Our first day in Argentina on Saturday was a blast. Upon arriving in the morning in Buenos Aires, we set out with friends to explore the Caminito, the ” little street”. Caminito is part of the area called La Boca and is one of the most iconic parts of this beautiful city. It is full of great food, colorful homes, and Tango dancing. We then went to a great steak restaurant along the river for dinner.
The exchange rate is extremely favorable right now for U.S. citizens and the food and taxis are quite affordable.
We grabbed a table in the middle of the Caminito and had different pizzas and Argentinian dishes. We then walked around these colorful and vibrant areas. Everyone was very nice. However, unlike many countries, there are not a lot of English speakers that we encountered. Even our hotel did not have English speaking staff. Despite this, everyone is very patient and kind as you try to use rusty Spanish from high school. (We had the great advantage of being shown around by a wonderful local law professor as well as some Spanish-speaking colleagues who have visited Buenos Aires in the past).
The dinner at Cabana Las Lilas was quite good though more expensive. While having a great wine list and ambiance, the service was not great. Though service is very friendly in Argentina, it can be slow and a bit spotty by U.S. standards. Nevertheless, the food was excellent. I had the rib eye as well as some appetizers like fried cheese and Argentinian sausage. We had an Argentinian Malbec that would have cost $160 in the U.S. but only $33 here. It was really terrific. While Chilean wines were the rage in the U.S., these Argentinian wines are every bit as good.
Here are some of the pictures from El Caminito:
