A Local’s Guide to the The Best Pizza in Buenos Aires

Neon sign with the words "El Cuartito, la buena pizza" featured to the side of a pizza store of the same name. The picture was taken during night time. El Cuartito's is for many the best pizza in Buenos Aires.
Posted by on | Featured

Finding the Best Pizza in Buenos Aires, one slice at a time

Argentina may be best known for its steak, and Buenos Aires has its fair share of great steakhouses, but the real star of the city – when it comes to food – is the iconic pizza porteña.

Finding a good slice isn’t hard – just head down to Avenida Corrientes – but finding the best pizza in Buenos Aires is an entirely different matter.

We did the research, ate a ton of pizza, and came back to share the results with you folks.
The following are the 6 best pizzerias in town, and the best pizzas to order at each. We’ve also included a Pizza Porteña 101 so you can order with the unabashed confidence of a true porteño.

Our credentials? We are a bunch of native porteños and expats gone native, all of us food enthusiasts and hosts of the best Buenos Aires Food Tour.

The List

  • Güerrín (Downtown – Av. Corrientes 1368)
  • La Mezzetta (Colegiales – Av. Álvarez Thomas 1321)
  • El Cuartito (Recoleta – Talcahuano 937)
  • El Imperio de la Pizza (Chacarita – Av. Corrientes 6891)
  • Picsa (Palermo – Nicaragua 4896)

The Map

Table of Contents

    Pizza Porteña 101

    Before we start waxing poetically about our top list of the Best Pizzas in Buenos Aires, here are a few things you need to know about “Pizza Porteña”.

    What is pizza porteña?

    Traditional Buenos Aires pizza is called “porteña”, which means “from the port”, and it’s what we call people (and things) from Buenos Aires, which is a port city.
    The marks of pizza porteña are an excess of pretty much everything: the bread is doughy and “spongy”, the cheese is abundant, and the slice is big (two slices make for a quick lunch). It also has a reputation for being greasy, but that is, frankly speaking, part of the charm.

    The cheese: “muzzarella” with u

    Pizza porteña is made with fresh muzzarella cheese, but this local version is very different from the Italian one (and not just because we spell it with an u). Italian mozzarella is very milky and neutral in flavour, while Argentine muzzarella has a bit more kick and a higher fat percentage. Argentine muzzarella is also made using cow milk.


    The dough dispute: media masa o a la piedra?

    The dough of the traditional pizza porteña is called “media masa”, it’s cooked with a pizza pan and it takes a longer time to cook, and it’s typically “doughy” and “spongy”. Some pizzerias use the “a la piedra” dough, which is flatter, less chewy and with more crunch, and it cooks way faster (also no pan).
    Porteños will argue to the end of the world about which one is better. Our two cents? You do you. Be warned, however, that media masa is the more popular one, and unless otherwise stated, is the one featured throughout this article.

    Fainá: what is it?

    Head to any pizzeria porteña and you will notice a curious item on the menu: fainá, chickpea flour bread that is eaten together with pizza. Because pizza porteña features tons of cheese, you can add more dough to the equation by ordering fainá.

    What to drink with pizza porteña

    If you are on the clock, the most common option is a coke. If not, you can indulge in some Moscato, sweet and fruity white wine with a lower alcohol percentage. It’s very affordable (hence its popular pairing with pizza) and a staple of the Argentine pizza scene.

    The Best Pizzas (& Pizzerias) in Buenos Aires

    Legend has it that Avenida Corrientes has the best pizzerias, and – spoiler – that may very well be true, however, other amazing pizzerias exist elsewhere in the city. We gave you guys plenty of choices with this top 6, so read on!

    Güerrín

    The most famous pizzeria in Buenos Aires, every porteño has stopped by Güerrín at least once to grab a slice during the lunchtime rush – although nowadays the long queues make it a little harder to get in.

    Güerrín’s popularity has gone through the roof in recent years, so expect a crowd at any hour. Some pizza connoisseurs claim that Güerrín’s pizza is not what it used to be since the place was bought by the owners of pizza chain Kentucky before the pandemic.

    Our two cents? Go for the ambiance, but know that the hype is, well, hype. Güerrín is still pretty good, but we have some – arguably – better alternatives in this list. It’s still worth a visit since it’s right there in the heart of the city. Grab a couple of slices and eat by the counter – it doesn’t get much more “Buenos Aires” than that.

    • Pizzas to order in Güerrín: go for something classic, like muzzarella, fugazzeta or ham & red pepper.

    Banchero

    Albeit an Avenida Corrientes classic since the 60s, Banchero got its start in the colorful port area of La Boca, where Genovese baker turned pizza master Agustín Banchero earned his spot in the pizzeria pantheon of Buenos Aires by inventing the fugazzeta.

    This cheesy onion pizza came to be when Banchero decided to stuff a focaccia – fugassa in genovese – with cheese, in order to make the baked good “less dry”. The resulting fugazzeta became one of the most popular pizzas in the history of Argentina.

    Banchero’s original location is in La Boca, but the one in Avenida Corrientes is pretty iconic nonetheless. It even makes a cameo during one pivotal scene in Argentina 1985, the Oscar-nominated film about Argentina’s trial of the de facto military government that took over the country in the seventies (available in Amazon Prime).

    • Pizzas to order in Banchero: Fugazzeta is a must, period.

    El Imperio de la Pizza

    Far from downtown but still on Corrientes Avenue, Imperio is a powerhouse when it comes to pizza porteña, and for good reason. Far away from more tourist-y areas like Palermo and Downtown, El Imperio is a testament to classic porteño identity; a mix of fútbol (we ain’t calling it soccer, sorry), tango and local culture, this pizzeria was built for the busy worker who wants to grab a quick slice for lunch and not have it burn a hole in their pocket.

    If you make the trip to Imperio, you might as well explore Chacarita, which is slowly but surely making the transition from underground cool to full-on trendy.

    • What to order here: Fugazzeta, Primavera and Spinach.

    La Mezzetta

    A local legend among pizza diehards, La Mezzetta is famous for their stuffed fugazzetta, said to be the very best in town. Tourists caught wind of this hidden gem after it was featured in “Somebody Feed Phil”. Nowadays it’s hard to order a pizza here without having to queue given its rise in popularity among locals and foreigners alike. Try to get there early (before 8 pm) or be prepared to wait.

    There’s no place to sit and dine here: take your pizza to go or eat at the standing counters.

    What to order here: fugazzeta, fugazzeta, and fugazzeta (stuffed, of course).

    El Cuartito

    El Cuartito is another iconic old-school pizzeria located in the heart of Recoleta. It’s guaranteed to get crowded after 8 pm, so get there early if you want to grab a table (otherwise order to go, else you will be waiting forever). No nonsense, no frills and lots of cheese. Football memorabilia lines the wall, in true Buenos Aires fashion.

    • What to order at El Cuartito: Fugazzeta (yeah, again) and Napolitana (with tomato slices and dried garlic and parsley). The standard muzzarella is quite good too.

    Picsa

    A new take on traditional pizza porteña, Picsa stands out because of their sourdough pizza crust, with takes their pizza to a whole new level. If the hectic atmosphere of Avenida Corrientes is not for you, Picsa might be a good choice. The location is also ideal, as its located right in the middle of Palermo Soho.

    • What pizza to order at Picsa: The Napo (Napolitana) here is excellent. The Libanesa (“lebanese”) is for the risk-takers. They have a pretty decent wine selection here, so do check that out.
    Tags: , , , , , , ,
    Comments are closed.