A Tale of Two Parrillas

Parrilla La Estancia in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Our first night in Buenos Aires involved one of those happy happenstances that make travel so intriguing.

Staying at The Complejo Tango had us hidden away in a neighborhood far from the usual tourist services, and with a massive case of jet lag we had no desire to explore the bus/subway/taxi system of the city, so we wandered in search of sustenance in the immediate vicinity.

Parrilla El Litoral, Buenos Aires, Argentina

This led us to the only restaurant nearby, El Litoral, and the ultimate carnivorous chow-down of our lives.

The Coast, as the name translates, is the epitome of a corner joint.

We were greeted warmly by the gregarious waiter/maître d’, Martin, and curious stares from the patrons who were obviously not used to strangers, especially hungry gringo tourists, frequenting this hideaway.

The Grill at Parrilla El Litoral, Bueno Aires

Acquainted with the concept of parrillas via internet – Buenos Aires is famous for these establishments – we had heard of the legendary meat consumption.

Parrilla simply means grill, and a huge grate of roasting meat is the centerpiece of any good one, but even after eyeballing the amazing array of flame kissed cuts brazing in the open air kitchen of El Lioral we were not prepared for what was about to be set in front of us.

The Menu at Parrilla El Litoral, Bueno Aires

In an effort to take it easy on our first experience, we attempted to stick to what appeared to be reasonable portions judging from the menu.

By pointing at pictures and blithering in our trademark broken Spanish, we ordered Bife de costilla, which is a T-bone steak, and Bife de lomo, which is a fillet that we had read was usually the best in any parrilla.

When they arrived we found them to be very reasonable… for a small army.

Carnivore heaven at Parrilla El Lioral, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Veronica was served a plate loaded with two huge steaks, either one of which would have been the hungry-man special at most steak houses, and David was presented with, as near as we could tell, an entire side of beef.

These were accompanied by mashed potatoes and a salad. Luckily we only ordered one of each side dish because they were family style, and by that we mean enough for a family.

Chimichurri at Parrilla El Litoral in Buenos Aires

While we sat in awe of our plates Martin brought us an array of sauces, or chimichurri, for the meat.

Fantastic flavors of onion, garlic, tomato, and cilantro blended beautifully with the perfectly broiled beef.

Several customers were clearly entertained by our reactions to, and attempts to consume, the Flintstone-like platters set before us.

One, a cabbie, even came over for quite an in depth conversation in an amusing, and sometimes confusing mixture of Spanish, English, and Italian.

Parrilla El Litoral, Buenos Aires, Argentina

The ultimate point that he wished to drive home was that this place was the real deal.

We could search the entire city and never find a more authentic parrilla.

In fact, the word auténtico must have been expressed several dozen times to describe the food, the beer, the clientèle, the staff, the neighborhood, even himself… absolutely everything was auténtico, being pronounced the same no matter which language we were currently babbling at each other.

Our bill at Parrilla El Litoral, Buenos Aires, Argentina

But we had no doubts to the authenticity of El Litoral without any testimonial from our taxista amigo.

The place reeked of it, and the final bill left us completely certain, just over one hundred Argentine pesos, about twenty dollars, for the entire orgy of food.

This must be carnivore heaven.

The palace of fried potatoes, El Palacio de la Papa Frita in Buenos Aires

Paradise or not, after that meat-a-thon, we weren’t ready to take on another parrilla for several days.

It takes that long to digest half a cow.

But we didn’t suffer because Buenos Aires is a huge city, over eight million people, and has a vast array of eating opportunities.

There is a large Italian community so pizza and pasta are common, but most anything a heart, or stomach, could desire is available. We even found the palace of fried potatoes, El Palacio de la Papa Frita.

Parrilla La Estancia in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Right next to the home of the royal potato a window with a huge open fire surrounded by whole carcasses splayed out for roasting caught our attention.

These were arranged in a disturbing circle of what looked like miniature metal crucifixes.

