Behind an unassuming door in Palermo Soho in Buenos Aires you will find one of the best culinary experiences for travellers in the city: Fogón Asado. We spent a wonderful evening with the talented staff and other guests sampling nine different dishes. In this article I’ll share our Fogón Asado experience review to help you decide if this is how you would like to spend your time in Buenos Aires (hint: I sure hope it is!).
We tried the Fogón Asado experience personally, we paid for it ourselves and we have not been paid for this review. This page contains affiliate links, which means we may make a small commission from bookings at no extra cost to you. We always given honest, genuine travel recommendations.
Book Fogón Asado nowWhat is Fogón Asado?
You might have heard about the tradition of asado in Argentina. This age-old barbecue tradition is as much of a social event as it is about food.
A classic asado will bring together the whole family or a group of friends for a social gathering. Meat is cooked over a barbecue in a variety of ways for several hours, and served up one course at a time in an epic feast, with various accompaniments and side dishes along the way.
A traditional asado experience isn’t typically something you can do in a restaurant setting, but Fogón Asado attempts to do just that – right down to recreating the social atmosphere that is such an integral part of it. And as you’ll see in this review, they’ve done a great job in our opinion.
So, if you want to experience an authentic Argentine asado, Fogón Asado is a great way to do it, and one of the best things to do in Buenos Aires.
We tried out the Fogón Asado 9-course Argentine meat tasting to see what it’s all about. Let’s get into it.
Do I need to book Fogón Asado in advance?
If you want to visit Fogón Asado you need to book in advance. It is not open for public walk-ins: the experience is much an entertainment show as it is a meal, and everything is prepared in advance.
The kitchen in the middle of the room is the main attraction, and you are the audience. Think of it like a barbecue ampitheatre!
You can check the prices and book Fogón Asado on GetYourGuide, which we used ourselves. It’s quick, secure, and comes with easy cancellation if you can’t make it for some reason.
Fogón Asado review: our experience
Our night at Fogón Asado was a highlight of spending one week in Buenos Aires.
When you book the Fogón Asado experience you are advised to arrive a few minutes early, and so we did. There is no signage outside the door and you wouldn’t know there’s a restaurant inside, but we knew we were in the right place because a few other people were already standing outside.
Promptly, at 7:40pm the door opened and we were welcomed by a smiling member of the Fogón Asado staff team who checked our names and invited us in. It almost felt like we were entering a secret private members’ club, which added to the anticipation!
Once through the door, you immediately enter the cooking and entertaining room. It’s a rectangular room that has two huge main grills in the middle, being tended to by the chefs and serving staff, and you are seated at the table that encircles the whole cooking area.
The kitchen and seating setup has been perfectly designed for your viewing pleasure as you watch the asado show unfold in front of your eyes while relaxing in the comfortable chairs and making friends with the people sitting beside you.
We loved this setup as it is true to the social essence of an Argentine asado. It’s a welcoming but cosy atmosphere, and everyone settled into the evening very quickly.
At the beginning, you are introduced to the member of staff who is tasked with serving your corner of the room. Our group had a mix of English speakers and Spanish speakers. We were sat together with fellow English speakers, not just to help with socialising, but also because the serving team gave regular explanations about what we were eating and drinking.
A welcome cocktail and a chimichurri recipe
As soon as you’re seated, a welcome cocktail is placed in front of you, and you’ll notice on the table that there is a box with dried herbs and a rolled up piece of paper.
You’re not just simply a customer at a restaurant when you visit Fogón Asado: they want you to be part of the experience. While you enjoy your welcome cocktail and watch the coals being stoked, you are also invited to mix together your own chimichurri, using step-by-step instructions in the scroll of paper.
This was a really fun addition to the experience. I love cooking, so it was fantastic to learn about the recipe. We were given a little pot of herbs to take away along with the recipe so we could prepare it again at home.
Even the table water is turned into an experience! We opted for sparkling water, and the staff handed us a bottle with a red covering and a button. As we discovered, these water bottles are traditional in Argentina and they take some getting used to.
Like the tourist-traveller I am, I pressed the button too hard and got water everywhere, much to the amusement of the staff! No trouble though, it cleaned up easily enough and I soon got the hang of it.
How do drinks work at Fogón Asado?
Soft drinks are included in the price, but I would highly recommend getting one of the specifically designed wine flights to go with your meal, which you will be offered on the night. If, like me, you love to explore the playfulness of wine and food combinations then there is no better place to do that than Argentina.
