Dinner on Saturday night

This past Saturday was my turn to choose where we dined. I did loads of research to try and find the perfect place. During my research I found loads of places I’d like to try but very few seemed to match my mood.

I eventually settled on Gran Bar Danzon, it’s the third restaurant from the folk who run Bar Uriarte and Sucré – possibly the two of the best regarded restaurants in Buenos Aires. Gran Bar Danzon got great reviews on Flyertalk and elsewhere. Also it is in Recoleta on Libertad so I thought it would be nice to get out of Palermo.

A 10 minute and AR$10 cab ride later we arrived. The entrance is quite discrete and for an instant I thought I’d got the wrong address. The polished staircase into the restaurant gives you a very clear signal about what to expect. Industrial chic seems to be all the rage in Buenos Aires and Gran Bar Danzon is no exception. The room is divided into two sections, a bar (ramped full of glamorous folk out to be seen) and the restaurant, mainly filled with foreigners, expats and tourists!

We didn't have a reservation and I had a few back up suggestions in case we were turned away. In typical Buenos Aires fashion they didn't even blink and offered us a table against the wall.

Overall I’d say the experience was average. I mean everything was fine, no major problems but the room is seriously cramped (one of the criticisms I’d read before and particularly unusual for Buenos Aires). The service was fine, not exactly polished, not unfriendly but just functional. The steaks we had (rib-eye) were fantastic though. Sliced very thin I didn’t feel like I was eating half a cow which is often the case here and cooked to perfection. We all had steak and we all it them done to different degrees. The precision with which this was managed was impressive.

Sadly the noise and the overcrowding don’t make for a relaxing evening. Perhaps if we’d not had a big night the night before we might have felt more like joining in and soaking up the energy but as it was, the restaurant felt quite ordinary, bog standard international class restaurants without much charm.

Do I sound like I’m writing a review?

Oh and a winelist that read like the books of Moses!

Gran Bar Danzon 1161 Libertad