Salta's 10 Best Estancias & Local Restaurants

El Charrua is a bustling establishment right in the center of Salta, within a few minutes walk of the Museo de la Cuidad and the Museo Histórico del Norte. The menu features traditional regional fare and the kitchen creates dishes in which depth of flavor is paramount: chicken can come cooked in cognac or a creamy mushroom sauce, and the parrillada classica for two includes three different kinds of meat and twice as many cuts. On the wine front, El Charrua has a well-stocked selection from both the Salta and Mendoza regions of the country, meaning there are plenty of combinations to try with the ravioli, cannelloni, ribs or grilled seafood.

Jovi Dos had a humble start, as a small family run restaurant catering to the local neighborhood, but its reputation and clientele has only expanded over time. Serving traditional fare, this place is busy at lunch and dinner every day of the week. With a view out over the Plaza Güemes Jovi Dos is a fine place to visit while exploring the city. Typical for the region, the menu consists of pizzas, pastas, grilled meats and seafood. The empanadas, stuffed pastries ubiquitous in Latin America, are especially worth trying here.

Go for the view but stay for the food. At House of Jasmines immaculately manicured lawns set the stage to plants of violet and lilac, while in the distance the grandeur of Andes looms large and blue. House of Jasmines is a retreat in an area already known to many as remote. The upside of this relative isolation is the spangled nighttime sky that diners can enjoy while dining outdoors. La Table, as the restaurant is known locally, boasts an impressive kitchen with an open fire, offering nightly servings of braised kid or llama tenderloin with Andean potatoes.

If visitors stay long enough in Argentina, then they will inevitably be invited by a family at least once to attend a traditional asado. However, if time is of the essence, then La Rinconada is the place to go; the restaurant has two large grills from which chefs prepare all manner of meat. The excellent selection of wines from Salta, San Juan, Mendoza and beyond is racked up against brick walls in the vein of traditional Italian restaurants. La Rinconada’s offerings include cuts of beef, chicken and goat but one cut to try in particular is the matambre, a thin cut taken from between the ribs of a cow whose name derives from combining matar and hambre. It is simply delicious.