After arriving you are given options to upgrade for a wine pairing with the food. As we were travelling for Alex’s 40th birthday and we love to learn about food and wine pairings, it was a no-brainer for us to go for the fancy one.
The in-house sommelier described the wine to us and explained why it paired with each dish. I can also assure you they are not tight with their servings of wine! When you’ve finished what’s in your glass, you just place it on the top of the bar in front of you and they pour some more. This means you can go at your own pace and, in my opinion, it’s definitely worth the money.
What’s on the menu at Fogón Asado?
I’m sure that the menu will be different every time you visit Fogón Asado, especially as they aim to cook with the seasons. The menu is on the table when you arrive so you know what’s coming.
To give you an idea of what to expect, this is what we were served on our visit:
- First course: Starting fresh with a great seasonal vegetable topped with smoked ricotta and finished with pesto.
- Second course: Ironed provoleta cheese with grilled fruit in a Torrontés (Argentine white wine) reduction.
- Third course: Known in Argentina as “el matrimonio”, morcilla blood sausages – quince and apple chutney, chorizo, flame roasted bell pepper, and griddle-baked bread.
- Fourth course: Quadriller pork flank with yellow chilli sauce.
- Fifth course: Pine cone smoked eyebrow with creamy cauliflower puree and corn. (Eyebrow is not meant literally… it’s part of the rib-eye, and it was amazing to watch the smoking process as they prepared it!)
- Main course: Rib-eye heart, mashed boniatos and grilled vegetables using different cooking techniques with “vinagreta”. We were shown the cut of meat at the beginning of the night before it went on the barbecue, and then had front-row seats as it went up in flames!
- Dessert: Pancake with dulce de leche with coffee, but not as you know it, and we were treated to a spectacular smoking show for this course as well.
We also had one or two ‘off-menu’ surprises, which brought the total up to nine courses. I mean, they won’t want to give everything away at the start of the evening!
The quality of the food, and especially the steak, was just amazing. We’ve eaten in dozens of parrillas in Buenos Aires – including the likes of Don Julio, La Carniceria and La Cabrera – and Fogón Asado is right up with the best of them.
We were blown away by the tenderness and the flavour of the meat cuts. And the show element adds a dimension to it that you don’t get in regular steak restaurants.
So, you do not need to worry about it being all ‘style and show’ and no substance. Writing this has made me want to go back!
What do I need to wear for the Fogón Asado experience?
You can honestly wear what you like. We saw a mixture of people in everyday travel attire, and others who had made a bit more of an effort.
I wasn’t dressed too fancy but I did make an effort, and wore a nice t-shirt dress and shoes (yes, this is dressing up for me because I wasn’t wearing trainers).
We visited in winter so I also had my coat and scarf. There is a coat rail with hangers at the back of the room for you to put your coats, bags and scarves, so don’t worry about wearing layers.
It is warm in the room, which is not surprising given that you have two charcoal grills in the middle of it that have likely been burning for some time before you arrived! So make sure that you don’t wear anything too warm.
We haven’t visited Buenos Aires in the height of summer, but it would surprise me if they didn’t have some sort of temperature control.
Alex wore chinos, shoes and a nice t-shirt and sweater. Think ‘nice restaurant’ but not overboard.
How long is the experience at Fogón Asado?
Our whole experience lasted around three hours, which felt like the right amount of time. It wasn’t too rushed, and because we had nine courses to eat plus wine tasting, hearing stories about each cut of meat and seeing the preparations – and making our own chimichurri – there was plenty to enjoy.
After drinks (a local recommendation)
With the experience wrapping up at around 10pm, that meant we were in the heart of Palermo Soho, the hub of nightlife in Buenos Aires, at just the right time to enjoy a few drinks afterwards.
We were in the mood for some more Argentine wine, and the team at Fogón Asado recommended a bar around the corner called Rey de Copas.
This bar is set in an old “casa chorizo” style family house from the early 19th century, and is decorated with magnificent rich furnishings true to the era. It has a very hip chic vibe in low lighting, just right for a bottle of red to wash down our asado while chatting about which courses we liked best! You can also get amazing hand-crafted cocktails here that taste just as good as they look.
Have you tried the Fogón Asado experience? We’d love to hear what you thought. Let us know in the comments below.
Looking for more places to try Argentine steak? Check out our guide to the best steak restaurants in Buenos Aires.
Looking for more activities around Buenos Aires? Check out our reviews of a day trip to the Tigre Delta and the El Querandi tango show. For short trip planning, check out our Buenos Aires in 3 days itinerary.
For accommodation, see our complete guide to Buenos Aires neighbourhoods.
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