Where to eat locro and traditional dishes in Buenos Aires

At an iconic corner in the Boedo neighborhood, Pan y Teatro has established itself as a refuge for Cuyo cuisine in Buenos Aires. Founded over 30 years ago by the Marín family, this restaurant offers an authentic gastronomic experience with homemade dishes prepared with fresh ingredients brought from Mendoza.

Their menu features specialties like lamb baked in dough, Mendoza-style potato and meat pie, beef and humita empanadas, and homemade lasagna with fresh tomato sauce and olives.

The warm, homey atmosphere, with live piano music and rustic decor featuring wooden furniture and weaving pieces, invites diners to enjoy an intimate and cozy evening. They also offer artisanal sweets such as pumpkin in syrup and yute sweet, made by the owner’s mother with seasonal products. Pan y Teatro is a must-visit for those looking to savor authentic Argentine regional cuisine in a setting that blends art, tradition, and hospitality.

Where: Las Casas 4095.

At Raíces Cocina Casera, tradition is celebrated with a ladle in hand: juicy empanadas, hearty stews, XL-sized milanesas, and homemade flans that warm the soul.

But if there’s one dish that takes all the applause, it’s the thick, steaming locro full of character. According to the Time Out guide, it’s among the best in Buenos Aires — and rightly so: every spoonful tells a story of countryside, slow cooking, and cuisine with memory.

Where: Crisólogo Larralde 3995.

Located in the heart of Recoleta, La Aguada is a restaurant that pays tribute to the regional cuisine of northwest Argentina. With a warm ambiance and details that evoke tradition, it offers an authentic gastronomic experience.

The menu highlights emblematic dishes such as locro, humita in a pot, tripe stew, and carbonada, all prepared with homemade recipes reminiscent of flavors from the past. The Tucuman empanadas and tamales are a must-try, and for dessert, quesillo with cayote sweet and rice pudding bring to mind the homemade sweets of our grandmothers.

The service is warm, and the prices are accessible, making La Aguada a must-stop for those seeking to enjoy authentic Argentine cuisine in Buenos Aires.

Where: Billinghurst 1862.

Locro is always on the menu at this walk-in and take-away restaurant located on a corner of the San Telmo Market. El Hornero de San Telmo specializes in empanadas, regional and criollo dishes, and has views of Esteban de Luca’s house, one of the oldest residences in Buenos Aires.

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The casserole proposed by executive chef Alan Del Águila includes cracked white corn, white butter beans, pork tripe, pancetta, criollo and red chorizo, pork ribs, white onion, and pumpkin… A hearty and substantial dish for cold winter days, and “solidary with friends,” as they say at El Hornero, because there’s always an extra portion.

Tip: The menu also includes stews, tripe, lentils, vedette empanadas, tamales, humita en chala, homemade flan, and rice pudding.

Where: Av. Carlos Calvo 455, shops 88 and 89 / Av. Córdoba 970.

In this rustic spot, opened in 2020, there’s no gas installation: everything is cooked in a clay oven and wood-fired, matching the ‘imperfect’ charm that gives the place its name. The north-inspired menu at El Imperfecto features traditional recipe empanadas with spices brought especially from Salta, such as paprika, ground chili, and cumin. Also, humita a la olla, charqui tamales, Tucuman-style milanesa sandwich, and locro, the first dish that came out of their kitchen. They say that at El Imperfecto, they make a certain number of empanadas per day, and when they’re gone... they’re gone.

Tip: Diego Rizzi and Emilia Saravia saved money for their wedding but had a better idea: to use their savings to open a restaurant where they could cook together.

Where: Gascón 1417.

This place, perfect for enjoying typical flavors of Argentine gastronomic culture, was born in the 2000s with the idea of creating a representative proposal of that very Argentine cuisine, inviting diners to “travel through time and across the country’s different geographies.”

