In comparison to many major cities in the world, taxi rides here in Buenos Aires are no doubt considerably more affordable than the others. However, they are no longer as economical as before either, especially if you have been living in the city through all the changes one after another, all within less than a year of time. Even though the increases have taken place quite a few months ago already, a lot of tourists who are armed with a tour guide might still not be informed of the latest fares due to the ‘frequent changes’. Let me lay them all out for you here:
Taking a taxi during the day time from 6am – 10pm, the meter will start from AR$7.30 (up from AR$5.80) and it will increase in the increments of AR$0.58 every 200 meters, which are around 2 blocks, or every minute of waiting.
If you get on one during the night hours between 10pm – 6am, it’ll cost a bit more. The meter will start from AR$8.70 (up from AR$6.96) and will jump AR$0.87 every 200 meters or every minute of waiting.
Calling a radio taxi didn’t use to cost extra, but now they have applied a surcharge. I haven’t called a taxi since they’ve made the change, but I was told it’d be around AR$3 and different companies charge differently.
As taking the taxi can now substantially add up and hurt your wallets, for those who are in the city for a longer period of time, my recommendation will be learn how to use the Guia T and start taking the colectivos (buses)!
There is no “number one” pizzería in Buenos Aires. There are far too many that offer some of the finest pizzas this side of the Atlantic to be able to settle on one that surpasses all the rest. What you like the best will depend on how you like your pizza, but here are some of the most famous places in the city so that you know where to start:
Some tried and true chains:
La Continental – A reasonably priced and delicious pizza place, between AR$50 and AR$65 for most large pizzas. They also do delivery, but they’re so popular (and located all over the city) that you’d better be prepared for a wait!
Romarios – Another very popular chain best known for their empanadas (made fresh when you order them!) The price for a large pizza is between AR$40 and AR$65, and they have great a la piedra (thin crust) pizzas.
Kentucky – While I can’t be sure where the name “Kentucky” came from (since I personally don’t know of any strong associations between the Bluegrass State and pizza), they have really great pizzas (I prefer their al molde, or thick crust) that typically cost between AR$60 and AR$70 for a large. This place is very well-known for being open 24-hour a day.
Los Inmortales – This smaller chain is primarily located in Microcentro and Barrio Norte and is another classic piece of Buenos Aires pizza history. Prices run anywhere between AR$50 and AR$80 for a large.
Almacen de Pizzas – This chain comes highly recommended by a few of the locals I know, although I personally have yet to eat here. A large pizza here will cost between AR$60 and AR$84 pesos and their claim-to-fame is a Brie cheese pizza.
Banchero – This chain also comes highly recommended by the locals (and is on my to-do list!) and is where the fugazza con queso was born. Fugazza is a plain pizza crust covered with a thick layer of sliced onions – so with cheese, it’s even better! This particular recipe is a layer of crust, a layer of cheese, another crust, and then the layer of onions. Prices for a large pizza range between AR$60 and AR$70.
Other places:
La Americana – Located near Tribunales, I have to give the pizza here five stars. It’s a very casual, family-friendly atmosphere, with prices ranging from AR$50-AR$85 for a large. Well worth every penny!
Palacio de la Pizza – Located on Av. Corrientes near the Obelisk, it’s right in the heart of the city. Due to the central location the prices run a little higher, but whenever you ask for a recommendation, this one is sure to be on the list.
Las Cuartetas – Right on Av. Corrientes as well and not far at all from Palacio de la Pizza, this is another pizza hot spot that gives you a great meal without spending too much.
El Cuartito – This establishment won a “Mejor Pizzería” (Best Pizzeria) award on Argentina’s online restaurant guide, Guía Oleo. In Barrio Norte, this is definitely a pizza place that can’t be left off anyone’s list.
Note: All the prices mentioned are for reference only.
The first time you try to order a pizza in Buenos Aires you’ll realize that pizza, like many other things in Argentina, is just a little bit different. As a self-proclaimed pizza connoisseur, I am here to give you the breakdown:
Salsas (Sauces)
Where I come from (the United States), there is just one kind of sauce. Pizza sauce. But here there are a few different kinds whose names do little to describe the contents:
Salsa de tomate – First up is the traditional tomato based sauce- the only sauce I ever knew before coming to Buenos Aires. This is the delicious and “traditional” pizza sauce.
Salsa portuguesa – This is a heartier tomato sauce made with bell peppers and onions and includes other herbs and seasonings such as parsley and oregano.
Salsa blanca – Béchamel sauce. For those among us who don’t cook much (because we’re too busy ordering pizza!), Béchamel sauce is a mixture of milk, butter, and flour. Usually use on Veggie pizza.
