Contemporary Classics: 10 Dishes from the Past Decade That Are Already Icons of Buenos Aires Cuisine

In 2020, La Kitchen’s fosforito put this classic back in the spotlight. “When we opened, we cooked very freely. It was like a game, and that’s why it turned out so well,” says Sofía Jungberg. “I wanted to make one like the kind my grandmother used to buy at Ritz.” So she set out to create an improved version: oversized, with airy puff pastry made using good technique and crispy layers that don’t fall apart, natural ham with herbs (no preservatives), and excellent-quality cheese. “The simplicity of a good product,” she says.

It has always remained on the counter. “People still come in asking for them, and we even have former neighbors who have moved away but still come back to get them.”

The detail: It has been such a success that every September they celebrate Fosforito Fest, featuring more than six special varieties. Sofía’s favorite, made with lomito and grilled pineapple, is a must-try.

Where: Núñez 3400, Coghlan; Roseti 1360, Villa Ortúzar; Av. Int. Güiraldes 2851 (La Nube), Belgrano.

Lardo & Rosemary was one of the first restaurants to popularize the small-plates format, and there is one dish that has never left the menu. “Eight years ago, it wasn’t normal to think of French fries as a dish rather than a side. We wanted to give them that status,” recalls Pipe Colloca. They are crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, made using a triple-cooking process and a few secrets.

“They don’t contain mashed potatoes, and there’s a freezing stage between the cooking processes. We can’t make them on the same day.” They are served with herb salt and homemade dips: ketchup, Japanese-style mayo and sriracha. The menu rotates, with products that change at least partially, except for the French fries. “They are by far our best-selling item.”

The detail: Curiously, they make the same fries at the group’s other restaurants, Lardito and Parrilla Maravilla, but according to Pipe, they never reach the same level. “These are unique,” he concludes.

Where: Av. del Libertador 3810, La Lucila.

Arredondo opened in 2018 with a modern cantina concept, and its handmade burgers quickly began making waves. “It was the burger boom on social media. We saw a video by Leno (formerly @burgerfacts) and took all his tips. We wanted to keep things simple, but execute them well,” recalls Tomás, one of the partners.

The best-selling burger from the very beginning has been the Arredondo, made with beef, cheddar, bacon, crispy onions and homemade aioli. But over time, they improved it: “We’ve always made the blend ourselves, originally with roast beef and vacío, and now with bife de chorizo, ribeye and asado. The patty has also grown in size, and the bun developed by Kalis is another one altogether.”

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The detail: They started with five varieties, alongside vegetable fritters and milanesa sandwiches. Today, their burgers have their own dedicated section on the menu, with ten different styles.

Where: Virrey Arredondo 2562, Colegiales.

Anafe’s pâté went from word of mouth and thousands of Instagram posts to newspaper features and modern restaurants beginning to develop their own versions of this French icon. “I was inspired by one I used to make in Australia. It was a trend there; every restaurant was doing it,” says Micaela Najmanovich. Together with her partner Nicolás Arcucci, she created a highly distinctive version to add to their cosmopolitan menu.

“The combination of pâté and chutney is fairly traditional, but serving it whipped (very creamy) on top of a financier in a pastry-style presentation, in a three-bite portion, makes it unique.” According to them, everyone always eats pâté. Some even order it as an appetizer and then again as a pre-dessert. “Sometimes we think about making changes, but why tamper with something that is already good? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

The detail: It is made with chicken liver and served with a chutney that changes with the seasons.

Where: Virrey Avilés 3383, Colegiales.

Pablo Fridman opened Condarco in 2021 with a seasonal concept featuring small and medium-sized dishes designed to be shared. “From day one until today, you can see the Spanish omelet on almost every table,” says the chef. It contains only free-range eggs and confit potatoes, but what makes the difference is the cooking technique, which creates a thin, pale crust and a runny, creamy interior.

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“It’s not the consistency many people imagine, with liquid egg spilling out. That’s not right. It’s a very creamy consistency, with rich, velvety egg and potatoes that fall apart,” he explains. “I enjoy the haters who point out its pale color, say it should have onions or that the lactonesa should be removed. As it is, it’s the most beloved dish.”

The detail: It is served with garlic lactonesa and freshly chopped parsley.

Where: Av. Dorrego 901, Chacarita.

