La Cabrera Restaurant
Buenos Aires steak at its finest
[Image credit: aprillynn77 at Flickr]
La Cabrera – Beef is the word
As you can see from the two nicely sized cuts of bife de chorizo (sirloin strip steak) shown directly above, La Cabrera is extremely generous with the size of their steaks. Yet it is not only the meat which arrives in large quantities here – every main course order is accompanied with their trademark array of many small, varied side dishes, as can also be viewed in the photo above and another photo further down this post. These side dishes range from complimentary sauces (depending on what you have ordered), to couscous, mashed potato with mustard, tomatoes in sauce, calabaza (squash) puree, sweet pickled garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, guacamole, and so on, and on, and on…
In fact, the choices presented to you on the table at this parrilla (steakhouse) can be almost paralyzing. There is so much to look at, so many different flavors and options to go for, it may become overwhelming. If this happens, a word of advice: focus on the steak.
The Ojo de Bife Napolitano (rib eye steak with plenty of ham, cheese and sun-dried tomatoes on top) pictured above, is a fine specimen. It would be way more than enough for one person, forgetting the side dishes. So just try a few of the flavors on offer from those cute little sideshows whenever this occurs to you, but don’t let that detract from the main event, which is always going to be the huge steak.
The flavor of the beef at La Cabrera is delicious, succulent, perfectly cooked (if you ask for a punto – medium – you really do get it medium and not overcooked) and very, very juicy. And all this seems to be true whatever steak you order there, be it bife de chorizo, ojo de bife or bife de lomo – the three most popular cuts to order at La Cabrera.
La Cabrera – A House of Gluttony
And yet, despite the steak alone being more than enough to fill you up before you even think about the variety of side dishes, sometimes you have to go even further into the dark realms of over-eating and La Cabrera will probably tempt you to do so. Starters are completely unnecessary, but absolutely delicious. If you must, try the chorizo sausage (pictured below) or the goat’s cheese provolone (a type of cheese grilled on the Argentine parrilla) with sun-dried tomatoes.
If you are having starters, then a main course each would be WAY too much at La Cabrera. In fact, if you are just eating the main course and nothing else, two dishes between three people should probably fill you all to satisfaction. And if you are a couple, one main course between two will probably do, although a side of their fantastic wedge fries would do the steak justice.
Finish off the meal with a fantastic Sorbeto de Limon con Champagne (lemon sorbet with champagne). At this stage of the over-eating proceedings, having a dessert that you can drink through a straw is a very sensible idea.
Location of La Cabrera
J.A. Cabrera 5099, corner of Thames, Palermo Soho
[Other Branch: Cabrera 5127, Palermo Soho]
Tel: 4831-7002, Website: http://www.lacabrera.com.ar
Reader interactions
22 Replies to “La Cabrera Restaurant”
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you are sooo dead !
Why, I don’t suppose you came across this by any chance, did you…
http://buenosaires.craigslist.org/trv/345717204.html
After having seen this…
http://buenosaires.craigslist.org/trv/340800231.html
…I couldn’t resist 🙂
I promise I won’t do it again!
Hey Alan
Thats the best post I have read about the Nirvana of Steak venues La Cabrera.
To me this place personifies the best of Argentine steak combined with its best ingredients.
Their asparagus and avocado salad is sublime. Their proveleta is enough to visit alone and their bread basket is the best I have encountered here.
I have been here 40 times now and have walked away every time dreaming their steak.
To me a visit here is a must when in Buenos Aires.
Pericles,
Thanks again to you and Malcolm for treating me to a meal at La Cabrera a while back. Those costillitas de cerdo we had were fantastic.
And as you say, La Cabrera really is a must visit for visitors to Buenos Aires looking for a shrine to great steak.
Cheers,
Alan
Alan,
You are so right about La Cabrera. I was in Bs As a few weeks ago and was delighted with the quality of food and service. Jugoso is the way to go! I’m so glad I didn’t listen to some expats I met that din’t recommend the restaurant. Can’t wait to go back to Bs As and La Cabrera.
Hi Carlos,
Glad you enjoyed La Cabrera and Buenos Aires in general, and thanks for your comment.
One great thing about ordering the steaks at La Cabrera, whether ordering jugoso or a punto, is the amount of juice that comes out of them… you can see that from the mess it leaves on the table after they take the wooden board the steak was sitting on away!
Ok, i’m hungry again…
Alan
I visited BA a few weeks ago and I am so thankful that we were referred to La Cabrera. It was truly the best dinner that I have ever had in my entire life! No exageration. It’s such a pity that they don’t have a restaurant in North America. Definitely try the dessert flan! It is amazing.
Well, the accolades just keep on coming!
Thanks for the comment Trish, glad you enjoyed La Cabrera as much as I did 🙂
Alan
Man, I wish I’d seen your site before my trip to BA a few months back. Would have made my trip much more enjoyable. Guess that just means I need to go back sometime.
