Where to Find the Foods You Miss in Buenos Aires

Visitors to Buenos Aires usually spend a week or a few happily eating steak, empanadas, pizza and medialunas. However, anyone who’s made the move knows that eventually those peanut butter cravings become impossible to ignore. Or if not peanut butter, could be maple syrup, Vegemite, or perhaps hot sauce. The list goes on and on.

While this is a common problem amongst expats across the world, Argentina’s protectionist policies, that strictly regulate imports, ensure that the foods we love from home are especially hard to get our hands on here. But don’t panic. If you know where to look, you’ll likely be able to track down at least some of your most-missed products.

Where can I find international foods in Buenos Aires?

Barrio Chino

Buenos Aires’ very own China Town is not only the place for imported and high quality Asian products, but for goods imported from around the world as well. All of the markets in this two block sub-barrio of Belgrano will have authentic soy and teriyaki sauces, a good selection of spices, and various hot sauces including Sriracha. For a bigger selection of international products, head to Tina & Co. or Asia Oriental. Their offerings change frequently depending on their distributors and current import taxes. But, on my last stroll through Tina & Co I spotted Twinnings English breakfast tea, Old Fashioned Maple Syrup, Philadelphia cream cheese, sour patch kids, and McCormick spices amongst others. Keep in mind that considerable tariffs and high shipping costs are reflected in the usually quite hefty price tags.

Jumbo

Of the main supermarket chains in Buenos Aires Jumbo consistently has the most impressive imported section. While considerably more well stocked than other Argentine Super markets, you still won’t find as good of a selection here as in Barrio Chino. But, with three locations in Puerto Madero, Palermo and Almargo there’s a good chance heading to Jumbo will be more convenient than going all the way to Belgrano.

Same deal as Barrio Chino, you can’t always count on finding the same items, and anything imported will cost at least double in Argentina.

Dietéticas

Dietéticas are the small neighborhood health food and specialty stores found all over Buenos Aires. You won’t find imported goods here, but rather Argentine versions of many specialty and health foods from back home. Typical items found almost exclusively at dietéticas include peanut butter, humus, Greek yogurt, plant based milks, coconut oil and quinoa. Ranging from independent hole in the wall shops to larger chains, the quality and selection vary significantly between dietéticas. Because many of the smaller shops don’t even have formal webpages, to find what you’re looking for, take a walk around your neighborhood and keep your eyes peeled for the dietéticas.

Alcohol

Compared to finding our favorite foreign snacks, tracking down imported alcohol is pretty easy. Most neighborhood grocery stores carry a pretty uninspired selection of spirits, so you’ll want to head directly to a higher end liquor store. Tienda Baltimore is a specialty wine and spirits shop with an impressive collection of imported liquors that you won’t find every day in Buenos Aires. Or if you’re missing your favorite beer, head to Mefisto Beer Point. With a selection of over 300 international beers sourced from the Americas, Europe and Asia, there’s a good chance this shop will have at least few choices from your home country.

Beyond checking out the previously mentioned places for your favorite things, the next best option is seeing if there are any other expats in the community selling what you’re looking for. It isn’t uncommon for industrious foreigners to start business selling authentic goods from their own country.

Sometimes these endeavors flourish, and sometimes they don’t. The result is a rotating list of available goodies that depends on the ingenuity of the current crop of expats. One of the best resources for figuring out what’s for sale is the Buenos Aires Expat Hub on Facebook.

In October 2020, here are a few of our current favorites.

For genuine Mexican tortillas, Tortilla Pancho Villa delivers fresh made tortillas and tortilla chips .

La Calestia is an Australian owned wine shop in Chacarita that occasionally stocks Vegemite. It’s not a guarantee though, so if you’re going there just for the vegemite, save yourself some time and give them a call first to confirm.

Bowl is a typical deli that offers fresh sandwiches, wraps and salads throughout the week. Then on Fridays the only dish available is Austrian Gulasch served with Serviettenknödel. For a taste of this Eastern European cuisine, just make sure to put your order in by Wednesday, and they’ll deliver it to you for lunch on Friday.

Restaurants

These days there’s no shortage of international restaurants in Buenos Aires. However, if what you order is going to look or taste anything like the authentic version from back home is another question. Here are a few of our favorite restaurants, run by chefs that are bringing their counties’ flavors to Buenos Aires.

Sheikob’s Bagels

Although there are several cafes and restaurants offering bagels these days, there’s only one place to go for the real thing. Jacob is a New Yorker who began his business in 2013 by selling his home-made boiled and baked bagels from his bike that he pedaled around Palermo. He has since opened his own shop, and the simple menu features bagel sandwiches, American drip coffee and local craft beer. Keep an eye out for specialty rotating creations like hot sauce, pickles, cocktails and seasonal items.

Tandoor

For expats from India, it can be difficult getting used to the relatively underwhelming flavors of Argentine cuisine. At Tandoor, the co-head chefs Kumar and Swamy combine traditional Indian spices with fresh local produce to create some of the most authentic Indian food in Buenos Aires. If the Indian embassy staff is frequenting a restaurant, it’s a safe bet they are serving up the real deal! Make sure to order a side of their crispy and flaky naan. Cooked to perfection in the namesake tandoor oven, this Indian sample is the perfect complement to any dish.

Cantina Sunae

If you’re craving traditional Southestern Asian fare, or food spicy enough to clear the sinuses, head straight to Cantina Sunae. The head chef Christina Sunae was born to Korean parents in the United States, but spent much of her childhood in Asia, and credits her cooking style to her time in the Philippines. Located in Belgrano at the edge of Barrio Chino, this chic eatery is serving dishes such as steamed dumplings stuffed with shrimp, pork, shiitake mushrooms and szechuan pepper, and fiery yellow coconut curry.

Honorable mentions:

For Korean food head to Barrio Coreano in Flores. This is a seedier part of town though, so if you go at night, we recommend taking a cab to and from.

Hot take: the best Mexican food in Buenos Aires is not Fabrica del Taco. For the best non-Argentine Latin food, check out Mexican, Brazilian and Other Great Latino Food Options in Buenos Aires,