Buenos Aires Sin Gluten

A charming city with European vibes and plenty of gluten-free eats

A note from Hilary: I am thrilled to welcome Christina Heiser to the Gluten-Free Guidebook this week! Christina is a health writer and editor living in New York City. She is the founder of the Celiac Self-Care newsletter, where she provides tips for navigating life with celiac disease. She also contributes to a variety of online publications, including aSweatLife, Shape, and Vitamin Shoppe’s blog, and is an ambassador for Beyond Celiac. Here, she writes about her travels in Buenos Aires, one of my favorite cities in the world. Take it away, Christina!

Last year, I traveled more than I ever have, visiting five countries outside the United States. Because I work remotely, I’m lucky enough that I can pick up and go wherever I want, whenever I want. I love seeing how other countries approach gluten-free food and have many fond memories of the delicious, celiac-safe meals I had during my travels in 2023. 

I didn’t think any place could top Italy—where I’ve now visited twice since being diagnosed with celiac disease in 2020—when it came to gluten-free eats. (I still dream about all of the gluten-free pizza, pasta, and gelato I ate in Milan, Bologna, Parma, Florence, and Rome.) But I was wrong. In December, I headed on a last-minute trip to Buenos Aires with my partner, who was traveling to Chile to cover a motorsports race in the desert—and the city (and gluten-free food scene) truly blew me away. 

I had never been to South America before, but the allure of visiting during my winter (and their summer) had me Googling what cities in the southern hemisphere understood celiac disease best. Lo and behold, I learned that Buenos Aires, a city with a heavy European (mainly Italian) influence, topped the list. 

So, I embarked on a 10-hour overnight flight from New York City and woke up in sunny Argentina, where I met my partner in the airport as he flew in from Santiago. From there, we embarked on a whirlwind five-day trip through the charming capital city. 

We strolled through the streets of the hip Palermo Soho neighborhood, stopping to admire the colorful street art. We visited Eva Peron’s grave and El Ateneo Grand Splendid bookstore in Recoleta. We wandered around the cobblestone streets of historic San Telmo. We basked in the sunshine at El Rosedal and walked around Jardín Japonés in the rain. 

Even better than that? We dined at the many dedicated gluten-free bakeries and restaurants across the city every single day of our trip. Fun fact: In Argentina, the phrase for gluten-free is “sin TACC,” which stands for “without trigo (wheat), avena (oats), cebada (barley), and centeno (rye).” Here are the best places I ate in Buenos Aires. 

1828 Smart Hotel Boutique: I wanted to stay in Palermo Soho, arguably the trendiest part of BA (think of it like NYC’s Soho or Le Marais in Paris), due to its proximity to plenty of cafés, restaurants, nightlife, and shops. I booked a room at this chic and relaxing boutique hotel, and breakfast was included with my stay. I emailed the hotel ahead of my trip and asked if they had gluten-free breakfast options and if they could accommodate celiac disease, and they said yes. Sure enough, every morning, I enjoyed a cappuccino with my very own basket of gluten-free bread, along with scrambled eggs and bacon. 

Cucina Paradiso Senza Glutine: I have been cursed with the inability to sleep well on planes, so I was exhausted on my first day in Buenos Aires. The only cure? Pasta, of course. Cucina Paradiso is a chain of Italian restaurants with locations across the city. They have one dedicated gluten-free restaurant, so we took a short Uber ride there from our hotel and immediately filled up on the complimentary gluten-free focaccia bread. We also ordered gluten-free arancini as an appetizer, and I had a dish called “spaghetti dell’influencer,” which included pistachio, stracciatella, and burrata, as my main course. I also accidentally ordered an entire pitcher of limonada for myself with my rusty high school Spanish! 

La Unión: The gluten-free bakeries in Buenos Aires are top-notch, and one of my favorites was La Unión, which had a location about a 15-minute walk from my hotel. It was here, on the second day of my trip, that I discovered the beauty of the medialuna (which translates to “half moon”), an Argentinian pastry that’s a cross between a croissant and brioche. Unlike croissants, though, medialunas are covered in a sugar-rum glaze after baking, so they have a slightly sweet taste. The medialunas here were soft, fluffy, and the perfect afternoon treat. I came back here before my flight home and packed a few with me to eat at the airport. 

Il Mandorla Smokehouse: On night two of our trip, it was rainy, so we were in the mood for a casual dinner. I found us this gluten-free sandwich spot that was a short Uber ride from our hotel. We noshed on a giant platter of nachos as an appetizer, and then, being from New York, I had to order the Brooklyn sandwich. It was stuffed inside a gluten-free ciabatta roll with smoked and deboned pork ribs, homemade pickles and coleslaw, and plenty of cheese. The sandwich came with a side of potatoes sauteed with bell peppers and onions. It’s safe to say I couldn’t finish everything, despite how delicious it all was. 

Goût Gluten-Free: This was another dedicated gluten-free bakery with many locations throughout Buenos Aires. I made multiple trips here and tried a variety of incredible pastries, including medialunas, macarons, and an apple crumble. I was very impressed by the texture of all the gluten-free goods—no dry, crumbly mess here!

Campobravo: You can’t go to Argentina without experiencing the food they’re known for: beef. Because I booked my trip so late, I missed the boat on nabbing a reservation at Parilla Don Julio, known as one of the best steakhouses in the city. But, in my restaurant research, I came across Campobravo, a dedicated gluten-free steakhouse with multiple locations in BA. I made a reservation for the one in Palermo Hollywood, the neighborhood next to Palermo Soho, and we strolled over there from our hotel one evening for dinner. We sat on the enclosed rooftop, which was adorned with twinkling lights. I’ll admit it: I’m not that into steak, so I ordered the beef ravioli special in a rich mushroom-white wine sauce. My partner ordered a steak for himself, and we shared a huge side of mixed grilled veggies and fried yucca. I made it a mission to try limonada everywhere, and the mint and ginger version here was so refreshing after a long day of sightseeing. 

Sintaxis: Less than a five-minute walk from our hotel was this diner-esque gluten-free restaurant. We came here for dinner on our second to last night and shared a chicken Caesar salad as an appetizer (along with complimentary gluten-free focaccia bread!), and then I got a cheeseburger and fries. It was way too much food (the portions were huge), but it really hit the spot because it’s hard to find celiac-safe diner food in the US. 

Let It V: On our last night in Buenos Aires, we needed a break from eating meat, so we headed to Let It V, a vegan, gluten-free restaurant in Palermo Hollywood. I’ll be honest: I wasn’t expecting much when I made a reservation here, but this restaurant ended up impressing me and was one of the highlights of my trip. We ordered a bunch of dishes to share, including cauliflower ceviche, a couple of vegan sushi rolls (one even had vegan foie gras!), and rice flour gnocchi with zucchini and Brussels sprouts.