Food and Restaurants, All about food and restaurants, Featured Content

Ordering Coffee, Wine and Meat in Buenos Aires

Madi Lang

By | September 4, 2020

Meat on Asado in buenos aires argentina

Coffee, wine, and meat; the three staples of life in Argentina. New to the Spanish language, or in need of a vocabulary and pronunciation refresher? Here, we’ve compiled this guide of the most useful vocabulary, and their phonetic spellings for ordering coffee, wine and meat in Buenos Aires.

In Buenos Aires, fads and politicians may come and go, but coffee, wine and meat are here to stay. In a city where nothing makes perfect sense, one can always rely on a good cup of joe, a delicious pour of wine, and a juicy cut of carne. Another reliable Buenos Aires element is the use of slang, which goes hand-in-hand with these aforementioned delicacies. Here, I offer a crash-course in ordering café, vino and carne so you make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.

With café, and vino, you can’t go wrong. But while ordering carne, you should definitely know whether you are ordering a N.Y. Strip or grilled intestines, or as I like to call them, “raviolis a la the cow’s last supper.”

Coffee

For porteños , tomando un café (having a coffee) alone or with friends is as traditional as a siesta in Spain. It’s a time to gossip, build relationships and eat croissants called medialunas (half-moons). Most of the coffee in Buenos Aires comes from Brazil, Colombia and Honduras and although iced coffees are available at Starbucks and some of the trendier spots in Palermo, many of the more traditional cafes haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet.

English Spanish Pronunciation
I would like to have … Me gustaría tomar … May goose-ta-rhia tow-mar
Single espresso shot Un Café Oon Cah-fay
Single espresso with steamed warm milk Un Cortado Oon Core-ta-doh
Cup of ½ coffee ½ milk Un Café con leche Oon Cah-fay cohn lay-chay
Warm milk with a ‘tear drop’ of coffee Una Lágrima Oon-ah Lah-gree-mah
Tea Un Té Oon Tay

Wine

Once 6:00 pm hits, it’s time for Argentines to switch out their cortados for a glass of wine. Argentine’s love their Malbec, and rightly so, as Argentina is celebrated as being the top Malbec producer in the world. Wine can be found everywhere in Buenos Aires, and whether you’re at a chic wine bar in Palermo, a classic parilla, or at an asado, don’t let a lack of Spanish vocabulary stand between you and that glass (or bottle) you have your eye on.

English Spanish Pronunciation
I would like to have … Me gustaría tomar … May goose-ta-rhia tow-mar
Red wine Vino tinto Bee-noo teen-toh
White wine Vino blanco Bee-noo blahn-koh
A glass of… Una copa de… Oon-ah Ko-pah deh
A bottle of… Una botella de… Oon –ah boh-tay-yah deh
Dry Seco Seh-koh
Sweet Dulce Dool-seh
Penguin pitcher Pingüino Peen-gwee-noh
Meat and cheese platter Picada Pee-kah-dah

Meat

There is nothing more sacred in Argentina than the asado . This is a traditional weekend outdoor grilling event where impatient porteños will easily wait around for hours as the asador (grill master) prepares the feast. The asador is generally the man of the house and will receive a hearty applause from the group once the food is ready. Here are the juicy details on ordering meat in Argentina:

English Spanish Pronunciation
I want… Yo quiero… Show key-ero…
Barbecue Asado Ah-sah-doh
Blood sausage Morcilla More-see-sha
Chicken Pollo Poe-show
Chop Chuleta Choo-let-ah
Skirt steak Entraña En-trah-nya
Flank Vacio Vah-see-oh
Intestine Chinchulín Cheen-choo-leen
Kid (Goat) Chivito Chee-vee-toh
Kidneys Riñones Rin-yon-ays
Lamb Cordero Cord-eroh
Liver Hígado Ee-gah-doh
Pork Cerdo Ser-doh
Rabbit Conejo Cone-ay-hoe
Rack of ribs Tira de asado Tee-rah day ah-sa-doh
Rib steak Bife de costilla Bee-fay day kohs-tee-sha
Sausage sandwich Choripan Chore-ee-pahn
Sirloin steak Bife de chorizo Bee-fay day chor-ee-zoh
Suckling pig Lechón Lay-chon
Sweetbread Molleja Moe-shay-ha
Tenderloin/Filet Mignon Bife de lomo / Lomo Bee-fay day low-moe
Tripe Mondongo Mohn-dohn-go
Typical sauce/ marinade Chimichurri Chee-mee-choo-ree
Veal Ternera Ter-neh-rah

When ordering steak, these are your temperature options:

English Spanish Pronunciation
Medium rare (juicy) Jugoso Who-go-so
Medium A punto Ah- poon-toe
Well-done Bien cocido Bee-yen co-see-doh

Take note: when ordering coffee and wine I suggested saying, “I would like…” In contrast, when ordering meat you should probably use, “I want…” The reasoning behind this is that coffee and wine are usually ordered at a sit-down café where a waiter will take your order and politeness is key. However, when it comes to meat, unless you are in a fancy restaurant, the asador is more like a short-order cook and just wants to hear the key words. Always be polite, but don’t try to impress an asador with proper pronouns or complicated ordering jargon. Be cool.

Warning: porteños often have advice for you as to what you should eat and you may not have the chance to decide for yourself. Ask any foreigner who has been here long enough to experience the asado and they will surely have a story of how they were kindly pressured into trying (eating a whole) blood sausage. Welcome to initiation, I suggest you grin, chew quickly and have a glass of vino nearby to wash it down.

Wow! Don't forget to check the 'Activities you might like' right here