An Eater’s Guide to Argentina’s Mendoza Wine Region

Buenos Aires has long been an established South American culinary capital, attracting international visitors with well-awarded restaurants. The same can’t be said for Mendoza, the country’s popular western wine region. Though the area has chef Francis Mallmann, famous for his live-fire cooking, Mendoza was generally better known for its wineries than its restaurants.

That changed in 2024 with the country’s debut Michelin guide, which awarded stars to four restaurants in Mendoza and only three in Buenos Aires. The guide was one reflection of the great work local chefs — along with a growing talent pool relocating to the area from around the country — have done to push the food scene beyond its roots in Argentine barbecue and Mallmann’s work.

You can taste many of the best new meals in the provincial capital, Mendoza City. But the wine region extends to surrounding communities like Luján de Cuyo, Las Compuertas, Vistalba, Agrelo, Maipú, and Chacras de Coria, which are easily reachable by cab, as well as areas of the Uco Valley more than 60 miles away best reached by renting a car or hiring a driver. Measure your appetite for great regional Argentine cooking and plan accordingly.

What is Mendoza’s cuisine?

Until recently, the word “hearty” might have best described Mendocino cuisine. The dominant style of cooking was the asado, the beloved Argentine version of barbecue, which features cuts of beef (or lamb, goat, or pork) cooked over coals, along with sides including sweetbreads, sausages of all sorts, and oven-baked or deep-fried meat-filled empanadas. Salt, salt, and more salt is the main flavor agent, and if you get a bit of salad on the side, consider yourself lucky.

Though asado remains a strong part of the scene, many restaurants now establish reputations with vegetables or elegant tasting menus. Global culinary concepts like zero-kilometer cooking and organic farming are also influencing chefs, as are trends from Buenos Aires like shared plates.

Key info for food lovers

Parrilla: “Parrilla” can refer to the barbecue-esque apparatus used to cook asado, the type of restaurant that serves barbecued meats, or short ribs.

Cuts of beef: Butchering is an art form in Argentina. Common cuts of beef include ojo de bife (rib-eye), el vacio or vacuna (flank steak), filet (filet mignon), bife de chorizo (sirloin), and entraña (skirt steak).

Meat doneness: Historically, many Argentines preferred their meat bien cocido (very well cooked). That’s changing, and most restaurants can cook your meat to order. Order yours jugoso (juicy) for medium rare, término medio (halfway done) for medium well, and tres cuartos (three quarters) for well done.

Mollejas: The creamy thymus gland of a cow (sweetbreads) is a popular element of asado and also often given the gourmet treatment by chefs.

Morcilla: Rich, spiced blood sausage is another traditional element of asado.

Milanesa: Pounded and breaded beef or chicken that’s baked or fried, milanesas are a popular and filling option for lunch or dinner, often topped with cheese and served with a selection of sides including salad, french fries, or mashed potatoes.

Choripán: Replace a boring old hot dog with a freshly grilled chorizo (also a popular option at asados), topped with bracing chimichurri, and you’ve got a choripán, a contraction of “chorizo” and “pan” (bread). It’s the ultimate portable meal on a budget.

Tomaticán: In addition to wine grapes, Mendoza province is famous for growing sweet and satisfying tomatoes. Tomaticán, which can be traced back to Spanish conquistadors in the 1500s, is a tomato-based stew that makes the most of this local ingredient.

Bodegón: This type of eatery serves dishes brought by immigrants from Spain and Italy such as pasta and Spanish tortillas. Traditionally quite basic and designed to satisfy workers on a budget, the bodegón concept has been honored and reimagined by a number of chefs.

Bodegas: The country’s bodegas, Argentine wineries, originally made basic, often sweet wine, bottled in bulbous damajuanas. It was the beverage of the working class, often cut with an ice cube. Though you’ll still get a bucket of ice with your red in some establishments, Argentina is now home to a growing roster of internationally-recognized wines, pioneered by winemakers who believed the country’s grapes — the list goes well beyond malbec these days — could produce quality wine.

Centauro

Where to eat in Mendoza City

Centauro Restaurante

Centauro helped build up the downtown dining scene when it opened in 2023 in a rambling former home. There, a team of young chefs turns out innovative dishes using regional ingredients, such as silky mushroom pate with kimchi and lemon made with mushrooms grown on site. Vegetables play a major role, but meat dishes are handled deftly as well. There are two tasting menus, as well as an a la carte menu, and an eclectic wine list, but don’t miss the creative cocktails built around ingredients like walnuts, butter, and carob.

