It is often said that street food in Buenos Aires is a little lacking compared to some big cities. This is simply not an eat-on-the-run culture. You will rarely see people eating and walking at the same time, and most porteños will take their coffee break sitting down rather than grabbing a paper cup to go. Yet that doesn’t mean you’ll go hungry. Read on and we’ll help you get the inside track on the best street food around.
Note that if you want to make your own discoveries, the city’s train stations, the Costanera (riverside) and weekend fairs (San Telmo, Plaza Francia, Mataderos) are generally the best places to head.
Photo by Ignacio Sanz
Chomp on a Choripan
The king of Argentina street foods, which gets locals – and many visitors – most excited, is the famous choripan. We won’t say much more as The Real Argentina has already shown its love for this beloved sausage sandwich, but we’ll give you this video to whet your appetite (with bonus ‘street cake’ footage) and remind you that the place to head is the Costanera.
Pick a Pancho
For fans of sausage-and-bread combos, you also have the pancho (hot dog), which feels a bit like the choripan’s poor relation and is sometimes advertised as a ‘super pancho’ to help it get over its inferiority complex. Expect not much more than simple frankfurter in a bun, although you often get the twist of sprinkling chipsticks on top, known as a lluvia de papa (potato rain). A hot tip received from a resident Colombian is that you can find particularly fine ones, fried for extra flavour, at Bolivar subte station on line E. To keep it no-frills, you could also try Plaza Once.
Chew a Chipa
Chipa is a cheesy cornbread from Paraguay, served as balls, buns, or round with a hole in the middle. They are best enjoyed fresh from the oven, when they are warm and soft. After that, they go a little chewy. If you like the idea of a squeaky bagel with hints of cheese (and, actually, I do), then get your fill outside Retiro train station. Or look out for better quality versions around Iguazu Falls, near the Paraguayan border. Fans can also show their chipa love on Facebook.
Bite into a Bondiola
“Bondiola! Don’t forget bondiola!” said the Argentines, when asked about their tips for street food. For those who think this traditional pork-shoulder sandwich deserves more praise, above is a lovely picture of the filling. Try one on the Costanera or at Puestito del Tio (Dorrego, between Figueroa Alcorta and Lugones, Bosques de Palermo).
A tender shoulder of meat – Photo by Southern Foodways Alliance
Pick up a Pizza Slice
You can buy it by the slice, or to take away, and yet in true BA-style most would prefer to pull up a seat. That means it’s debatable as to whether this is true street food, but the important thing is you won’t go hungry late at night if you’re anywhere near Avenida Corrientes. Dating back to the 1930s, Guerrin is one of the city’s classic pizza stops. If you’re not on a date, make it a fugazza: pizza dough slathered with onions.
The Usual Suspects
Aside from these standouts, you can also expect to come across pirulines (coloured lollypops), caramelised nuts, freshly squeezed orange juice, coffee served from multiple thermos flasks and various meat/bread combos, including the famed milanesas (beef schnitzels). Then there are the media lunas, churros and various facturas (pastries) – and you’re never too far away from an empanada.
Vendors will also come out of the woodwork to sell homemade goods at big events. In summer, they circulate around sunbathers in Parque Tres de Febrero with baskets of alfajores and other biscuits.
Burgers, Medoza-style – Photograph by H Dragon
The Future
Street food is currently undergoing a resurrection worldwide, from Miami to London. Here’s betting that Buenos Aires is likely to get some new, hip takes on food-to-go soon. Fortunately, for now – and for a long time to come – we’ll still have the classics.
Seeing as the guidebooks and Tripadvisor tend to have no place for street vendors, we want to know your tips. What foods have we missed? What would you suggest as the must-try and where from?
