Quick answer
Empanadas in Buenos Aires range from ARS $800-2,500, with La Cocina being our top recommendation due to its creative fillings and long-standing popularity. This guide helps you navigate the empanada scene in Buenos Aires, where misses often outnumber the hits, to find the perfect empanada for your taste.
- Best overall
- La Cocina
- Top pick
- La Cocina
Top verdicts
- La Cocina: Lunch volume is heavy; ordering by phone for pickup beats the line.
- El Sanjuanino: Sit-down is calmer than takeaway during peak lunch hours.
- El Gauchito: Eat them within the hour; fried empanadas lose their texture quickly when boxed up.
Area map
1. La Cocina
All 14 spots at a glance
| # | Name | Style | Price | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Cocina | restaurant | mid | Recoleta & Centro (Galería Boston) |
| 2 | El Sanjuanino | restaurant | mid | Posadas 1515, Recoleta |
| 3 | El Gauchito | fried-—-riojana-style | mid | Av. Independencia, San Telmo |
| 4 | La Americana | restaurant | mid | Av. Callao 83, Congreso |
| 5 | Mi Gusto (Motachole) | chain-—-local-favorite | mid | Multiple locations across Buenos Aires |
| 6 | La Paceña | bolivian-style | mid | Belgrano |
| 7 | Al Furat | arab-—-fatay | mid | Uriarte, Palermo Soho |
| 8 | Roma de Abasto | wood-fired | mid | Anchorena & San Luis, Abasto |
| 9 | Bar Roma | restaurant | mid | Buenos Aires |
| 10 | Vecindá | veggie-forward | mid | Castillo & Bonpland, Chacarita |
| 11 | El Fortín Salteño | northern-—-salta-style | mid | Multiple locations |
| 12 | La Morada | restaurant | mid | Monserrat (also Recoleta) |
| 13 | Rincón Norteño | northern-—-tucumán-style | mid | Multiple locations across Buenos Aires |
| 14 | El Noble | chain-—-best-of-the-chains | mid | Everywhere — 100+ locations across Buenos Aires |
1La Cocina
Restaurant
Verdict: Lunch volume is heavy; ordering by phone for pickup beats the line.
Quick comparison
- Best for
- Reliable central traditional empanadas
- Strengths
- Known for Restaurant · Recoleta & Centro (Galería Boston)
- Price / value
- $1,200–1,800/empanada
- Why it made the list
- A long-running Recoleta empanada specialist in the Galería Boston that locals routinely cite as one of the most consistent traditional empanaderías in central Buenos Aires.
- What to order
- A mixed half-dozen weighted toward carne suave and humita.
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2El Sanjuanino
Restaurant
Verdict: Sit-down is calmer than takeaway during peak lunch hours.
Quick comparison
- Best for
- Classic salteña-style empanadas
- Strengths
- Known for Restaurant · Posadas 1515, Recoleta
- Price / value
- $1,000–1,500/empanada
- Why it made the list
- A Recoleta institution serving classic provincial Argentine cuisine with a Salta-leaning empanada list. A regular Reddit and guidebook recommendation for traditional regional empanadas.
- What to order
- A salteña empanada in the spicy, slightly soupy provincial style.
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3El Gauchito
Fried — Riojana Style
Verdict: Eat them within the hour; fried empanadas lose their texture quickly when boxed up.
Quick comparison
- Best for
- Fried Riojana-style empanada lovers
- Strengths
- Known for Fried — Riojana Style · Av. Independencia, San Telmo
- Price / value
- $1,000–1,500/empanada
- Why it made the list
- A San Telmo empanadería known for the fried Riojana style — a different texture from the more common baked carne suave. Local-leaning crowd, traditional execution.
- What to order
- A fried Riojana empanada — the crisp shell is the whole point.
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4La Americana
Restaurant
Verdict: Takeaway moves faster than the dining room at lunch peak.
Quick comparison
- Best for
- Reliable everyday empanadas
- Strengths
- Known for Restaurant · Av. Callao 83, Congreso
- Price / value
- $1,200–2,000/empanada
- Why it made the list
- A Buenos Aires institution that has been turning out empanadas and pizza for decades — frequently named in Porteño empanada writeups for its consistent baked carne and humita.
- What to order
- A baked carne empanada and a humita — the everyday classics.
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5Mi Gusto (Motachole)
Chain — Local Favorite
Verdict: Eat them immediately; the broth-style filling does not travel well.
Quick comparison
- Best for
- Northern-Argentine empanada fans
- Strengths
- Known for Chain — Local Favorite · Multiple locations across Buenos Aires
- Price / value
- $800–1,200/empanada
- Why it made the list
- A specialist in northern-Argentine and Bolivian-influenced empanadas — Motachole's saltas and tucumanas have a distinct provincial profile most central rooms do not match.
- What to order
- A Tucumán-style baked beef empanada with the spiced juicy filling.
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6La Paceña
Bolivian Style
Verdict: Use a spoon or be ready for the broth to escape — that is the point of the dish.
Quick comparison
- Best for
- Bolivian salteña experience
- Strengths
- Known for Bolivian Style · Belgrano
- Price / value
- $1,200–2,000/empanada
- Why it made the list
- Bolivian-leaning empanadas (salteñas) in Buenos Aires — broth-heavy filling, traditional construction, an unusual angle for the local empanada landscape.
- What to order
- A traditional Bolivian salteña — the soupy filling is the signature.
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7Al Furat
Arab — Fatay
Verdict: Half a dozen mixed lets you taste both the Middle-Eastern and Argentine lineages.
Quick comparison
- Best for
- Middle-Eastern empanada lineage
- Strengths
- Known for Arab — Fatay · Uriarte, Palermo Soho
- Price / value
- $1,000–1,800/empanada
- Why it made the list
- An empanadería that picks up the Middle-Eastern empanada lineage — fatay, sfiha, lahmajun — alongside the canonical Argentine versions. A useful angle for the immigrant-heritage empanada story.
- What to order
- A fatay or sfiha alongside one classic Argentine baked carne for contrast.
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8Roma de Abasto
Wood-Fired
Verdict: Combine with a Carlos Gardel walking route through Abasto for a tight half-day.
Quick comparison
- Best for
- Abasto-side neighborhood empanadas
- Strengths
- Known for Wood-Fired · Anchorena & San Luis, Abasto
- Price / value
- $1,500–2,500/empanada
- Why it made the list
- An Abasto-area empanadería with a long-running local following — solid baked-carne execution at neighborhood prices, well off the central tourist circuit.
- What to order
- A baked carne suave and a humita to share.
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9Bar Roma
Restaurant
Verdict: Sit-down is calmer than counter takeaway.
Quick comparison
- Best for
- Mixed-cravings sit-down meal
- Strengths
- Known for Restaurant · Buenos Aires
- Price / value
- $1,200–2,000/empanada
- Why it made the list
- A traditional Buenos Aires bar with empanadas as part of a wider menu — useful when one person wants empanadas and another wants a milanesa or wine at the same table.
- What to order
- Empanadas as a starter, then a milanesa main.
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10Vecindá
Veggie-Forward
Verdict: Smaller volume than the chains; reservations or pickup orders help at peak.
Quick comparison
- Best for
- Modern empanada-as-craft kitchen
- Strengths
- Known for Veggie-Forward · Castillo & Bonpland, Chacarita
- Price / value
- $1,500–2,500/empanada
- Why it made the list
- A modern Buenos Aires take on the empanadería format — sharper kitchen sensibility, smaller menu, single-plate quality emphasis.
- What to order
- Whatever the seasonal special empanada is — that is where the kitchen pushes.
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11El Fortín Salteño
Northern — Salta Style
Verdict: Order a half-dozen for two — they are smaller than the central Buenos Aires baked style.
Quick comparison
- Best for
- Salta-canon empanada specialist
- Strengths
- Known for Northern — Salta Style · Multiple locations
- Price / value
- $800–1,500/empanada
- Why it made the list
- A Salta-style specialist — the northern provincial style done by a kitchen with traceable Salta lineage. A Salta-canon benchmark within Buenos Aires.
