Food & Wine
Of course down here in the Pampas, they’re famous for their beef, which is pretty fantastic, particularly when sat round a campfire sharing stories with a group of Gaucho cowboys. However, there is so much more to the food culture here than just meat. There are the fantastic fish restaurants of Santiago and the central Chilean coastline, the wave of plant based restaurants that have been taking over our home town of Buenos Aires, the widely different cuisines of northeast and northwest Argentina and northern Chile and of course the prize winning restaurants of the wineries all along the base of both sides of the Andes, and even along the Argentine and Uruguayan coastlines.
Destinations & Excursions
- Eating fish straight from rivers in the Ibera wetlands.
- Making empanadas in mountain villages of north western Argentina.
- Learning how to cook fire roasted lamb on the coast of Nahuel Huapi Lake in the Patagonian Lake District.
- Blending your own wine in Mendoza.
- Learning the art of the Argentine asado (barbecue).
- Wine tasting on a ranch in the Andes of Mendoza.
- Exploring the Bodegones (traditional restaurants) of Buenos Aires.
Travel logistics
- For food based adventures we’re big fans of Spring (October/November) and Autumn (March/April) during which much of the harvests are in process, though of course eating and drinking can be enjoyed all year round.
- Otherwise, we will arrange all the logistics, you just need to bring a good appetite!
Things to keep in mind
- For allergies and dietary requirements, you need to be extra careful here in South America. Over the years, we’ve catered for a range of requests and learnt how to help people navigate the pitfalls and make sure everyone is always looked after properly.
- Travel times: between Chile, Argentina and the coast of Brazil and Uruguay, there’s a lot of land to cover and sometimes food options can be limited during the travel days. We work carefully with each of our guests and providers to make sure you always have a good place to eat and, if needs be, we’ll organise a hearty pack lunch to keep you going.
- We are big foodies here at Macdermotts and we’re always checking out new restaurants and different ways to explore the food culture. We’ll advise on our favourite restaurants though, if you have read about somewhere in particular, do let us know and we’ll do our best to make sure they are included in your trip.
Example Itineraries
Some examples of our favourite trips that we’ve organised over the years:
