3 Best Restaurants in Buenos Aires, Argentina

This place may resemble a neighborhood coffee shop where folks are just sitting, sipping coffee, and reading the newspaper. But check out the long and narrow dining room at lunchtime, when the kitchen turns out some of the best pasta and fish dishes in the barrio. The menu changes daily, depending on the chef's whims, but you can count on ravioli showing up in a stunning variety of styles. There are also some excellent stir-fried dishes. Don't pass up dessert, which may include a "deconstructed" take on the classic arroz con leche.

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" seems to be playing in the background as you enter this boldly colored space. Five rooms—four of them decked out in yellow, red, blue, or green, the fifth in an odd combination of cantaloupe and purple—make up the salas of this converted home. Every surface, right down to painted speaker covers, screams each room's hue. In the yellow salon you'll find the open kitchen, where a variety of breads is baked daily for the great sandwiches, bruschettas, and other dishes. The theme is "Ring Around the Mediterranean," with dishes reflecting the flavors of coastal Spain, France, Italy, and Greece, as well as the Middle East and North Africa. Delicious pastas are favorites, as are the spicy seafood dishes (if you like heat, don't miss the papillote del mar, a fiery shellfish stew in a phyllo pastry nest).

This Mediterranean-style bistro is wildly popular at night, and reservations are recommended if you're intent on sampling the creative fare. At lunch, when most of the same menu items are available, it's far easier to snag a table. Enjoy a risotto or pasta dish from the à la carte menu, or opt for the great value two-course lunch special. You can practically sit inside the open kitchen and watch the young cooks work their magic on a range of dishes, including many vegetarian choices. If you prefer dining alfresco, there's a small garden patio with a couple of tables and sidewalk seating out front.