Don Julio’s

Don Julio´s is a nice Argentine parilla restaurant right in the center of Palermo SoHo.  One of the real draws to Don Julio´s is it´s pleasant, rustic yet classy atmosphere.   The restaurant mixes old brick walls (as seen in many Palermo restaurants) with white tablecloths and nice décor, giving it a quaint comfortable feel.  I had heard that they served a great steak, and that is always a good enough reason to try out a restaurant.

We went on a Friday night, and although it was full, there were no line-ups throughout the night.  Our waiter was excellent, had a good sense of humor and was always there when we needed him.  When we requested help selecting a really high-end wine (special occasion), we were impressed to find that there was a sommelier.  His eyes lit up when given the challenge, and he selected a very nice wine for us.

For starters, we had chorizos and goat cheese provoleta.  The sausages were some of the better ones I have tried in Buenos Aires – they did not contain any huge chunks of fat, and were very nicely seasoned.  The provoleta was equally delicious.   For main courses, we had bife de lomo (tenderloin steak), and one of the chef´s specialties, matambre de cerdo a lórange (pork belly/flank with an orange sauce).  The lomo was delicious, one of the better ones I´ve had in Buenos Aires – juicy, tender, and very flavorful.  The matambre was good.  I liked the orange sauce, it went well with the pork…..but it didn´t wow me, nor my guests.

For dessert, we went all out and each ordered a dessert, and they were ok.

Chocolate volcano with mint ice cream – the ice cream was delicious, the chocolate volcano so-so.

Apple crepe flambé – they do it right at the table, which makes for a nice show.   You could really taste the booze, and the burnt sugar, which made it quite tasty, but it lacked apples.

Figs with walnuts honey and ice cream – good, about what you’d expect.

Raspberry mousse with berry coulis – light and tasty.

All in all, we had a very nice meal, and the quality was very good.  I´d definitely come back here for steak, next time I´d like to try some other cuts of meat (I have recently been back a few times, had a massive vacío on night, and the biggest piece of entraña I´ve ever seen.  I continue to recommend it).

Bottom Line: Great steaks with a very pleasant atmosphere.  Nicer than your average Argentine parilla, but hardly more expensive.

Don Julio
Guatemala 4691 esq. Gurruchaga – Ciudad de Buenos Aires
Tel: 4831-9564 / 4832-6058
Palermo

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