Lupita

Lupita is a Mexican restaurant in Las Canitas on the Baez strip.  Lupita refers to the Virgen of Guadalupe, the most famous saint in Latin America.   When I was living in Las Canitas, I frequently passed by the restaurant, and always said I wanted to try it out.  Ironically, I no longer live in Las Canitas, but finally got around to going this weekend.

What really attracted me about this restaurant is the way it is decorated.  The entrance has floor to ceiling windows, showcasing the colorfully decorated restaurant inside.   At this particular time, the restaurant is decorated for Dia de la Muerte, which is like halloween in Mexico.  The entire restaurant is full of art representing Mexico, but in a tasteful fashion, contrary to the typically cheesy atmosphere in other Mexican restaurants in Buenos Aires, and most of the world.

For example, above the bar there is a selection of Mexican wrestling masks, and below that a selection of Dia de La Muerte art.   On another wall, there is a Mexican style collage, with images that we identify with Mexico, such as Mexican wrestlers, chihuhas, cactuses, tequila, etc.   There are also a two “shrines” to the Virgen of Guadalupe.

The menu is fairly typical for a Mexican restaurant, though the traditional dishes are all done with a bit of a twist, so don´t expect traditional Mexican cuisine.  Most would call it “new Mexican cuisine.” Starters include chips with different types of dips, and for main courses you can order from a variety of burritos, quesadillas, and tacos.

To start off, we ordered their homemade tortilla chips, with a meat and cheese sauce.  Chips were thick and crispy, and very good.  The dip was ground beef in a cheesy sauce, and it was alright, but missed a bit of a kick…a little too plain for my liking.  We then ordered a variety plate, which was a selection of 2 burritos, 2 quesadillas, and 2 tacos.  This worked out perfectly, because it gave us the opportunity to try a bunch of different plates.   They were all good, and we were particularly impressed by the excellent quality of the meat/pork used in the dishes.  The meat used was hangar steak (entraña), which was tender and flavorful, and the pork was pork shoulder (bondiola)which was delicious and not too fatty, as bondiola can often be.

Accompanying these plates were four different sauces, a tomato chutney, a jalapeno dip, a mayonnaise, and a pico de gallo.  The tomato chutney was especially tasty, and had a very slight kick to it.

For dessert we had a chocolate volcano filled with a banana and sweet n’ condensed milk filling, accompanied by a chocolate mousse, and this was one of the better chocolate volcanoes I´ve had in Buenos Aires (albeit not Mexican in any way).   We also had a passion fruit crème brulee, which was good, a little less rich than your usual crème brulee.

The entire meal cost us around $250 pesos, which was food for 4, 4 beers, and two large desserts.  It is a good value when you consider the location and the quality. Service was friendly, although a bit slow once the restaurant was busy.

Lupita does not serve the best Mexican food that I´ve tried in Buenos Aires, but the food is good, and it offers a fun and attractive atmosphere.   The restaurant is also a lounge with a great cocktail menu, making this an ideal restaurant to go to with a number of friends, and also the perfect place to grab a bite and a few drinks before dancing the night away at one of Palermo´s numerous bars.

http://www.lupitaweb.com.ar/

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