Anchoíta

Is Anchoíta worth booking in Buenos Aires?

Yes; if you are serious about contemporary Argentine cooking and want the most decorated wine program in the country alongside it. Anchoíta holds a Michelin Plate (2024 and 2025) and has been ranked #1 on Star Wine List two years running (2025 and 2026), which puts its cellar in a different league from nearly every other restaurant in Buenos Aires. At $$$$ pricing, it is a genuine splurge by local standards, but the combination of culinary ambition and wine depth makes the spend defensible for anyone who takes either seriously. If you only want a great steak at the leading price tier, Don Julio is the safer call. If you want a full tasting experience with wine as a co-equal to the food, Anchoíta is your booking.

The Experience

The room at Anchoíta sits in the Palermo Soho neighbourhood on Juan Ramírez de Velasco, the atmosphere reads as concentrated rather than loud. The energy is focused; this is a dining room where the table is the point, not the scene around it. Expect a composed, relatively low-noise environment compared to the boisterous parrilla tradition that dominates Buenos Aires dining. That makes it a good fit for a long evening where conversation and the progression of courses can hold your attention without competing with a roaring crowd.

The kitchen operates under a contemporary format, meaning the experience is built around progression: dishes arrive in sequence, each course calibrated against what came before and what follows. For diners who travel specifically to eat, that architecture matters. It is the difference between a collection of good plates and a meal that has a structure and argument. Anchoíta is in the second category. The Michelin Plate recognition, awarded twice consecutively, signals that the kitchen is delivering at a consistent level, not a flash-in-the-pan moment, but sustained performance. For context, Aramburu operates in a similar contemporary-tasting register at the same price tier; the distinction at Anchoíta is the wine program, which Aramburu does not match by any independent measure.

Venue's backstory is publicly documented: Enrique Piñeyro, a film director and pilot who flies humanitarian missions on a Boeing 737, leads the culinary team. That context is interesting but not the reason to book. The reason to book is the two consecutive Star Wine List #1 rankings and a kitchen that has earned Michelin recognition in a city where Michelin only recently arrived. The combination of those credentials in one room is not something you find anywhere else on the Buenos Aires dining scene right now.

On the wine side, the Star Wine List #1 ranking two years in succession means the cellar has been independently assessed as the most compelling in Argentina's capital. For wine-focused travellers, that is a material differentiator. Buenos Aires has excellent wine lists across the city, but Anchoíta is the benchmark. If you are the kind of diner who treats the wine pairing as seriously as the food, this is where the two are most in balance. Comparable experiences in the region, Azafrán in Mendoza or Cavas Wine Lodge in Alto Agrelo, offer strong cellar depth but in very different contexts. Anchoíta is the urban benchmark.

For travellers building a wider Argentina itinerary, it fits naturally alongside Awasi Iguazu in Puerto Iguazu, EOLO in El Calafate, and La Bamba de Areco as part of a country-wide dining sequence. Within Buenos Aires itself, Crizia, Anafe, 4ta Pared, A Fuego Fuerte, and Alcanfor each occupy different parts of the dining map, Anchoíta is the choice when wine and contemporary tasting format are your priorities. See our full Buenos Aires restaurants guide for the complete picture across categories and price points.

Internationally, diners who have eaten at César in New York City or Jungsik in Seoul will recognise the register: serious contemporary cooking with a structured tasting format, where the wine list is treated as integral rather than supplementary. Anchoíta operates at that level within its own culinary tradition.

4.6 across 1,962 ratings It signals broad satisfaction rather than a niche cult following, which matters for occasion dining where you are spending at the top of the Buenos Aires market.

Practical Details

Reservations: Hard to secure, book as far in advance as possible, particularly for Friday and Saturday evenings. Address: Juan Ramírez de Velasco 1520, Palermo, Buenos Aires. Price tier: $$$$, this is top-of-market for Buenos Aires; budget accordingly for a full tasting with wine pairing. Leading for: Wine-focused travellers, tasting menu enthusiasts, special occasions, solo diners comfortable at a counter or small table. Awards: Star Wine List #1 (2025 and 2026), Michelin Plate (2024 and 2025). For hotel recommendations nearby, see our Buenos Aires hotels guide. For pre- or post-dinner drinks, our Buenos Aires bars guide covers the neighbourhood options. Broader city planning is covered in our Buenos Aires experiences guide and our Buenos Aires wineries guide.