Can a vegetarian eat well in Buenos Aires, the land of the Parrillada??? OF COURSE!!!!
From the moment I started mentioning to people I was traveling to Buenos Aires, people were questioning and worrying, where would you eat?? I never worry about these things because I know that I will learn how to navigate the local menus to be able to:
- Eat the local favorites
- While still maintaining my vegetarian diet and lifestyle intact
They say in life there are NO COINCIDENCES… Adriana, the tour guide I had been in contact with over email, happened to be a long-time vegetarian too. She even had a vegetarian restaurant for a little while a few years back. She offered to provide us with information on vegetarian restaurants in the city… JACKPOT!!!
Adriana took us on a walking tour of Buenos Aires… we WALKED for about 7 hours that day. We visited all the major touristic points in the city on foot – the Recoleta Cemetery, Ave. 9 de Julio, Florida Street, Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosada where Evita saluted her people… and believe me, after all that non-stop walking you get hungry.
So Adriana took us deep into the San Telmo area for lunch to savor our first vegetarian restaurant experience in Buenos Aires – Naturaleza Sabia.
Naturaleza Sabia is a nook of tranquility from the bustling streets of Buenos Aires. The décor is simple and serene. I loved the chalkboard menu with all the favorites of the day…
They welcome you with a selection of dips with crostini – lentil, broccoli and carrot. They were all delicious, but my favorite by far was the lentil one. Kinda like a lentil hummus, if you will. I particularly loved the toasted sesame seeds on top.
We stayed in the realm of the vegan dishes to make sure no egg was included in any of the recipes.
My mom and I ordered two dishes to share – the House Salad and the grilled tofu with mixed vegetables sautee. This tofu is one of the best tofu dishes I’ve had in my life. The tofu was well seasoned and the crust in the outside gave it real nice character. It was really nice…
Between the dips, the salad, the tofu and the strawberry lemonade I ordered, I was too stuffed to be able to order dessert. I was even looking forward to the rest of our walking tour to be able to take care of the stuffiness…
Buenos Aires may be “the land of meat”, but they certainly know their vegetarian stuff too at Naturaleza Sabia.
Naturaleza Sabia Balcarce 958 1064 San Telmo, Capital Federal, Argentina (0)11 4300 6454
KarmaFree Cooking 
I can see how it would be difficult finding vegetarian choices in a foreign country. Lucky for you that you were able to find great options in Argentina.
Yep, that’s hard core meat eating country, But nice to see you found some very artfully arranged dishes. I lie the concept of a lemony lentil dip.
I’m a meat eater but certainly, every restaurant and country I’ve ever been to has vegetarian options. I’m glad your long time contact was able to show you some options. I mean, that’s no reason NOT to travel and fret! Lentil hummus sounds intriguing.
Yes! I’m in Argentina right now and I’m normally vegan, but have relaxed my restrictions just for this trip – I’ll take the cheese and butter because otherwise I might go hungry. Pero gracias a dios! Por fin! So Amazing!