Salsa golf – Essentially a mixture of mayonnaise and ketchup, along with other ingredients such as mustard to add more flavor. The story behind Salsa golf is that Nobel Laureate Luis Federico Leloir grew tired of being served prawns with mayonnaise and asked the waiter to bring him other condiments. Being the gifted chemist that he was, he mixed up this sauce at the famous Golf Club in Mar del Plata (a resort city south of Buenos Aires), the place from which the sauce now derives its name.
Quesos (Cheeses)
There are a few options, but 95% of the time you’ll find yourself with the cheese at the top of my list:
Muzzarella – the most popular cheese (for obvious reasons) – you might see a few different spellings, but this is by far what you’re the most likely to encounter.
Queso – this is short for “Queso cremoso” – a creamy cheese (not to be confused with cream cheese!) that is simple and is the most commonly found type of cheese down here (outside of a pizza parlor, anyway).
Roquefort – this is a type of blue cheese; most places offer a Roquefort pizza and some places also offer roquefort empanadas.
Provolone – Just like the roquefort, many places have a provolone pizza on hand.
En hebras – this means that the cheese is shredded.
Masas (Crusts)
Just like in the states, there are a few basic types:
A la piedra – thin crust pizza
De molde – a thick crust pizza, up to 2 cm (almost 1 inch) thick
Media masa – this is somewhere between “a la piedra” and “de molde” with regards to thickness, and is what you are more likely to find in a supermarket.
Ingredientes (Toppings)
There are plenty of toppings that we have in common, but I find here that they tend to have a list of pizza recipes with a set combination of toppings. While you can always add toppings, you can’t really “make-you-own” the way you might back home. Here are some familiar and less-familiar toppings you’re likely to encounter:
Aceitunas – unless “negras” (black) are specified, these will be green olives. It’s a 50/50 chance that they’ll have pits depending on where you go. If you don’t like pits, proceed with caution.
Albahaca – Fresh basil leaves are placed on the pizza (after its cooked) to give it a great flavor.
Arúcula – Fresh arugula is also a common post-oven topping.
Palmitos – Palm hearts – Typically sliced up into little bite-size pieces, they go great and can be found on pizzas all over the city.
Huevos – Hard-boiled eggs are shredded and sprinkled on top of the pizza.
Humitas – (you may also see “choclo”) – this is corn – not as common on a pizza, but very common as an empanada.
Morrónes – the local word for peppers, they take long slices of cooked (usually red) peppers and put them on the pizza rather than chopped up slices of raw peppers.
Jamón – this is a very popular pizza topping all around the world, but down here then tend to put on a whole slice of ham rather than smaller pieces.
Fugazza and Fugazzeta
These are an Argentine curiosity. Fugazza is a layer of onions laid on top of a pizza crust, while Fugazzeta is onions, pizza crust, a thick bed of melted cheese. Some people are a little put off by so much onion, but I think its great.
Buenos Aires has been on yellow heat alert, reaching 38°C – 40°C high almost everyday since last week! It’s the summer here and that’s why this is the season when most of the Argentine city dwellers go South to escape the extreme heat. For those who are still in the city, staying inside with the AC on might not be enough. You need something to hydrate and keep you cool from the inside out. Options are there, like the typical soft drinks, fruit juices, smoothies are getting popular here, iced coffee (have to give credit to Starbucks for kick-starting the trend here in BsAs) but iced tea has yet to catch on, and lastly, the ice cold beer.
I am not a beer drinker but realizing the line ‘una cerveza por favor‘ is very likely to be one of the very first things a Spanish beginner has perfected how to say other than ‘hola‘, I know for a lot of people, an ice cold beer is just the right refreshment on a hot Summer day. There are definitely a few more beer-ordering-related vocabulary you should know so you can go beyond ‘una cerveza por favor‘ and get specific:
porrón – most of the time it refers to the small bottle, or in a more general sense that the equivalent amount as in a small bottle is served but could be in glass/beer mug etc. botella – this words mean ‘bottle’ and when it’s used, usually it’s referred to the big 1L one. una jarra – a pitcher el chopp/pinta – they both mean a pint cerveza tirada – beer on tap. Ask ‘¿Qué cervezas tiradas tenés?’ when you want to know what are available on tap. cerveza artesanal – the words literally mean hand-made beer, but it is what we call micro brew in English
Most importantly, if the beer is not cold enough (big problem!), then you can say ‘La cerveza no está suficientemente fría.‘
Now, you should arm with enough vocab to get what you want. Drink moderately and stay cool!
When you look on an Argentina map, you’ll see that Buenos Aires is a city right next to the water, and you’d have thought that this would be a city where people eat tons of seafood and loads of beaches along the coast to enjoy. Unfortunately, while Buenos Aires has many things to offer, seafood and beaches aren’t one of them.
