The best asado in Buenos Aires usually comes with an invitation. If you don’t have one, Asado Adventure is the next best thing: an asado experience in Buenos Aires that’s hosted in a real Palermo home with a small group, a little local context and a lot of very good food. Here’s my review (and a discount code).
In Argentina, an asado is more than just a meal. It’s a weekly ritual, a reason to gather with family and friends. Yes, you can order excellent grilled meat at a parrilla in Buenos Aires, but the most memorable experiences are asados at someone’s house, stretched out over many hours with plenty of chatting, nibbling and wine.
The catch is that if you’re visiting Argentina, you’re not exactly going to get casually invited to a local family’s Sunday barbecue (unless you have friends in town or get very lucky). That’s what makes Asado Adventure such a clever idea. It’s designed to give travellers the next best thing: an asado experience in a real home.
But it’s more than an asado tour in Buenos Aires – you also do a walking tour around the neighbourhood to provide the cultural and historical context for the entire experience.
In this article, I’m sharing my honest review of Asado Adventure in Buenos Aires: what the day is like, what you’ll eat and learn, and whether I think it’s worth booking.
This blog post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you book or buy something through one of these links, I may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you).
Snapshot: Asado Adventure at a glance
Getting the chance to experience an asado is one of the best things to do in Argentina. If you want an asado experience in Buenos Aires that feels like you’ve been invited into someone’s home (rather than just eating Argentina’s famous steak in a Buenos Aires restaurant), Asado Adventure is exactly that. It’s a relaxed, intimate and fun Argentine asado experience, with plenty of food, wine and storytelling woven through the afternoon.
- Duration: 4-5 hours
- Where: Palermo Viejo, Buenos Aires
- Group size: Max 10 people
- What’s included: Wine and cheese tasting, guided history + street art walk, picada + full asado meal with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, recipe card, photos from the day
- Dietary needs: Can cater for everything from vegetarians/vegans to celiacs; non-alcoholic drinks are provided
- Cost: From US$230 per person for the standard tour (private tours also available)
- Booking tip: Book ahead. Frank only runs this Buenos Aires asado tour 2-3 times a week and it’s often booked out by groups
🥩 BOOK THE ASADO ADVENTURE HERE – USE MY CODE RATW10 TO SAVE 10% 🥩
What is an asado?
Before we get into the details, a quick glossary, because you might be confused by the different terms.
- Asado: The actual meal and the social event of enjoying said meal (what most people would call a barbecue).
- Parrilla: The grill itself, but also the word for a steakhouse in Argentina.
- Asador: The person running the fire and cooking (a respected role – always clap for the asador!).
In short: you eat an asado, cooked on a parrilla, by an asador.
Arriving to the asado
Asado Adventure is run by Frank Almeida. A native Chicagoan, he’s been living in Buenos Aires for almost 30 years – long enough that he’s now a local, but still able to explain Argentine culture through a foreigner’s lens. Alongside his Argentine wife, he’s been in the food business for decades. Before Asado Adventure, they built a wildly successful cookie business, and in 2015 they turned their hand to something different: a food tourism experience to introduce visitors to Buenos Aires’ food scene.
The Asado Adventure is built around something most visitors don’t easily get access to: a proper asado at someone’s home. You can absolutely eat great meat at a parrilla in Buenos Aires, but an asado is an experience. This asado tour makes that kind of experience possible and the clever part is that it isn’t just about the asado in Buenos Aires. It’s also an introduction to the city’s history, how the neighbourhood has changed, street art and Argentine wine, all folded into the same full-day adventure.
Discount + other tours: As well as The Asado Adventure (the one I’m reviewing here), Frank runs a pizza tour, a craft beer tour, and half- and full-day Buenos Aires food tours. You can get 10% off any of these tours with the code RATW10 by booking online here.
The day begins at Frank’s home in Palermo Viejo, a beautiful old space that used to be a bakery. It has the kind of high ceilings and big windows I wanted in a house when I lived in Buenos Aires. And, of course, the pièce de résistance: the parrilla.
We were greeted at the door by Palta, Frank’s family dog (cutely bedazzled after a morning at the groomer), before meeting the rest of our small group: an American family with two tween boys, plus my friend (and fellow travel blogger) Erin (check out her Argentina travel blog). With only a handful of people, it immediately felt more like being hosted than being herded and we had the chance to get to know our fellow guests.
As soon as we were all settled in, we got hands-on. We made chimichurri together and helped get the fire going, using a combination of charcoal and wood (and talking through why different woods matter).