Azafrán

Over the course of more than 25 years, Azafrán built a following from its home in a historic building in downtown Mendoza by serving elevated Argentine standards. When it reopened after a two-year closure, the restaurant looked the same, but offered an all-new experience. Now a dinner-only, fine dining destination, it serves a six-course menu created entirely with Mendocino ingredients and a 10-course menu utilizing ingredients from around the country. Headed by chef Sebastián Weigandt, who sports a tattoo on his wrist of the Michelin star that he and his slick staff earned, Azafrán now turns out dishes like tender cured prawns covered in beet slice “scales” on a bed of cashew cream. Wine pairings are equally creative (a brilliant 30-year-old riesling, for example), and there’s a mocktail menu that’s not merely a teetotaling afterthought.

Fuente y Fonda

Located on Plaza Italia, this casual eatery serves consistently high-quality versions of grandma’s recipes for lunch and for dinner. Dishes like baked fish, ossobuco empanadas, and lentil stew are meant to be shared around a crowded table just like at home. Bring friends and come hungry.

Abrasado

The restaurant of century-old Bodega Los Toneles leans more steakhouse than asado. The macho dining room is dimly lit with a polished concrete floor and plenty of leather, rawhide, and wood, all wrapped up in maroon velvet curtains. The 4-foot-long wooden pepper grinders and wine decanters are all part of the show, as is dry-aged beef hanging in a centerpiece glass case. If it’s available, order the aged T-bone with black garlic injections. Fish, seafood, and creative salads are also available.

Soberana

This imposing corner restaurant brings big city vibes to downtown Mendoza with sleek design and international culinary influences. Expect dishes like onion soup, rabbit lasagna, crispy potato rosti topped with shrimp and creamy coleslaw, and much more from wide-ranging a la carte menus. A private dining room, a full bar serving classic and creative cocktails, and an extensive wine list round out the experience.

Cocina Gardenia

This bright-white, casual restaurant is the domain of chef Ginella Mazzocca, who honed her skills at Mendoza’s beloved (and sadly shuttered) María Antonieta restaurant. Since 2021, Ginella has been offering a small and ever-changing menu of unexpected plates meant to be shared. Her fried chicken on a waffle with hot honey, for example, is tender, crunchy, and satisfying, with a touch of sweet heat. Her wine list is eclectic and her prices are reasonable.

Where to eat elsewhere in Mendoza

Brindillas Restaurant

The decor may be uninspired, but the food at Brindillas, set in a former home in Luján de Cuyo, more than makes up for it. This locals’ favorite — and Michelin star winner — has been crafting elegant, seasonal tasting menus for years. Today, this early adopter of the multicourse format offers eight- and 11-course options. Expect dishes like perfectly al dente risotto packing a briney punch with peas, French beans, and bits of prawn, all paired with selections from a smartly curated cellar.

5 Suelos Cocina de Finca

Chef Patricia Courtois leads diners through a 14-course tasting menu that tells the story of the Durigutti winemaking family in Las Compuertas. Expect dishes like perfectly tender pork matambre served cold on a salad, paired with the winery’s nuanced take on traditional jug wine; duck prepared two ways, paired with a spicy, dry 2020 cabernet sauvignon; or one enormous filled pasta with a lively reserve malbec. The restaurant also offers a five-course menu and casual a la carte options.

Ramos Generales

Visitors who want a casual encounter with the famous live-fire cooking of Argentine celebrity chef Francis Mallmann should head to this restaurant at the Kaiken Winery in Vistalba. Opened in 2020 as a sandwich joint, the outdoor establishment now offers a three-course tasting menu and a la carte options, plus the 1920 menu (booked in advance), an exclusive selection of dishes and wines designed by Mallmann.

Angélica Cocina Maestra

This plush and polished restaurant’s “wine first” approach is achieved with close consultation between chefs and winemakers. Together, they craft 12-course seasonal lunch and dinner menus and pairings. Fourth-generation winery manager Dr. Laura Catena is particularly fond of the Roller Coaster pairing, which playfully moves guests back and forth between whites and reds. Generous pours and multiple glasses per dish allow guests to find their own perfect combinations.

Casa Vigil

As winemaker for Bodega Catena Zapata, Alejandro Vigil is a busy man — but not too busy to start his own celebrated wine label and get into the restaurant game. His Casa Vigil restaurant in Maipú has been attracting the attention of locals for years and Michelin took note as well, granting the rustic indoor/outdoor eatery in the vines a star (and a green star).

Zonda Cocina de Paisaje

The bright, country-chic dining room at Michelin-starred Zonda, located at Lagarde Bodega, is anchored by an enormous parrilla. Guests are barely seated before a glass of the winery’s sparkling wine arrives, followed by your choice from a range of multi-course lunchtime tasting menus. The restaurant sources its goats from a cooperative in the town of Malargüe, vegetables from the restaurant’s organic garden and local producers, and fruits from orchards in the Uco Valley. Look forward to dishes like a nest of fried fennel tops that elegantly deconstructs the traditional humita.