- What to order
- A traditional salteña empanada with the broth-and-egg filling.
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12La Morada
Restaurant
Verdict: Cash works easiest at peak hours.
Quick comparison
- Best for
- Family-run barrio empanadas
- Strengths
- Known for Restaurant · Monserrat (also Recoleta)
- Price / value
- $1,000–1,800/empanada
- Why it made the list
- A long-running family empanadería with a strong barrio following — traditional baked-carne execution, clean repulgue work, honest prices.
- What to order
- A baked carne suave and a humita.
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13Rincón Norteño
Northern — Tucumán Style
Verdict: Eat the tucumanas immediately; the broth filling does not hold.
Quick comparison
- Best for
- Regional-style provincial empanadas
- Strengths
- Known for Northern — Tucumán Style · Multiple locations across Buenos Aires
- Price / value
- $800–1,200/empanada
- Why it made the list
- A northern-Argentine specialist (Salta and Tucumán style) — provincial empanadas with the regional spice profiles, distinct from the central Buenos Aires baked carne suave.
- What to order
- A salta and a tucumana side by side to taste the regional differences.
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14El Noble
Chain — Best of the Chains
Verdict: Empanadas hold their shape in a takeaway box — a good office-lunch option.
Quick comparison
- Best for
- Traditional craft empanadas
- Strengths
- Known for Chain — Best of the Chains · Everywhere — 100+ locations across Buenos Aires
- Price / value
- $800–1,500/empanada
- Why it made the list
- A Buenos Aires empanada specialist with a strong reputation for its repulgue (edge-sealing) work and traditional baked styles. Regularly cited in Porteño empanada writeups.
- What to order
- A half-dozen mix to taste the range; pay attention to the repulgue patterns marking each filling.
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Frequently asked questions
How much do empanadas cost in Buenos Aires?
In 2026, a single empanada in Buenos Aires costs roughly ARS $800–2,500 (around $0.50–$1.50 USD at current rates). A dozen typically runs ARS $8,000–25,000. Prices vary widely — chain shops like El Noble and Mi Gusto are cheaper, while sit-down spots like La Americana or Roma de Abasto charge more. By global standards, empanadas remain one of the best food deals on the planet.
What are the classic empanada fillings in Buenos Aires?
The most traditional fillings are carne (beef with onion, egg, olive, and cumin), pollo (chicken), jamón y queso (ham and cheese), and humita (sweet corn). Regional styles bring variety: Salta-style empanadas are smaller with potato, Tucumán-style use hand-chopped beef, and Bolivian salteñas are filled with soupy stew. Most places also offer caprese, verdura (spinach), and roquefort options.
Should I get baked or fried empanadas in Buenos Aires?
Both are excellent when done right. Baked (al horno) empanadas are the Buenos Aires default — golden, slightly flaky, and lighter. Fried (fritas) empanadas are crispier and richer, more common in northern Argentine and Bolivian styles. For fried, try El Gauchito in San Telmo or El Fortín Salteño. For baked, La Cocina and El Sanjuanino are hard to beat. The real answer: try both.
Where can I find the best northern-style empanadas in Buenos Aires?
For Salta-style empanadas, try El Fortín Salteño or La Imperfecta. For Tucumán-style, look for places advertising 'empanadas tucumanas' — they use hand-chopped beef and are traditionally fried. For Bolivian salteñas (a soupy, sweet-dough cousin), TayTay in Saavedra and La Paceña in Belgrano are the go-to spots. The Bolivian market area in Liniers is also worth the trip for adventurous eaters.
Are empanada chains like El Noble worth trying in Buenos Aires?
El Noble is the most respected chain — travelers acknowledge they're 'the best of the chains' with consistent quality and the widest filling variety. Mi Gusto is another popular chain with strong Reddit support, especially for takeaway. They won't blow your mind like a specialist shop, but they're reliable, cheap, and everywhere. Perfect for a quick grab-and-go when you don't want to hunt down a hidden gem.