Restaurant in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Michelin value, easy booking, go twice.
La Alacena Trattoria holds back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition (2024 and 2025) at a single-dollar price tier — an unusual combination in Buenos Aires. With a 4.4 Google rating across more than 6,700 reviews and easy booking access, it is the most credentialed low-cost Italian option in Palermo and a reliable anchor for any Buenos Aires dining week.
La Alacena Trattoria at Gascón 1401 in Palermo is not a hard reservation to land — booking difficulty sits at easy — but that accessibility is not a warning sign. It is a structural advantage. Michelin awarded it the Bib Gourmand in both 2024 and 2025, which is the guide's specific signal for high quality at a price point that does not require a special occasion budget. At a single-dollar price tier, that credential carries real weight. If you have been once and are deciding whether to return or try somewhere new, the answer is to return: back-to-back Bib Gourmand recognition at this price level is not common, and the 4.4 Google rating across 6,716 reviews confirms the kitchen is consistent rather than just occasionally good.
La Alacena reads as a neighborhood trattoria in tone and energy rather than a destination restaurant performing for out-of-towners. The address , a corner in Palermo , puts it in one of Buenos Aires's most walkable dining neighborhoods, where the ambient register tends toward relaxed conversation rather than spectacle. Expect a room that rewards coming early in the evening if you want to talk across the table; later sittings in popular Palermo spots tend to get louder as the room fills. The atmosphere here is the kind of sustained, low-key energy that makes a second visit feel just as comfortable as a first , no pressure to perform the occasion. If you are comparing it to Sottovoce or Raggio Osteria, both of which operate in Buenos Aires's Italian dining space, La Alacena skews more casual in feel while matching or exceeding them on the credential front.
If your first visit covered the obvious bases, the return visit is the time to work through what the kitchen does with secondary cuts and seasonal produce rather than staying safe with the most familiar items on the menu. Italian cooking at the trattoria level in Buenos Aires benefits from Argentina's ingredient quality , the beef, the dairy, the seasonal vegetables , and a kitchen with two consecutive Bib Gourmand awards is almost certainly making those ingredients count. The chef on record is Cédric Béchade, a French-trained name in an Italian format, which is an interesting combination; that kind of cross-training often shows up in the way a kitchen handles sauces and technique without departing from the genre's core logic. Do not expect fusion; expect precision within a traditional frame. Evelia is worth knowing as a contrasting data point in Buenos Aires's Italian register , different in scope but useful for calibrating where La Alacena sits on the formality axis.
The database does not confirm a dedicated private dining room, and seat count is not on record. What the venue's format and price tier do suggest is that it handles groups better than higher-end Italian options in the city: at a $ price point, a table of six or eight does not require the kind of budget coordination that makes group dinners at $$$ or $$$$ venues logistically uncomfortable. For groups, the practical calculus here is favorable. The easy booking difficulty means you can realistically plan a group dinner without needing months of runway, though peak Buenos Aires summer evenings (December through February) will tighten availability. If your group is considering a more formal private room setup, Trescha operates at a higher tier with more structured event capacity, but for a relaxed group meal without a premium surcharge, La Alacena is the stronger value proposition. For anyone planning a longer Argentina itinerary and calibrating restaurant spend, the contrast with destinations like Azafrán in Mendoza or Cavas Wine Lodge illustrates where La Alacena sits: it is the low-cost, high-credibility anchor in a Buenos Aires dining week, not the splurge.
Buenos Aires has a serious Italian dining tradition built on generations of immigration, and the competition in this category is not thin. Raggio Osteria and Sottovoce are the most directly comparable addresses; La Alacena's back-to-back Michelin recognition gives it a documented edge on credentialed quality, even if the other two have their own loyal followings. For Italian dining benchmarks outside Argentina, 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong and cenci in Kyoto show what the format looks like at a higher price and ambition tier , useful reference points if you want to understand where La Alacena's approach sits on the global Italian dining spectrum. It is squarely in the accessible, ingredient-led category rather than the modernist or tasting-menu end.
