La Fábrica del Taco: Mexican Street Food & Fun

lafabricadeltaco-outside — The exterior of La Fabrica del Taco en Palermo

In the heart of Palermo Soho, just a block away from bustling Plaza Serrano, La Fábrica del Taco with its eye-catching neon lights is hard to miss. A fun and authentic Mexican restaurant, the ‘Taco Factory’ opened in 2009 and has since established itself as one of the hippest joints in town. The restaurant is successful enough that they recently opened a smaller location for ‘tacos al paso‘ in San Telmo.

“First and foremost, we will always be about tacos,” says owner, Federico Lobeira, who aims to recreate the feel of the Taquerías in his hometown of Monterey, Mexico. In addition to authentic Mexican street food and delicious margaritas, the restaurant serves up a lively sensory experience with the sites, sounds and smells of Mexico, vivid colors and kitschy art.

Brightly colored lucha libre wrestling masks stare down at diners in one part of the restaurant, a collage of old boxing photographs in another. Dolls and wrestling figurines are found guarding the till or dangling from the ceiling. Multi-colored fairy lights are strung throughout the dining area with red and green plastic clothespins to create ambient lighting in the colors of Mexico. In the men’s room, old posters beckon readers to come and take up arms in Pancho Villa’s revolution.

Drink Specials & Food

The atmosphere is delightfully tacky and the festivity is aided by the drink specials, such as buckets of five Coronas, served with lime like they should be and two-for one cocktails, including some of the best margaritas in Palermo. For teetotalers and kids there are homemade juices such as tamarind, lemonade, Jamaica flower and horchata, sweet rice milk with cinnamon.

Marinated or barbecued beef, chicken, pork or vegetable tacos and quesadillas come with a choice of flour or corn tortillas. The portions are modest in size as well as price— supplement the tacos with the onion and coriander salsa or a plate of homemade, albeit mediocre, guacamole and nachos.

A new menu for those with heartier appetites includes beef, chicken, pork or vegetarian burgers, baked potatoes with a range of fillings and drunk or refried beans.

A selection of flautas, ‘flutes,’ or miniature tacos are a nice way for diners to try all the different flavors. Each table is graced with three bottles of homemade hot sauce, manna for spice-deprived foreigners in this city.

Each sauce, served in old Coca-Cola bottles, varies in spice content ranging from ‘For Argentines’ (who are known to shun spices) to ‘For Mexicans’ to one labeled ‘For Those Who Dare,’ which packs a welcome punch.

Street Side & Seating

The street-side kitchen lures passers by, who can saddle up to the sidewalk seating in nice weather or make an order to go. Inside are two principal dining areas with smiling wait staff bringing a never-ending supply of bottled beers and tacos to hungry punters seated in red, yellow and green plastic chairs around reflective metallic tables.

The best seating is the outdoor Mexican-tiki style lounge out back with ambient lighting hung from trees, foliage creeping amongst hammocks and the Virgin of Guadalupe gracing the bar. Although the menu is strictly Mexican, the clientele is varied.

Recent price hikes may have put off a few regulars, but the prices still remain reasonable enough to attract a cross-section of locals as well as tourists. So broad is the appeal of La Fábrica that it is not uncommon to be seated between an Argentine family with kids munching sloppily on a hamburgers and a group of twenty-something gringos exchanging tales of legendary nights out over margaritas and nachos. You might even spot a celebrity — despite its lo-fi vibe, La Fábrica del Tacos has fed stars such as Charly Garcia (Argentina’s most eccentric rock star) and Francis Ford Coppola, who owns a home nearby.

Busier nights, especially at weekends, will see diners spilling out front — be prepared to stand in line, especially if seeking a spot in the garden bar.

The only complaint with La Fábrica del Taco is that they aren’t eco-friendly — dishes are served on plastic plates and pints are given in plastic cups. Aside from that the Taco Factory delivers on their motto’s promise to send home diners with their ‘bellies full and hearts content.’

A taco stand in San Telmo, Buenos Aires — Tacos al Paso in San Telmo

—by George Warren

La Fábrica del Taco —$$

Gorriti 5062 (between Thames and Serrano)
Palermo Soho

Hours: Sun:1 p.m.-1 a.m.
Mon: 7p.m-12 a.m.
Tue-Sat: 12 p.m. until late
Tel:4833-3534

• Happy hour until midnight on Wed & 11pm on Fri
• Credit cards; Amex, MC and Visa accepted
• Discounts for any embassy or Mexican airline employee

San Telmo location
Carlos Calvo 491
Tel: 4300-7712

• Hours: Tue-Sun; 12 pm-12 am, closed Mon

Cervantes – An Authentic Argentinean Grill that Won’t Break the Bank

.
Tucked away a couple of blocks behind Congress this buzzing cantina has proved a well-kept secret, serving up perfectly cooked, flavor-filled meat and all the fixings at a third of the price of some of the tourist hotspots for over fifteen years

Such is its popularity with in-the-know locals that one can arrive any evening of the week to find Cervantes not only open, but packed with porteños.

