In Argentina, dinner starts long after sunset.
While late dinners are usually the exception in the United States, in Argentina dinner lasts until well into the night.
When you think of eating dinner late, you almost always think of Spain and the siesta, the rest during the hottest hours of the day. Argentina rarely comes to mind, although there they tend to eat dinner even later. During the week, people sit down to eat around 9 pm, but on weekends, 9 pm is already considered early and most people eat dinner around 10 pm or later.
Business hours also set the pace. In Argentina, it's not uncommon for shops to close for a few hours in the afternoon, from 12:30 to 5:00 PM, especially outside of major cities. Shops and cafes reopen before rush hour, but many restaurants don't open before 9:00 PM.
In Buenos Aires, the streets remain bustling with people well into the early hours of the morning, both adults and children. Many have restaurants and bars offering fugazza, an Argentinian pizza with mozzarella, onion, and oregano, and empanadas for those strolling through the city.
Mornings are also getting longer. Breakfast doesn't start much earlier than 10 a.m. and usually consists of coffee and toast or pastries.
Pizza and pasta are typical of the nightlife, but meat is the star. Argentina is world-famous for its beef, the result of a long cattle-ranching tradition. Argentine steakhouses specialize in freshly grilled meats, and the meat is often displayed for customers and passersby to entice them.
The meat is often served with chimichurri to highlight its natural flavor. Chef Francis Mallmann explained this simple style to Food & Wine: “Once the ingredient comes into contact with the heat, don’t move it… you have to respect that first contact. Even if it’s not exactly in the right place, leave it where it is. Otherwise, you’ll break the crispy surface that’s starting to form, and the food will dry out.”
Anyone traveling to Argentina should forget about having dinner at seven in the evening and prepare for a long night.