Disclaimer: Product links contain affiliate marketing links where we get a small commission when you purchase from that site. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Also, please verify all product and pricing information directly with the linked brands. We are not responsible for errors or product discrepancies.
Disclaimer #2: We do not have Celiac Disease. Thus, we can eat foods even in a heavily contaminated environment (cross-contamination). Depending on your level gluten intolerance, you should always double and triple-check with the restaurant on gluten content and cross-contamination. We are not responsible for your decisions!
If I could sum up Argentine food, I would say it is a combination of grilled meat (asado) and Italian food. Argentina is very famous for its beef, and serving Argentine meat is a source of pride. At the same time, because of Italian immigration in the 1800s and 1900s, Argentine cuisine borrows heavily from Italian cuisine. Pizza and pasta are ubiquitous in Buenos Aires – as throughout the country – and it is a natural part of Argentina’s culture. Combine that with southern South America’s fondness of empanadas – meat and cheese-filled dough pockets – and, at first glance, Argentina does not appear to be gluten-free-friendly at all.
However, Argentina has taken great strides in welcoming gluten-free eaters. We were pleasantly surprised at how many gluten-free options there were at regular restaurants. Even though most restaurants only offer one or two truly gluten-free options, some of these turned out to be amazing.
In this blog post, I’ll discuss some restaurants we have been eating at while in Buenos Aires that have gluten-free options. Please remember that Kevin and I do not have celiac disease. Therefore, we can eat food in contaminated environments. If you have Celiac disease or a very high sensitivity to gluten, these options may not work for you.
What does “Sin T.A.C.C.” Mean?
The first thing you need to know is that in Spanish-speaking Mercosur countries—primarily Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay—most gluten-free foods are labeled “Sin T.A.C.C.” This is the Spanish acronym for “without wheat, oats, barley, and rye.” This is because all four foods either contain gluten or gluten-like proteins (oats) that can trigger a gluten sensitivity. Thus, unlike the rest of Latin America, most people say “sin T.A.C.C.” as opposed to simply “sin gluten” (without gluten).
Other Food-Related Spanish Words
Here are some additional food and gluten-related Spanish words to assist you while in Buenos Aires:
- Gluten = gluten; Spanish simply borrowed the English word.
- Sin / Con = Without / With. Hence, sin gluten is “without gluten.”
- Libre de gluten = literally gluten-free in Spanish (“free from gluten”).
- Trigo = Wheat
- Avena = Oats
- Cebada = Barley (not to be confused with cebolla, which means onion).
- Centeno = Rye
- Trigo sarraceno = Buckwheat
- Pan = bread
- Apanado = breaded (as in pollo apanado, or breaded chicken)
- Milanesa = Breaded chicken or beef patties, often covered in tomato sauce, cheese, or other toppings. Milanesas are never gluten-free unless they are specifically labeled Sin T.A.C.C.
- A la plancha / grillé = grilled, as in meat. This can be useful to distinguish between grilled chicken and baked or breaded chicken.
- Masa = dough. Note that masa madre is a common wheat-based dough.
- No Puedo Comer… = I cannot eat…
- Salsa de soya = Soy Sauce. Remember, in Asian restaurants, it is prevalent to use wheat-based soy sauce.
- Celíaco = A person with Celiac Disease. Even though we don’t have Celiac, we found it is a lot easier to say celíaco than to try to explain. If you are a woman, you would say celíaca instead.
- Alergía = Allergy (not to be confused with alegría, which is happiness).
- Torres, Amanda (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 192 Pages - 08/22/2017 (Publication Date) - Page Street Publishing (Publisher)
Last update on 2025-02-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Gluten Free Buenos Aires Restaurants
We found a couple of truly gluten-free restaurants in the Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Keep in mind that Buenos Aires is humongous, so there may be others out there. However, since we stayed in Recoleta – and where many tourists also stay – these restaurants will be the most salient.
Rica & Celi Gluten Free
Address: Ecuador 1173, Recoleta
Price: US$12-15 per entrée
Rica & Celi was by far our favorite gluten-free restaurant in Buenos Aires. Owned by a husband-and-wife couple, Rica & Celi serves authentic Argentina cuisine. It offers a scrumptious variety of milanesas and pizzas. We were truly impressed with the quality and taste. My favorite foods were the Jamaican milanesa and pizza – pronounced ha-MY-ka – similar to Hawaiian pizza in the U.S. They also have a good selection of desserts and cakes. However, we didn’t try any of the desserts.
