MUST EAT: Don Julio Buenos Aires Restaurant Review

Is Don Julio in Buenos Aires worth it? I ate at Don Julio twice, so keep reading for my full restaurant experience, where I discuss my meals and answer questions on booking reservations, dress code, and menu prices. 

Don Julio Buenos Aires: One Of The Best Restaurants In The World

For the past seven years, Don Julio jumped around the list of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants, before taking the crown at No. 1 in 2020.

In 2022, Don Julio maintains a No 2. spot and ranks No. 14 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Impressive accolades for a steakhouse. 

I knew little about Don Julio in Buenos Aires and how significantly it impacted the world of fine dining. Think about it. Diners preferred Don Julio over Michelin 3 star restaurants.

Yes, a casual Argentinean steakhouse outperformed some of the most notable restaurants in the world. Don Julio definitely caught my interest. 

I ate at Don Julio TWICE. Yes, I was lucky enough for two unforgettable meals despite the three week reservation wait. I start this restaurant review by detailing both my meals FIRST, diving into the details about each dish.

Scroll past the food if you are looking for the nitty gritty details about the menu, booking reservations, getting on the waitlist, dress code, and prices. 

The Food At Don Julio Buenos Aires – PART 1

Here, I discuss the meal from my first visit to Don Julio. They brought out all the food at once, with the steak hitting the table last as the server precisely cut the meat off the bone and sliced the rest into manageable pieces before placing the steak on our plates. 

The Entrecôte – Bone In Ribeye Steak

The first bites surpassed me. How can steak taste this AMAZING? I’ve eaten at five different steak restaurants so far in Buenos Aires, and nothing came close to this steak. 

Don Julio is in a league of its own.

All the important details were apparent: medium rare, well rested, and ready for my belly. 

I tasted a light smokiness with a pleasant aroma from the open fire cooking, a true sign of an authentic steakhouse in Buenos Aires. Even the fatty chunks tasted nutty and sweet leaving me gnawing at the bone for every sweet gristly scrap of meat. Seriously though, I went to town on that bone. 

What made me the happiest was the continuity of strong beef flavor throughout the steak, tasting like someone injected beef demiglaze into every fiber of the meat. Every single bite held that taste of amazing beefiness, something I rarely see anywhere.

The steak was absolutely sublime and definitely lived up to the hype. I don’t know what crazy Argentinean voodoo the chefs performed to make this steak so delicious, but I wouldn’t change anything. Absolutely perfect in every way. 

Ensalada de Tomatoes Reliquia – Heirloom Tomato Salad

Deliciousness in a bowl, this tomato salad came dressed simply with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Deceptively simple, these heirloom tomatoes tasted like they were freshly picked from a small garden in Martha Stuart’s backyard, feeling like they were grown with pure love. 

Just the colors in the salad looked beautiful with tomatoes of different shades of orange and red. Simplicity remained key for this dish with the tomatoes packing huge flavor. 

Sweet, umami, and tangy, the heirloom tomato salad knocked it out of the park by showcasing the tomatoes themselves highlighting their intrinsic characteristics. 

Zucchinis a la Parrilla- Grilled Zucchini 

Usually, when I grill zucchini it’s a bit of a hot mess: floppy, over oiled, and a bit bland. These chefs know their grilling techniques because the zucchini came out better than I could’ve imagined. 

Zucchini can have a pungent and unpleasantly bitter aftertaste that remained completely absent here. Just pure delicious zucchini. Nothing to hide and perfect with simple preparation.

Yes, simple vegetables again, but that’s what I want.  Thick, dark, and perfect, the charred zucchini is almost like a piece of meat. The drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of oregano added a slight herby nuttiness and brought the whole grilled vegetable experience together. 

Trust me here, grilling over those wood coals made a huge difference in the flavor. With a kiss of smoke, the grilled zucchini went from ordinary to I’ll-fight-you-for-the-last-piece delicious. Of course, my wife would win, so I begrudgingly surrendered the last slice.

Salchicha Parrillera con Hierbas Fresca – Spiral Sausage With Herbs

During my time in Buenos Aires, I tried every type of sausage imaginable, so I was happy to see other varieties available at Don Julio with the Spiral Herb Sausage catching my eye. 

When the food came out, my server immediately started slicing the sausage and portioning it between my wife and me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t snag a proper picture. 

The thin spiral sausage tasted great and as delicious as I was hoping. I can’t tell you what herbs were used, but take it from me, it’s something worth eating. 

The casing snapped nicely when I ate my first bite, starting a balancing act between the herbs, spices, and fat. The more I chewed, the more complex the flavors grew as everything melted together. Definitely a dish I’d get again. 

The Food At Don Julio Buenos Aires – PART 2

Here, I go into detail about my second meal at Don Julio. My wife and I stumbled upon a late lunch without reservations but NO LINE. We only waited five minutes to get seated. Lucky us!