Once you dig a little deeper, you’ll find out quickly that it is a city all about beef. There are definitely seafood restaurants but the situation almost likens to looking to eat pizza in China, they exist but not common and nothing to call home about. When it comes to natural beaches, there are actually none in the city, you will have to go a few hours south to the various beach cities like Pinamar and Mar del Plata, or head to Montevideo or Punta del Este in Uruguay.
Having a beach environment to sunbathe and relax in is not just something tourists want to do, many locals want that too and they might not have the opportunity to travel to one during the summer. Therefore, the Buenos Aires City Government came up with a brilliant idea! They created two man-made beaches, one on the North side and one on the South side, equipped with beach umbrellas, beach chairs, showers, free to everyone to access during the summer season. If just sunbathing is too dull for your taste, they have that covered too. During the opening hours Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 8pm, you’ll find a schedule of different activities going on, like live music, dance classes, courts for volleyball and football games, and even a WIFI zone if you want to get connected. If you have young children in tow, they will be ecstatic to find sandbox already equipped with toys, bouncy castles, and Storytime in the Children Reading Section.
These beaches will open their ‘doors’ this Friday Jan. 6 till Wednesday Feb. 29, 2012. Check out their Playa Buenos Aires official website for more information.
Argentines love to celebrate with fireworks. Since it is legal all year round, they will light up for someone’s birthday, wedding, or any kind of celebrations, amateur or professional alike. Get woken up by firework’s sound on a regular weekend is quite a normal thing. So this goes without saying that you will definitely see a LOT of fireworks going off everywhere in the city as it strikes midnight this New Year’s Eve.
Unlike many major cities in other parts of the world, there’s no one place in Buenos Aires where people gather to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. There’s also no one best spot in particular to see fireworks, in fact, any rooftop will do. If you don’t have any access to one of them, go to somewhere wide open like Puerto Madero or the big parks/plazas in Palermo or Recoleta. You can also buy your own to join in the fun. If you choose the latter, please apply all precautions, pay attention to your surroundings and play safely.
Wherever you are spending your NYE, have a fabulous one and Feliz Año Nuevo! ¡¡Nos vemos en 2012!!
It’s sometimes hard to remember that Christmas is fast-approaching here in Buenos Aires. For one thing, it isn’t cold — an unthinkable sensation for those of us hailing from north of the equator. And instead of hearing Christmas music in every store on every street corner, the usual pop songs continue to play on. There are, of course, decorations (since decorations are half the fun!) and the city is full of lights, christmas trees, and a man clad in a red suit and sporting a white beard has taken the city by storm. And yet, having grown up in New England, I find it hard to believe that in just two days Christmas will be here without a blanket of snow on the ground and a nip in the air.
Having spent my life protesting against cold weather, I now find that I miss both it and the variety of hot beverages and candies that accompany this time of year. Yet Argentina has its own unique offerings to replace my usual winter-time treats. In particular there is Pan Dulce, a cake traditionally eaten at Christmas and New Years.
This traditional bread is said to have originated in Milan, Italy — the Italian name for it is Panettone, which literally means “large bread”). Towards the end of the nineteenth century large waves of Italians began migrating to Argentina, and Pan Dulce (literally, “sweet bread”) migrated along with them.
While no one knows exactly how Pan Dulce came to be, it has become so ubiquitous in many South American countries that everyone knows what it is. It’s a sweet cylindrical cake that is often prepared with dried fruits, such as currants and raisins. Here’s a great local Pan Dulce recipe (in Spanish) for some home-made Pan Dulce. This recipe makes about twelve servings. Unless you modify it by adding lots of chocolates, otherwise, the calorie counts should be under control in holiday food standard. Not bad for a sweet holiday snack!
When it comes to eating in Buenos Aires, after a day or two here, even if you didn’t get to read up on any guidebooks beforehand, you’ll realize it’s all about meat, meat, the occasionally pizza and pasta, and then more meat. Needless to say, if you are not a local, eating like this everyday, your body will no doubt scream for help very soon. A few years ago, when you want to eat anything remotely healthy AND tasty, the best bet is to make it yourself at home. (That’s what really forced me to learn how to cook properly!) As the demand of healthy eating grows, there are actually good restaurants out there now offering sophisticated vegetarian, organic natural food dishes. So, when you have the hunger for something healthier and easier on your digestive system, check out one of these places:
Arevalito (Arévalo 1478, Palermo Tel.: 4776-4252. Monday to Saturday from 8am till midnight. Cash only.)
It’s a cute little neighorbood café. They change up their vegetarian dishes everyday so you could actually go there everyday without getting bored! Their daily sandwich and tart specials are always very good. Accompany them with a glass of freshly made lemon juice, and if you still have appetite, end it with any one of the delicious puddings that they serve.
