Cabaña Las Lilas

[Aqualung]

In a similar situation, a dozen fishermen two weeks ago paid US$70 each for a steak dinner plus wine! As you say, the service was excellent but the stake was no better than the one Ramiro serves up for a fraction of the price! And the wine I can get at the local supermarket for US$17 per bottle!

[Jaimito Cartero]

Here's the kicker: The bill for 10 guys, without wine, coffee or dessert, was $1,500 fucking pesos, including an astonishing $20 pesos per person cubierto! That's $150 pesos per person, or approximately 3 times what the same meal would have been at l'Alliance or dozens of other non-tourist restaurants in BA.

Do I need to say anything more?

Yeah, dumb guys everywhere. I think the cubierto was 15-18 pesos when I went with the family a couple of years ago. They did give you some stuff with it, but most wasn't anything I would have willingly paid for.

A fool and his money.

[Jackson]

Greetings everyone,

I was recently contacted by a group of guys who were visiting BA on their annual "Golfing trip" with their buddies. Having met a number of these hunting / fishing / golfing trip "We're all Big Swinging Dicks back home" groups in the past, I know that they're typically big spenders at dinner and cheap spenders with the chicas, but the latter is a different story.

Anyway, the guys invited me to dinner, so I met them at their hotel where I made several restaurant suggestions, including l'Alliance, but of course one guy had asked for a recommendation from the concierge, who of course recommended Cabaña Las Lilas. I decided that since they were paying, what the fuck did I care.

The service was excellent and all the steaks were the same quality as l'Alliance. On that night my bife de lomo and accompanying sauteed mushrooms were perhaps 95% of the quality that I've become accustomed to expect from l'Alliance on any given night, but let's assume for the sake of argument that the food at both restaurants is equal.

Here's the kicker: The bill for 10 guys, without wine, coffee or dessert, was $1,500 fucking pesos, including an astonishing $20 pesos per person cubierto! That's $150 pesos per person, or approximately 3 times what the same meal would have been at l'Alliance or dozens of other non-tourist restaurants in BA.

Do I need to say anything more?

Thanks,

Jackson

[QuakHunter]

I was at Cabana Las Lillas several times before 2001, and revisited last April. The place has maintained its quality and is a value when compared against any country and major Metropolitan center.

The staff during our last visit was unbelievable. Myself and three Amigos stopped by for drinks at opening around 7:00pm. In trying to figure out plans for the evening, one of the Chica's from our previous evening before our Dove Hunting trip walked by. The game was on! She called four of her friends and we met in the lounge. The manager and staff treated us like royalty, as opposed to being an instant Pariah in the states. They provided us with appetizers and deserts gratis and made room for us to eat in the lounge. (Of course the 22 bottles of Luigi Bosca helped with their profit margins)

When we left at 12:30 and $500us poorer, the manger called a driver and took us to the Claridge at no cost.

We return in March and will definitely be there again.

[BadMan]

I finally made my way here last night,

It was my guests last night in BA, and I decided to take them here hoping to impress them a little. Well, what can I say. The restaurant is nice, it is a great location in Puerto Madero and the food was good. We got there around 9 PM, We waited around 20 minutes for our table. They have a beeper system. You sign in and they hand you a pager and it beeps when your table is ready. Well the restaurant is nice, though they don't have central air, just a bunch of fans (which is kind of tacky for such a pricey place) The service was excellent, also like Houston's, the wait staff works as a team. There was someone who took our drink order, another person in a suit and tie took our food order and then a third waiter served us with an assistant from the kitchen, not to mention there was always a guy walking around refilling our bread basket. There was never a moment when a waiter wasn't a few feet away. The service IMHO was extremely well planned out and well executed, a really top quality place in that regard. Now onto the food. Well as soon as you sit down, they place a large tray of appetizers, meats cheeses, breads veggies, steamed salmon and so on. So you don't really need to order an appetizer. I did, I ordered the empanadas, and they were good, though, IMHO the ones at El Mirasol are better, those are deep fried and these were baked. But they were good none the less. I ordered a tenderloin, I had been edging towards the T-bone, but I opted for the tenderloin to be able to compare. Well the steak was delicious and cooked " a punto " perfectly. The quality of beef is very good here. I also ordered mashed potatoes and they were very good as well, almost tasted home made. I ordered a Mojito bez alcohol just like I always do and this is where I found the first flaw. It was " crap ", it wasn't cold, the ice wasn't crushed, they didn't add any 7-UP to compensate for the missing rum, it basically tasted like a luke warm bland lemon aide, YUCK. The service was excellent, the food was very good, not the best I have had, but very good. I found their bar lacking in basic Mojito making skills.

