La Tablita — Restaurant in El Calafate

From the moment we walked in, we were met not with hospitality, but with open hostility. As two young tourists, we were clearly unwelcome. The waitress, whose attitude was dripping with arrogance and condescension, made it obvious we were beneath her from the start. Her service was rude, dismissive and unprofessional, completely unbothered by basic manners or customer care, as though doing her job was beneath her. Our food experience was just as awful. The meat took over 40 minutes to arrive, and when it finally did, it was inedible and overcooked, tough, and completely lacking flavor. We sent it back to be recooked, which took another 30 minutes, only for it to come back somehow worse. When we politely raised our concerns, we were met not with apologies or empathy, but with aggression. The staff laughed at us, mocked us, and tried to intimidate us into backing down. Our request for a partial refund or any form of compensation was treated like a joke. We were left waiting over half an hour as they blatantly ignored us, clearly hoping we would give up and leave. The root of the problem is clearly Laura, the so-called manager, who got in our face and laughed at our complaint. Her behavior was not only unprofessional it was disgraceful. If the owner of this restaurant reads this: fire Laura. She is single-handedly ruining your reputation and is a terrible reflection on your establishment and, frankly, on Argentinian hospitality as a whole. This was, without question, the most disgusting and degrading experience we’ve had in any restaurant, anywhere in the world. We are doing everything we can to spread the word and save others from the same nightmare. Do not fall for the trap. Avoid this place...

I’m writing this with a heavy heart because I truly love your restaurant. Over the past 21 years, I’ve come to see it as my favorite in all of Patagonia. I’ve brought countless groups there as a tour guide, and always recommended it with confidence and pride. That’s why what happened tonight was especially hard to experience, and even harder to write about—but I feel it’s important to say something so it doesn’t happen again, to myself or anyone else.

Tonight was supposed to be a special celebration—my birthday dinner. My wife made a reservation in advance and mentioned the occasion, which was acknowledged and confirmed. But from the moment we arrived, the experience fell far short of what I’ve always known and loved about your restaurant.

The waitress seemed upset or disengaged from the very beginning. We all have bad days, of course, but her attitude made the whole experience feel cold and unwelcome. When our lamb was served, the portions were mostly bone, and when I gently asked if we might have a few more meaty pieces, her response was rude and dismissive. She didn’t check on us once during the meal, and we were left feeling ignored and uncomfortable.

I understand that not every night can be perfect, but this felt more than just an off night—it felt like we weren’t valued at all, even on a night that meant a lot to me personally. That hurt, especially in a place I’ve always held in such high regard.

I truly hope future guests, especially those celebrating meaningful moments, can continue to experience it the...

Probably has to be one of the must try restaurants in El Calafate. Because it is supposed to serve one of the best lamb in the world? A restaurant which has opened for decades specializing in lamb, they attract locals and tourists and its really not easy getting a table. Recommended to make reservations if you are not going alone. I was there alone and it was easier but I had to wait for quite a while for all those with reservation to be seated first. They do offer beef and lamb here but the recommendation is to eat lamb of course because that is what they are famous for. The restaurant is quite big and there is this display where diners can see the lambs roasting away. I did actually wanted to order a mix plate of beef and lamb, but the staff warned me the portion would be very big and not be suitable for one person, so I took the Patagonian lamb for one instead. She also recommended me to try the fries with truffle oil. The food portions were really big because I ended up so full and not able to finish both the lamb and the fries. The lamb was really one of the best I have eaten, but the fries were a little disappointing because it turned soggy very quickly. I wanted to have desserts but it was really impossible to have any. Food was decent but the price is slightly on the higher end. However I would still recommend this place to experience a good...