Taste of Argentina, Chile & Uruguay

What to Eat in Argentina, Chile & Uruguay – Top 50 Foods

The southern tip of South America shares a love of beef, wood-fired grills, empanadas and dulce de leche, shaped by Spanish, Italian and German immigration. Argentina and Uruguay are famous for asado and steakhouses, while Chile’s long Pacific coast adds exceptional seafood and hearty country stews.

An Argentine table – asado, empanadas, choripán, chimichurri and locro

Mains and Snacks

Argentina

1. Asado – The Argentine barbecue ritual: beef ribs, flank, sausages and offal slow-grilled over wood embers on a parrilla.

Asado on the parrilla – beef cuts, chorizo and morcilla over wood embers

2. Milanesa a la Napolitana – Breaded beef cutlet topped with ham, tomato sauce and melted cheese, usually served with fries.

3. Bife de Chorizo – Thick, juicy sirloin strip steak – the steakhouse order in Buenos Aires.

4. Empanadas – Baked or fried turnovers filled with cumin-spiced beef, chicken, ham and cheese or humita – every province has its own style.

Golden baked Argentine empanadas

3. Locro – Hearty stew of corn, beans, squash and pork, eaten on national holidays like May 25.

4. Carbonada Criolla – Beef stew with corn, sweet potato, squash and dried peaches, sometimes served inside a pumpkin.

5. Choripán – Grilled chorizo in a crusty roll with chimichurri, the classic stadium and street-corner snack.

Choripán with chimichurri and diced tomato and onion

4. Provoleta – A thick disk of provolone grilled until crusty and melting, sprinkled with oregano and chili flakes.

5. Chimichurri – Parsley, garlic, oregano, vinegar and oil – the sauce spooned over everything from the grill.

Chimichurri spooned over roasted potatoes

8. Matambre Arrollado – Flank steak rolled around eggs, carrots and peppers, poached and served cold in slices.

9. Humita en Chala – Fresh corn paste with onion and cheese, wrapped in corn husks and steamed – a northern favorite.

10. Fugazzeta – Buenos Aires-style stuffed pizza loaded with mozzarella and sweet onions.

11. Sorrentinos – Large round ravioli filled with ham and cheese, a Mar del Plata invention.

12. Vitel Toné – Thin slices of veal in a creamy tuna-caper sauce – a Christmas Eve classic of Italian origin.

Vitel toné – thin-sliced veal with tuna-caper sauce

15. Lomito – A loaded steak sandwich with ham, cheese, egg, lettuce and tomato, especially popular in Córdoba.

16. Revuelto Gramajo – Scrambled eggs tossed with crispy shoestring potatoes, ham and peas.

17. Mollejas – Crispy grilled sweetbreads finished with lemon – a parrilla must-try.

18. Morcilla – Rich blood sausage grilled as part of the asado and often eaten on bread.

19. Chipá – Small cheese breads made with cassava starch, loved in northeastern Argentina.

20. Yerba Mate – Bitter herbal infusion sipped through a metal straw from a shared gourd – a daily social ritual.

Yerba mate in a gourd with a bombilla

Chile

21. Local Seafood - fish, clams, oysters, scallops, crab claws, shrimp

A Chilean shellfish platter – clams, oysters, scallops, crab claws, shrimp and avocado

21. Pastel de Choclo – Ground-beef, chicken, olive and egg filling baked under a sweet, creamy corn topping.

22. Empanada de Pino – Chile’s big baked empanada filled with beef, onion, raisins, olive and hard-boiled egg.

23. Cazuela – Comforting broth with a piece of beef or chicken, potato, squash and corn on the cob.

24. Curanto – Seafood, meat, potatoes and dumplings cooked in an earth pit under nalca leaves on the island of Chiloé.

25. Completo – Chile’s loaded hot dog piled with avocado, tomato and mayonnaise.

Completo italiano – hot dog piled with tomato, avocado and mayo

26. Lomo a lo Pobre – Steak topped with fried eggs and served with fries and caramelized onions.

27. Charquicán – Stew of mashed potatoes, squash, corn and beef, originally made with dried charqui.

28. Chorrillana – A shareable mountain of fries topped with strips of beef, fried onions and eggs, from Valparaíso.

Chorrillana – fries topped with beef, caramelized onions and fried eggs

27. Porotos Granados – Summer stew of fresh cranberry beans, corn and squash flavored with basil.

28. Caldillo de Congrio – Conger eel soup with potatoes, tomato and white wine – the dish Pablo Neruda wrote an ode to.

29. Machas a la Parmesana – Razor clams baked with white wine and Parmesan, a Chilean coastal appetizer.

Ostiones a la parmesana – scallops baked with parmesan, made the same way as machas

32. Chupe de Mariscos – Rich, creamy seafood bake thickened with bread and cheese.

33. Pebre – Fresh salsa of tomato, onion, cilantro and ají – on every Chilean table.

    
    

Uruguay

35. Asado Uruguayo – Uruguay’s own wood-fired barbecue tradition, centered on tira de asado ribs at Montevideo’s Mercado del Puerto.

A Uruguayan asado – grilled beef, chorizo, chimichurri, salsa criolla and empanadas

36. Pamplona – Pork or chicken rolled around ham, cheese and peppers, tied and grilled on the parrilla.

37. Fainá – Thin chickpea-flour flatbread, often stacked on top of a slice of pizza (“a caballo”).

38. Chivito – Uruguay’s national sandwich: thin steak with ham, mozzarella, bacon, egg, lettuce and tomato.

Chivito – steak sandwich with fried egg, ham, cheese and lettuce, served with fries

39. Torta Frita – Simple fried dough eaten on rainy days with mate.

40. Puchero – Slow-boiled beef, sausages and vegetables served with the broth on the side.

41. Buñuelos de Algas – Crispy seaweed fritters from the Rocha coast.

42. Medio y Medio – Montevideo’s signature half-sparkling, half-white wine drink.

    
    

Desserts & Sweets

43. Alfajores – Two soft cookies sandwiching dulce de leche, often dipped in chocolate or rolled in coconut.

44. Dulce de Leche – Slow-cooked caramelized milk spread on toast, layered in cakes and eaten by the spoonful.

45. Helado - traditional and local flavors like dulce de leche, alfajor and sambayón

An Argentine heladería – dulce de leche, alfajor and sambayón are favorite flavors

45. Panqueques con Dulce de Leche – Thin crêpes rolled around dulce de leche, sometimes flambéed.

46. Flan con Dulce de Leche – Caramel custard served with a generous dollop of dulce de leche and whipped cream.

Flan con dulce de leche

48. Mote con Huesillo – Chile’s summer drink-dessert of dried peaches and husked wheat in sweet peach syrup.

49. Kuchen – German-influenced fruit tarts from southern Chile, especially with raspberries or murta.

50. Postre Chajá – Uruguay’s cloud-like cake of sponge, meringue, cream and peaches.

Postre chajá – sponge, meringue, peaches and dulce de leche

Tips: In Argentina, book a parrilla and order a mixed grill with provoleta and chimichurri, then grab empanadas and choripán on the go. In Chile, try pastel de choclo and a completo, and head to the coast for machas and caldillo de congrio. In Uruguay, eat a chivito and visit Montevideo’s Mercado del Puerto. Everywhere, share mate and save room for alfajores.