Now onto the price, we all ate for about 100 pesos per person. So a meal for 5 was about 500 pesos including tip. Not bad. And if you take into account the fact that the same meal at Sparks, Mortons, or Dal Rae, would set you back around 500 US, you do appreciate the quality. For BA standards it is expensive, and you can find food that is just as good for less, but if you compare it to similair quality places in the US, for a tourist who wants a Sparks experience for a third of the price, this is the place to go.

Bad

[Thomaso276]

Cut 'em thick for the best flavor. Enjoy

[BadMan]

I buy (actually my GF buys) the brand Lilas carne in the Disco. Ojo de Bife about 20 pesos a kilo, always a great cut. Same steaks they serve in their restaurant. Get three beautiful steaks from a kilo. Works out to about 3 dollars a pound (I remember when it was $1.50) Still cheap.

Thanks for the heads up on that one Thomaso, I went to the Jumbo in palermo today and I looked and found some Cabana las lilas tenderloins and hamburgers, they also had about 4 other premium brands apart from the regular stuff. I got a 1.60 Kilogram tenderloin of Cabana beef for like 35 pesos, I can cut like 6-8 filets from that one piece.

Thanks again man,.

Badboy

[Jaimito Cartero]

And executives. True, they are in Puerto Madero, and they give you this beautiful plate of little appetizers.

I'd check your bill a little closer. They don't give you anything there for free. I seem to recall they charged $5 a person for the "free" stuff.

[Chascomus]

I was in Cabania las lilas, and I have to admit the service was very good, but the prices were definately targeted to foreigners. And executives. True, they are in Puerto Madero, and they give you this beautiful plate of little appetizers. But, I eat ALL over this country. Usually in the nicer places, but NEVER had I seen a plate of "Ojo de Bife" for $42 pesos! Dam! I can get the same exact cut at "La Portenio" or any other decent nice place for usually not more than $12. Maybe $14 pesos?

It is a place I ONLY go if someone else invites me! Hint)

[Thomaso276]

I buy (actually my GF buys) the brand Lilas carne in the Disco. Ojo de Bife about 20 pesos a kilo, always a great cut. Same steaks they serve in their restaurant. Get three beautiful steaks from a kilo. Works out to about 3 dollars a pound (I remember when it was $1.50) Still cheap.

[Polvo]

Alicia Moreau de Justo 516, (Puerto Madero) Tel: 4313-1336

If you want to go posh at lunch, this is a good option. It is not recommended for vegetarians. Local businessmen and and other varied upper crust twats go there for business lunches. The outside veranda is good for watching chicas go past and rating their racks.

As far as the food goes as long as you are prepared for a large dead animal to be plonked on your plate all is fine. Excellent quality, good service but pricey as hell. (I was not paying - yipee! 2 people - kidneys and sweetmeats for appertizer, half-bottle of wine (OK - we're wimps) flan and the biggest ef*ing steak I have ever seen $150 pesos.

Do recommend it, if budget is not an issue.

Polvo

[Moore]

Estilo Campo is excellent - one of my favorite restaurants anywhere in the world. I've always preferred it to Cabana Las Lilas and usually bring foreign visitors there. Their prices have probably increased only as much as everyone elses since the devaluation, except Cababa Las Lilas which raises their prices about 2X everywhere else.

I've always been disappointed with Happening. It's like they think that you simply set up shop in Puerto Madero and that automatically makes it a first rate joint. I've had some poor meals there, such as bondiola and even steak. The bar area there is very cool though. I suppose that Dickhead strikes up interesting political/other conversations with strangers in the men's room there.

[El Aleman]

VSG,

I thought I just gave exactly that advice - one post below yours.

?

A little bit confused Alemán

[Exon123]

Estilo Campo.

I love Estilo Campo but I'm not allowed in their anymore.

Exon

[Capt Dave]

A few of us had dinner there just the other night, and it was just fine!

Service was first class, everything was good, and the prices are still SUBSTANCIALLY lower then Cabana las Lilas (which used to be my favorite, but no more!)

Aquellos Anos is also very good, but is in la Costanera, so it's a little bit of a treck.

David