Eat · Recoleta Cemetery and Plaza Francia
El Sanjuanino
A long-running Recoleta empanada counter: order a mixed dozen to share, eat in or take away, and go outside the 20:00–22:00 dinner rush if you want a table without a wait.
- Empanadas by the dozen
- Regional dishes like locro
- Near Recoleta Cemetery
- Order: Empanadas and tamales
- Tables and stools
- Walk-in window: lunch and mid-afternoon
- Menu with prices on Voykit
Highlights come from Voykit's own data and desk notes, not from reviews. Hover a tag to see its source.
Rules in force · 10Above 2,500 m (Bogotá, Quito, Cusco, La Paz) keep the fir…Large bags go by car from door to door
- South America ↗Above 2,500 m (Bogotá, Quito, Cusco, La Paz) keep the first day light; sleep lower where you can (Sacred Valley before Cusco) and descend if headache comes with vomiting or confusion.
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- Argentina ↗Patagonia (El Calafate, El Chaltén, Ushuaia) is a November–March trip; in winter many services close and hiking is limited.
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- Buenos Aires area ↗For Colonia by ferry, carry your passport and check the ferry's check-in time and the return on your ticket.
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Map & directions
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Plan
Open now, when you can walk in, what to order
Go now?
Open?
Hours not published
Easiest walk-in
lunch and mid-afternoon
Reservations
Walk-in, no reservation
Per person (from the menu)
ARS 3,000–15,0002026 estimate · check
Walk-in windows
A walk-in lunch is only planned as primary when your arrival lands outside the “impossible” window.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
On the ground
How to order, tip and pay, allergies, and booking
Tipping
Sit-down restaurants: about 10%, less than the 15–20% US norm.
Allergies and diets
- AskVegetarian · Ask staff to confirm no meat stock or lard in the base. · say: “Soy vegetariano/a.”
- AskVegan · Dairy and egg are common even in vegetarian dishes; ask about both.
- AskHalal · Not certified; ask about pork and alcohol in the specific dish.
- AskGluten-free · Not confirmed; ask about wheat-based sauces, breading and noodles.
Paying
- Ask the price per empanada if ordering a large mixed order, since fillings sometimes vary in price.
- Bread and a cover charge ("cubierto") are sometimes added automatically to the bill; check the menu or ask before you assume it is free.
Booking
- Booking
- Walk-in, no reservation
- Reservations
- Not taken
- Note
- Walk-in; takeaway also available.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
Map and nearby
Where this place is, how to get there, and what is around it
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Nearby places
Eat nearby
More detail
Everything else we know about this place
How to order here, in full
How to order here
The order of play at the counter or table, what to say, how much to order and how to pay.
No shared language? Point at the dish or a photo of it. For a printed menu, translate a photo of it.
What to say
| In English | Say or show | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| How much is this? | Cuánto sale esto? | KWAN-to SA-le ES-to |
| Not spicy, please | No picante, por favor | no pee-KAN-te por fa-VOR |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favor | la KWEN-ta por fa-VOR |
| Hello | Hola | OH-la |
| Thank you | Gracias | GRA-syas |
| Delicious! | Qué rico! | keh REE-ko |
Portions and sharing
- Three to four as a light meal, more if it is the whole meal; order a mixed dozen for two or three people to share.
Paying and tipping
Sit-down restaurants: about 10%, less than the 15–20% US norm.
- Ask the price per empanada if ordering a large mixed order, since fillings sometimes vary in price.
- Tipping: A tip (propina) of around 10% is appreciated in restaurants but not obligatory or always added automatically; round up for taxis.
- Bread and a cover charge ("cubierto") are sometimes added automatically to the bill; check the menu or ask before you assume it is free.
At the table
- Lunch runs 13:00-15:00 and dinner rarely starts before 21:00; turning up at 19:00 for dinner often means an empty restaurant or a kitchen not yet open.Lunch runs 1:00 PM-3:00 PM and dinner rarely starts before 9:00 PM; turning up at 7:00 PM for dinner often means an empty restaurant or a kitchen not yet open.