The milanesa is the signature dish at El Preferido. A dish that simply had to be included at this legendary neighborhood restaurant, revitalized by Pablo Rivero and chef Guido Tassi, which still retains its traditional bodegón spirit while offering a contemporary take on Buenos Aires cuisine. “Everything we add to the menu, we do with the diner in mind: we want them to like it and we want to be able to keep it over time. Based on that, we choose the best ingredients,” says Tassi.

For their iconic milanesa, they use thin-cut beef from large animals (the same meat they serve at Don Julio), free-range eggs produced at La Comarca (the group’s sustainable farm), and freshly grated lard breading—not dried—which gives the cutlet an exceptionally crispy crust. “We’ve never changed anything about it; it has always been the same.”

The detail: In summer, during tomato season, they offer a Neapolitan-style version, while in winter, they serve a fugazzeta version.

Where: Jorge Luis Borges 2108, Palermo.

A Christmas-season specialty became the star of Picarón. “When we opened in 2020, we added a smoker and wanted to have some kind of cold meat dish. It was the end of the year, and we thought it would be interesting to make a vitel toné with a smoky touch,” says chef Maxi Rossi. That’s how their famous tonnato maiale was born, using pork instead of veal.

The cured, smoked pork shoulder, glazed with a spiced syrup, is sliced thinly and served with the traditional vitel toné sauce (made with tuna, anchovies and capers), accompanied by crispy lattice-cut potatoes. “We didn’t think it would make it through the holiday season or become a house classic.” But word of mouth did its job, and that’s why it remains firmly on the menu. “It represents us, it’s fun to make, and people love it.”

The detail: Absolutely every dish is made by hand at the restaurant.

Where: Av. Dorrego 866, Chacarita.

At Gran Dabbang, Mariano Ramón creates an identity-driven cuisine with Middle Eastern influences and a labne that is “impossible to take off the menu.” It was born almost by accident. “My wife had bought the Indian press to make sevs (fried chickpea noodles) and kept insisting that I use it, but I wasn’t paying attention to the little machine,” he laughs. When large crowds began gathering outside, they needed to add a dish that could be served quickly. “That way, once they got inside, they wouldn’t have to keep waiting to eat.”

The fried chickpea noodles were the solution, and Mariano designed a dish around them: the idea is to break them up and mix them with yogurt, a raisin and tamarind chutney, a tangy huacatay chutney, nuts, seasonal fruit and a chaat masala made with black salt and hibiscus leaves.

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“It perfectly represents the restaurant: ingredients, flavor, contrasts and playfulness.” My wife was right,” he concludes.

The detail: The best approach is to order several dishes to share and try a little bit of everything.

Where: Av. Raúl Scalabrini Ortiz 1543, Palermo.

“Pad thai is one of the dishes that inspired us to develop the concept at Cang Tin, and it has been the most requested dish since we opened in 2020,” says José Delgado, partner and chef of this Asian restaurant alongside Thoma Nguyen. The recipe is traditionally Thai: tamarind paste and fish sauce as the base, rice noodles, nira, tofu, vegetables, bean sprouts and chicken or shrimp, all stir-fried in a wok and served with lime wedges.

What makes it special is the marked contrast between sweet, salty and sour flavors, so distinctive of Thai cuisine. “People love it so much that, even though it’s a generous dish designed for sharing, many couples order one each so they don’t miss a single bite.”

The detail: If you don’t eat meat, order the vegetarian version: it comes with extra tofu and pak choi without losing the balance of flavors.

Where: Dorrego 2415, Palermo.

Katsu sando is a traditional Japanese sandwich that found a new identity at Niño Gordo, becoming a signature dish. “It’s a dish that sums up our cuisine very well: Japanese classics reinterpreted with Argentine ingredients,” says Germán Sitz.

To give it its own identity, they replaced the original pork loin or tenderloin with Angus Colorado bife de chorizo: “a way of representing our butcher-shop tradition.” “The recipe has remained practically unchanged since we added it to the menu, and today it is one of the restaurant’s most representative dishes.”

The detail: The thick cut of meat, breaded and fried, is cooked to perfection and served on soft, fluffy brioche bread (shokupan-style), with tonkatsu sauce and a homemade Japanese mayonnaise containing soy sauce and wasabi.

Where: Thames 1810, Palermo.