Tasting Mendoza: Top places to eat in the city

Greer Ransom
Jan 30, 2024
4 min read

Updated: Jun 11

One cannot truly experience Mendoza Food without indulging in an authentic asado, Argentina's famous BBQ. That was our first goal when visiting Argentina. So naturally we made it our mission to find the best places to try asados when we got to Mendoza. Picture succulent cuts of beef slowly cooked over an open flame, releasing mouth watering aromas that permeate the air. The asado is not just a meal; it's a social gathering where friends and family come together to celebrate life while savoring every tender bite.

But Mendoza Food goes beyond just meat. Some of the key menu items we continuously ran into were, the ham and cheese tostadas, all kinds of hamburgers, my favorite breakfast combos everything came with a coffee and orange juice and my favorite was the honey croissant with ham and cheese. With that being said, here are some of the best places we found to eat some delicious food.

Cafes

#1 Shelby Cafe: This little cafe was closer to where we stayed in Godoy Cruise and had some of the best pastries, toasties, coffee (and this was a more challenging thing to find) and also hard to find eggs and bacon. Yes I do love my eggs and bacon so I had to order their avo with bacon and eggs. It came with a coffee (flat white) and an orange juice for $4USD; it cannot beat that!

#2. Siete.Treinta Café: Here is another one of the breakfast lunch options with amazing eggs. They do omelet style eggs too. With tons of coffee option, desserts, and light dinners this place checks all the boxes on a must try in Mendoza.

#3 White Shark Coffee: Truly the connoisseur for coffee. This is probably one of the best coffee places in the city. There is a plethora of delicious hand brew options and they offer work stations for people who need to tend to their jobs.

Great dinner spots

ANNA's Bistro: This little bistro was closer to where we stayed in Godoy Cruise and was open for lunch and dinner and has some of the best steaks and fish. Here is where you go when you want more than burgers and sandwiches. Absolutely loved this restaurant.

Modesto Civit cafe: Another amazing place to go for well cooked meat and veggies. This restaurant is also open for lunch and dinner and has tons of really tasty options for both.

Q Grill: this restaurant is part of the Hyatt and offers some of the best menu items around. Most everything is cooked in a stone oven. From sandwiches, salads to steaks and desserts everything is cooked to perfection. They know how to play with flavors and test your pallet.

Don Mario: Wine pairings with dinner, yes please. A restaurant with a vast collection of wine helps pair each dish to the wine it complements the most. On the verge of being a fine dining night out if it were for the low prices.

Francesco Ristorante: An absolute must if you love Italian food. This restaurant has delicious pasta dishes along with the absolute best wine pairings.

1884 Francis Mallman: A beautiful industrial rustic restaurant with a relaxing patio for dining. This restaurant provides upscale dishes. Each dish is not only cooked to perfection but beautifully plated.

Bars

Burgang: Known for having the best burgers and bar food around. This is the place to go when you want a good happy hour beer and some classic bar food. We stayed right across from this place and loved going for a good happy hour and snack, or lunch.

Brader Hopps: a little brewery where you can get a wide variety of good beers and barfood while watching sports or just enjoying the atmosphere. This place is always busy once their happy hour begins. 2x1 beers.

But probably the most popular bar scene in mendoza is along the street called Aristides Villanueva. The Street starts at Parque General San Martin but the restaurant El Patio de Jesus Maria and ends at Ave. Belgrano. This street is filled with bars, clubs, and restaurants. This is where the main night life happens!

Wine Tasting Bars

Along with going to different vineyard to do wine tastings you have the option to go to wine bars in the city and sit down and try different wines. We did a city wine tasting day and it was so much fun. No need for reservations, just make sure you check opening times.

Vinos y Placeres wine shop: If you are doing a wine tasting day in the city here is your place to go for tastings and food. With nice munchable menu options, wines and other drinks this is a great place to have food with your wines or a cocktail if you want to mix it up.

Código Vinario Vinoteca y Wine Bar: This place is right across from white shark so that is a plus. This wine store is great with $2 tastings at the bar. We ended up spending over an hour and a half here talking to one of the guys that worked there. He was fun and entertaining and laughed with us the whole time. They also offer meat and cheese platters that are a little pricey for what they were but we definitely made up for it in the wine.

Bartolome Wines: this little wine tasting shop is nestled back behind Av Bartolome and is a cute wine tasting set up! With a fun atmosphere where you can have tastings or full glasses of some of the most delicious wines from all over Mendoza.

Wine House: With some of the more high end wine selections this place is great for a tasting but you can also buy a battle and sit outside and enjoy the day. They are very helpful and nice here. We bought a bottle and sat at a bar table towards the back as it was the middle of summer and red wine was on the list.

These are just some of my favorites but there are so many good restaurants, bars, cafes and wine shops to explore!

Please reach out!