Nothing beats a giant slice of pizza, whether it’s for lunch, dinner, a snack on the run, or a pre-going out stomach liner. A recent influx of New York Style-pizza places in Buenos Aires has breathed new life into the concept of the pizza slice. That said Argentina has been doing their version of pizza for generations and there are some great porteño locales serving up a good porción de pizza. Here are our top five places in Buenos Aires to grab a slice.
Where to eat pizza in Buenos Aires?
1. Hell’s Pizza
Where: Humboldt 1654, Palermo Hollywood
Best for: a thin, perfectly balanced crust and the winning Hell’s topping
Hell’s Pizza takes the crown for the best crust in town that strikes the perfect balance between crispy and doughy. This also does one of our favorite slices: the Hell’s, which is a delicious combo of jalapeños, smoked mozzarella, chipotle sauce and optional bacon (we say yes). The slices are huge and big enough to fold and eat like a true New Yorker. It’s also a cool place to hang out at night and have a few beers. And their Mac n cheese is worth a taste too if you’re still hungry.
2. New York Style Pizza
Where: Gorriti 5881, Palermo Hollywood
Best for: the closest thing you’ll get to real pepperoni
This was the first spot to bring a real taste of New York-style pizza to Buenos Aires. The little hole-in-the-wall restaurant offers a variety of pizzas by the slice with some creative toppings. All come dripping with just the right amount of grease and a healthy spreading of their yummy tomato sauce, the recipe for which is their proud secret. Our favorite has to be the pepperoni pizza as real pepperoni is hard to come by in Argentina (the local salami just doesn’t cut it) and New York Style Pizza’s rich, spicy variety is the closest thing you’ll get.
3. El Cuartito
Where: Talcahuano 937, Barrio Norte
Best for: the classic porteño pizza
One of the oldest pizza joints on the block, the famed El Cuartito dates back to 1934 and has become an institution in the city. This local establishment does pizza the Argentine way, with barely any tomato sauce, mountains of melted cheese, a thick doughy crust and an abundance of onions — you either love it or you hate it. Personally, we love it as a hangover cure on a Saturday afternoon, washed down with a cold glass of Quilmes beer. We also love admiring all the soccer paraphernalia on the walls (including multiple photos of Maradona and his mullet).
4. Kentucky
Where: Both the Serrano 1550 (Plaza Serrano) and Avenida Santa Fe 4602 (Palermo) locations are open 24 hours
Best for: for a late night / early morning slice
While Kentucky’s pizza is not exactly the best of the best, it certainly hits the spot between the hours of 3am and 5am after a night on the town. Some of the locations stay open 24 hours so it’s one of the only places in the city where you can feast on a slice (or slices) of pizza at some ungodly hour on your way home. Do like a local and stick to the classic Muzzarella or Napolitana, both dripping with stringy cheese, and top it with a slice of faina (difficult to describe but it’s like a slice of pizza made from chickpeas, without the toppings). The service is fast, the menu is cheap and it’s a good place to people watch.
5. Bakano
Where: Three locations, click here to find your nearest one.
Best for: a happy medium between Argentine, Italian and New York style
Bakano takes the best of Italy, New York and Argentina and combines it together into a pretty good pizza. While the size of their pizza porciones (slices) is nothing compared to its New York Style neighbors, we like the fresh Italian-style ingredients and light crispy crusts. And you have something for everyone in the choice of toppings from the rúcula-covered mozzarella slice to the onion-heavy fugazza that’s an Argentine favorite.
Been anywhere else for a great slice of pizza in Buenos Aires recently? Tell our readers about it in the comments section below.
Originally published on Ailola by Sophie Lloyd on June 18, 2018.
