5 Things I Learned About Buenos Aires You Should Know

1. Meat Lovers Dream

As somebody who is an avid meat eater (pause), I was in heaven while in Buenos Aires. Known for having some of the best quality of meat in the world, it did not disappoint. Buenos Aires is also home to the number one ranked steakhouse in the world “Don Julio” (https://www.worldbeststeaks.com/) I was luckily enough to get a 11:15 PM reservation at (more on that later). I still don’t know what was running through my head when I ordered a flank steak there (maybe because it’s spelled closest to filet LOL) but it was still good. Had some fat, which I’m not a fan of, but I enjoyed it, and it was an enormous piece of meat (pause again). I was only able to eat half of it. I wish I had gotten a different cut, but I made up for it later in the week at other restaurants, where I had some of the best pieces of steak in my life, for an unbeatable price. My kind of cuisine! This tenderloin from the restaurant "La Dorita" (pictured below) in Palermo was my favorite meal and piece of meat from the trip. It was so tender, that pushing down on top of it was like a lava cake. Muy delicioso.

2. English is Scarce

A big surprise for me was how little English is spoken in Buenos Aires. Being one of the largest cities in South America (and a city frequented by tourists) I thought for sure that there would be lots of English, but boy was I wrong. This put my Spanish to the test, which needs to get back into the classroom. I brought this up to one of the few Argentines who spoke English and they called Argentines “primitive” and that they tend to do their own thing. Must be how far south they are from everyone. Buenos Aires is farther south than Cape Town, South Africa. Further, Argentina is home to the city of Ushuaia, which is the world's southernmost city, and the departing point for journeys to Antarctica. Being so far south and isolated from English speaking countries, it makes sense as to why speaking English is not a huge priority. A interesting thing about the Spanish dialect in Argentina (for those who are familiar with the language) rather than pronouncing the double L (ll) with a “y” sound, they say it as “sh” sound. So for chicken (pollo), instead of saying “Poy-Yo” they say “Po-show.”

3. Unique Vibe & Architecture

Argentina has a large Italian descent, thus pizzerias all over the place. Because of this, they have a very unique architecture and vibe throughout the city. It’s European, mixed with Latin, mixed with modern. In the trendier/upscale neighborhood I stayed in: Palermo, there was some of the trendiest bars and shops I have ever seen. If you put me in there without telling me where I was, I would have immediately told you that I was in Miami. Get outside of Palermo and head to a different part of the city and its architecture screams Europe. Buenos Aires is known as “The Paris of South America.” And aside from that, walking through the streets you can feel the Latin flare that South America is home to. I went from being in Miami, to Paris, to a South American city, all in one. I found that to be very cool. There is endless restaurants and coffee shops to explore, each offering something special.

4. Cheap

While not good for Argentines, the country has a terrible inflation issue. This makes the US dollar very strong. At the time I was there (end of May 2024) 1 US dollar was equal to around 895 Argentine Pesos. I was taking three dollar 45 minute cab rides across the city, and eating some of the best steak I’ve had, for lunch, in the trendiest neighborhood of the city for $20. My 13th floor, 2 bed/2 bath, full kitchen, completely wrap around the unit balcony, floor to ceiling windows overlooking the city, Airbnb apartment...? Only $80/night. Split between two people = $40/person. It was painful getting back to Tampa and paying over $30 for a 15 minute Uber ride back to my apartment from the airport. If only the US dollar was this strong in its own country.

5. Not a “Touristy” City

When I say not a touristy city, I don’t mean absent of tourists, I mean it’s not super tacky and touristy like a lot of cities. There isn’t a ton of stuff to go see (but in a good way). Take New York City as an example, the touristy stuff you have to see: Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Empire State Building, etc. Buenos Aires does not have that kind of stuff, which I guess can be a negative for some travelers. If you look up things to see in Buenos Aires, two of the top sights are a bookstore (El Ateno, see photo below) and a cemetery (Recoleta Cemetery). I went to both and they were cool (the cemetery is home to some crazy sculptures and tombs of a lot of important individuals). But think about looking up a big city like NYC, Chicago, or LA and the top attractions being a bookstore and cemetery, you would question visiting the city. This doesn’t mean there’s not a lot to do, as I mentioned. Endless restaurants and coffee shops, parks to explore, and more. Just don’t expect to be following a tourist trail that everyone follows to a bunch of attractions.

(Bonus Takeaway) - Late Late Late

The people of Buenos Aires are some crazy night owls, hence my 11:15 PM dinner reservation on a Sunday night. Dinner starts around 8 PM and it’s not rare for people to sit down closer to midnight to eat. Even more nuts, is when it comes to nightlife. The party doesn’t start until 2/3 AM and goes until around 8 AM... No thanks. I complain about Miami clubs opening their doors at 11 PM, but this is on a completely new level. We went out to a popular nightlife area on a Saturday night (Plaza Serrano) at midnight, and the square was empty. Ended up just heading back to the apartment to get some rest. Now that I am a member of the “real world,” going out at 2 AM is unfortunately not in the cards for me. If you see the sun before going to bed, something is not right.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, Buenos Aires is a unique city with a lot to offer. While not a top place for the average tourist, this is a city I could see myself spending an extended period of time in (pending my Spanish gets better). While it’s the capital and largest city, there is tons more to Argentina that I did not have time for. From the salt flats in Salta, to the vineyards of Mendoza, to the world famous Patagonia National Park, Argentina has limitless sights and things to do. I definitely need to make my way back to this awesome nation.

🇦🇷