Salame de Potro – House Made Salami

A completely sublime experience. The house made salami came sliced paper thin with distinct chunks of fat filling out the middle. Just putting a slice on my tongue melted like butter, giving me a flavor filled head rush. Thank goodness I was already sitting down.

The Don Julio house made salami lived up to my dreams of sliced charcuterie, feeling more like an experience than actual food. I remember my wife and me locking eyes after the first bite and laughing in pure delight because we couldn’t believe how amazing this tasted.

I loved the sharp aged meat taste controlled by the paper thin texture. Thicker slices would render even the most experienced eaters completely fatigued, but the thin texture keeps the strong flavors manageable. If you come to Don Julio, the house made salami is a must try dish.

Bife de Costilla con Lomo – T-Bone Steak

Yes, another bone in cut, but I couldn’t help myself. The T-Bone thudded on the table showing its inch and a half thickness with an attached tenderloin the size of my fist. In America, we call this big guy a Porterhouse.

Just like the Entrecôte, the server sliced the steak right off the bone and into manageable pieces, showing a perfect medium rare center. Then, I took my first bite.

How do the steaks keep getting better? Is this a simulation? Is this real life? How does Don Julio serve magical meat?

Its Offical. Don Julio in Buenos Aires served my favorite steak of ALL TIME. And I’ve eaten my fair share of dry aged, thick cut steaks, but nothing comes close to Don Julio.

Extremely tender and pouring with juices, the meat tasted like the flavor saturation mode was turned all the way up with a slight smokiness from the wood fire grill enhancing every nuanced characteristic of the steak.

Although the steak could feed four people, we crushed the task with complete satisfaction. I can die happy knowing I ate the best steak on planet earth.

Pure de Papa y Manteca de Jersey- Mashed Potatoes with Jersey Butter

I’ll admit, I never asked about Jersey Butter or Jersey milk. For some reason, it slipped my mind. Just know that it’s delicious.

Mashed potatoes remain a classic for steakhouse sides. Steak and potatoes pair nicely for a reason. At Don Julio, they make their own version of mashed potatoes that blends seamlessly with their grilled steaks.

The Jersey butter makes all the difference in these mashed potatoes, creating a unique texture and a grassy flavor. Sounds strange, but the potatoes highlight the beef and must be eaten with a steak close at hand.

Don’t get me wrong, these mashed potatoes are great by themselves, but with a steak, it is a new experience entirely.

Charlotte – Jersey Milk Ice Cream With Chocolate Syrup

Don Julio makes all their ice cream in house daily and by the taste of it, they mastered the craft. They offer other elaborate desserts but trust me here, the Charlotte will blow you away.

Scooped into a stemmed glass, the Jersey milk ice cream came with a generous drizzle of warm dark chocolate sauce poured by the waiter at the table from a mini aluminum pitcher which is left at the table with more sauce waiting inside.

Hot, cold, sweet, and bitter, the Charlotte is a dessert of contrasts, bouncing between multiple components in a single bite. The ice cream itself tasted wonderful with an extra creamy texture, but paired with the bitter dark chocolate, I enjoyed ice cream in a different kind of way.

I felt like a child eating ice cream for the very first time, discovering the dessert in an awe struck way. Yes, it was that good.

Even the dark chocolate sauce, by itself, was a masterpiece, leaving me literally pouring the rest into my mouth from the mini pitcher at the table.

Don Julio Buenos Aires Price

For my first meal at Don Julio, the total came to $18,270 Pesos before tip, about $108 USD. For my second meal, the total price came out to $26,470 Pesos before tip, about $156 USD.

Don Julio’s prices are high and rightfully so. Compared to other steakhouses in Buenos Aires, Don Julio is about double the price of most places, but with significant quality boosts. The extra money spent here makes a difference in the food and overall experience. 

Is Don Julio Buenos Aires Worth It?

YES! Don Julio is worth it and lives up to all the hype. I would gladly wait outside of Don Julio for three hours for another chance at eating this delicious meal again. The beef truly is completely different from what I was expecting and exceeded my expectations.

Although the prices were high, compared to other impressive and notable steakhouses around the world, Don Julio is cheaper and destroys the competition in flavor. 

Don Julio Buenos Aires Menu Prices 

The menu at Don Julio is extensive with a vast array of meat and veggies. All the meat served at Don Julio comes from their own farm of pasture raised, grass fed cattle that are wet aged until beefy perfection. 

The vegetables come from their organic farm where they emphasize seasonality, serving what’s best right now. These veggie dishes are simple, highlighting the quality of the vegetables over any specific type of preparation. 

Because of the economic situation in Argentina, these prices will not be accurate on the menu by the time you read this. Inflation is soaring with the Argentinean Peso decreasing in value every day.

Below, I have the conversion to US Dollars for the items we ate to give you a better idea when planning ahead. 

For my first visit, I ordered the Heirloom Tomato Salad ($11 USD), Grilled Zucchini ($8 USD), Spiral Sausage With Herbs ($10 USD), and a bone in ribeye steak ($75 USD).

