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[title]He runs one of Argentina’s most acclaimed steakhouses, but the first thing he does is shrug off the label. Emiliano Yulita, chef at El Mercado, inside the Faena Hotel, insists that he is a chef, not a grill master. He trained at the IAG culinary institute and honed his skills in the Basque Country, working in Martín Berasategui’s kitchen. Today, amid international recognition, he champions the tradition of family barbecues and focuses on the origins of the wood that fuels his embers.
At his restaurant, fire is the starting point for a style of cooking that also celebrates seasonal vegetables and the wood-fired oven. He sees himself as a passionate professional who strives to give his best every day and, outside the kitchen, enjoys walking around anonymously.
His philosophy, however, is clear. “You don’t master the grill, you respect it,” he says. And in his ten commandments for meat lovers, he sums it up in another simple line: flames burn, while embers cook.
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Twenty years without appearing in a single guide
On the evening of December 2, 2025, in Antigua, Guatemala, Yulita kept his expectations modest. He had travelled with sommelier Maximiliano Pérez and the hotel’s director at the time, and the three figured that, with a little luck, they might make it to 49th place. Instead, the 300 experts who vote confidentially for Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants placed El Mercado at number 27, making it a new entry on the list.
When confronted with the obvious criticism — that this is a hotel restaurant with Philippe Starck-designed interiors making its way onto the awards stage — he takes no offence. His response is simple: nobody handed them anything. They had spent 20 years pursuing the same vision and style of cooking without appearing in a single guide. The recognition, he says, “is the result of the consistent hard work of many people”.
More accolades followed. In September, Tripadvisor ranked El Mercado tenth among the world's best fine dining restaurants. In October, Fine Dining Table awarded it Three Fires, its highest distinction, and also honoured Yulita individually at its gala in El Salvador. Back in May, he had cooked alongside Francis Mallmann at a charity dinner held at the hotel itself. But the story doesn't end there.
On December 1, the Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2026 list will be unveiled in Guadalajara, Mexico. Yulita sums up his expectations in a single sentence: “Awards come and go.” What really matters, he explains, is maintaining the restaurant's daily standards and culinary vision, with or without accolades.
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Fire, with memory and responsibility
From the Basque Country, he brought back a preference for coarse salt, the practice of occasionally cooking over flames rather than embers, and a taste for very rare meat, almost bleu. But at home, Argentine barbecue traditions prevail: embers, patience and cooking times ranging from an hour and a half to three hours per side for cuts such as asado or vacío (flank steak). And when friends or family gather, he would rather be the guest of honour and stay as far away from the grill as possible.
Meanwhile, at El Mercado, the current obsession is the ceja, a prized section of the ribeye that discerning meat lovers are increasingly seeking out. It comes at a cost: “To get it, you have to sacrifice the ribeye,” he explains. His boldest grilling adventure, he recalls, involved an entire half-carcass of beef suspended over an open fire at a country estate in Junín, during the birthday celebration of a well-known person he works for. He is quick to clarify that he and his team were merely enthusiastic assistants: the real credit belonged to the estate's caretakers and local workers. It is an experience he remembers fondly, always with a sense of humility.
One question, however, turns his attention towards the forest. El Mercado cooks with red quebracho wood from northern Argentina, a slow-growing tree whose logging in the Chaco region has raised concerns among environmental organisations such as Greenpeace. Yulita acknowledges the issue and explains that they are working on tracing the origins of their firewood to certify that it does not come from illegal logging or deforestation. It is an ongoing effort, not a certification already hanging on the wall.
Can a Sunday family barbecue beat a restaurant on the 50 Best list? He has no doubts: it beats any restaurant. What makes a place special is the people you share the table with, and nothing compares to eating in familiar surroundings, whether at his father-in-law's house or his parents' home.
That is the chef behind one of the most celebrated grills in Latin America: a man who, on any given Sunday, would rather take a seat at someone else's table.
El Mercado: Martha Salotti 445, Puerto Madero (inside Faena Hotel Buenos Aires).