Steve
Hi Steve,
Glad you made it over to my blog after I commented on yours… and yes, you’ll definitely have to come back now, and make sure that you try La Cabrera this time! [Oh, and no more Quilmes either, I’ll show you to some decent places for beer if you like :)]
Cheers,
Alan
Hi Alan, my wife and me are just about to arrive to Bs. As. for a week. Definitely, I will make it to La Cabrera. Thanks for your blog. It is truly helpful. Could you please mention those decent places for beers? I am a beer fan but not a Quilmes one so please, if you can provide me with that info I will appreciate it!! Thank you again for all the info. Best… from Lima – Peru.
Hi Perucho,
Thanks for your nice words. A couple of places I like for beer in Buenos Aires are Antares in Palermo and Buller in Recoleta.
Have a great time in Buenos Aires, happy eating and drinking 🙂
Alan
Hey, check this out:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=170517&id=504035810
I read your blog before going to BA and went twice – once with friends and a second time for the most decadent lunch I’ve ever had. Leave an hour for digestion – or if you’re in a hurry, a triple whisky will do the trick (and the bartenders are happy to oblige). Feliz morfando!
Sorry, that link probably won’t work – try this one instead:
http://upenn.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=170517&id=504035810&l=eff4f
My wife and I had dinner at La Cabrera on October 3, 2007 in Palermo Viejo and were very disappointed with the waiters. We started with the Chorizo Sausage which was excellent, and my wife had the Bife de Chorizo for her entree which was cooked a perfect medium rare and very flavorful. We soon realized that we ordered too much food and should have split some of the dishes like the Bife de Chorizo. So, my wife asked the waiter to wrap the steak in a to-go box. As we were sitting there digesting our meal my wife mentions to me that she sees one of the waiters eating her steak. I said it was probably untrue and that the waiter was probably finishing his steak from earlier in the night. Unbeknownst to me the next day when we opened our to-go package from the night before revealed scraps of various cuts of beef and not our Bife de Chorizo. I thought it might have been a mistake with someone else’ order but when I looked closer at the scraps I could see that these were indeed discarded trimmings of beef that no one in their right mind would want. Unfortunately we were not staying closer to the restaurant or I would have gone back just to throw the scraps at the window! So, while the food may be excellent at La Cabrera, be careful of the waiters, some of them are real scumbags!
The best steak we had the whole time in Argentina. Already recommending the restaurant to other friends that plan to visit next month.
[…] Anywhere you go, whether it is (was) a hidden gem like La Cabrera in Palermo Viejo in Buenos Aires (review, review), or some random buffet, you’ll get awesome steak (at least my American standards). […]
We arrived @9:30 without a reservation and asked how long a wait. “30 minutes” We went for a walk then drank a few glasses of champagne. At 11:00 pm, One of us asked why we were told 30 minutes. We could have gone elsewhere and come back tomorrow. Many excuses, but, the fact remains that there were still tables that were originally occupied at 8:30 that were still occupied at midnight by the same patrons.
We finally were seated at 11:30 pm. It was definitely not worth the wait and the lie.
Food was ok. Portions very large. There are hundreds of great restaurants in Buenos Aires; don’t lose your time waiting for this one.
Hi Chris,
I’m not sure I would go as far as to say “don’t lose your time waiting for this one” about La Cabrera.
Granted they have become extremely popular over the last couple of years [I sometimes arrogantly wonder if it had something to do with my blog post ;-)], and that seems to have caused them some growing pains. And of course some other people have raised some concerns about the staff and service.
However, to say that the food is just OK and not worth the wait flies in the face of the majority of opinions. OK, so they are only opinions, and you are offering one of those up too, but the large majority seem to go with the fact that despite all the other problems, the food at La Cabrera is above average, for Buenos Aires, and indeed compared to other major cities.
The truth is, I haven’t been to La Cabrera for a little while, mainly because I don’t eat out so much these days, so I don’t know the extent of the problems there with service and wait times. But I can offer some advice…
Try going for lunch, or earlier in the evening, say 8.30pm – I’m sure there will be less wait then. Or alternatively, if La Cabrera is full, try La Cabrera Norte just a block away down Cabrera street, which has the same menu and levels of quality.
Chris, perhaps with less waiting and annoyance you would have been more impressed with the food. Some psychological tests argue that the way we perceive food quality has more to do with state of mind, often caused by the environment we are in, than anything else. So maybe your longer wait than promised meant you were not able to give the food the evaluation it deserves… certainly a possibility.
Anyway, I guess it’s time I went back to La Cabrera again to see what’s up and report back. Looking at my photos on this post is already making me hungry…
Cheers,
Alan
PS – The fact that the same patrons that arrived at 8.30pm were still there at midnight is normal in Buenos Aires. Very rarely is anyone rushed away from their table in this city, in cafes and restaurants, and I for one think that is one of the few good things about service in this city 🙂 It is not something that just happens at La Cabrera.
Thanks again for your comment… keep reading!
Alan
I must say that La Cabrera is the best steak place we’ve eaten at — we can’t wait to go back. We showed up at 8:30pm and they were already full. The doorman walked us down to their other restaurant and we were able to get a table there.
I have to mention that we got our first fake bill there — a $50; however, the management was very apologetic and exchanged it for us. Generally, people tell you to watch your change with cabbies, but it just goes to show that you can get counterfeits anywhere.
[…] decided to go out for a real Argentinian steak. Several people recommended La Cabrera. While waiting for a table they serve champagne and […]