La Candelaria — Restaurant in El Calafate

We ordered two orders of trout. One fish came out ok, but the second one was very different and seemed stale: it had much darker color, didn’t separate from the skin and it tasted bad. We pointed out the difference between the two fish, but we were told the second fish was fine, perhaps it was cooked a bit more than the other one.

After trying to eat the stale fish, we had to send away half of it since the taste was truly terrible. They compensated by giving us desert (which tasted fine) but still charged us for the fish that we sent back!

The worst part is that after leaving the restaurant, my wife had serious stomach problems and she had to throw up. I think she narrowly avoided food poisoning. The fish was very stale indeed.

Another issue was that they have a “promotion menu” advertised outside the door. But if you ask them for that menu they tell you it is only for eating outside. Outside, the tables were under the sun and very dirty, and nobody sat there. The “promotion menu” is clearly a trick to get people through the door—it is not actually available.

The bottom line: Don’t go here. It looks like a fine dining restaurant but it actually has terrible food and service. In fact, the restaurant is a health hazard: they almost food-poisoned my wife. They ruined our day in El Calafate. We were recommended much better and safer restaurants, such as Nina, and we should have followed the...

The BEST restaurant in all of El Calafate and that's an understatement. Wow, what an experience. The food was so good we came back the next day and we weren't the only ones. The chefs in that kitchen are producing works of art, they must be God's disciples because their food changed me from being agnostic into a believer.

By far their best dish on the menu is the Roasted Lamb in rosemary. This dish got me contemplating life and the intricate workings of the universe. Every bite got me feeling like I was floating between the fabric of space and time, looking down upon the creation of the earth. The meat is extremely juice, tender and the taste is out of this world. We ordered the Lamb Sorrentino's on the first day as well and wow. The sauce is rich, the pasta is perfect and the lamb filling is delicious. Straight 11/10.

The staff is extremely polite and professional. They speak fluently English and are knowledgeable about the menu and wines. The care for attention was perfect and their timing was splendid. The experience was so good I brought four people with me the next day because I needed them to experience the same enlightenment as me.

I implore you to treat yourself to an out of this world experience and taste the lamb!!! I'd go to El Calafate just for this restaurant. Wow. I'd give it 6...

Well appointed, semi formal “Parrilla”. The grill pitt is glassed in and beautiful. Cocktails are strong and served in the correct glassware. The steaks are as expected: smoky, served with herbs, and succulent. Expect to wait if dining during traditional Argentine dining hours, but arrive early (18:30 or prior) and get treated to súper individualized service and likely an “on the house” treat. The charcuterie platter is huge; there were 4 of us and we ordered that plus a starter salad to share and had to downsize our main dishes. The Tomahawk is easily enough for two; the T-bone can be as well with two sides. Bonuses: super clean restrooms, no television, rustic chic silverware. Most nights they don't blast the music too loud.

Of note, all restaurants in Calafate serve mostly tourists. On any given day the town is 50-100% tourists and the locals are attending to the travelers. We trekked to the outer neighborhoods and found only slightly lower prices with less well-appointed digs. For a nice night out the locals also go on the main strip.

In Spanish: Comida de primera, servicio sensacional. El ambiente de esta restaurante esta sin igual, musica suave, sabores tradicionales elevados, y cócteles...