The Basques of Sagardi defend Argentine products in Buenos Aires

Iñaki López Viñaspre strolls through Buenos Aires with the confidence of someone who feels right at home. Together with his brother Mikel, he owns the Sagardi group, with more than 15 brands and 30 restaurants in Spain and around the world. Their first location outside of Spain was Sagardi Argentina, in the iconic San Telmo neighborhood, marking the beginning of the group's international expansion.

“Buenos Aires was our first location outside of Spain. We found this wonderful place in the heart of the old town, a house that, we later learned, had belonged to Martina de Céspedes, a heroine who defended Buenos Aires during the British invasions,” he explains. “But global expansion was already part of our DNA: we had always imagined taking Basque cuisine beyond the Basque Country. We started in Barcelona, ​​then Madrid, and then Valencia. Almost by chance, we arrived in this beautiful city. Today we are also in Portugal, the Netherlands, and England.”

Sagardi arrived in Argentina thanks to José Luis Fuoco, a partner and local liaison. His son, Juan Ignacio, who now manages operations in the country, maintains the collaboration. They recently doubled their investment with a second, very ambitious location in Colegiales, one of the city's newest gastronomic hubs: Berria by Sagardi. "In Basque, berria means new. A contemporary take on Basque cuisine," they explain.

The original concept was demanding, and perhaps a bit arrogant. Sagardi defined itself from the beginning as a cuisine of strict traditions, in contrast to the image many Argentinians had of so-called Spanish cuisine: a mixture without regional identity, where tortillas are combined with chorizo, pork with paprika, garlic shrimp, oxtail with red wine, and supposed paellas overflowing with seafood.

Over generations, the recipes brought by immigrants gradually evolved, giving rise to the bodegón, the traditional Basque restaurant in Argentina, which added pasta and breaded cutlets to its menu. "For us, respecting our tradition is a commandment. Our mission is to share it. We arrived in Argentina with a certain audacity, which ultimately became a virtue: if you overthink everything, you end up accomplishing nothing."

What defines Sagardi and Berria in Argentina is their commitment to exceptional Argentine products. Juan Ignacio Fuoco discovered the EJM Chuletería butcher shop and fell in love with its half-carcasses of beef, and it was he who introduced Iñaki to it. They brought tomato seeds from Spain to La Plata for Don Pacho to cultivate, and they convinced La Tandilera to raise ducks. They serve Txapela cider, made in the traditional Basque style, and they have a wine project in Mendoza under the oenological direction of Karim Mussi. "The better the product, the better for gastronomy. We want these producers to succeed beyond Sagardi and Berria."

Anyone visiting Berria or Sagardi should try the txuletón, a rich, flavorful steak that offers a fresh take on Argentinian beef. The aged beef tartare, topped with grated cured bluefin tuna heart from the Barbate almadraba (traditional tuna trap), is one of the best in Argentina. The López Viñaspre brothers, along with Juan Ignacio Fuoco, prove that a 100% Basque establishment can also be profoundly Argentinian.