For my second visit, I ordered a bottle of wine ($35 USD), Heirloom Tomato Salad ($11 USD), Mashed Potatoes ($7 USD), House Made Salami ($11 USD), T-Bone Steak ($68 USD), and the Charlotte ($8 USD).

Most steaks on the menu cost  $8,000 to $10,000 Pesos, about $47- $60 USD, to give a better reference on price expectations. 

For the FULL MENU and FULL WINE LIST, scroll down to the bottom of the post for more photos

Reservations At Don Julio Buenos Aires

Like most people, I went online looking for a reservation. Don Julio was fully booked for the next two months. My heart sank.

With unstoppable determination, I investigated other avenues to get into Don Julio. My wife and I walked inside the restaurant and talked to the reservation host directly who, surprisingly, let us book the next available opening three weeks away. No problem, we were there for a month. 

Despite the online system showing fully booked, they still had open slots available. This means there are several ways to book reservations and their online system is only one method. DON’T GIVE UP.

For the simplest way to book reservations, visit Meitre, Don Julio’s preferred reservation platform. Pick a day and time that works best and keep that confirmation email.

You can also try calling the restaurant for reservations, but be ready for communication barriers if you lack the proper Spanish skills. 

Lastly, you can follow our example and walk in and talk to the reservation host in person. If there is a communication barrier, use Google Translate on your phone to work through the conversation. It worked for us!

Walk Ins And The Waitlist At Don Julio

If waiting a few weeks for a reservation isn’t possible, try their waitlist. Guests without reservations can line up outside of the restaurant and give their names to the host for the waitlist. If there is a reservation no show, the next person on the waitlist gets seated.

If you try the waitlist, arrive at least two hours before the restaurant opens for lunch or dinner. Make sure to stay in front of the restaurant the whole time and stay present so the host knows you are still waiting. Most guests waited one to three hours for a table after Don Julio opened. 

For my second meal at Don Julio, I did NOT have a reservation. In fact, my wife and I never planned a second visit. Our apartment was right across the street from Don Julio, so one afternoon, we saw NO ONE waiting in line and took our shot.

The host said the wait was an hour or less, so we decided to take our chances, and in five minutes, we were seated. That’s right. To eat at the best steakhouse in the world, I only waited five minutes.

The waiting game is a bit of smart planning and plenty of luck.

Don Julio Makes Waiting Delicious

No matter what, with or without a reservation, everyone needs to wait. Every lunch and dinner shift, a crowd stays huddled around the entrance, waiting for their chance to achieve beef nirvana.  

For my first meal at Don Julio, I scheduled my reservation three weeks prior and still needed to wait. I checked in with the host who broke the bad news that I still needed to wait a little longer for my table. So, I was left waiting for half an hour but not empty handed. 

A pleasant perk of waiting at Don Julio is the complimentary sparkling wine. Yes, you read that correctly, complimentary sparkling wine. I slammed back four glasses like a freshly christened 21-year-old, still holding out my glass for more. They never refused me or anyone else who asked for a refill. That’s dangerous.

To help manage the hungry crowds every day, waiters come outside with trays of freshly fried mini beef empanadas that always disappear within seconds. These little Hot Pockets were so freaking delicious and were my wife’s favorite empanadas in Buenos Aires. 

Although I barely waited for a table during my second visit, I still grabbed sparkling wine and mini empanadas to make the most of the day.

How Much Time For Don Julio Buenos Aires?

Plan about three hours for your meal at Don Julio in Buenos Aires. Even with a reservation, I still waited 30 minutes to get seated and waited another 20 minutes for a waiter to say hello to take my drink and food order. 

Even for my second meal at Don Julio, I still waited about 20 minutes before anyone came to take my order.

Don’t misunderstand me. This isn’t bad service, it’s slow service. There is a difference. The waiters hustled back and forth between tables while shuffling around each other and maneuvered around the guests waiting outside the main door. 

My waiters were friendly, but direct, never stopping for a second. Although I waited longer than expected for everything, I know my waiters and the entire staff never spent a single moment slacking. Everyone remained noticeably busy the entire dinner service.

Dress Code At Don Julio

There is no dress code for Don Julio and everyone I saw dressed casually. No suits, fancy dresses, or formal attire of any kind. 

Although men mostly wore button down shirts and slacks, I saw a few guests sporting shorts and sandals. Most women stayed causal with a few women putting on a dress, but most wore pants and a nice blouse. 

I recommend dressing as you like keeping it casual, but not too casual. I don’t see this as a sleeveless/flip-flop kind of place. 

Don Julio Buenos Aires Information

Address: Guatemala 4691, C1425 CABA, Argentina
Phone: +541153115668
Website: parrilladonjulio.com
Reservations on Meitre: donjulio.meitre.com/

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Don Julio Menu Photos

Don Julio Buenos Aires Wine List

Here is the ten page wine list at Don Julio in Buenos Aires. As I mentioned earlier, the prices will differ when you visit the restaurant due to the inflation crisis in Argentina. I took these photos in December 2022 with a conversion of 1 USD to 170 Argentinean Pesos.