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Good food and great music roll together at this peña, located in a traditional 19th-century casona which brings in both locals and visitors. Start with tiny empanadas and lashings of spicy llajua tomato sauce then follow up with pizza. Once the live music starts, the conversation stops flowing.
The food, from steak to quinoa salad, is superb; the wine list is fairly priced; and the wooden floors, whimsical lights, and artwork make the space appealing. What's more, some evenings around 9:30 there's live music, generally performed by friends of the owners. El Nuevo Progreso is right in the center of town, with windows looking out across the small plaza.
A group of chefs launched a restaurant and catering service with high Andean cuisine as its goal—"high" referring to both the altitude and the gourmet techniques. The result is José Balcarce, in a brick-and-wood building with large windows just two blocks from bustling Balcarce Street. The menu is short, and the service can be slow, but the creative dishes—using local ingredients such as quinoa and llama—are delicious.
For a contemporary spin on regional delicacies, head to Los Morteros. The llama in Malbec, fresh grilled trout, and succulent lamb stew are all noteworthy picks; this busy spot also cooks up a sizzling barbecue worth ordering for its smell alone. Reservations are a good idea. Check out Los Morteros' wine cellar—it mostly stocks regional wines made at high altitudes.
The menu at this unassuming picanteria (restaurant specializing in spicy foods) has everything from trout to rabbit, but llama or quinoa are the dishes to try: give them a go as an empanada starter. Less adventurous eaters can sample one of the pasta dishes. Named after an Andean god, Viracocha has helpful staff, and the atmosphere amid the yellow walls and arches is happily relaxed.
Folks from Salta and San Lorenzo favor this bright, semi-enclosed brick-and-glass building with a vaulted ceiling for weekend dining. Lo de Andrés prepares a lightly spiced Argentine-style parrillada, but if you're not up for a full-on feast, there are empanadas and milanesas (breaded steak), as well as regional dishes like humita.
>At this adorable spot in Seclantás, Pío Díaz and his family cultivate ingredients in their organic garden then harvest them to create delicious regional dishes revered by top Argentine chefs. Many recipes, such as charquisillo made from jerky, have been passed down through the generations and are served in this gorgeous 18th-century farmhouse. Try the Díaz’ mistela wine as well as ulpada, a fermented corn beverage.
Picadas—assorted cured meats and local cheeses, accompanied by home-baked breads—are the star attractions here (be sure to try the smoked boar and trout). Although this deli and wine bar does get busy, the staff is generally friendly, and you can escape the bustle by retreating to the back terrace. Wash down your meal with one of the hearty Los Morros-brand reds, produced by Casa Moderna’s own small winery.
This warm, festive, family-friendly locale serves dishes quite typical of Salta and the Northwest such as classics like humita (steamed corn husks filled with cheese) or the local locro stew, with beans and hunks of beef. You'll dine in a room steeped in local tradition, amid wine jugs and old wooden implements. Empanadas and meats are also reliable; the pastas are unremarkable, though. The location, across from Iglesia San Francisco, couldn't be more central. Open daily for lunch and dinner.
When one of Buenos Aires’ top restaurants upped sticks for the northwest, salteños couldn’t believe their luck. Taking their concept of cooking exclusively with Argentine ingredients, chef Fernando Rivarola and sommelier Gabriela Lafuente now focus on giving a strong contemporary identity to the northwest’s abundant pantry with a focus on alternative proteins on the tasting menu. There’s also a killer vista thanks to its location at the top of Cerro San Bernardo.
With three dining rooms, a patio out back, a location just yards from the central plaza, and well-priced regional cuisine, El Patio is one of Tilcara's most popular restaurants. Anita Ponce's menu is an unpretentious yet delectable mix of regional specialties and standard Argentinian fare, and service is friendly. Order beef empanadas to start, and slather in llajua spicy sauce.
Facing the main plaza, this big barn of a restaurant serves regional specialties (like baked rabbit and cabrito al horno), as well as pastas and classic Argentine steaks. Expect generous portions, a bustling atmosphere, live folk music, and wines from the owner's Bodega Río Colorado, just a block away.