Rica & Celi allows you to order ahead of time through WhatsApp, which we recommend entirely. It can take 30-40 minutes for them to make the food, and it is a take-out-only place. Thus, if you go there and order, you’ll need to find something to do for 30-40 minutes, and waiting there is not an option. After the first time we visited, the owner gave us a to-go menu and his WhatsApp number, so it was way easier to order the next time around (and we ordered several more times while in Buenos Aires).
Goût Gluten-Free
Addresses: There are a few locations in Buenos Aires. The main location in Recoleta is at Juncal 2124 and offers table service. There is another Recoleta location at Montevideo 1480, but this location is take-out-only.
Price: US$15-20 per entrée
We first discovered Goût Gluten-Free in Montevideo, Uruguay, not Buenos Aires, despite the fact that this gluten-free chain was born in Buenos Aires. We ate at Goût several times in Montevideo, yet we only ate there once while in Buenos Aires.
The food is on the higher end of pricing, yet portion sizes are small. While in Montevideo, it was hard to find suitable gluten-free options, Buenos Aires offers a plethora of gluten-free options at non-gluten-free-only restaurants. Plus, the main Recoleta location of Goût is really cramped if you decide to eat there. Overall, we just didn’t feel the warmth and excitement that we felt in the Montevideo location.
We believe Goût might be best for dessert rather than an entrée meal. Their desserts are incredibly decadent and take less time to eat at the restaurant. Plus, it is far harder to find excellent gluten-free desserts in Buenos Aires than entrées.
Celigourmet Gluten Free
Address: French 3052, Recoleta
Price: Depends on what type of food you get, but it was very reasonable.
Celigourmet is a gluten-free bakery near the Alto Palermo Shopping Center. It sells bread and pastries, as well as frozen entrees. However, we went there for a very specific item: pita bread. If you are gluten-free yet eat a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern diet, you know how hard it is to find gluten-free pita bread.
Celigourtmet’s pita bread was lovely! It was soft and flaky, but yet still held up well after piling on meat, sauce, and toppings. Since this neighborhood has quite a few shwarma places, we went to Celigourtmet first to buy the pita bread. Then we went around the corner to al-Zein at Sánchez de Bustamante 2014 to buy a shwarma plate. We then took everything to the Alto Palermo food court and made it like a picnic (we visited Buenos Aires in the winter, and it was too cold outside). Absolutely scrumptious and one of my favorite meals while in Buenos Aires.
Gluten-Free Options at Other Buenos Aires Restaurants
We spent most of our time eating at regular restaurants in Buenos Aires that offered gluten-free options. Most restaurants have one or two meals that can be made gluten-free. Again, please note that cross-contamination is highly present in all of these restaurants.
Bao Kitchen
Address: Av. Pueyrredón 1790, Recoleta
Price: $15-20 per entrée
The Pollo Mandarín from Bao Kitchen may have been my favorite meal the whole time we were in Buenos Aires. Essentially, it is orange chicken, and Bao Kitchen can make it gluten-free if you specifically ask for it that way. In fact, the menu doesn’t list this as a gluten-free option. But the owner let us know she can make it gluten-free when we were inquiring about our options. Boy are we thrilled that she suggested it! (Note: if you are a big eater, ask for a second side of white rice, as only one small portion comes with the meal.)
Note that Bao Kitchen is a Taiwanese restaurant, not a Chinese restaurant. Do not call it a Chinese restaurant! While you eat, you will be surrounded by Taiwanese information. This includes poems on the wall by Taiwanese poets and a TV showing videos about China’s brutality towards Taiwan. At the end, you’ll be given pamphlets about Falun Dafa, an organization dedicated to fighting Chinese misinformation towards Taiwan.
Remo Deli
Address: Av Santa Fe 3253, Alto Palermo Shopping, Top Floor in the Food Court
Price: $12-15 per sandwich
Don’t let its mall food court location fool you! Remo Deli is an authentic delicatessen in which high-quality meats and cheeses are sliced right before being stacked on your sandwich. You can choose from plenty of sandwiches, all of which can be eaten on gluten-free bread. Note that one time we went, they did not have gluten-free bread available, so it is best to ask before you order to confirm availability.
