EAT HERE: El Preferido de Palermo In Buenos Aires Restaurant REVIEW

If you are traveling to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and curious about local cuisine, then El Preferido de Palermo should be at the top of your list. Here is my full review of the restaurant, the food, and the costs.

Last Updated: Jun. 28, 2023

Blood Sausage And Hand Made Charcuterie At El Preferido de Palermo

Table of Contents show me!

El Preferido de Palermo: One Of The Best Restaurants In Latin America

Since the first day I arrived in Buenos Aires, a crowd of people waited for seating at two restaurants on my street at opposite ends of the block in Palermo neighborhood, Don Julio, the legendary Argentinean steakhouse, and El Preferido de Palermo.

Both restaurants earned positions on Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants with El Preferido de Palermo (meaning Palermo’s Favorite) sitting at No. 22, beating out other prestigious fine dining restaurants.

I’m always skeptical of hyped up restaurants because they tend to lose a bit of their luster over time. So I hopped online and booked my reservation, waiting to dine at this hugely Instagrammed restaurant for myself.

First Impressions of El Preferido de Palermo

The bright pink exterior makes El Preferido easy to spot from any direction with a looming crowd huddled around the entrance, anxiously hoping for a reservation no show.

The interior looked like a restaurant I’d love to own, with antique floor tiles, high ceilings, and a swirled pink marble bar counter. The open kitchen brought the whole dining area together with a hushed urgency from the chefs moving efficiently to cook and plate amazing food.

Above the bar hung a beautiful array of dried flowers giving a rustic, country restaurant vibe yet still refined enough for a restaurant on Latin America’s Top 50.

The atmosphere feels casual with enough flexibility for everyone to dress up or down based on the occasion. El Preferido is the kind of restaurant to take your parents for a delicious brunch, or to catch up with old friends over wine and shared plates. A comfortable place to enjoy delicious food in good company.

El Preferido de Palermo Menu

Now for the important decisions. EVERYTHING on the menu looked amazing, making my selections that much more difficult. With my wife at our apartment sick, I needed to choose wisely.

The food is distinctly Argentinean, creating a culinary foundation from Spanish and Italian influences. El Preferido makes its impact on the cuisine by using organic produce, house made specialties, and creating an atmosphere of family style eating.

Because of the economic situation in Argentina, these prices will not be accurate. Inflation is soaring with the Argentinean Peso decreasing in value every day. Unfortunately, they don’t have a website so there is no accurate way of knowing the exact prices.

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

I ordered the Morcilla ($10 USD) and Plato de Embutidos ($8 USD) for the starters. For the main, I was feeling something fried, so I decided on the Milanesa Napolitana ($25 USD) with a side of Pure de Papas ($6USD).

The Food At El Preferido de Palermo

Next, let’s go over my meal reviewing what I liked and didn’t like about my meal at El Preferido.

I started off my meal with freshly baked, wonderfully warm bread with zesty olive oil for dipping. Maybe they heard I was a sucker for fresh bread. I ate that soft booty bread within the first minute of it hitting the table. MAS PAN, POR FAVOR!

The Morcilla

My extremely kind and attentive server made sure all my needs were met and timed out my meal perfectly with the Morcilla (blood sausage) and Plato de Embutidos (charcuterie plate) coming out together.

A dish of pure beauty. The Morcilla came seared with a sunny side up egg topped with sliced green onions and dusted with paprika. My server glanced at me strangely as he laid the plates on the table. My jaw hung wide open, practically hitting the table like one of those love stuck Looney Tunes characters. Did I just hear angels sing?

The blood sausage held together nicely with a creamy soft interior and crunched wonderfully from an uber crispy bottom from a hard sear in the cast iron pan. Chunks of walnuts in the sausage gave the whole dish more texture with a lighter aftertaste.

Just phenomenal. Absolutely one of the best dishes ever created. Vampires and humans alike will enjoy the decadence in this dish.

