Food and Restaurants

Vegetarian Restaurants in Palermo Hollywood

Guest

By | March 25, 2010

Eating Green in Palermo Hollywood

We all know it and frankly, we’re tired of hearing it: Argentina has amazing beef. But what are we supposed to do after we have been to the parillas, have eaten the asado, or have had one too many choripan? Well before you reach for the blood pressure meds, head out to Palermo Hollywood where a slew of new vegetarian restaurants have recently opened up. Detox never tasted so good.

Buenos Aires Verde

Finally, a restaurant that has salads consisting of more than just onion slices and little shreds of carrot. Buenos Aires Verde (or simply ‘Verde’) is by far the most “earthy-crunchy” of the three restaurants reviewed here. Verde serves locally grown organic foods only, and also offers a few vegan dishes. The menus are all printed on recycled paper and use words like “infusion,” and “supplement.” Salads listed on the menus contain refreshing ingredients such as apple slices, mushrooms, candied walnuts, and interestingly, pollen rain.

Verde is clean, well lighted, and is decidedly minimalist with simple decorations and deep rows of identical wooden tables extending to the back. The small organic food shop in the rear makes it easy to collect a few ingredients so you can try to clone the meal you’ve just eaten (trust me, it won’t be the same).

Menu offerings apart from the salads include pastas, polenta, risotto, crepes, and daily specials. Although Verde is always bustling in the evenings, I prefer the quieter laid-back atmosphere of Verde at lunch.

Price: $AR 30-45 per person for an entrée and drink.
Location: Gorriti 5657

Meraviglia

Meraviglia is a place where you’ll find porteños happily nibbling away at organic pastries while bobbing their heads to background noises of electrónica mixed with the hum of nearby kitchen blenders. While Meraviglia isn’t necessarily a quiet place, this organic café-bakery has a solid variety of breakfasts and lunches.

The Meraviglia staff places heavy emphasis on presentation. It’s always fun to peer over the counter into the kitchen to see what sorts of alchemy the chefs are brewing up. The food is colorful and fun to dissect and the licuados (Spanish for smoothie) never disappoint. While I prefer to eat the breakfasts: banana bread, toast, orange juice, eggs so fresh they’re nearly orange, the menu also has a nice variety of sandwiches and lunch items.

For lunch I tried the falafel. Served in a pita pocket with a side of radish-heavy coleslaw and similarly plain dipping sauce, the falafel was otherwise delicious and full-flavored. A friend ordered the veggie burger which, while beautifully presented and mouthwateringly thick, was served cool and was ultimately disappointing.

Price: $AR 35-45 per person for entrée and drink
Location: Gorriti 5796

Arevalito

On the fringe of Palermo Hollywood, located on the street bearing its name, Arevalito sets itself apart from other neighborhood vegetarian restaurants by its meat-eater ambivalence. There’s no overwhelming vibe of spirituality. No brochures in piles outside the door explaining why tofu is better than lomo (beef). All you’ll find are a few porteños sitting in the shade sipping glasses of ginger-mint lemonade. Arevalito is less a typical vegetarian restaurant than one which simply doesn’t serve meat, positioning itself as a refreshing alternative.

This laid-back, come-as-you-are restaurant sports a daily menu of four to six entrées, and is a great place to take your chances at a game of culinary Russian roulette. Arevalito features entrees varying from mellow and flavorful to bold and uncompromising. I tried the homemade Pastichatti, a warm, filled to the top pasta bowl of diced onions and spinach, sprinkled with shreds of cheddar and herbs. My friend had the more audacious Chileno after spying it on a nearby table; a toasted sourdough sandwich comprised of a generous layer of guacamole followed by hard-boiled eggs and topped with a few throws of chili powder. Both were delicious, but the flavors clashed too hard to make sharing enjoyable.

The lack of availability of some dishes and drinks on an already abbreviated menu may be a problem for picky eaters. But a pleasant atmosphere, quiet location, and an always-changing menu should keep you curious enough to come back again and again.

Price: $AR 25-30 per person for an entrée and drink.
Location: Arevelo 1478

Article by Cameron Brown, guest writer

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