My favorite sandwich was the Cocido Braseado, which was a ham sandwich with brie and blue cheeses, sweet pickles, and dijon mustard. The blue cheese was strong and fragrant, and really made the sandwich tasty. Kevin’s favorite sandwich was the Burrata & Prosciutto, also a ham sandwich but with parmesan cheese, tomato, and arugula drizzled with olive oil and pepper. When we went, they had 16 sandwiches to choose from, so I’m sure you’ll find something you’ll love!
Almacén de Pizzas
Address: Many locations throughout Buenos Aires, which you can see here.
Price: US$12-15 per pizza
If you read our Gluten Free Guide to Asunción, you’ll know we loved Almacén de Pizzas (AdP). Fortunately, there are many AdP locations in Buenos Aires too. AdP in Buenos Aires has four types of pizzas and two types of empanadas on its gluten-free menu. You can choose any of the four pizzas, depending on your preference. However, we recommend getting the ham and cheese empanadas (empanadas de jamón y queso) instead of the beef empanadas (empanadas de carne) because the cheese helps moisten the dough. The beef empanada is good, but dry.
Note that the AdP in Asunción also served gluten-free ravioli, which is not available in Buenos Aires. Fortunately, you can get gluten-free ravioli from other places in Buenos Aires, such as La Juvenil Pastas, detailed next.
- Travel Essential: These Colorful Luggage Tags Are A Must Have For Any Traveler. Made Of PU Leather Material, They Can Withstand The Bumps And Damage Of Travel. The Stainless Steel Loop Design Conveniently And Securely Attaches The Tag To Your Luggage.
- Privacy Protection: Luggage Tags With A Privacy Back Cover To Completely Hide Your Owner Information. Avoid Prying Eyes, Improve Security, So That You Don'T Have To Worry About Personal Information Leakage, And Enjoy A Pleasant Journey.
Last update on 2025-02-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
La Juvenil Pastas
Address: Av Santa Fe 2619, Recoleta, but there are other locations throughout Buenos Aires.
Price: US$6-8 per bag
La Juvenil makes frozen pasta that you can take home and heat yourself. While it isn’t a restaurant, I am including it because if you come to Buenos Aires, you will want good Italian food. Fortunately, La Juvenil has an excellent gluten-free selection, including ravioli. Throughout Latin America, gluten-free spaghetti and regular pasta is easy to find in a grocery store. But gluten-free ravioli is tough to find, so I want to ensure you know this option.
You can find out more from La Juvenil’s website here.
La Panera Rosa
Address: There are many locations throughout Buenos Aires – you can see some here on Google Maps.
Price: US$20-25 per person, including coffee and non-alcoholic drinks
La Panera Rosa is a fancy diner chain ubiquitous throughout Buenos Aires, plus locations in Chile, Uruguay, and Spain. They have a few gluten-free options, so Kevin and I tried it out. We ordered the Keto breakfast (shown below) and the ham and cheese sandwich. We thought it was overpriced and not that great. 🙁
If you are gluten-free, we recommend going for breakfast or brunch, but not lunch or dinner. The Keto breakfast, while expensive, is hearty and has a good assortment of items for one person. It was “fun” to sample all of the different dishes that come with the Keto breakfast.
On the other hand, we recommend skipping the gluten-free ham and cheese sandwich (tostado de jamón y queso). It was mostly bread, with a slice of ham and a slice of cheese in between. The bread was very dry and crumbly, and it does not come with any condiments or sauce to help chew it. We would not order it again.
Let us know in the comments your favorite gluten-free restaurants and meals in Buenos Aires!
See Our Latest Posts!
This product presentation was made with AAWP plugin.
I love your blogs. They’ve got so much information and details in them (including links to restaurants & maps), that no one can go wrong or mess things up. The pictures are always much appreciated, to see what we’d actually be getting! That KETO meal did look good with the variety of things, and it’s really nice that the Taiwanese restaurant offered to make gluten-free meals for you (I know it wasn’t stated on the menu, so it was nice of them to offer!). Thank you for these blogs.