Frank’s chimichurri was different from mine. He uses dried herbs whereas I always reach for fresh, and he has a trick of warming it over the fire when you’re in a hurry. I took a lot of notes about quantities of herbs and spices to add but it wasn’t necessary – Frank emailed us all a recipe card afterwards so we could recreate it at home.
A taste of culture and history
Once the fire was underway, we headed out for a walk through Palermo Viejo. Frank doesn’t just point out pretty murals (although there are plenty). He talks about the neighbourhood as a living place, including how much it’s changed since he first bought here.
Along the way, he weaved in a lot of interesting information: difficult chapters like the military dictatorship, facts about why the building corners are rounded (I won’t give the secret away here!) and everyday details you’d otherwise walk straight past. One stop I loved was the community garden and composting set-up just around the corner from his home. The garden helps feed people in need but it’s also an educational and community space.
Street art was a major theme and Palermo is one of the best places in the city for it. We wandered past mural after mural, with Frank explaining how the scene has evolved and the stories behind the art. While I recommend doing a street art tour in Buenos Aires when you visit, The Asado Adventure is a great way to combine it with food.
We also stopped at Sommelier en Bicicleta, a fantastic little wine store, to pick up the wines we’d drink with the asado later. We toured the cellar and did a wine and cheese tasting. One of the wines we tried was a refreshing white wine that’s the shop owner’s own brand. I’d absolutely recommend coming back to the store later in your trip to pick up a couple of bottles to take home.
The asado experience
Back at Frank’s place, we settled in for our long lunch. While we’d been out exploring Palermo, Leo the grill master had been quietly working away at the parrilla.
We started with a picada, the Argentine version of charcuterie. We nibbled on cheeses, salamis, pickles and dried fruit.
This was also when Frank introduced us to Fernet. I’ll be honest: I’ve never been a huge fan (it’s an acquired taste), but with a wedge of lemon and the right amount of Coke mixed in it was a fast favourite with our other guests.
Tip! One practical thing to know: you don’t really start eating properly until around 1.30pm. Normally, before a food tour, I’d say don’t eat a big breakfast. But for this experience, I’d make sure you’ve had a decent breakfast to tide you over.
We moved outside to the beautiful patio. Once the food started coming, it came steadily and it was all perfectly cooked – and accompanied by the chimichurri we’d made earlier.
First up were some of the more traditional asado bites: morcilla (blood sausage) bruschetta, molleja (sweetbreads) marinated with lemon and vinegar and chinchulines (small intestines).
If you’re not used to organ meats, this is genuinely one of the best places to try them. I wasn’t comfortable with them before I moved to Argentina, but when they’re done well they’ll really surprise you. Somehow even the kids on our tour were happily eating away… at least until they found out exactly what they were!
Next, we had provoleta, which came off the parrilla still bubbling. This is one of my favourite Argentine foods and something I wish I could find easily at home.
After that, we moved into the meat portion, where we tried matambrito (pork flank steak) and bife de chorizo (strip steak). I was thrilled to see some roasted carrots as well – Argentines aren’t particularly known for their vegetable consumption!
Everything was, of course, accompanied by lots of wine.
Dessert was the surprise of the day. Instead of the heavier classics I was expecting (flan, panqueques con dulce de leche – I won’t lie, these are my favourite Argentine desserts), we had grilled yams with caramelised pecans and vanilla ice cream. It was warm and sweet without being too much, and it was the perfect way to finish after a meat-heavy meal.
The final ritual was yerba mate, which is one of those things you can’t really separate from Argentine culture. I’m not a mate person, but Frank has a sweet trick to make it tastier, and, surprisingly, I found myself happily slurping down several rounds.
One extra detail that’s worth mentioning: Frank takes genuinely great photos throughout the experience, both of you and the food. Very handy later on when I realised I’d been too busy stuffing my face to take my own photos of each dish. (Credit to Frank for most of the food photos in this article!)
🥩 BOOK THE ASADO ADVENTURE HERE – USE MY CODE RATW10 TO SAVE 10% 🥩
Is The Asado Adventure worth it?
For me, yes – because it delivers the thing that’s hardest to replicate as a visitor: an authentic home-based asado. But this tour isn’t just about eating well (which of course you do!), it also provides so much historical and cultural context. As a first-time visitor to Argentina, if you do this tour early in your visit to Buenos Aires you’ll start noticing a lot of things about the city as you explore further, including the different street art and historical and cultural references, and know exactly what to order on a menu.
