Palermo y Retiro leading la|ID_ARG|distinción gastronómica nacional de 2026

The river does not define the reach of a prize, but the altitude of recognition achieved by two establishments in the City does have a clear address. El Preferido de Palermo, on Jorge Luis Borges 2108, at the corner with Guatemala, was elected the best restaurant in Argentina in the World Culinary Awards 2026. Cantina Cucina Italiana, located at 841 Arroyo in Retiro, received the distinction for best hotel restaurant in the country. Both awards emerged from an international competition that also recognizes hotels and gastronomic destinations.

The ceremony for the seventh edition took place in Jamaica. Unlike recognitions based exclusively on a specialized jury, the World Culinary Awards combine public voting with the vote of industry professionals, whose weight is double. In this edition, voting was open from June 25 to August 14, 2026. This methodology placed two traditional City venues among establishments from different provinces and placed Buenos Aires at the center of the Argentine awards.

A bodegón porteño recovers its identity

El Preferido de Palermo has a history that predates its current gastronomic proposal. The premises opened in 1952 as a grocery and beverage store, while the building dates from 1885. In 2019, the establishment renewed its offer and recovered the aesthetics of the traditional Portuguese neighborhood bodega. Its menu is based on familiar classics such as milanesas, tortillas, artisanal cured meats, preserves and home cooking, with the milanesa de bife de chorizo standing out among its best-known specialties.

To obtain the award, El Preferido de Palermo surpassed five other national finalists. The recognition also places the restaurant in a line of leading Argentine establishments: Don Julio won in 2023 and 2024, while Aramburu received the distinction in 2025. The succession is not merely a list of winners; it shows the continuity of a gastronomic circuit in which different styles and identities compete for national visibility.

Italian tradition inside a historic hotel

Cantina Cucina Italiana operates inside a historic building in Retiro and is undergoing a renovation that began in June 2026 under the advice of Italian chef Roberto Ottini. Its cuisine draws on the tradition of classic Italian canteens, with antipasti, fresh pasta, risottos, meats and desserts. Among its most prominent dishes are ravioli with osso buco and Malbec, emilian lasagna, saffron and mushroom risotto, cotoletta alla milanese and tiramisu. The restaurant competed with seven other finalists from luxury hotels in different provinces.

The two awards do not describe a single culinary model. El Preferido de Palermo defends a local identity rooted in the Portuguese neighborhood bodega, while Cantina Cucina Italiana revives an Italian tradition within the hotel environment of Retiro. Both venues demonstrate that a restaurant can compete internationally without abandoning the history of its premises or the culinary references that give its proposal a distinct place.

• El Preferido de Palermo: best restaurant in Argentina.
• Cantina Cucina Italiana: best hotel restaurant in Argentina.
• The seventh edition ceremony took place in Jamaica.
• Voting combined public participation with professionals, whose vote had double weight.

What remains is to consolidate these distinctions beyond the award. The recognition gives both establishments visibility, but the real challenge will be to sustain their proposals, preserve the identity of their historic settings and continue offering a clear culinary proposal in a competitive market. The Argentine result is complete; the work of turning a prize into lasting prestige is still ahead.