Tancat

Writing about Tancat is hard for me. I simply consider it the best restaurant in Buenos Aires – which means I am biased, and I don’t like it, but also means I am afraid of not communicating the full experience of being in this restaurant, and I don’t like it either. But, to put it very simply – this is the restaurant I always bring my girlfriend to, whenever we are in Buenos Aires. And that will have to sum it all!

Tancat is located near Calle Florida and Plaza San Martin, a few hundred of meters away from Hotel Plaza and its century of charming stories. And a convenient 5 min cab ride or 20 min walk from the major theatres in the city (including Colon). Which makes it a great place to have a charming dinner after a play (but this is just a suggestion).

Tancat mixes the Buenos Aires atmosphere with a flavor of Spanish ambience and cuisine. Which actually ends up blending quite well. Starting with the cozy (and sometimes unfortunately overcrowded) dining room, dressed in brown and red, with a big bar and small and comfortable tables.

The menu is tempting. You can go for some starters and an entrée. Or, then, maybe you can stay only in the starters, playing the tapas game. You can choose “garlic prawns” (probably one of my favorite dishes, “gambas al ajillo”), a fine combination of manchego cheese and Spanish ham, sauted mushrooms that melt in your mouth or “galician octopus” (“Pulpo a la galega”). Let me tell, your mouth will appreciate any of those choices.

On the entrees side, let me first start by telling you a precious information – this is a great place to eat fish (actually, that was how I discovered it, when I was carving for a good Portuguese fish). It is probably one of the few places in Buenos Aires where you can choose a good sea fish and be happy for it! And we are talking about “Argentina, the meat land”! Oh! By the way… of course you can still pick up a great “bife chourizo”, “bife ancho” or a “Ojo de bife”, and still enjoy a great meal! Just, don’t forget to do it with a nice Malbec red wine – whatever you pick on the tapas or meat section will even taste better. And, to wrap it up, don’t skip desserts…

I started by saying it, and will say it again. This is my number one restaurant in Buenos Aires – and the one I would really recommend as part of a romantic evening. (just don’t forget to book a table before-hand…)

Where: Buenos Aires – Argentina

Address: Paraguay 645, Buenos Aires 1067, Argentina

Phone: +54 11 43125442

Expensive: Yes, sorry. Quality has a price. If you go the whole way, you can count on around €50 per person – which is actually not that expensive if you are not living in Buenos Aires…

Last visit: August 2011