for her little sister Golda (or Golfa, depending on the time). Its decoration (clean, but cozy), the two heights and the more secluded tables create the perfect ambiance for a romantic dinner with a touch of foodie lover.
💶 Average price: 50 per person.
📍 Calle de Orfila, 7 (Chamberí)
2. Lana
Lana is one of the argentine steak restaurants which brings the tradition of the asado de feriado (as they say in Argentina to the holiday) to Madrid and is part of the our favorite openings in 2022.
Its owners, brothers Martín and Joaquín, respect their Argentinean roots to the fullest in each of their dishes. The quality of its meat is extraordinary. There are two Argentinean grill classics that also stand out here: ojo de bife (steak eye) and chorizo.
💶 Around €60 per person.
📍 Calle de Ponzano, 59 (Chamberí).
3. Picsa
Picsa prepares this icon of Italian gastronomy in the Argentinean way. For this purpose, they have created their own dough, made with three different flours, which is left to rest for twenty-four hours before double baking in their wood-fired oven.
The particularities add up to something so well known by the international palate. Not only do they make their own dough, but also the ingredients. Instead of using the mozzarella cheese popular in Italian cuisine, they have made their own cheese from two Galician varieties and two others whose origin they do not want to reveal. The cooked ham also comes out of his kitchen, specifically from his oven.
💶 Picsa: from €18.
📍 Calle de Ponzano, 76 (Chamberí).
4. La Cabrera
La Cabrera is a restaurant of Argentinean origin that has become internationally acclaimed. Before arriving in Madrid, it opened in Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay and the United States.
La Cabrera is naturally from Buenos Aires (Palermo neighborhood) and its history is linked to a name, that of chef and owner Gastón Rivera. The restaurant’s bet is based on keeping the classics and succulent Argentinean cuts (from ojo de bife to the Argentinean Black Angus T-bone steak) to the adaptation of some Spanish products such as Iberian pork products.
💶 Average price: 70€
📍 Calle de Velázquez, 61 (Salamanca neighborhood)
5. Cedron Madrid
Cedron is a wine bar where you can eat and drink in abundance. The menu is brief and has two clear influences: Mediterranean and Argentinean. The milanesa is the main protagonist and it is made both in the Argentinean and Neapolitan style. Of course, if you order the Italian version, it is better to share. The wine list is, as expected, longer and focused on natural wines, which are so much in vogue.
💶 Average price: 25 per person.
Almendro Street, 25 (La Latina)
6. Tatema Madrid
Tatemar is a pre-Hispanic cooking technique that consists of putting food on the fire to roast it directly in the embers. And, as its name suggests, it is the favorite preparation of this restaurant in Lavapiés. His fried broccoli with sesame dressing and slices of aged cheese is a delight that convinces even the haters of Verde. Promise.
Another virtue is that almost all of their dishes can be ordered in different sizes: as a skewer, half portion or full portion, which allows you to try many different recipes without wasting food or scratching your pockets too much.
💶 Average price: 20 per person
📍 Calle de Argumosa, 11 (Lavapiés)
7. Piantao
Piantao, which has two restaurants in Madrid, is a restaurant managed by Argentinean chef Javier Brichetto. Both restaurants have a simple menu, where the quality of the dishes is consecrated to the raw material: the elaboration is not laborious, but precise, elementary and almost always grilled.
Special mention should be made of the alfajor with dulce de leche and chocolate Águila ice cream. One more twist on the hyper-sweetness of Argentine desserts.
average price: around 50 € per person.
📍 Paseo de la Chopera, 69 (Legazpi) and Calle de Sagasta, 30 (Alonso Martínez)
8. La Choripanería
With the idea of remembering the taste of their childhood, many Argentines go to La Choripanería, the street food restaurant located in Lavapiés. Carlos, one of the partners, told Madrid Secreto that: “the Argentines who come here love it: they come and say how good the chorizos are. Many are coming and the good thing is that they are referenced”.
The other partner is Pablo and neither of them come from the restaurant business. Pablo, a Mexican, visited Argentina with Carlos, Carlos took him to a choripan cart, and back in Madrid they saw how to make it possible here. It is now a tangible space and, although it is not the only place that sells choripanes in Madrid, it is the only choripanería in the city.
💶 Choripanes from 7,5€.
📍 Calle del Ave María, 15 (Lavapiés).
9. The Argentine hut
Among the veterans of the grill is La cabaña argentina, to certify the carnivorous taste of the South American country. Since 1994 this restaurant in Las Letras, run by Ovidio and Alejandro Fernandez (father and son) brings every two weeks from their homeland the best packaged loins and cuts of meat, but in case you want to compare, they also have national meats.
💶 Average price: 40 per person.
📍 Calle Ventura de la Vega, 10 (Las Letras)
10. Tita Buenos Aires
They have multiplied in all neighborhoods and their boom has been vox populi in recent years. Tita de Buenos Aires is one of the Argentinean restaurants specializing in empanadas that has joined the explosion. Its owner, Marcelo Settimo, an entrepreneur from Rosario, defines the empanada as the evolution of fast food. And is undoubtedly right, it was the most common food in the streets of Madrid in the sixteenth century, precisely because of the ease of making and eating them.
Its first store opened in 2021 and it already has eight stores (one of them in Malaga). Further proof that the format works.
💶 A pasty: 3,3€