13 argentine restaurants led by women

Las Chicas de la 3 became famous with the Netflix episode of Street Food Buenos Aires. Since then, tourists have flocked to their simple metal stall in Nave 3, located in the Mercado Central de Buenos Aires, the largest and most frequented by local chefs. The women behind this project are Patricia Rodríguez (Pato) and Romina Moore, partners and creators of a dish that crossed borders: their famous tortilla stuffed with ham and – lots of – cheese.

Fact: they also make great empanadas and pies, but people come for their famous tortilla, which they buy to take away or eat amidst fruit crates, market workers – the young guys who carry the carts with boxes through the market – and all the market’s folklore outside Buenos Aires.

Where: Nave 3, Mercado Central de Buenos Aires, Tapiales.

Outside the more touristy restaurant circuit in Buenos Aires, in the Maradonian neighborhood of La Paternal, there’s a place that is still a well-known secret and well worth a detour. The owner and chef is Jazmín Marturet, who combines her many culinary passions in a large property that was once a bakery (the old ovens are still there). From her take on a Vietnamese pho, to Italian-Argentine ravioli, a spicy pork dish inspired by her love for Mexico, or a feijoada with fried fish from southern Brazil, there’s nothing like it in the city. Before opening her restaurant, Jazmín traveled the world as a chef for one of the most famous Latin American singers. The menu offers five main dishes, plus three desserts.

Fact: the restaurant only opens at lunchtime, and weekends are especially lively.

We love that it offers very affordable prices.

Where: Ávalos 360, La Paternal.

Mica Najnamovich stands out among the new chefs in Buenos Aires. Just over 30 years old, her restaurant Anafe already has five years under its belt, during which time it received a Bib Gourmand recognition in the Michelin Guide 2024, was named “one to watch” by 50best Latam, and even hosted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Her cooking is expansive, flavorful, and indulgent.

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Her cuisine is abundant and could be considered part of a Jewish-Portuguese tradition, but with creative twists: her signature dish is a delicate financier with pâté, but there’s also cured fish, baked rice with squid sofrito, or smoked chicken with a cabbage Caesar salad.

Fact: Mica is also a pastry chef, and the desserts are a highlight at Anafe. Don’t leave without trying the profiterole with warm Charlotte and the sambayon cup.

Where: Virrey Avilés 3216, Colegiales.

Las Flores are her habitat. Thanks to using them in her cakes, Chula Gálvez became known, and her restaurant in Palermo is also called Las Flores. This young Argentine pastry chef now displays her obsessions and talent there. It’s an authentic urban oasis (it has a garden with over 600 native plants) with one main rule: nothing contains gluten. Gálvez meets the challenge of replacing the monopolizing wheat flour with lesser-known, healthier options, like sorghum, millet, or pea flour.

Fact: some must-try sweets at this Buenos Aires restaurant include the Clementine cake with cashew flour, white chocolate cream and cheese, and mandarins; passionfruit pie; or their famous pavlovas.

Where: Gorriti 5870, Palermo.

Chef Julieta Oriolo is one of the undisputed leaders of Italian cuisine in Buenos Aires. Raised in a Calabrian family, she opened La Alacena ten years ago in a quiet corner of Palermo. Recognized as a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide 2024, it’s one of the best places to eat pasta in the city. La Alacena is a bright and casual spot, where you can enjoy eggplant alla parmigiana, tagliolini al pesto, lasagna alla bolognese, and other classic dishes, all paired with great local wines. It also has a pasta factory, La Alacena Pastificio, just a few blocks away.

Fact: on weekends, they serve an Italian-style brunch, paired with Aperol Spritz, one of the most popular in the city.

Where: Gascón 1401, Palermo.

Pizza is an institution in Buenos Aires, and beyond the local style –fairly thick crust, good base, loaded with cheese– in recent years, the Neapolitan style has become very popular. Carola and Victoria Santoro learned to make pizza via YouTube and opened a lovely pizzeria in 2019 in the suburbs where Borges spent his summers. Settled in Adrogué, they were recognized for two years in a row among the best pizzerias in the world. For those who don’t want to travel too far, there’s La Sorrelina, their new pizza bar in the more central neighborhood of Colegiales.

Fact: we recommend the Sorrento pizza, with potato, mascarpone, lemon, garlic, parmesan, and a heart of burrata.

Where: Freire 1393, Colegiales.

Donnet was a pioneer in Chacarita. When the neighborhood—home to the largest cemetery in the city and the coolest culinary scene—had little to offer, Manuela Donnet, the chef behind the restaurant, decided to open her space there.

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Donnet isn’t just a restaurant; it’s an unconventional space with a love-hate vibe that always sparks strong opinions. The menu is entirely vegan, with mushrooms, fermented products, and vinegars made in-house in the basement. It’s a brief yet innovative menu that feels like a zine.