Managing various restaurants around NW Argentina, including overseeing the Quebrada’s Hotel Huacalera, chef Walter Leal raises the bar in terms of Andean cuisine. Working with ingredients from across Jujuy including the highly elevated Puna plateau, his creations look to recuperate, then plate, these remote ecosystems. Star turns include cured trout with potato, red maize and a citrus marinade; and creamy quinoa with beets, goat cheese, arugula and avocado. Splash out on the tasting menu paired with regional wines.
For wine-tasting with a difference, stop at Heladería Miranda in Cafayate. In 1994, at the age of 60, Ricardo Miranda decided that he wasn't going to succeed as a painter. So he turned his creative energy to making wine sorbets, taking two years to perfect the recipe. Sweet yet tangy Torrontés arguably makes sense as a sorbet; the Cabernet makes a good match for his fruit-flavored ice creams. All are made organically on the premises.
It's an honest little restaurant in Seclantás, with some fine old photos on the walls and good, oven-baked empanadas. Other attractions include a delicious goat stew, corn-based dishes, regional breads, and a warm welcome from your host, Alejandro Díaz.
A great-value restaurant on a bustling downtown corner, Jovi Dos has several airy, high-ceilinged rooms with wood beams and plate-glass windows. Noteworthy starters include marinated eggplant and baked beef empanadas while grilled meats, seafood, pizza, and pasta have equal billing on the ridiculously long menu. Dishes such as the ravioles mixtas (ravioli filled with spinach and cheese, then topped with a creamy sauce) are big enough for two people. The waitstaff is attentive, and the wine list is solid.
At lunch, the best tables are taken by groups of tourists being serenaded by a band of minstrels, but don't let that put you off. The food is simple, well-presented Andean fare, and the prices are very reasonable. The kitchen can cater to vegetarians, too.
Slotted neatly into the tiny Plaza Peloc, La Picanteria’s streetside setting makes for a great lunch spot to watch people come and go about their business. You can, of course, also dine inside, and enjoy the simple yet cozy aesthetic. There’s a brisk business for those after the three-course lunch menu, which might include spicy vegetable soup, llama escalope with salad or delicious handmade pasta. Dinner consists of a decent pizza—and pizza only—menu.
Empanadas, llama dishes, and other hearty regional specialties dominate the menu at this eatery on the main square. Take a seat by the window and watch the scene at the market stalls outside while enjoying jujeño staples such as picante de pollo (spicy chicken) or regional stews, or avoid the bustle on the airy back patio.
A poetic narrative in the menu describes this place as "a haven for parched travelers," along the lines of the watering holes used for centuries by local shepherds. Top picks include empanadas baked in the oven right by the entrance and a llama fillet served with orange sauce and colorful Andean potatoes. They also cook up great asado (barbecue).
A 100-year-old converted school building houses one of Cafayate's more ambitious restaurants. Overseen by the friendly owner Matías, it has three dining rooms themed after the Nanni, Domingo Hermanos, and Etchart bodegas, with wine displays and special cutlery. The decoration is from all around the world, but the food is strictly local—llama, quinoa, rabbit, kid, and Andean potatoes feature prominently on the menu. A convivial wine bar stays open late to serve vino from every bodega in town. There's live music and dancing some weekends.
Ponchos on the walls, old paintings, native artifacts, stucco archways, and Andean background music are clues that this might be one of the best places to sample authentic Northwestern cuisine. Try the locro: a stew of maize, white beans, beef, chorizo, pancetta, and a wonderful red pepper–oil glaze, all of which come together in a mélange of savory, starchy flavors. Ask for a table at the back for a more authentic and less hurried dining experience.
For jujeña classics with an eclectic twist, head to Pan de Azucár, where an ample menu offers original concoctions of the local staple, llama—think curry, carpaccio, grilled fillet, or stuffed in ravioli. House specialties also include quinoa, pork, and pasta.
This place makes the list for its music rather than its food—though the barbecued meats and empanadas are good deals. Singers, musicians, and sometimes dancers bring Peña y Parrillada de la Plaza to life each night.
The warm service, wooden tables and chairs, cane roof, and stone walls all suggest tradition. Yet Yacón's kitchen shows some innovation by serving up llama meat on skewers and a shepherd's pie made with quinoa. It's just a block from the main square, and doubles as a cute lodging as well.
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