La Reina Kunti (Humahuaca 3461, Almagro. Tel.: 4863-3071. Tuesday to Saturday Lunch-12:30pm to 4pm Dinner- 8pm to 12:30am. Cash only.)
An Indian vegetarian restaurant. They serve up all kinds of Vedas cuisine like sabji with chapai and brown rice, pakora with chutney, gauranga potatoes with different types of salads, samosas etc., and hindu desserts.
Buenos Aires Verde (Gorriti 5657, Palermo Tel.: 4775-9594. Monday to Saturday 8am – 1am)
This organic vegetarian restaurant has quite an extensive menu, from breakfast food to lunch, from tea time to dinner, they do it all! They also have a tiny market where you can stock up on organic products.
Siempre Verde (Arribeños 2127, Belgrano. Tel.:15-5454-6481. Tuesday to Sunday 12nn-4pm and 8pm-12midnight. Cash only.)
This is a Chinese vegetarian restaurant located right in the heart of Chinatown. Like any typical Chinese restaurants, they have a big menu. You will see common ‘meat’ dishes, like sweet and sour ‘chicken’, but they are of course not real chicken, instead they are made from soy and they are delicious! If you need some ethnic variety for your taste buds, this would be it!
Kensho (El Salvador 5783, Palermo. T: 4778-0655. Tuesday to Sunday, 12nn-3pm and 8pm-12am.)
This is a fancy natural food restaurant opened by chef Máximo Cabrera. Originally it was only a closed door restaurant but since he opened Kensho last year, we are all luckier now that his creative vegan food, raw food and celiac dishes are more accessible. On top of continously promoting eating healthy, he is also a strong advocate for the taste of the food, respect for the ingredients and the relationship with the food producers and fairtrade.
As a continuation to introduce and familiarize you with the world of Mafalda, the famous Argentine comic figure, here’s a quick run-down of her cast of characters:
Her Mom (Raquel) and Dad (who remains nameless throughout) – They are a normal couple. She is a housewife who left University to have children, something Mafalda never lets her live down. He works at an insurance company and tries to avoid his daughter’s questions, while her mom distracts her with more child-like things to focus on.
Mafalda´s Amiguitos (Mafalda’s little friends)
Felipe – Lives in the same building as her family. Very imaginative, the simplest of the amiguitos. Not a big fan of school, though he is the oldest and does well. Loves playing chess. Constantly struggles with internal battles.
Manolito – Son of a Spanish store owner in the neighborhood, very capitalistic and conservative like his father. Obsessed with his business plans and ideas.
Susanita – Obsessed with getting married and having babies, totally opposite of Mafalda.
Miguelito – A year younger than Mafalda, and the most innocent. Emotional and philosophic. Bit of a rebel.
Guille – The little brother of Mafalda. Seems to share Mafalda´s traits of bringing up awkward topics, except he loves soup.
Libertad – Is very short statured (which brings about jokes of freedom´s size). The only friend more liberal than Mafalda. She wants Argentina to start a social revolution.
You’ve seen her sitting on the bench in San Telmo. But why does everyone want to take their photo with her? What’s the big deal about this life-size little girl? When my co-worker asked me what I thought of Mafalda, they were appalled to know I had no clue who she was.
Mafalda is the main character in a famous comic strip written by Joaquín Salvador Lavado, more recognized by his pen name, Quino. Originally written as a promotion for a line of household appliances that never saw the light of day in 1962, she was brought to life 2 years later, as a full comic strip in a weekly publication.
Mafalda is a little girl wise beyond her years who lived in a middle-class family in Buenos Aires in the 60s and 70s. Loves pancakes. Hates soup. She is known for her curiosity, political and social musings, and her worldview, always worrying about humanity and world peace. Constantly peppering her exasperated parents with questions, she expresses her dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and her frustration with adults and their reluctance to do anything to change it. She talks about grand themes but with a child-like simplicity making her character loveable and at the same time humorous.
Many of Mafalda’s commentaries relate to social and political issues in the 70s. She loves the Beatles, and believes fervently in women’s rights. Her friends consider her worldview pessimistic. Many say you have to read Mafalda to understand Argentina. But the issues that she covers are universal, and her books have been translated into more than 30 languages. Read her just for fun, or to practice your Spanish and learn more about this Argentine gem.
Next part, we’ll give you a brief run down of all the major characters in the world of Mafalda.
In comparison to many major cities in the world, taxi rides here in Buenos Aires are no doubt considerably more affordable than the others. However, they are no longer as economical as before either, especially if you have been living in the city through all the changes one after another, all within less than a year of time. Even though the increases have taken place quite a few months ago already, a lot of tourists who are armed with a tour guide might still not be informed of the latest fares due to the ‘frequent changes’. Let me lay them all out for you here:
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