Tip: Don’t miss the fainá and the Donnet mushrooms, prepared with portobello mushrooms.

Where: Fraga 675, Chacarita.

Handmade pasta factories are iconic in Buenos Aires, and there are many scattered across neighborhoods. However, there was no place focused on vegan pasta until television producer Mena Duarte and chef Inés La Torre decided to open one. In 2020, they opened a small shop in Chacarita that quickly became a sensation thanks to its beautiful and colorful products and clever use of social media. The restaurant soon became a local hit, with lines outside and daily sell-outs. In 2023, they expanded to La Paternal, where they opened a full-fledged restaurant with red and white checkered tablecloths, soda siphons, and flowers.

Tip: While vegan pasta is the star of the menu, there are other options available.

Where: Paz Soldán 4993, La Paternal.

Agustina and Catalina Azcuy have created one of the most solid vegan dining experiences in Buenos Aires, a city traditionally known for its carnivorous cuisine. The sisters began with a small pastry shop in Palermo and eventually expanded to a larger restaurant just a few blocks away. In November 2023, they opened a second location in Belgrano.

Tip: Try the girolles mushrooms with chimichurri and sweet potato puree or the Mediterranean sandwich. For dessert, the 87% chocolate cookies with sea salt and the sublime cake (their version of carrot cake) are a must.

Where: Migueletes 1762, Belgrano; Gorriti 3681, Palermo.

Art is the word that best describes the experience at Marta. One of the most recent openings, it has already become one of the top spots on food lovers' wishlists.

Marta Wajda, the creator behind this space, infuses part of her personal history into every detail. An heir to three generations of artists and with a special sensitivity, the restaurant displays art in all forms: on the walls, in every corner, and in every dish.

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"For me, cooking is an extension of art, adding flavors and aromas to a canvas of forms and colors," says the chef, who also studied Design and Painting. The restaurant offers fine dining with a deconstructed, adaptable, and ever-changing menu.

Tip: One of their signature dishes, Everything About Tomatoes (featuring heirloom tomatoes, grapes, fennel, vanilla, and cilantro oil), has the potential to become a classic.

Where: Virrey Avilés 3488, Colegiales.

Orno, an Italian-style cantina with occasional karaoke nights, might not seem related to Casa Cavia, a sophisticated restaurant housed in one of Palermo's most beautiful mansions. However, both share a creative mind: Guadalupe García Mosqueda, who is the creative director behind these projects, as well as others like Asadero and Piso Tres.

Casa Cavia isn’t just a restaurant—it also functions as a florist and a publisher. The talented Julieta Caruso leads the sophisticated menu, which includes a unique sweet potato and fresh dessert that’s too beautiful to eat.

Orno, on the other hand, proves that fast food can be creative. The menu includes Neapolitan pizza, Detroit-style pizza, pastas, milanesas, and charcuterie. What sets Orno apart are its unconventional offerings, such as Drag Bingo nights and interactive karaoke shows.

Tip: Guadalupe García is also the mastermind behind El Abierto, a green space in Saavedra that serves as both an event hall and an urban garden that supplies ingredients for all her restaurants.

Where: Orno, Corrientes 402, Olivos; Guatemala 4701, Palermo; Casa Cavia, Cavia 298, Palermo.

This place is much more than an "ice cream restaurant" as Mecha Román, the mind behind Obrador Florida, likes to call it. It’s a kind of laboratory with an unwavering respect for the product, the territory, and the seasons. Everything at Obrador Florida is made artisanally.

One of Mecha’s grandmothers was a cook, and the other was a biochemist. Mecha herself studied Graphic Design, Gastronomy, and Culinary Design, and from this blend of disciplines, her current project emerged, which is now all the rage in Palermo.

The menu is constantly changing and offers an element of surprise. Each flavor respects the time it takes for its ingredients to reach their peak, telling a story with every bite—like the sugarcane cream made from the cane fields in Misiones.

Tip: You can't miss the vanilla ice cream infused for 72 hours with a blend of fresh vanilla pods from different origins: Tahiti, Madagascar, and Uganda. This is one of their signature flavors and where it all began.

Where: Soler 5063, Palermo.

A baker grandfather and a childhood marked by hours of kneading and baking. More than a decade working in the pastry department of Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt alongside Damián Betular. Both experiences played a key role in the creation of Tallarica, a pastry shop that is making waves in Belgrano.

These two elements are also part of the story of Daniela Tallarico, pastry chef and founder of this exquisite spot, which began as a way to move forward during the pandemic. The petit gateaux and cookies take center stage, winning over and tempting anyone who tries them.

Fact: The Red Pop cookie (red velvet, white chocolate, cream cheese, caramelized popcorn, and salt) is one of the most popular treats after going viral on TikTok.

Where: Av. del Libertador 6025, Belgrano.