La Paila

Traditional Argentine Food — By DiegoM on January 28, 2010 at 1:22 am

La Paila specializes in Argentine criollo food, which is food that originated in South America and was not brought over by the European immigrants. It tends to be very hearty, including many stews, soups, and pastries. At La Paila, you can try the most traditional Argentine dishes, such as Locro, Humitas, Carbonada, Tamales, and Cazuelas.

I went with my family while they were visiting, and we decided to try four of the best known criollo dishes – locro, carbonada, humitas in stew, and empanadas. All of our meals were good, though the locro stood out as the favorite. It is not the best I have tried in Buenos Aires, but it is the best I have had at a restaurant. The mix of flavors was excellent, and amounts of meat, beans, and vegetables were just right.

The humitas in stew was also very good. Humitas are corn that has been crushed and made into a puree, usually served inside of a corn husk. In this case, it was served without the corn husk, and inside a beef stew base, which added moisture and extra flavor. The empanadas were ok, but nothing special, and I would have expected something a little better.

La Paila is a very economical restaurant, especially when you consider that it is in the center of Palermo SoHo. A dinner for four, with appetizers, entrees, and wine, cost just under $150 pesos.

With regards to the atmosphere, it was decent. Low lighting, lots of wood and criollo decorations gave it a somewhat rustic look. It is fairly spacious, especially compared to other similar restaurants. The restaurant has live music every night (usually Tango or Argentine Folklore), which is sometimes free, or may cost an extra $15-$20 pesos. The live music is optional, as there is seating upstairs for those who prefer a more quiet environment. You can actually hear the music really well upstairs, so you don´t even need to be downstairs.

Bottom Line: The food won´t blow you away, but it is a good spot to eat traditional Argentine criollo food for relatively low cost (and in Palermo to boot).