Cucina Paradiso Senza Glutine — Restaurant in Autonomous City of Buenos Aires

When I heard about Cucina Paradiso and their homemade pasta dishes, I was very excited to try them out. Few who decide to hand make each plate of pasta have trouble marrying them with the well-balanced sauce befitting their creations. More benefit of the doubt was accorded upon seeing the setting, a cozy but cared for space stocked with an abundance Italian wares and wines. As we settled in to browse the menu, we realized the price points were more akin to some of the nicer steakhouses in the area than to what we had expected. But, we thought, that could only speak to the care they must put into their dishes. The wine list seemed verbose but upon inquiry we found that their cellar was not as well stocked as it seemed. Having to pass on a Sangiovese we would have preferred, we were recommended a fairly standard Argentinian merlot. The cubierto (service fee) included a weirdly conceived of and fairly bland potato bread (focaccia?) that had very faint hints of rosemary. As an appetizer we ordered the bruschetta Napoletana, which came to us warm but soggy rather than light and crisp as ought to be, and the tomatoes on top tasted aspirational, but came to us unfortunately under-seasoned. The tagliatelle Genovese was overcooked to a depressingly soft texture where each noodle held its shape on the plate but, as soon as you slurped them up, melded into an indistinguishable mash of under-salted semolina and sauce. The pesto employed a lifeless basil that seemed to have been processed rather than ground and the Parmesan cheese had a dry chalkiness to it that would not have been apparent in freshly grated Reggiano. The only redeeming factor was the crisped Parma ham that the plate wore like a crown and the pine nuts that were sprinkled throughout contributing much needed texture to an otherwise soggy mess of noodles. Before arriving at the restaurant, we had read that the tiramisu was well made but the rest of the food left us unappetizingly unable to risk ordering...

Cucina Paradiso, Palermo Hollywood. Arévalo 1538. I went once. Then I went again. Then I went ten more times.

The tables are close. You can hear other people’s forks. You’ll probably ask what they’re eating. They’ll tell you. You’ll order it. The arugula salad comes with goat cheese and oil and something else that isn’t explained and doesn’t need to be. It’s darn good.

The pasta is the main reason to go. It’s made in-house. Not to impress, just because that’s the standard here. Tagliolini is light and elastic. Ravioli hold together until you want them not to. Sauces are composed—simple when they should be, rich when expected. The cheese—yes, the cheese. Say no more.

The service is fast, focused, and present without hovering. You get the sense that everyone knows what they’re doing. Orders come quickly, dishes land warm, and the wine list is short but smart. Prices are fair. You can be in and out in 30 minutes, or stay longer and nobody minds.

I came to Buenos Aires for tango, as I have many times since 2006. A friend recommended this place. It became the thing I looked forward to between milongas, between neighborhoods, between everything else. There are other locations in the city, but this one is the most lived-in. It feels like a part of the neighborhood, not a place pretending to be anything.

It’s not trying to impress you. It...

EDIT: My previous review from 3 years ago was 5 stars, but the food has gotten much worse since then. During the pandemic a few neighbors made it a point to support this and other local gems so they wouldn't leave the neighborhood, but just after the quarantine ended they changed the menu to be exclusively gluten-free pasta which in a way was worse than leaving, because they abandoned a lot of customers but still occupy the spot in the neighborhood that could be taken by a better restaurant. I went for breakfast today, and ordered granola and yogurt with fruits. The fruit was an entire overripe banana and some strawberries and blueberries. The granola was 80% processed sugary corn flakes with a few walnuts. As a pasta place, it's not even the best in Palermo Hollywood that has only 3 pasta restaurants. The desserts are all the same glorified puddings with different flavors. Too bad really, because this used to be the best restaurant in the neighborhood. Try the Paternal location that still has the original menu.

Original review from 3 years ago: Absolutely one of the best Italian restaurants in Argentina. It´s a small place with just a few tables. I think the chef is well known. I don´t really follow chefs, I just come for the excellent food. The price is a little steep so...