Restaurant in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Open-fire beef, hotel ease, real asado.
El Mercado at the Faena Hotel delivers Buenos Aires' open-fire asado experience with sourced-from-Pampas beef in a polished al fresco setting. It's the right choice if occasion and atmosphere matter as much as the cut. Booking is easy, making it a practical alternative when Don Julio's queues are a deterrent.
If you're deciding between El Mercado and Don Julio for your Buenos Aires asado moment, the choice comes down to setting versus pedigree. Don Julio is the city's most celebrated parrilla, with the queues to prove it. El Mercado trades on a different proposition: an open-air, hotel-anchored fire-cooking experience inside the Faena complex in Puerto Madero, where the theatre of the grill is as deliberate as the beef itself. If atmosphere and occasion matter as much as the cut on your plate, El Mercado earns its place on the shortlist.
El Mercado sits within the Faena Hotel at Martha Salotti 445, and the layout is built around al fresco dining with open-fire cooking visible from the seating area. The design draws on European open-air market references, which in practice means a generous, airy room that works especially well for evening dinners when the Faena precinct is at its most atmospheric. Puerto Madero itself is purpose-built and quieter than Palermo or San Telmo, so the experience here feels removed from the city's noise in a way that either suits or doesn't, depending on what you're after. For a special occasion dinner or a business meal where you want a controlled, polished environment, that separation is a genuine advantage.
The counter and fire-side seating deserve particular attention. Open-fire Argentine cooking is tactile and visual, and positioning yourself close to the grill turns the meal into something closer to a performance than a transaction. Guests who book counter or fire-adjacent seats get the smoke, the rhythm of the asador's work, and a clearer read on the quality of what's being cooked before it reaches the table. For a solo diner or a pair, requesting seats close to the action is the move.
The core of the menu is Argentine beef sourced from cattle raised specifically for the restaurant across Pampas and Patagonia pastures, cooked over open fire. That supply chain specificity matters: it's not a generic steakhouse sourcing claim. The cantina-meets-European-market framing means the wider menu likely takes in shared plates and a social eating format, which makes this a stronger choice for two to four diners than for larger groups who may find the setting constraining. For a date, an anniversary dinner, or a client meal where you want the food to anchor the conversation rather than compete with it, El Mercado's format works well.
Timing matters here. The al fresco setup means the experience is weather-dependent, and Buenos Aires summers (December through February) can be genuinely hot in the evening. The shoulder seasons, particularly April through June and September through November, offer the most comfortable conditions for outdoor dining. If you're visiting in peak summer, book an early evening slot before the heat peaks, or confirm with the hotel whether covered or climate-controlled seating is available.
Booking difficulty is rated easy. Being inside the Faena Hotel means reservation access is generally more direct than the city's most in-demand independent restaurants. Walk-ins may be possible, but for a special occasion or a weekend dinner, booking ahead through the hotel concierge is the sensible approach. Non-hotel guests are welcome.
See the comparison section below for how El Mercado stacks up against Don Julio, Aramburu, and other Buenos Aires options across value, booking difficulty, and experience type.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price Range | Booking Difficulty | Setting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Mercado | Open-fire Argentine beef | Not published | Easy | Al fresco, hotel (Faena) |
| Don Julio | Argentinian Steakhouse | $$$$ | Hard | Neighbourhood parrilla, Palermo |
| Aramburu | Modern Argentinian | $$$$ | Moderate | Intimate tasting menu room |
| Crizia | Contemporary | $$$ | Moderate | Contemporary dining room |
| Anafe | Contemporary | $$$ | Moderate | Intimate neighbourhood spot |
El Mercado is not a traditional neighbourhood parrilla. It's a hotel restaurant inside the Faena complex in Puerto Madero, built around open-fire Argentine beef with a theatrical, al fresco format. First-timers should know the beef is sourced from Pampas and Patagonia cattle raised specifically for the restaurant, which sets it apart from a standard steakhouse. Book in advance for evenings, request seating close to the grill if you want to engage with the cooking, and come expecting an occasion-style meal rather than a casual drop-in dinner. If you want the gritty, neighbourhood parrilla energy, Don Julio in Palermo is the better call.
