Pimiento Argentino Grill — Restaurant in Krakow

I am writing this review for one reason, and that is to make sure you set your expectations right. If you are looking for a reliable, well organised steakhouse with excellent service and high-quality ingredients, read no further. This is where you want to book your special occasion or business dinner at.

However, if you are looking for an authentic Argentine steakhouse, as far as I can tell you will be disappointed. I am Argentinean and have had the opportunity to enjoy both the high-end "Don Julio" type places and your run-of-the-mill-and-yet-astounding corner parrillas de barrio or neighbourhood grills. This restaurant does not approximate either, and in all fairness it may not be trying to despite what the name might suggest.

Onto the food, we shared a chorizo for starters. The sausage was very lean, internally seasoned in paprika and more resembled a Spanish "chorizo colorado" than anything else. Was it good? yes. Was it Argentinean? not in the least. I will elaborate on the grilling later.

We continued with both a Bife de Chorizo and a Bife de Lomo, or New York strip and fillet, both declared as Argentine in origin. Were they good? Absolutely. Did they taste like anything back home? Again, the answer is a regrettable no and perhaps for good reason. As far as I understand, regulations in Krakow do not allow for any sort of emissions stemming from coal burning or the traditional "Quebracho" hardwood smoking, both of which are essential in Argentine asado. As well, the meat did not seem to be properly salted before grilling and benefited from hefty amounts of salt once on the plate which is hardly a substitute. Both of these factors push the end result further away from the authentic Argentine grill experience.

As far as sides and sauces, the Chimi-churri, although an undefined recipe even in Argentina, was lacking any acidity, something which may not suit everyone. We ordered sweet potatoes, the baked one was excellent and adorned with the same "Chorizo colorado" that is nowhere to be found in traditional Argentine grills. We also ordered a mushroom sauce, which, although undeniably non-traditional, was exceptional.

Is it necessary to be this precise? For most of you reading, clearly not. But, in case someone like myself is expecting a more strict Argentine interpretation, I believe reading this might be helpful. Having been to other restaurants in Central Europe which really try and succeed at recreating Argentine steak, I must say Pimiento is not one of them. If this was never part of your criteria, and you are looking for a reliable and high-quality experience, I am glad recommending it. The tab was expensive but you already know what you are getting into.

As a side note, staff were professional, friendly but not overbearing and...

Overall very pleased with this experience at Pimiento. Decor and location are great, wait time is very reasonable, and service upfront is attentive albeit gets a little less so toward the end. Started with the empanadas, which they kindly split into 2 plates. Delicious, highly recommended. Next the mains: porterhouse (600g in my case, subsequently grilled rare) with sides of puréed potato with black truffle and grilled veggies, and a steakhouse burger with fries.

The veggies were nearly perfect, crispy asparagus would have been a preferred texture though. Potato truffle purée was excellent. The porterhouse was thick and grilled exactly as requested, but a medium rare would be better because getting it off the bone would be easier. The tablecloth was very slippery so dissecting was troublesome. Also, it was a bit underseasoned but that’s a cultural phenomenon in these parts. I’d suggest basting with browned butter and garlic/rosemary while searing to complement the mallard reaction in areas not touching the grill directly. Also a little bit more prep around the silverskin, it’s an additional step and each stela is different, but it would make the experience much smoother. Some steakhouses actually do that for you, which is nice.

The burger was great, came with guac and beets with an interesting sauce. I’m more of a smash burger guy, so steakhouse burgers aren’t really my thing. However it’s a delicious option, could only be elevated by something tart or more acidic to get through the fats. Cooked to medium rare albeit leaning more in the rare direction.

Next time I’ll have to try the Kobe or wagyu tomahawk (expect a minimum of 1kg for the latter). But at 1-2k per, depending on cut, it’ll be a special occasion sort of thing.

For the price, (just shy of 600 with no wine) it’s arguably reasonable. I’m comparing it to what I’d pay in major US cities, though. Compared to the one Michelin star restaurant in Krakow, where dinner would cost you in the same ballpark, I don’t think the overall experience is quite as good. So take that...

We have chosen this restaurant as it was for our 10 year wedding anniversary. Upon booking online there was an option to select if is was for a special occasion to which we selected anniversary, I’m not sure why there is this option as this must of been ignored by whoever checks the booking. We chose Pimiento as this looked one of the best steak places in the town, and yes the food was completely that, not one fault, lived up to our expectations. The part that ended on a bad note was the waiter who served us from the start was very abrupt and came across rude. He came to the table and his first words was DRINK. There was no offer of a drinks menu or anything,this poor attitude carried on which did put a slight dampener on the night. The bill was requested and upon payment I asked the waiter to remove the service charge that was added due to the poor service to which his response was WHY. My wife just confirmed that we didn’t wish to pay for it ,he then said I will get the manger. The manager came to our table and also questioned why in an abrupt manner which was totally inappropriate and unacceptable. I do feel sorry for the business owner that there staff make you feel like you have to pay for service charge. It’s a massive let down and puts such a bad taste in my mouth when the food was amazing. We have offered a tip (service charge)for most places we have eaten and drunk in so we are not the type to just not pay this out of spite. Real shame as this place has so much potential and I would never return from the embarrassment we went through, they obviously don’t have training in the particular role of their job or maybe they were just having a bad day and took it out on us! I can also see that we aren’t the first customers who have mentioned about the special occasions being ignored and the staff...