Although it opens around 8p.m., things really get going here closer to 10pm and even though the dining area takes up two spacious rooms, the sight of a snaking line of hungry patrons through the restaurant is not uncommon on weekends. The decor is basic; tourist posters of Patagonia are the only decoration and the tangerine/custard paint-job on the walls might soon be celebrating its own bicentenary, but no one comes here for the interior design.

There is a kitsch fountain in the area separating the two dining rooms, but any calming effect of the soft sound of trickling water is drowned out by the buzz of controlled chaos as pouting waiters dance hurriedly through the tables, limboing out of the way of swilling wine glasses and balancing impossible towers of steaks, sides and salads.

Service can be sloppy; appetizers might arrive with the check, but this is forgivable when you witness the no-nonsense gentlemen waiters, in crisp white shirts with sleeves rolled up to the elbows, waistcoats and bow ties casually managing dizzying orders from dozens of tables without the aid of pencil and paper.

Nowadays in Buenos Aires the only Argentinean accent you will hear in some restaurants is that of the waiter. Cervantes is the antithesis. Attractive twenty-somethings play the dating game alongside mothers who didn’t fancy cooking as chuckling grandfathers give troublesome toddlers the taste of their first drop of wine. Families and friends come and go, dignified and dapper old gentlemen set the world to rights over a bottle of red whilst the melancholy lonely diner engulfs himself in his reading between mouthfuls of steak and wine.

The food is typical, reliable Argentinean fare done simply and extremely well and there is a broad selection of dishes on the menu, besides what’s on the grill. Basic starter options include grilled provolone and a selection of different cold cuts of meat with sauces.

Half a dozen salads are offered including beetroot, radish, egg, carrot, pickle, apple and, oddly enough, golf sauce —a dubious Argentine invention that is a mix of tomato sauce and mayonnaise. The pasta portions are hearty and come with the diner’s choice among a selection of 14 sauces, most notably, pesto, prawns and Parisienne.

The delicious omelets are the size of a birthday-cake; often they are sliced up and devoured between a whole family. A few rice dishes, meatballs, supremas (chicken escalopes) and milanesas (breaded steaks) are also available. Should there be room for dessert the flan, a local delicacy, is highly recommended – light and creamy and hard to refuse for the price. Grilled apples, fruit salad, ice cream and a good selection of Argentine cheeses are also on offer.

The specialty of this restaurant and what keeps the crowds coming back is what’s on the grill. Juicy chorizo sausages bursting with flavor, succulent rump steaks still sizzling in their juices before you on the metal serving plate accompanied with an inexpensive liter of sweet house wine (there’s no wine list here) will allow even the most indulgent gluttons plenty of change to spend later. Pork cutlets, chuck ribs, rump roast, skirt streak and others are available from the grill as well as grilled hake, salmon and brótola (forkbeard). If with a large group, why not make like the locals and order a few dishes to share, trying bits and pieces of each until you can manage no more? Most main courses are reasonably priced. An exception are the eye-catching ‘Cervantes Specials’ — essentially a pile of vegetables, beetroot, Spanish potatoes, coleslaw and eggs on top of grilled beef, chicken or pork.

Don’t forget to ask the waiter for a jar of blood-red chimichurri, a vital meat-eaters condiment comprising garlic, herbs, spices and oil that is often overlooked by the tourists – but you won’t find any of those here.

—by George Warren

Cervantes I $-$$
Perón 1883 (corner of Riobamba)
Congreso
Tel: 4372 5227/ 1060

•Hours 12-4pm; 8pm-12pm (daily)
•Take-away available
•Cash only

Naturaleza Sabia — A Vegetarian Venture in San Telmo

A newer member of the natural trend in a country where the cuisine is geared towards the carnivorous, Naturaleza Sabia is one of San Telmo’s spots to find Argentine-style vegetarian food. With affordable prices for lunch and dinner and the combination of yoga classes, therapeutic massage services and the converted loft-type interior the result is a retreat style all-in-one wellness venue.

Tucked away in a traditional two-story mansion on Balcarce Street, half a block from the famous Bar Sur tango show, Naturaleza Sabia can be easily missed from street level but word of mouth seems to have attracted a steady flow of customers, even on weekdays.

