Parrilla Tour

Parrilla Tour is a food tour company founded in Buenos Aires in 2011 by a group of friends who shared a passion for food, wine and meeting travellers. Its guides lead small groups to local parrillas, empanada houses and ice cream shops, explaining the dishes and the culture around them, and all tours are conducted in English. The general manager, Paul Fitzpatrick, is originally from London and has lived in the city since 2008, and the operations manager, Antonella Saragó, is a licensed Buenos Aires guide and a professional tango instructor.

The company runs several routes. The Palermo tour in Las Cañitas lasts two and a half to three hours and visits four stops, a classic parrilla, an empanada house, a historic parrilla and an artisanal ice cream shop, with choripán, handmade empanadas, steak, Torrontés wine and ice cream along the way. It runs on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at midday and on Thursday evening. The San Telmo tour, on Monday and Wednesday at midday, includes empanadas, a visit to the Mercado de San Telmo, a parrilla with provoleta, steak and Malbec, and homemade ice cream. A Recoleta tour runs on Thursday at midday and in the evening, with two cuts of beef, empanadas and ice cream.

Two options go further. On Sundays between March and December, a tour of the Mataderos fair, about 30 minutes from downtown, includes hotel pick-up at midday, street food such as empanadas and choripán, and live folk music and dancing, over about four hours. On Thursday evenings, the Palermo food route can be followed by a visit to a local milonga, a tango dance club, for a drink, with a minimum of two people per booking.

Tours start at the first restaurant, and the exact address is sent in the confirmation email. Departures need at least four guests to be confirmed, and private tours, including for large groups, can be arranged with several days' notice. Come hungry, as portions add up over three or four stops, and tell the company about any dietary needs when you book.

It suits first-time visitors, solo travellers who want company for a meal, and anyone who wants to understand Argentine food beyond a single steak dinner. Contact the company by email at [email protected]; it asks that phone calls are kept for urgent matters.