La Alacena Trattoria is at Gascón 1401, Palermo, Buenos Aires. Price tier is $, making it one of the more affordable Michelin-recognized restaurants in the city. Booking is easy , no months-in-advance planning required, though securing a specific time on a Friday or Saturday is worth doing a week or so ahead. Phone and website details are not on record, so your leading approach is booking via a third-party reservation platform or arriving directly. Hours are not confirmed in the current data, so check locally before visiting. There is no dress code on record; the neighborhood trattoria format suggests smart-casual is entirely appropriate. For the full picture of where to eat, drink, and stay in Buenos Aires, see our full Buenos Aires restaurants guide, our Buenos Aires hotels guide, our Buenos Aires bars guide, our Buenos Aires wineries guide, and our Buenos Aires experiences guide. If your Argentina trip extends beyond the capital, Awasi Iguazu, EOLO in El Calafate, La Bamba de Areco, and El Colibrí in Santa Catalina are worth adding to your research.
Quick reference: Gascón 1401, Palermo, Buenos Aires | $ price tier | Easy to book | Michelin Bib Gourmand 2024 & 2025 | Google 4.4 (6,716 reviews)
Smart-casual is the right call. At a $ price tier with a neighborhood trattoria format in Palermo, there is no expectation of formal dress. Jeans and a shirt or equivalent are entirely appropriate. This is not a venue where you need to consider dress the way you would at a $$$$-tier Buenos Aires restaurant like Don Julio.
Bar seating configuration is not confirmed in the current data. Italian trattorias at this scale in Buenos Aires often have counter or informal seating options, but confirming directly with the venue before arriving as a solo diner looking for bar service is the safest approach. The easy booking difficulty means a table reservation is not a burden in any case.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, so this is not a venue that requires months of planning. A week ahead is likely sufficient for most evenings; for Friday or Saturday dinner during Buenos Aires summer (December through February), two weeks gives you more flexibility on timing. The Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in both 2024 and 2025 does draw attention, but at a $ price point the turnover and capacity tend to keep access manageable compared to higher-tier venues in the city.
Specific dietary accommodation policies are not on record. Italian cuisine at this level generally offers reasonable flexibility around common restrictions , vegetarian options in particular tend to be available in a trattoria format , but for specific requirements like gluten-free pasta or severe allergies, contacting the venue directly before booking is the right move. Website and phone details are not in the current database, so use a reservation platform or visit in person to get a direct answer.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| La Alacena Trattoria | $ | — |
| Don Julio | $$$$ | — |
| Aramburu | $$$$ | — |
| El Preferido de Palermo | $$ | — |
| Elena | $$$ | — |
| La Carniceria | $$ | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Keep it relaxed. At a $-tier trattoria with two Michelin Bib Gourmands, the recognition is for food value, not formality — this is a neighbourhood-format room, not a fine-dining stage. Think neat casual: no jacket required, no trainers-and-shorts either. Palermo locals dress simply and well.
Bar seating is not confirmed in the venue record. Given the trattoria format and $-tier positioning at Gascón 1401, the room is likely counter or table-only without a dedicated bar. If solo dining flexibility matters, call ahead or arrive early — Bib Gourmand spots at this price tier fill on walk-in traffic.
Booking difficulty is easy by Buenos Aires standards, but that doesn't mean same-day. A few days to a week out is generally enough. The Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in both 2024 and 2025 has raised its profile, so weekends will fill faster than weekdays.
Italian cuisine at this price tier and trattoria format typically accommodates straightforward requests — vegetarian adjustments, gluten awareness — but the kitchen's specific approach is not documented in the venue record. check the venue's official channels at Gascón 1401 before arrival if your restriction is non-negotiable. Don't assume a set menu can flex without asking.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
