Argentine barbecue: beef cuts (bife de chorizo, vacio, asado de tira, mollejas, chorizo, morcilla) cooked slowly over wood embers in a parrilla. Sliced thick, salted simply, served with chimichurri and Malbec.
Asado descends from the gaucho campfire of the 1800s Pampas, when cattle herders skewered whole animals on a metal cross over open coals. The urban parrilla restaurant arrived with the late 1800s European immigration boom; by the 1920s every Buenos Aires barrio had one. Today the parrilla is the country's defining national meal, eaten weekly across class lines, with Pablo Rivero's Don Julio in Palermo reaching #1 on Latin America's 50 Best in 2020 and again in 2024.
6 editor picks for Asado in Buenos Aires, ranked by editorial score. All Buenos Aires signature dishes · Asado across every city.
Don Julio ★ 4.9
palermo-soho · Guatemala 4699, C1425 Buenos Aires
Pablo Rivero's Palermo Soho parrilla; Latin America's 50 Best #1 in 2020 and 2024, #3 in 2025. One Michelin star plus a Green Star in the BA guide.
La Carniceria ★ 4.6
palermo-soho · Thames 2317, C1425 Buenos Aires
Pedro Pena and German Sitz's intimate Palermo parrilla. Grass-fed beef from family land, no walk-ins; charred-crust steaks and smoky bone marrow.
Fogon Asado ★ 4.6
palermo-soho · Uriarte 1423, C1414 Buenos Aires
Counter-only asado tasting in Palermo: a dozen guests, an open hearth and eight courses across the fuego cycle. World's Best Steak Restaurants 2026.
La Cabrera ★ 4.4
palermo-soho · Jose Antonio Cabrera 5099, C1414 Buenos Aires
Gaston Riveira's 2002 parrilla, famous for the dozen side bowls (purees, salsas, salads) served with every steak. Flagship plus La Cabrera Norte at 5127.
El Mirasol de La Recova ★ 4.2
recoleta · Posadas 1032, C1011 Buenos Aires
Recova arcade branch of the 1967 El Mirasol parrilla group, on Posadas since 1992. Classic-cut parrilla, white tablecloths, near Recoleta cemetery hotels.
Cabana Las Lilas ★ 4.0
puerto-madero · Avenida Alicia Moreau de Justo 516, C1107 Buenos Aires
Puerto Madero's flagship riverside parrilla since 1995. Estate-raised cattle, tourist-priced, terrace tables on the dock and a full Argentine cellar.