Co-founder, Alberto Llamas, the former co-owner of the popular nearby bar, La Resistencia, grew tired of the late nights and turned to Buddhism and vegetarianism. Naturaleza Sabia, realized in conjunction with his actress wife, Estela Garelli is the result of this lifestyle conversion.

Argentina Vegetarian Cuisine

The venue is part of a small but growing herbivore wave in this beef dominated country. Previously a vegetarian would struggle to maintain a healthy diet and find freshly cooked vegetarian food in restaurants. The options just weren’t on the average menu unless they included a lot of cheese, pasta or eggs.

With polenta and quinoa featuring in some of the main dishes Naturaleza Sabia scores points already. Where things go south is the attempt to adapt ‘typical Argentine food’ into ‘vegetarian Argentine cuisine’— a tricky venture that seems to easily result in flavorless vegetables and an over-reliance on cheese. Dishes such as eggplant ‘milanesa‘ (breaded cutlet), seiten ‘steaks’ and grilled Provolone, served with a greasy side of sautéed vegetables, are the reason that carnivores in Argentina still have a good reason to scoff at homegrown vegetarian food.

Naturaleza Sabia’s prix-fixe lunch menu gives you an appetizer of brushetta with a shot of steaming soup presented on a cute leaf-shaped tray, a main dish from any a la carta, and fresh lemonade with ginger to wash it down. The delicious homemade chocolate truffles, served with herbal tea at the end of the meal, finishes things off on a sweet note.

On Sundays, Naturaleza Sabia hosts a small design fair and with its location, just a block away from the San Telmo street market, provides a good place a to stop for a fresh-squeezed juice or super licuado, (shake) made with sesame milk and spirulina.

Naturaleza Sabia is a peaceful spot with very reasonable prices — if only the cook were sent on a vegetarian or Asian cooking course to learn how to bring out the flavor of vegetables instead of killing it, they may well be on to a winner. However, for anyone missing their five-a-day, they’re here in plenty.

—by Alice Josselyn

Naturaleza Sabia—$$/$$$
Balcarce 958
San Telmo
Tel: 4300-6454

• Hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 12-4 pm, 8-11pm
• Cash only
• Delivery

La Cabrera: A Sizzling Steakhouse in Palermo

In a city renowned for reasonably priced, top-quality beef, La Cabrera sets the bar high. With more than two dozen cuts of meat on offer and a smorgasbord of accompanying sides, a trip here is worth the extra pesos.

Located at the corner of Thames and its namesake street, La Cabrera is one of many upscale grills dotting Palermo Soho. The long line of people, many of whom are sipping champagne as they work up an appetite, is the first indication that this particular steakhouse is not only popular but also boasts attentive service— even if the odors emanating from the kitchen may make the wait seem interminable.

Steaks & Appetizers

Sirloins, tenderloins, flanks and rib-eyes are sizzled with the standard slow-cooked care that brings out the flavor of the famed Argentine grass-fed beef. (See this post on Argentine cuts of meats to decipher the various options)

Seasonings like thyme, concasse pepper and vegetable marinade add zest and flavor — a welcome change in a country that abstains from spices the way dieters shun carbohydrates. Many entrees are available in half portions, lest the array of appetizers, including olives stuffed with almonds and Basque black sausage, be too tempting to skip. Guests in need of a ‘steak break’ can choose from salad or chicken entrees, although skipping the beef at La Cabrera is akin to shunning cake on one’s birthday.

Perhaps even better than the carnivore-worthy mains are La Cabrera’s trademark variety of side dishes, included gratis with every entrée; miniature creations such as quail-egg potato salad, pureed squash, and tomato-marinated pinto beans. Better yet, all the foods— appetizers, entrees and sides— are presented on communal dining trays, encouraging all guests to share the wealth, if they are willing.

Best Times to Go to Avoid the Crowds

La Cabrera opens its doors at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Before 10, English is the primary language overheard as tourists and early-bird expats usurp the limited seating. Word of the restaurant has spread to many a travel book, but the servers remain friendly and conscientious. The steady influx of porteños hours later proves that this restaurant has somewhat avoided one of the pitfalls that beleaguer tourist hotspots: sightseers swarm in, scare away locals and subsequently cause food quality to drop. Prices are high compared to typical Buenos Aires parilla carts though; there’s a ‘cubierto,’ or service charge for every diner and most entrees fall around the US$12-15 mark, with some of the finer custs, such as the Kobe beef Wagyu, costing quite a bit more.