Quimera Bistro

The playful yet perfectly executed dishes at Quimera Bistro, located at Bodega Achaval Ferrer in Agrelo, are a delightful expression of the ambitions of young chef Constanza Cerezo Pawlak. The seasonal multi-course lunch menus might start with a platter of small dishes, such as local ricotta in pear syrup or house-cured wild boar. Mains consist of amped up asado, featuring house-made blood sausage, mollejas with cured apricots and orange rind, beef marinated in shio koji, and more. Desserts tend toward fruits paired with assertive spices. It’s all ably matched by the bodega’s wines.

Riccitelli Bistró

Chef Juan Ventureyra knows his way around a vegetable. He can turn the lowly cabbage, for instance, into something to write home about (the secret is to braise it for four hours and top it with peanut cream). Duck, beef, and pork are handled with similar aplomb at this lunch-only, indoor/outdoor eatery in Las Compuertas. Crafted from a shipping container, the bistro offers six- and seven-course menus, paired with equally unpredictable wines by the notoriously disruptive Riccitelli winery.

Ruca Malen

The namesake restaurant at Bodega Ruca Malen in Agrelo opened in 2004, making it one of the first winery restaurants in the region. Today, it turns out a solid seven-course lunch that tempts diners to linger amid the winery’s decades-old vines, where they can enjoy a range of wines by young winemaker Agustina Hanna — fitting since Ruca Malen means “house of the young woman” in the Quechua language.

Renacer

This airy restaurant in Luján de Cuyo focuses on Mendocino cuisine — trout from the Uco Valley, house-made pasta, rib-eye in malbec demi-glace, preserved quince — served with Bodega Renacer’s bold, Italian-influenced wines. There are also surprises on the restaurant’s lunch menus, including one of the most satisfying salads in the area. Packed picnic baskets and bikes are on hand for those who’d prefer to eat among the vines.

Restaurante Espacio Trapiche

For setting and a sense of history, you can’t beat this sleek glass cube of a restaurant at the Trapiche Winery in Maipú. The flagship restaurant of one of Argentina’s largest wine producers opened in 2016 next to an imposing brick winemaking facility that dates back to 1912. Chef Lucas Bustos — who gained formative experience at Daniel in New York City — has been at the helm for years, ensuring a consistent vision of farm to table, Andean-inspired cuisine. The restaurant’s lunch and dinner menus (tasting and a la carte) are made using ingredients from the restaurant’s own farm, which raises cattle, goats, sheep, and fowl in addition to fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

Where to eat in the Uco Valley

Ruda Cocina

Chef/sommelier team Gaston Trama and Camila Pawlak, who worked in some of the hottest restaurants in Buenos Aires, bring their mastery of vegetables and vinos to this causal eatery with epic views of the Andes. Start with a welcome glass of sparkling wine before jumping into shared dishes, and don’t miss the broccoli in cashew cream with lemon, pickled radishes, crunchy quinoa, and house-made Sriracha.

Cundo Altamira

At this surprisingly chic, family-run restaurant, chef Sebastian Juez gets 90 percent of his ingredients locally from the Altamira area of the Uco Valley, including organic vegetables, fruit from the restaurant’s own orchard, meat from small producers, and star ingredients like saffron, tomatoes, and garlic from niche suppliers. Whatever you order, find yourself a unique, local glass of wine from the list, which includes bottles made from grapes grown by the restaurant’s owners.

Bodega Claroscuro Restaurant

Few restaurants in the Uco Valley are open for dinner. The restaurant at Bodega Claroscuro is a rare and delicious exception, offering five- and eight-course tasting menus (paired with Claroscuro wines) for lunch and dinner. Guests are welcomed into the art-filled dining room (or patio during summer) with a glass of wine, as black and white movies play silently against a wall. Chef Oscar Vicino, who worked with Francis Mallmann for years, spent a year developing dishes and designing the kitchen before the restaurant opened. Menus change seasonally, but are always anchored by the restaurant’s signature tomahawk steak.

La Azul Bodega Resto

This indoor/outdoor, lunch-only restaurant is always packed with Mendocinos and visitors in the know, who come for finessed takes on classic asado and other traditional dishes like slow-cooked pork and silky flan. Portions are large and the wine — from the adjacent winery, which produces one of the best sauvignon blancs in the Uco Valley — is free flowing, inspiring a festive atmosphere.

