Don Guerra — Restaurant in El Chaltén

"Don Guerra" is a restaurant / brewery that is on the north part of the city, near the El Chálten trail. It was our favorite restaurant on the city on the past (Autumn season), and we decided to return last year on Spring. It has a more cozy and pub-oriented atmosphere, like an alpine cottage with related decoration, with an American style service, great heating for the colder days and with a nice bar on the middle of the restaurant. It has more elaborated dishes, with good portions and very nice and friendly service, and depending of the season it is packed with groups to drink the several options of beers that they have - it is also a good place to be on couples if you like a busier place. They have also Happy Hour and an extensive chart of wines and distilled drinks.

We did go there twice on the last trip: in the first one, we tried the Laguna Soup (roasted pumpkin and blue cheese) that was ok, along with two excellent regional indian pale ales (IPA) and a Ravioli del Campo (stuffed lamb pasta with tomato sauce, mushrooms, and cream - just awesome and rich). In a second visit we had another two Indian pale beers along with a Del Norte Soup (sweet corn with bacon soup, very tasty), a Sorrentino del Lago (stuffed trout past with butter herbs and green onions, just delicious), and the Wok a Lo Gaucho (vegetables wok with rice chicken and Mollet egg - the egg was a bit too much boiled and the rice a bit tasteless). For dessert two Torta de Frutos Rojos (red fruit cake with American cream and ice-cream, very good).

We have been there four times on the previous trip (past Autumn season), and the menu had more options, with different dishes and it was cheaper (the prices were higher on the recent visit - maybe because of the devaluation of pesos, maybe because of seasonality). They also offered a starter that was a delicious bread with pumpkin paste that we didn’t get on the recent visits. We got the chance to try lots of dishes, like the squid rings, the Pizza (excellent, packed with a delicious cheese), Sorrentino del Lago, Ravioles de Campo (both delicious), Cordero a la Massa (it was the dish that I missed the most), Lomo al Pecho, Bife Don Guerra (both were excellent), the Hamburger (a bit dry) and the Flan.

Without almost no exception, all dishes were very good. I don't know if they have a seasonal menu or if they just alter the menu from time to time, but gladly, many of those options still are in the menu and are excellent choices.

In resume, Don Guerra is a very good choice if you want an excellent beer or some more gourmet dishes that are usually very well done, very rich and tasty in good portions. You pay a bit more than other places in the city, but the place, ingredients used, presentation and preparation are worth the extra bucks, and it still have a very good cost benefit. Without a doubt we can recommend a visit if you are...

As someone who rarely writes negative reviews, it's with a heavy heart that I share our recent experience at Don Guerra. My wife and I were looking forward to a pleasant dining experience, but unfortunately, we were met with a series of disappointments.

Upon being seated, we eagerly anticipated the bustling atmosphere and the promising menu. However, after a wait of approximately 20-30 minutes, during which time we were not approached by our waiter or offered even a drink, our initial excitement began to wane. We noticed that at least three other couples, who arrived after us, were promptly seated, which added to our growing sense of neglect.

Halfway through our wait, our waiter did ask us to wait a bit longer, but no further interaction followed. It seemed that the service was flowing smoothly on the other side of the restaurant, leading us to believe that our experience might have been an isolated issue with our server.

The most disheartening part of our visit came when we decided to leave. As we put on our jackets, attempts to catch the attention of two other staff members – an older gentleman and a female waiter – were met with averted gazes. This left us feeling rather invisible and, frankly, quite unwelcome.

I am hesitant to mention this, but as the only Asian couple in the restaurant at the time, we couldn't help but wonder if our experience was influenced by this. It's not something anyone wants to believe, but the difference in service was stark and left us feeling quite disheartened.

I am not one to hastily leave a one-star review, understanding the impact they can have on a business. However, I do believe that there is a significant need for staff training in customer engagement and equitable service. Everyone deserves to feel valued and welcomed, regardless of who they are.

We left feeling sad and disappointed, a stark contrast to what we had hoped for. I sincerely hope this feedback is taken as an opportunity for Don Guerra to improve and ensure that all patrons receive the attentive and respectful service...

Imagine coming back from a strenuous mountain hike and looking forward to a refreshing beer. Then you go to a place called "Cervezeria Don Guerra", which no doubt welcomes many thirsty hikers every day. And then the waiter (or owner? Anyway, a man probably in his mid-50s) takes what feels like 10 minutes to come to your table (and no, the place wasn't anywhere near full). Then you can finally order your beer (a large Patagonia [760 ml] for 6,000 pesos, that's tough) and then it takes another eternity for it to arrive. In the meantime, the waiter has brought food to three other tables. And vinegar and oil. And, and, and. Back and forth a thousand times. And then - I'm not joking - he even walks from the bar to a table with a single salt shaker in his hand. While we thirsty hikers are still waiting for our beer. At some point, he puts the beer and glasses on the bar - we think it's almost time. Think again! He prefers to go to different tables five more times. While our beer is already on the bar, just waiting for us to drink it! We wanted to get the beer ourselves, it would have been quicker. We were actually hungry too, but we decided not to eat here and went to "La Cervezeria" 200 meters further on. That was a good decision, the service there was excellent. We gave this restaurant two stars because the hut looks really great, built from solid tree trunks.But that's apparently...