The al fresco, cantina-style format works well for small groups of two to six. For larger parties, the open-market layout may limit flexibility on seating configuration. Contact the Faena Hotel directly to confirm group capacity and whether dedicated table arrangements are available. For a private group dining experience in Buenos Aires, Aramburu offers a private room option that may suit celebratory group bookings better.
Yes, and it's one of the better solo options among Buenos Aires' fire-cooking restaurants. Request counter or fire-adjacent seating to get the most from the visit. Watching the open-fire preparation from a front-row position turns a solo dinner into an active experience rather than a passive one. The Faena setting also means service is attentive enough to make solo dining comfortable. For comparison, Anafe is another Buenos Aires option worth considering for solo diners who prefer a more neighbourhood-scale room.
The menu's focus on open-fire Argentine beef means it's strongest for meat-eaters. If someone in your party does not eat red meat, the European open-air market inspiration suggests there may be broader menu options, but specific dietary accommodation details are not confirmed in available data. Contact the Faena Hotel ahead of your visit to confirm what the kitchen can offer for vegetarian, vegan, or allergen requirements. Don't assume the beef-forward format will flex easily without checking first.
Smart casual is the safe call. The Faena Hotel operates at the upper end of Buenos Aires' hospitality register, and the al fresco setting is polished rather than rustic, despite the open-fire cooking format. There is no confirmed dress code in available data, but arriving underdressed relative to a five-star hotel restaurant risks feeling out of place. For context, Buenos Aires diners at this price tier typically dress up slightly for evening meals. If you're coming from the hotel itself, ask the concierge for a current read on expectations.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| El Mercado | — | |
| Don Julio | $$$$ | — |
| Aramburu | $$$$ | — |
| Mishiguene | $$$ | — |
| Roux | $$$ | — |
| Elena | $$$ | — |
What to weigh when choosing between El Mercado and alternatives.
El Mercado's al fresco layout at the Faena Hotel makes it a workable choice for groups, since open-air spaces typically handle larger parties more comfortably than tight indoor rooms. The hotel setting means coordination is generally easier than at independent parrillas. For large private bookings, contact the Faena Hotel directly, as hotel restaurants usually offer event support that standalone venues do not. Groups wanting a purely local, no-frills experience may prefer Don Julio, but El Mercado delivers on setting and service reliability.
Solo dining at El Mercado is a reasonable choice given the open-fire, market-style format, which tends to be more relaxed and less paired-experience-focused than a formal tasting menu. Sitting al fresco at a hotel restaurant as a solo guest carries none of the awkwardness of a candlelit couples venue. That said, if solo asado is the goal, a seat at the bar or counter at Don Julio may feel more locally embedded. El Mercado works well if you want comfort and ease alongside the beef.
The menu is built around open-fire Argentine beef sourced from Pampas and Patagonia pastures, so carnivores are the core audience. Specific dietary accommodation details are not available in Pearl's current data. For non-beef eaters or those with serious dietary restrictions, raise your needs directly with the Faena Hotel before booking, as hotel restaurants generally have more kitchen flexibility than specialist parrillas. Do not assume a vegetarian or vegan option exists without confirming.
El Mercado is set within the Faena Hotel, one of Buenos Aires's more designed and fashion-conscious properties, so the ambient dress standard skews toward polished casual rather than shorts-and-sandals. No formal dress code is confirmed in Pearl's data, but the Faena's overall tone suggests that neat, put-together clothing fits better than beachwear or sportswear. Think well-cut trousers or a dress rather than a suit. Arriving dressed for a hotel terrace is a safe call.
This is an al fresco asado experience inside the Faena Hotel, not a neighbourhood parrilla — the setting is architecturally considered and the beef is sourced specifically from Pampas and Patagonia pastures raised for the restaurant, which distinguishes it from generic hotel dining. Booking is rated easy compared to the city's hardest-to-reserve spots, making it a lower-friction entry point into Buenos Aires's asado scene. If you want the city's most pedigree-heavy parrilla reputation, Don Julio is the comparison benchmark. El Mercado is the right call when setting, convenience, and sourced beef quality all need to land in the same booking.
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