Book it if…
- You want to experience Argentina like a local, with an asado experience in Buenos Aires that feels authentic and home-based
- You love learning about culture and history alongside food
- You want something laid back and social where it’s easy to chat with other travellers
- You’re curious about trying classic asado cuts, including the more adventurous bits, in a setting where they’re cooked really well
It may not be for you if…
- You’re not that into meat or you’re not an adventurous eater (the organ meats aren’t for everyone!)
- You’ve only got a short time in Buenos Aires and don’t want to dedicate 4-5 hours to one experience (although I’d argue you can still fit this into a 3-day Buenos Aires itinerary)
- You’re looking for a quick “steak dinner” rather than a longer, more immersive experience
🥩 BOOK THE ASADO ADVENTURE HERE – USE MY CODE RATW10 TO SAVE 10% 🥩
Other Buenos Aires food tours (and a discount code)
If the full Asado Adventure doesn’t quite fit your schedule, the good news is Frank runs several other tours as well – and they’re a great way to get a feel for Buenos Aires through its food.
Options include:
- Food, Art & Culture Tour – Start with a porteño-style breakfast (coffee and medialunas), then explore street art and work your way towards the city’s classic flavours like steak and choripán
- Craft Beer Adventure – A deep dive into Buenos Aires’ growing craft beer scene
- Buenos Aires Pizza Tour – A fun way to understand the city’s love affair with pizza (and yes, pizza here is very different to what you might be used to!)
🍕 BOOK ANY OF FRANK’S TOURS USING THE CODE RATW10 TO GET A 10% DISCOUNT 🍕
Buenos Aires asado experience: Final thoughts
The Asado Adventure is a brilliant way to understand why asado matters in Argentina and to experience it in the setting it truly belongs: someone’s home, paced slowly, with plenty of conversation.
What really makes it stand out, though, is that it’s not only about the food. The walk through Palermo, the stories about the city’s history, the street art, the wine stop – it all adds up to a fantastic experience that will give you a fuller picture of Buenos Aires and what makes this city so special.
Frank has created something that feels intimate and genuinely welcoming. If you like your travel experiences to be both delicious and meaningful, it’s absolutely worth booking.
FAQs: Asado Adventure Buenos Aires
Can you do Asado Adventure solo?
Yes. It’s a small-group experience, so solo travellers fit in easily.
Is it good for non-drinkers?
Yes. Wine is part of the experience, but there are plenty of non-alcoholic options provided as well.
Is Asado Adventure kid-friendly?
Yes, with a caveat: it’s best for kids who are curious and reasonably adventurous with food. There were two tween boys on my tour and they had a great time (even with some of the more unusual cuts!).
How far ahead should I book?
Book several weeks ahead if you can. The tour only runs 2-3 times a week and it’s popular with groups, so it does book out.
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Have you ever experienced an asado in Buenos Aires? Let me know if you book Asado Adventure!
Related posts
Before you go, you might like these Buenos Aires travel guides.
- How to Spend 3 Days in Buenos Aires
- What to Do in Buenos Aires: Top 25 Ideas for Your Itinerary
- Where to Eat in Buenos Aires: My Favourite Restaurants
- Where to Stay in Buenos Aires: The Best Neighbourhoods
- The Best Food Tours in Buenos Aires
- Betty and Marcelo Review: A Family Asado Experience
- Sherpa Food Tour Buenos Aires Review
- The Argentine Experience Review: Is It Worth It?
- Fogón Asado Review: Is This Buenos Aires Asado Experience Worth It?
ARGENTINA TRIP ESSENTIALS
- Book your flight to Argentina online with Skyscanner. I like how this site allows you to find the cheapest days.
- Find a great hotel in Argentina. Check prices on Booking.com and Expedia online.
- Check out the huge range of day tours throughout Argentina on GetYourGuide or Viator. I love a good food tour in particular!
- Saving money? Check out the range of free walking tours across Argentina with GuruWalk (don’t forget to tip!).
- Keep those bottles of wine you’ll be buying safe in these wine bags.
- A copy of the Lonely Planet guide to Argentina will be handy. Also pick up a Spanish language phrasebook to help you navigate your visit.
- One thing I always purchase is travel insurance! Travel Insurance Master allows you to compare across multiple policy providers, while SafetyWing is great for long-term travellers and digital nomads.
PIN IT FOR LATER: ASADO ADVENTURE REVIEW
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