- Dinner rarely starts before 21:00; a restaurant that looks empty at 19:30 is not necessarily bad, it is just early.Dinner rarely starts before 9:00 PM; a restaurant that looks empty at 7:30 PM is not necessarily bad, it is just early.
- Ask "me traés la carta de vinos?" for the wine list; a good glass of Malbec is affordable relative to many other capitals.
Paying, diet and allergies
Paying
Cash and card accepted; check current prices.
Diet and allergies
Yes means there is something for you; ask means possible with care; no means go elsewhere.
- Vegetarianask
Ask staff to confirm no meat stock or lard in the base.
Show: Soy vegetariano/a.
- Veganask
Dairy and egg are common even in vegetarian dishes; ask about both.
- Halalask
Not certified; ask about pork and alcohol in the specific dish.
- Gluten-freeask
Not confirmed; ask about wheat-based sauces, breading and noodles.
What is in the dishes
- Empanadas (beef, chicken, cheese and onion, ham and cheese)dairy · pork · beef
Read from the menu names and notes; recipes vary and cross-contact is not tested. Check with the kitchen.
Who it suits, booking and the kitchen
Who it suits, booking, closures
- Dress code
- Casual.
| When | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly or holiday closures | check before you go | No weekly closure reported; confirm locally. |
Show the kitchen
Tap a need to get a large screen you can hold up to staff. The wording is the guide’s; a helper who reads the language should confirm it if your allergy is serious.
Comfort, facts and cons
Hygiene and comfort
- Restrooms
- Restroom on site · accessible restroom: check
- Seating
- Tables and stools
- Kids
- kids' menu: unknown · stroller: caution · Empanadas are an easy, familiar food for most kids
- Access
- step-free: partial · Small street-level dining room
Facts
- Reservations
- Not taken — Walk-in; takeaway also available.
- Capabilities
- food · seated_rest · toilet
- Getting there
- Posadas street, a short walk from Recoleta Cemetery · ~10 min walk
Cons
- Small dining room; can queue at peak dinner times.
- Menu leans heavily on empanadas and a few regional mains — not a large-menu restaurant.
Dish glossary
| On the menu | What it is | Order it how |
|---|---|---|
| Empanada | A baked or fried stuffed pastry, the standard Argentine snack or starter. | Order by filling; a mixed dozen is the easy way to sample several. |
| Docena | A dozen. | The usual unit for ordering empanadas to share. |
Price check
- locals pay
- A mid-priced neighbourhood meal; empanadas individually are cheap, a sit-down main and drinks add up to a standard restaurant bill.
- tourist price
- Same menu prices for everyone; no separate tourist pricing reported.
- rule
- Ask the price per empanada if ordering a large mixed order, since fillings sometimes vary in price.
Deep dive
Questions, alternatives, and where our facts come from
Questions and answers
Questions and answers
How many empanadas per person?
Three to four as a light meal, more if it is the whole meal; order a mixed dozen for two or three people to share.
Checked 2026-09-28 · Voykit desk
Is it good for a quick bite between sights?
Yes — takeaway empanadas travel well if you want to eat them on a Plaza Francia bench.
Checked 2026-09-28 · Voykit desk
Is there a vegetarian option?
Cheese-and-onion empanadas and humita; the rest of the menu is meat-focused.
If it is closed or full
Nearby alternatives
If it is closed or the line is too long
All places to eat in Buenos Aires, with filters →
Used as a seated rest node in Buenos Aires in 4 days.
Sources
- officialBuenos Aires City tourism
- secondaryWikivoyage — Buenos Aires
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Source: Price per person
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
Prices are 2026 estimates from the menu or the price line on file. Check on the day.
Source: Opening hours
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
Source: Best time
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
The easiest walk-in window or the quietest hour in this guide. Crowd levels are desk estimates, not counts.