SANTOS MANJARES: WITH OVER 2.5K GOOGLE REVIEWS AND 4.7 STARS, DOES THIS TRADITIONAL BUENOS AIRES RESTAURANT LIVE UP TO THE HYPE?
The Cost -$11 per person at the official exchange rate
The Atmosphere – Located in the Retiro area of the city of Buenos Aires, Santos Manjares is a super-casual, no-frills traditional Argentinian restaurant. The restaurant has two levels of indoor seating but does not have any outdoor dining. Santos Manjares does not take reservations, but you can generally get in without any wait on the weekdays and waits are not too long, if there are any at all, on busier evenings.
There are more restaurants in Buenos Aires than it is possible to count, with new restaurants popping up every day. The ones that tend to get noticed and written about are the high-end restaurants that belong to bigger restaurant groups or are started by celebrity chefs but there are many traditional, independently owned eateries in Buenos Aires that don’t get much attention. One restaurant that falls into that category is Santos Manjares, a very traditional Argentinian restaurant that serves up steaks and meats from la parrilla, the Argentinian grill, in a very casual setting. But despite not having grabbed the attention of many food critics, Santos Manjares has received a 4.7 star Google rating from over 2,700 reviewers, a pretty impressive feat. We decided to check out the restaurant for dinner to see if the online hype is justified.
The Order – Chorizo Tradicional, Provoleta SM + Panceta y Morrones, and Ojo de Bife.
The Great – One fat chorizo link was all it took to begin this meal on a high note. The Chorizo Tradicional, which is grilled on the parrilla, is simply served alone on a small white plate with both a chimichurri sauce and a criolla sauce on the side along with some bread. This basic, but very tasty, appetizer is 100% Argentinian and is a nice version of this classic dish. It is not the best chorizo or chimichurri in the world, but it is quite good and worth the $2 price tag.
The Good - The Ojo de Bife, Argentinian rib eye, was ordered jugoso, which directly translates to juicy, and was cooked as desired with the juices, as well as blood, from the reddish meat coming out when the meat was cut. The steak was big enough for two people and came with our choice of a side dish – we not-so-traditionally ordered the salad, which was just some arugula and parmesan cheese and was nothing to write home about. The meat was flavorful and while it wasn’t of the same quality that you would get in a higher-end Buenos Aires restaurant, it was good and was less expensive.
The Provoleta SM + Panceta y Morrones is a cast iron grilled provoleta cheese appetizer that, in Santos Manjares’s special version, is topped with bacon and grilled peppers. It was a solid version of yet another traditional Argentinian dish. The provoleta was grilled nicely and had a crispy bottom and was topped with one slice of bacon and one slice of grilled red pepper. The bacon and red pepper were good, but I wish there were more of each, especially with the restaurant charging an extra $2 to add the toppings to the otherwise $4 dish. Overall, though, it is still a good value.
The Verdict – There is no question in my mind that Santos Manjares does not deserve a 4.7 star rating, especially when you compare it to restaurants like Martí and Narda Comedor which have Google ratings below that. However, Santos Manjares provides diners with a more casual environment to enjoy a traditional Argentinian meal at an excellent price. Whether you are on a budget, forgot to make a dinner reservation, or just want to have a low-key dinner, Santos Manjares is an option to consider.