Where to drink in Mendoza

La Central Vermutería

Vermouth bars are plentiful in Buenos Aires, but Vermutería La Central brought the concept to Mendoza when it opened in 2021. Indoor and sidewalk seating, creative cocktails, and a small but inventive menu make this a popular meeting place in the center of the city.

La Feliz Charcu Bar

As the name implies, La Feliz aims to spread joy from breakfast through late-night drinks. Opened in 2024 in central Mendoza, the two-level space features a charcuteria, cocktail bar, and internal courtyard on the ground level, and a bistro-style dining room upstairs. Head here for focaccia sandwiches piled high, crispy croquettes filled with tender goat, and full plates such as al dente mushroom risotto topped with fried artichoke hearts. Complement any meal with a craft cocktail, such as the refreshing Hallucination Is Not Enough (Argentine pisco, grapefruit, and sage).

The Garnish Bar

Smartly dressed bartenders, a rockin’ soundtrack, a tidy but varied list of creative cocktails (plus all the classics), and an intimate environment have made this bar in central Mendoza a fan favorite since it opened in 2021. The house cocktails are two versions of a penicillin (both made with a custom blend of honey), but there’s something for every type of cocktail drinker, along with a small selection of wine, beer, and mocktails. Sit at the bar and don’t be afraid to linger with a 60-day-aged burger.

The best hotels around Mendoza and the Uco Valley for great food and drink

SB Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites

One of the best hotels in Argentina can be found in Chacras de Coria. Opened in 2022 with just seven enormous, high-tech suites, this luxe boutique hotel — in the former home of lauded Argentine winemaker Susana Balbo — is an art-filled hedonistic hideaway. Expect radiant floor heating, private saunas, and award-winning food at the hotel’s La Vida restaurant. Guests staying two nights or more receive a complimentary tour and premium wine tasting at Balbo’s nearby winery, which is also home to the casually elegant Osadía de Crear restaurant. Rates start at $839 for a double occupancy room.

SB Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites

Cavas Wine Lodge

Cavas helped pioneer luxury lodging in Argentina’s wine country when it opened in 2005. Located in Agrelo, the 18-room property, complete with a small outdoor pool and spa, is architecturally striking with rounded earthtone spaces. Rooms are spacious, the setting (among 55 acres of vines) is bucolic, and service is outstanding. Free bikes make it easy to visit neighboring Viña Cobos, while the iconic “pyramid” at Bodega Catena Zapata — arguably the most celebrated winery in Argentina — is a short drive away. Rates start at $550.

Casa de Uco Vineyards & Wine Resort

A chic pool, spa treatments, a welcome bottle of wine, and sleek designs (the owners are architects and designers) make Casa de Uco a sophisticated stay, whether you’re looking for a traditional hotel room, a villa, or a private home. Guests and non-guests should make a point of booking the hotel’s Asado in the Vines experience. Rates start at $480.

Andeluna Winery Lodge

The newest addition to the hotel scene in the Uco Valley offers eight cozy, prefab, steel and glass rooms nestled in the vines, each with a private patio and views of the Andes from bed. Don’t miss Andeluna’s innovative limited edition wine tasting, which uncorks top bottles and ends with a fun, food-pairing quiz. Rates start at $260.

Gaia Lodge

The boutique hotel at Domaine Bousquet winery, one of the largest producers of organic wine in Argentina, features seven rooms splotched with whimsical shots of color. Service is personalized, and rooms are armed with wine fridges. Local chef Adrian Baggio helms Gaia Restaurant at the nearby winery and offers hotel guests an intimate seven-course chef’s table experience in the hotel, where dishes — like fragrant, tender rabbit in bright tomato sauce with pillowy ricotta gnocchi — shine alongside Domaine Bousquet’s award-winning bottles. Rates start at $144.

Karen Catchpole is a travel and food writer from the U.S. who has been driving through and reporting from the Americas full-time since 2006. She freelances from the road, and her work covering iconic destinations, emerging destinations, hotels, restaurants, chefs, and more in North, Central, and South America has been published by Travel + Leisure, Afar, BBC Travel, CNN Travel, TIME magazine, Food & Wine, Sierra, Departures, Hemispheres, Lonely Planet, Delta Sky, American Way, Roads and Kingdoms, and many other outlets. She is also the co-creator of the ongoing Trans-Americas Journey.

Eric Mohl is a travel, food, and lifestyle photographer from the U.S. His work has been published by Afar, the Wall Street Journal magazine, National Geographic Adventure, Hemispheres, Sierra, the Dallas Morning Herald, Roads and Kingdoms, BBC Travel, CNN Travel, and other outlets. He is also the co-creator of the Trans-Americas Journey working road trip through the Americas, which has been on the road since 2006.