The menu at 1810 Cocina Regional consists of native dishes from northern Argentina, such as Tucuman-style empanadas and typical stews: locro (with beef, beans, corn, squash, and red chorizo), carbonada (with peach, corn, and meat), tamales, and humita en chala, among other homemade delights.

Tip: Are you a fan of colaciones? You don’t have to go to Córdoba to treat yourself. At 1810 Cocina Regional, they specialize in making these addictive sweet bites filled with dulce de leche and covered in glaze.

Where: Mendoza 2312/20 / Julián Álvarez 1998 / Marcelo T. de Alvear 868.

For almost two decades, La Querencia has specialized in Argentine cuisine, empanadas, grill, and snacks, but its menu—and its spirit—includes a whole section dedicated to native foods, where locro made with beef and pork, beans, corn, squash, and red chorizo stands out. Among their regional dishes, they also include carbonada, criollo tripe, humita, northern tamal, and northern shepherd’s pie with peppers, veal, and green olives. Traditional desserts are also present in this Recoleta corner: unmissable are the sweet potato or quince pasties, bread pudding, and rice pudding.

Tip: Besides the typical dishes, you must try the handmade empanadas, especially lamb, tripe, dairy (seven cheeses), and hand-cut beef.

Where: Junín 1314 / Palpa 2383.

In the heart of downtown Buenos Aires, there’s a time machine. A bar, restaurant, and museum that invites you to travel to the past through its collection of toys and antiques displayed throughout the venue, and its artisanal-quality regional foods. La Morada’s menu complements the retro ambiance with typical flavors and dishes from Catamarca, such as empanadas and other classic Argentine dishes, like locro (with corn, beans, meat, squash, pancetta, and red chorizo) accompanied by freshly made homemade cookies and lentil stew that shines during autumn and winter months.

Tip: The first La Morada location opened in September 1999 on Larrea Street, corner of Juncal. A few years later, they expanded downtown, in the basement of an 1890 building that once housed an old bodega known as La Vieja Victoria.

Where: Larrea 1336 / Hipolito Yrigoyen 778.

“Empanadas so juicy you’ll need an umbrella,” warn the folks at Molino Norteño, the gastronomic venture launched by Gustavo Tapia in 2016, when he decided to bring the authentic flavors of his hometown Molinos, in Salta province, to Buenos Aires.

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What began as a quick-bites place soon embraced identity and added regional dishes: from genuine Salteña empanadas hand-cut and seasoned with paprika and cumin, to humitas, tamales, and traditional desserts like quesillo with cayote and Salteña nougat. Always accompanied by typical regional drinks.

Tip: The empanadas (large and packed with filling) are served with yasgua, a typical spicy tomato and chili sauce, a must to accompany every bite of these Salteña delights.

Where: Cnel. Apolinario Figueroa 101.

A classic in the Belgrano neighborhood. Since opening in 1991, it has delighted lovers of crispy, juicy empanadas. It’s almost sacrilege to eat them with a knife and fork.

Inspired by Bolivian cuisine – their style of empanadas is called ‘salteñas’ – La Paceña’s menu also offers a variety of stews, including locro made with beef, pork, bacon, sausage, sweet potato, cabbage, cracked corn, beans, and slightly spicy house salsa. For dessert: a ‘paceñito’ of sweet potato or quince.

Note: The owner, Don Víctor, named the restaurant in honor of his grandparents who lived in Bolivia for several years and passed down their recipes.

Where: Echeverría 2570.

With a typical bodega atmosphere, El Horno del Norte offers a super varied menu where, among its charcoal grill and elaborated dishes, the best regional foods—tamales, humitas, and casseroles—stand out, and above all, their Tucuman-style empanadas.

You can’t leave without trying the sweet cayote and walnut, the best northern dessert. There’s no need to wait for May 25 or any other national holiday: their pulsudo locro (hearty and full of ingredients) is available on the menu every day of the year.

Tip: If you’re far from Palermo and closer to the Argentine coast, they also have a branch in Villa Gesell with the same spirit and regional flavors.

Where: Guatemala 5999.