Eat This Right Now in BA
A Korean stew, a cheesy chipa, and one of the best martinis in the city. Plus, what you should do this Thursday night.
I haven’t been eating out much lately in Buenos Aires. Travel, inflation, and general wallet anxiety have me reaching for my air fryer more than my credit card. Turns out I’m not alone: a recent Kantar report found that 76 percent of people in Argentina say they’ve cut back on dining out in the past year—and price is the biggest reason. Restaurants across the city are feeling it. Many say it’s the worst slump since the pandemic. Which makes it all the more important to support the spots that still make it worth going out.
This week, I found three of them: a Korean stew that warmed my soul, a cheesy chipa that made me swoon, and one of the best martinis I’ve had in a while. Plus, how you should spend Thursday, June 12 (at La Calesita with some of the greatest chefs in Latin America).
🍲 OMMABAB (Paraná 610, Centro)
A Korean stew to beat the cold.
The first real chill of the season hit, and I found myself roaming downtown in search of something hot and soul-warming. A decade ago, Korean restaurants were hidden in Koreatown, serving almost exclusively the Korean community. Now, spots like Ommabab have popped up on busy corners, proof that BA’s once spice-averse palate is finally craving heat.
I was walking along Paraná and saw a simple “comida coreana” sign. Inside, two Korean women worked an open kitchen, and the restaurant was full. It smelled like kimchi and garlic, so I pulled up a chair.
I ordered the kimchi jjigae: bubbling tofu and kimchi stew, spicy enough to warm me from the inside. That first spoon felt like a visit to a grandmother’s kitchen, each bite unfolding richer layers of kimchi tang, gentle heat, and savory broth, so addictive that I couldn’t stop eating even as I burned my tongue. Each bowl came with banchan like kimchi, pickled veg, green onion pancake, and perfectly cooked white rice. I grabbed a bulgogi kimbap to go, already planning my next visit for mandu, tteokbokki, and Korean fried chicken. Ommabab shows how BA’s palate has evolved, offering satisfying, affordable Korean home cooking just in time for winter.
🧀 ADA (Libertad 1198, Recoleta)
Sunlight floods this corner café, making every pale-wood detail glow. My favorite spot in Once, a cozy café perfect for people-watching, now has a grown-up Recoleta-cheto cousin: ADA. Here, minimalist fixtures, commissioned Ana Resimini paintings, and an open kitchen give it that magazine-ready gloss.
I stumbled in for an americano, and immediately spotted the chipa display. One bite: warm, chewy, pure cheesy joy, I gobbled it up and already wanted another. (They also serve some of my favorite alfajores.) The all-day menu features dishes like a grain bowl piled high with veggies and pickles (the one the woman next to me ordered looked fantastic), and I hear the burger and fries are on point. Daily lunch specials rotate; when I was there, it was lasagna ragù ($20K ARS, including postre y bebida). I haven’t eaten a full meal yet, just that chipa and café, but dinner service kicks off soon, so it’s officially on my hit list. If you’re in Recoleta and need a chic spot for coffee or a quick bite, ADA should be on yours.
🍸 ACUARIO BAR (Paraguay 900, Microcentro)
The Centro is finally buzzing again. Remember when the pandemic emptied these streets? Now office lights are back on and new spots are popping up, and Acuario Bar is one of the best reasons to head downtown.
Housed in the former Antonio Bonet House of Studies for Artists (1938, by Antonio Bonet Castellana, Abel López, and Ricardo Vera Barros), Acuario preserves its modernist spirit with vaulted ceilings, porthole windows, and that curved façade reminiscent of an Edward Hopper painting. Owner Mateo García de Onrubia lives upstairs in the restored studio, lending the bar below a lived-in warmth even amid its sleek stainless-steel counter and blue-velvet banquettes.
If you come with a group, try to snag the window table, curved glass wraps around you, offering prime people-watching as the city drifts by. In this barrio, you’ll see everyone from fashionable artists to sex workers to the business crowd. Once I even saw an actual “Bat Man,” meandering with a garbage bag full of bats, allegedly looking to buy them milk. A true Buenos Aires esquina where I’m never surprised by the weird shit that happens.
Drinks at Acuario are the real draw. The martini arrives with a plump caperberry—briny, balanced, and unforgettable. The Paloma, bright with watermelon and generous tequila, is exactly what I want to drink on most nights. Plus, they offer a great selection of wines. The food menu is small but thoughtful: marinated olives, a simple cheese board, anchovies with butter, freshly baked bread, and vitel toné.
If you need proof that downtown Buenos Aires still has life, and some of the best cocktails around, start here.
BONUS: Since I’ve got your attention, mark Thursday, June 12 for La Calesita, Buenos Aires’s one-night-only gastronomic carousel. Superstar chefs from across Latin America, including Micha Tsumura (Maido, Peru), Rodolfo Guzmán (Boragó, Chile), Tássia Magalhães (Nelita, Brazil) and Jaime Rodríguez (Celele, Colombia), will each take over one of nine local venues (Niño Gordo, Gran Dabbang, Mengano, and more) to serve exclusive dishes, most priced under $20,000 pesos. No reservations required and free vintage buses loop between stops, so just hop on, taste your way through the lineup and let the surprise performances roll you from one plate to the next.