Don Julio ★ 4.9
Even Argentina's LA50B-#3 parrilla keeps the grill lit late. 22:30 reservations are standard; the Palermo room runs at full noise until midnight.
Try: Bife de chorizo and provoleta
History
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.
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 2 bife de chorizo steaks, 400g each, 4cm thick
- 1 kg short ribs (asado de tira), cut crosswise
- 4 chorizo sausages
- 2 morcillas (blood sausages)
- 200g sweetbreads (mollejas), trimmed
- Coarse sea salt
- Hardwood charcoal or quebracho wood
- For chimichurri: 1 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 60ml red wine vinegar
- 120ml olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Method
- Build a fire with hardwood charcoal or quebracho wood. Let it burn down to glowing embers, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Spread embers under the grill.
- Make chimichurri: mix parsley, garlic, oregano, chili, vinegar, oil and salt. Let stand 30 minutes for flavors to meld.
- Start with the sausages: place chorizo and morcilla on the grill over medium embers. Cook 15-20 minutes turning occasionally until skin is crisp and charred.
- Add short ribs bone-side down. Cook slowly over moderate heat, 45 minutes per side, until deeply browned and tender.
- Salt the bife de chorizo steaks generously with coarse sea salt. Place over hotter coals, sear 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Rest 5 minutes.
- Sweetbreads last: blanch first in salted water 3 minutes, drain. Grill over moderate heat 8-10 minutes turning until golden.
- Slice steaks against the grain, plate everything family-style. Serve with chimichurri and crusty bread.
Tip from the editors. The fire takes longer than the meat. Build it 90 minutes before you want to eat. Never use lighter fluid; the taste persists.
Where to eat asado
Asado in Buenos Aires
La Cabrera ★ 4.4
Gaston Riveira's 2002 parrilla famous for the dozen side bowls (purees, salsas, salads) served with every steak. Two Cabrera locations; consistently full.
Signature: Bife de chorizo with side bowls, Provoleta, Ojo de bife
La Carniceria ★ 4.6
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.
Signature: Costilla de chorizo, Mollejas, Grilled provoleta
El Mirasol de La Recova ★ 4.2
Recova arcade branch of the 1967 El Mirasol parrilla group, on Posadas since 1992. Classic-cut parrilla service, walking distance from Recoleta hotels.
Signature: Bife de lomo, Mollejas, Provoleta
Cabana Las Lilas ★ 4.0
Puerto Madero's flagship riverside parrilla since 1995. Estate-raised cattle, tourist-priced, terrace tables on the dock and a full Argentine cellar.
Signature: Ojo de bife, Bife de chorizo, Estate-raised beef
Fogon Asado ★ 4.6
Counter-only Palermo asado tasting; a dozen guests watch eight courses come off the open hearth. #22 on World's Best Steak Restaurants 2026.
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