Vegetarian and Vegan Life in Buenos Aires: Better Than You'd Think
Buenos Aires is a meat city — but the vegetarian and vegan scene has transformed in the past five years. Here's where to eat and how to survive asado season.
Rosie CarterWriter · Palermo, Buenos Aires
When my sister came to visit and announced she'd gone vegan, I panicked. I'd been managing as a vegetarian for two years but assumed vegan Buenos Aires would be grim. I was wrong.
The Buenos Aires food scene has changed quickly. There are now dedicated vegan and plant-based restaurants across Palermo, Villa Crespo, and San Telmo. Even traditional parrillas have expanded their non-meat offerings under pressure from changing tastes.
Where to eat as a vegetarian or vegan
La Reverde (Palermo): Long-running, excellent vegetarian and vegan options. The veggie milanesa (breaded aubergine or soy-based schnitzel) is actually good.
Bio Organic Restaurant (Palermo): Buenos Aires's most established organic and natural food restaurant. Good lunch menus, fair prices.
Flower Power (Palermo): Vegan-focused, good variety, popular with younger Argentines and expats.
El Preferido de Palermo: The traditional menu has excellent vegetarian options — provoleta, salads, vegetable sides.
Artemisia (Colegiales): Lovely neighbourhood restaurant, half the menu is vegetarian, relaxed atmosphere.
The naturally meat-free Argentine staples
You won't struggle at all with these:
Empanadas de verdura: spinach, cheese, and hard-boiled egg. The classic vegetarian empanada. Available everywhere.
Empanadas de humita: creamy sweetcorn filling. Excellent.
Fugazzeta: thick Argentine pizza with no tomato, just cheese and onions. A Buenos Aires institution and entirely meat-free.
Locro de verduras: vegetable stew, hearty and warming in winter.
Provoleta: a wheel of provolone grilled directly on the parrilla. Served as a starter. Crispy outside, melted inside. The highlight of many asados for non-meat-eaters.
Navigating asados
Being invited to an asado as a vegetarian requires a small conversation in advance. Say you're vegetariano/a and ask if there will be options — Argentines are genuinely hospitable and will arrange provoleta, vegetable sides, and bread without any drama. Do not arrive and announce it at the grill.
Vegans at asados require more planning. Most Argentine kitchens understand vegan better than they did five years ago, but it's still worth being specific: "sin carne, sin queso, sin huevo."
Supermarket and cooking at home
Argentine supermarkets now have decent meat-substitute sections — tofu, seitan, and plant-based proteins are available in Jumbo and Disco. The price is higher than in the UK but the quality is reasonable.
Fresh vegetables are excellent year-round. The weekly feria (street market) in any barrio has seasonal produce that makes simple vegetable cooking genuinely enjoyable.
The social side
Buenos Aires vegetarians and vegans are well-organised. There are dedicated WhatsApp groups and Facebook communities with restaurant recommendations, supermarket finds, and social meetups. Searching "vegetarianos Buenos Aires" on Facebook will find them.
Worth reading next
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it hard to be vegetarian in Buenos Aires?
Not really, especially now. Palermo has many good vegetarian and vegan restaurants. Traditional menus always have empanadas de verdura, pizza, and pasta.
What can a vegetarian eat at an asado?
Provoleta (grilled provolone cheese), bread, salads, and roasted vegetable sides. Let your host know in advance and they'll prepare options.
Are there vegan restaurants in Buenos Aires?
Yes — several good ones in Palermo (Flower Power, La Reverde) and more across the city. The scene has grown significantly since 2020.
Sources & Links
Further reading — legal & visa
We cover the lifestyle side. When it comes to visas, residency, and the paperwork — these guides from Lucero Legal are the most thorough we've found.
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