The runny yolk of the egg made every bite next level, adding more richness by acting as a sauce that coated every morsel. Paired with more booty bread, each bite tasted extra creamy but still balanced enough so I could continue enjoying every bite. I did save one piece for my wife, but I was tempted to finish off the last piece during my whole meal.

Plato de Embutidos

House made charcuterie? Yes, please! Any restaurant that takes its charcuterie seriously uses a hand crank meat slicer. Not only is it old school and super awesome to watch, but the blade moves slower maintaining a cooler temperature than an electric slicer. This keeps the fat from melting during the slicing process. Attention to detail is everything.

I enjoyed this more than I should, occasionally smearing the meat on my lips before eating it. I know. Sexy picture, right? I actually do this to get a better feeling of the fat, how fast it melts and how it tastes apart from the meat. There is a practical purpose…kinda.

The three varieties owned their distinct characteristics with each having a unique flavor profile. My waiter told me the different varieties, but I, unfortunately, couldn’t understand him, so the exact varieties remain a mystery but still delicious.

Milanesa Napolitana

I’ve never seen a fried piece of meat look so pretty! A beef steak was pounded thin, battered, and deep fried before being topped with crushed tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced heirloom tomatoes, and fresh basil… in that order.

Think of this as a chicken parmesan’s rich cousin living in a three bedroom apartment on the upper east side of Manhattan. She be fancy.

The tender Milanesa cut easily and ate with a satisfying crunch on every bite, even when covered with tomato cheesy goodness. The thinly sliced tomatoes were a nice touch and not purely decorative, adding more acidic umami to each bite.

I loved how they didn’t skimp on the basil. The herb tasted nice, making the Milanesa feel refreshing while highlighting that Italian heritage.

Sliced Heirloom Tomatoes On The Milenesa

I only wished they seasoned the beef before cooking it. The Milanesa came with a ramekin of sea salt for sprinkling and it desperately needed it. If they salted the beef before adding the breading, the flavors would’ve come alive better on the palate.

From my time eating in Argentina, most restaurants under season their food, but plenty of table salt sits at every table allowing each guest to season to taste.

The mashed potatoes tasted a bit flat. Not good, not bad, just meh. Nothing special here, but they desperately needed more salt.

Maybe my America was showing because a few bites into my Milanesa the waiter brought over a ramekin of house made organic ketchup. The ketchup tasted great, but not the right condiment for a Milanesa. Maybe he thought all Americans need ketchup with their food.

Too full for dessert, I brought my leftovers for my wife since she had to miss out on an epic meal. My poor baby!

Is El Preferido de Palermo Worth It?

YES! If you made a reservation, I think El Preferido de Palermo is worth the time and the money. If you need to wait a few hours in line, I think your time is better spent elsewhere.

The food is delicious and wonderfully surprising, but I think there are plenty of amazing restaurants in Buenos Aires worth the time and money as well.

How Much Money For El Preferido de Palermo?

Earlier, I mentioned the prices, but the whole meal with water and a tip came out to about $60. I thought the portions were large and definitely made for sharing.

Some dishes on the menu are marked “para compartir” which signifies a very large dish meant for sharing between two people. I think my Milanesa was too big even for me, needing to take leftovers home.

Getting two small plates or starters, one side, and a main course is more than enough for two people.

If you are looking for more budget friendly meals, I wrote a blog post highlighting the best cheap restaurants in Buenos Aires you should definitely check out.

How To Book Reservations for El Preferido de Palermo

As of right now, El Preferido de Palermo books about 4 to 6 weeks out depending on the time and size of the party. As soon as you can, hop online to make your reservations.

No credit card is needed so you can cancel at any time without penalty. Don’t worry, if you can’t make the reservation, plenty of people are waiting outside the restaurant all day just to get in for a meal.

El Preferido de Palermo Information

Address: Jorge Luis Borges 2108, C1425 FFD, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Reservations: Book on Meitre
Check out El Preferido de Palermo on Instagram