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[title]Some comebacks are about looking back, while others are about bringing everything you've learned along the way. Aldo Graziani returns to the Bajo district with Aldo’s Brasserie, a project that brings together four decades of experience in the restaurant industry and a clearer vision of what he wants to offer.
Fifteen years after opening the first Aldo’s, the restaurateur is embracing a concept that combines Argentine cuisine, wine, open-fire cooking, music and service, with hospitality at its heart. The idea is simple: to create a place people want to walk into and find reasons to return to.
Returning to the Bajo, but with a different approach
When the first Aldo’s opened in San Telmo in 2011, it was driven by instinct, enthusiasm and a willingness to take risks. Today, Graziani returns to the neighbourhood with a more mature and, above all, more selective perspective.
What does this Aldo’s Brasserie have that the original didn't?
“I don't feel like we're simply returning to where we started, but rather arriving with a different perspective. We're coming back to the Bajo after fifteen years of Aldo’s and forty years working in the restaurant industry,” Graziani explains. “All that experience is reflected here: the restaurants that worked, the ones that didn't, Bebop, the wines, the music, the teams we've built along the way. We have a clearer understanding of what we want to do, and also what we don't need to do.”
That last sentence seems to sum up much of where he stands today. Graziani says his curiosity and enjoyment of being involved in a restaurant remain as strong as ever, but he's learned not to rush things and, most importantly, that just because you can do something doesn't necessarily mean you should.
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Food worth coming back for
Aldo’s Brasserie focuses on familiar, comforting cuisine, with open-fire cooking at its heart and wine taking centre stage. Grilled meats, empanadas, milanesas, pasta, risotto, Argentine cheeses and cured meats all come together in a menu designed to stand the test of time rather than simply surprise diners.
Why focus on the essentials when so many restaurants are trying to stand out by offering something extraordinary?
“I've always been interested in restaurants that make you want to come back. And for people to return, it's not enough to surprise them once. You need good food, quality ingredients, great wines, good service, a pleasant dining room and a certain sense of ease,” he explains.
There's also an awareness of the current economic climate: with diners becoming more careful about their spending, Graziani believes restaurants need to offer a clear proposition and give customers tangible reasons to return.
The restaurant beyond the Instagram photo
Graziani has witnessed the transformation of Buenos Aires' dining scene: social media, rankings, Michelin, new restaurant formats and a much more knowledgeable dining public. He welcomes the level the city's gastronomy has reached, but draws the line at the pursuit of external validation.
What interests you least about today's restaurant scene?
“What interests me least is when a restaurant is designed too much around the photo, the trend or the pursuit of external validation,” he says. “Social media, guides and rankings can be important tools, but they can't replace the customer.”
For him, the ultimate test remains much simpler: “At the end of the day, a restaurant exists because people want to go there and, above all, because they want to come back.”
“Social media, guides and rankings can be important tools, but they can't replace the customer.”
Lessons learned from mistakes
A career spanning four decades inevitably includes closures and projects that didn't work out. Graziani doesn't shy away from them: he considers them an essential part of the learning process.
What did you learn from the restaurants that didn't work out?
“One of the things I've learned is not to rush.” He also came to understand that a good concept isn't enough if the business itself isn't viable: “Today, I pay much more attention to both things together: the concept and its viability.”
That experience also explains another of his current convictions: he no longer feels the need to open a restaurant simply for the sake of opening one. Every project has to spark his curiosity and, above all, have a reason to exist.
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What makes a restaurant a classic?
What does a restaurant need today to become a classic rather than get caught up in passing trends?
“It needs an identity. It doesn't necessarily have to be innovative. In fact, very often, the things that last aren't the most innovative.” Quality materials, good acoustics, music, thoughtful lighting and professional yet relaxed service complete the formula. But there's one word Graziani considers essential: consistency. “A classic is somewhere you return to years later and it still makes sense.”
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If Aldo’s Brasserie were a statement of principles about the restaurateur you are today, what would it say?
“After forty years, I still want to open restaurants, but I no longer need to overcomplicate them to prove anything.” That sentence seems to capture everything Aldo’s Brasserie stands for: wine, familiar cuisine, fire, Buenos Aires, service, music, thoughtful design and hospitality. “I don't see it as going back to the beginning. I see it as having travelled that entire journey to be able to create this restaurant today.”