El Preferido de Palermo holds a pink corner at Jorge Luis Borges 2108, in the middle of Palermo Soho. The building dates to 1885 and ran as a neighborhood almacen and tavern from 1952. One half still works as a Porteno grocery bodegon, tins of pickled vegetables stacked along the shelves.
The relaunch came in 2019 from Pablo Rivero and chef Guido Tassi, the team behind Don Julio. The Michelin Guide notes the pair kept the old almacen spirit rather than scrubbing it out. Within a year the place landed on Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants list, per The World's 50 Best.
This is a wine bar with a kitchen attached, not the other way around. The counter and the marble tables fill fast, and the room reads as a working corner shop that learned to pour very good wine. For more of the city, see our Buenos Aires wine bars guide, the full Buenos Aires bar guide, and our Buenos Aires date night picks.
What to order
- 01
A Glass off the List
Star Wine List counts around 100 labels, weighted to boutique organic and biodynamic producers with fresh fruit and little oak. Ask the floor for a small-grower red by the glass.
$$$ - 02
House Vermut
The almacen pours Argentine vermut over ice with a slice of orange. The right opener before the charcuterie lands.
$$ - 03
The Charcuterie Board
House Chacarero salami, spianata, bondiola, and pancetta, cut to order. Built to drink with, not to fill up on.
$$$ - 04
The Milanesa
The dish reviewers cross town for, fried almost without oil and served with a sweet tomato salsa. Order it if the table is staying for dinner.
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The room and the crowd
Two halves share one address. The restaurant side seats the long dinners; the bodegon side keeps the grocery counter, the tinned goods, and the standing-room energy. The split is the whole charm of the place.
Expect Palermo locals early and a heavy share of visiting cooks and wine people later. It runs busiest at the 1pm lunch and again after 9pm. Tables turn slowly, so the bar counter is the move for walk-ins.
What regulars say
- 01
Trust the floor on wine
Reviewers on Tripadvisor repeatedly praise the staff for steering tables to small-grower bottles that are not on every Palermo list.
- 02
Book ahead for dinner
The dinner service fills early. Walk-ins do better at lunch or by grabbing a counter seat on the almacen side.
- 03
It earns the green star
The Michelin Guide awarded a Green Star for sustainable sourcing, a signal the produce and meat are taken seriously.
Who it is for
- 01
The wine-led date
A romantic Palermo Soho table with a list deep enough to keep ordering by the glass. The vermut and charcuterie carry an early evening.
- 02
The Don Julio follow-up
For anyone who could not land a parrilla table, this is the same group's quieter, more drinkable second act.
- 03
Avoid if you want late cocktails
This is wine, vermut, and food, not a cocktail bar. For shaking drinks, head elsewhere in Palermo.
Pair this bar with
Stay with the same team at Don Julio Bar in Buenos Aires, drink seafood and gin at Floreria Atlantico in Buenos Aires, or take the late cocktails at Tres Monos in Buenos Aires.
Sources: Michelin Guide (Buenos Aires); The World's 50 Best (50 Best Discovery); Star Wine List; Tripadvisor (Palermo Soho); El Preferido de Palermo official Facebook; Buenos Aires Local Tours notable-bars guide.