On temperate evenings al fresco dining at the corner of Thames and Cabrera is the perfect spot for people watching. Tourists toting guidebooks and sharply dressed locals pass by; some join the growing queue of diners, others may wander up the street to dine at La Cabrera’s equally sought-after sister restaurant, La Cabrera Norte.

Note that La Cabrera practically begs diners to make reservations on their website, but as a general rule of thumb, waiting times are shorter earlier in the evening. Diners also get a nice discount if they dine at midday, with an all-inclusive executive menu costing about US$16 per person. It’s recommended try to get there before 6 p.m. to get a table and take advantage of the 6:30 p.m. happy hour.

—by Nicole Duncan

La Cabrera—$$$
José Antonio Cabrera 5099
Palermo Viejo
Tel: 4831-7002

La Cabrera Norte
Cabrera 5127
Tel: 4832-5754

• Hours: Mon: 8pm-1:30 Tue-Sat 12:30 am—4:30pm; 8pm —1am
• Credit cards accepted

Filo – Colorful Italian Restaurant in Microcentro

Filo is a restaurant that serves up a bit of sensory overload to diners along with real Italian food. Bright colors, modern artwork and hip music are the hallmarks of bar and restaurant designer Mario Salcedo (creator of Buenos Aires hotspots such as Pizza Piola, Dada and El Unico), and Filo is one of his most vibrant works.

Sleazy art at Filo restaurant lets female customers know where they stand — Something sleazy going on at Filo restaurant?

With brightly painted patterns on the walls, hanging artworks and a life-sized burlesque girl statuette bending over provocatively at the entrance — letting women customers know where they stand here — it’s hard to know where to look.

The chefs bake pizzas and bread in a wood-fire oven overlooking the diners at the back of the long room while waitstaff bustle about with oppressive efficiency, as if they are scared to breathe while the boss is around.

It’s all very gaudy and recalls the Retiro neighborhood’s sleazy reputation around the time when the restaurant debuted in 1994. A live DJ serenades diners with some fairly loud electronic music. Despite the fresh and rowdy vibe, many of the diners are elegant pensioners or family groups, with a few tourists thrown in – perhaps due to the relatively high prices discouraging younger Argentinians from turning up in large numbers. The well-stocked bar near the entrance with its friendly bartenders also deserves a mention, and it also has table settings for those who are dining alone or just want to save a bit on the hefty cubierto (table charge), which Filo seems to use as a price-gouging device.

The most important part of the dining experience, the food, is thankfully better than the service. The confusing menu, which is written in Italian with Spanish and English translations, contains the types of dishes you could find in a restaurant in Italy, rather than just the clichéd red-chequered tablecloth ‘Italian’ restaurant food. Don’t panic — pizzas and pastas appear in abundance, but there are also regional Italian soups, risottos and meat dishes. The tasty, if overpriced, pizzas are cooked in a wood-fire oven with fresh ingredients, but overall the pastas are a better option. They are cooked ‘al dente’ (not so common in Argentina) and come with a choice of many interesting sauces such as ragù alla romagnola (beef strips ragout with blended tomato and white sauce, marsala, nutmeg and cinnamon) and cozze e vongole rosa della Patagonia (mussels and pink Patagonian clams, with or without tomato sauce). Other plates include scaloppine di filetto all’aceto balsamico con purè di carciofi (beef escalopes in balsamic vinegar with pureed artichoke) and risotto primavera (spring vegetable risotto).

Servings are decent but not huge and, as mentioned, it’s not particularly cheap, but it is refreshing to see such a variety when it comes to Italian food. Some basics are overlooked — the beer selection is poor and whether the kitchen honestly doesn’t have red pepper flakes for the pizza, or the waitress was too lazy to get it, is undetermined.

A basket of different freshly baked breads and a small serving of bruschetta are nice touches which accompany the dishes — if you receive it (make sure you receive it, following the ley de cubierto, you should not be charged for it if you don’t). When it was brought up with owner, Deni De Biaggi, he insisted the customers had received bread and proceeded to yell nonsensical personal insults with such aggression that it seems a trip to one of Buenos Aires’ many psychologists would not be remiss.

According to the Filo website, regular customers include many Argentinian celebrities, and international stars like Robert Duvall and Madonna (very dubious, considering they are not in Argentina all that often). Whether you bump into anybody famous or not, if you’re one who enjoys an effervescent, kitschy and somewhat sleazy aesthetic, you’re bound to like Filo — just steer clear of the owner.

— by Dan Colasimone, edits: Ande Wanderer

Filo
San Martin 975
Microcentro/Retiro
Tel: 4311-1871

•$$$$ (credit cards accepted)
• cubierto charge
•Hours: Every day from 12p.m. until 2a.m.

Take a Tango Tour