Buenos Aires food tour.

Today was deliberately a quiet one because we knew the evening would involve a traditional Argentinian food tour.
We started with a sleep-in (a rare luxury on this trip!) followed by a late breakfast and near lunch time a gentle wander around the shopping precinct near our hotel, the Libertador Hotel Buenos Aires. A coffee and a small cake seemed like a wise tactical decision in preparation for what promised to be a very big dinner later.
By late afternoon we made our way to the office of Signature Tours. Being a little early meant we had time to duck into a nearby bar for a quick pre-tour beer — purely for cultural research of course.
At 6pm we met our guide Lourdes, who kicked off the tour with a small tasting — cheese, olives and salami served with a vermouth and Malbec, a very Argentine way to begin the evening.
From there we wandered through what appeared to be the lively neighbourhood of Palermo Soho, an area packed with restaurants, bars and people out enjoying the warm evening air.
The Food Stops
🥟 Empanadas
Our first food stop was for empanadas. There were a few choices — I went for the cheese and onion, while Kim opted for the vegetarian option.
🌭 Choripán
A few blocks later we tried one of Argentina’s most famous street foods — choripán, a grilled sausage sandwich topped with chimichurri. The streets around us were buzzing with locals eating, drinking and walking their dogs — a great atmosphere.
🥩 Argentine BBQ (Parrilla)
Next came the main event — a traditional Argentine BBQ with salad and more Malbec. Argentina certainly knows how to do steak.
🍨 Gelato Finale
To finish the evening we stopped at a gelato shop where the ice cream was excellent and definitely the highlight of the dessert round.
Our Honest Thoughts
Overall it was a pleasant evening and a good way to sample some classic Argentine foods.
However, the experience wasn’t quite as polished as we expected. Two trainee guides joined the tour, which meant Lourdes spent quite a bit of time explaining things to them in Spanish rather than talking to the group. As a result we sometimes felt a little left to our own devices.
Two members of our group were also missing — one unfortunately spent the day in hospital — which meant there was extra food that ended up going to the guides.
A few small things also let it down a little:
• the empanadas appeared to be reheated in a microwave
• the choripán bread was a bit stale
• and our steak arrived very rare (almost blue) without being asked how we wanted it cooked.
But travel is always about the experience as much as the perfection — and wandering the lively Buenos Aires streets at night, sampling local food and wine, is still a pretty good way to spend an evening.
And the gelato?
That part was definitely a win.Read more