In addition to the bonfire, an enormous grill laden with every imaginable cut of beef, pork, lamb, and chicken sizzling over the coals was featured on the opposite side of the door, making what looked to be the ultimate meat-eater’s Macy’s Christmas window display.

Parrilla La Estancia in Buenos Aires, Argentina

We figured before we left Argentina we should take the plunge one more time and try one of the fancier carnivore cafes that cater to tourists, so we stepped inside.

La Estancia was the polar opposite of our previous parrilla experience.

A large, elegant dining room of linen table clothes set with fine china and silver, and a uniformed staff performing in formal precision.

Peppers at Parrilla La Estancia in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Going with the program, when in Rome and all that, we ordered the Argentine Barbeque for 1, and for comparison purposes, another Bife de costilla.

But before we could get to those main events we were kept busy with a parade of tasty tidbits that come as Servicio de Mesa, or table service.

This consisted of a meat pie (in case we weren’t going to get enough meat), breads, sauces, and roasted peppers.

Argentine Barbeque for 1 at Parrilla La Estancia in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Then came the big Kahuna, an enormous platter sizzling on its very own bed of coals was lovingly presented in the center of our table.

The dizzying array of chicken, carne asada, sweetbread, kidney, chorizo, veal tripe, blood sausage, and udder, plus the fact that this was the “for 1” version, sent a shiver of impending meat sweats down our spines.

Argentine Barbeque for 1 at Parrilla La Estancia in Buenos Aires, Argentina

The Bife de costilla was fantastic, even bigger and a little more tender than the El Litoral version, but the “Argentina para uno” was the star of the show.

Argentine Barbeque for 1 at Parrilla La Estancia in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Not for delectable flavor, actually we found most of it barely edible, but for a completely unique gastric experience.

The chicken and beef were basic, tasty but nothing special.

Chorizo isn’t all that uncommon or adventurous.

We had tried blood sausage before, and at least heard about tripe, sweetbread (which is a fancy name for pancreas or other mysterious glands), and kidney consumption, but udder? Holy cow! Literally, holy cow!

Udder at Parrilla La Estancia in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Try as we might, we just couldn’t find any upside to eating udder. It’s simply not good.

We discovered later that it is illegal in the United States.

The law is concerned with health issues, but it should be banned for plain old bad taste.

Mystery meat at Parrilla La Estancia in Buenos Aires, Argentina

We did our best, and to our credit we tried at least a bit of everything on the platter.

But there was no finishing it, and not only because there was at least three pounds of animal parts before us.

It was what parts that played a prevalent part in our inability to partake in the particular portions.

Our final verdict was unanimous, go with the neighborhood joint.

Mainly because the bill came to one quarter of the cost of the touristy place.

Both parrilla’s Bife de costilla, were equally delicious, and we had a blast sampling the Argentine platter, we’ll try anything once!

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

YOUR TURN: Which parrilla would you choose?


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15 thoughts on “A Tale of Two Parrillas”

  1. Wow. That first meal does look like enough for an army. I love places like this that you find on your travels. You have the best meal at the best price.

  2. Oh my gosh, this makes me SOOO hungry! I’ve been craving beef for weeks. Haven’t had much meat over the past few weeks as we’ve just moved to China and my stomach doesn’t adjust well so I’m gradually trying new things. Just want to be back home in the US and go out to a steakhouse now! I hear Argentinian steak is the world’s best!

    1. It was an insane amount of meat, but yes very fresh and tasty. Sweetbread is kind of a catch-all name for a lot of different organ meats, so I suppose brains could be one of them.

  3. I think one parrilla per visit to Argentina is about all I could manage. Fortunately, as you point out, there are plenty of other less meat intensive food options in Buenos Aires, especially Italian given that historically there was so much immigration from Italy.

  4. Yay! I love those neighbourhood parillas. If you have the chance, go to Parrilla San Cayetano, on the corner of Arenales and Sanchez de Bustamente (a couple of blocks from Alto Palermo mall). Their milanesas are gigantic and their grilled red pepper (morron asado) is loaded with freshly chopped garlic. (definitely not for a romantic date LOL!)

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