It’s not all steak in Argentina, if you head to Tierra del Fuego it’s all about centolla, or king crab.
This remote region of Patagonia is pure sea and mountains.
Forget the beef of Buenos Aires, to eat like a local you need to try king crab in Ushuaia.
This post is a complete guide on where to find the best centolla in Ushuaia as well as how to seek out an authentic fishing experience like a local!
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Where to Eat Centolla in Ushuaia
One of the best things to do in Ushuaia is eat and eat well.
Which is convenient, considering the weather here can be very unreliable. Is it raining, cold, and windy (despite it being the peak of summer?!), head into one of these restaurants for the best king crab in Ushuaia.
The first three are within a 2-3 block distance on the waterfront, just across from the touristic port.
- El Viejo Marino | We went here and loved it. It’s no frills, affordable, and one of the most popular restaurants on the waterfront. The menu here focuses on the king crab and you won’t find much else (except a milanesa for the non-fish eating folk).
- Volver | One block from El Viejo Marino (easy to compare both before choosing), Volver has a bit more ambience and wider menu, which is good if someone in your party isn’t too into king crab.
- Tia Elvira | The third restaurant on the waterfront, all are within a stone’s throw of each other. They have great views and massive tanks of centolla to gawk at.
- Kaupe | For a nice dinner out, Kaupe was very highly recommended to us.
- La Casa de los Mariscos | A great option right on San Martin, the main shopping street downtown. You’ll find a lot more than just king crab on their menu with items like paella, squid, and more.
- Chez Manu | French fusion and fine dining, they focus on French cuisine with authentic Patagonian ingredients. It’s on the road that leads to the Martial Glacier hike and has stunning views of the city and Beagle Channel below.
Our Experience & What to Expect
We went to El Viejo Marino, no frills is exactly what we love in a restaurant.
It’s important to keep in mind that the menu is basically limited to centolla and variations on how to prepare it.
As you walk in, you’ll pass the tank of live king crab awaiting their fate.
Throughout our meal servers kept running to and from the tank, with fingers delicately pinching onto a single leg of a live centolla, holding it at arm’s length on their way to the kitchen.
The two most popular ways to try king crab in Argentina is fresh (al natural, served cool and the flavor untampered with) or a la parmesana (my favorite, warm with melted parmesan gratinated on top).
If there are two of you, I recommend ordering an entire centolla to share. It’s quite the experience!
If one of you is picky (I apologize, it’s me), then there are great dishes for one. My husband tried al natural and also a pasta dish. I was brave (pats own back) and had a la parmesana.
Visit Puerto Almanza: A Centolla Fishing Village
Authentic fishing village just an hour and a half from Ushuaia?
I don’t need to love seafood (and I don’t) to love an experience like this one!
(Disclosure, my husband DOES love seafood and this was a real treat for him).
Puerto Almanza is the southernmost town in Argentina (yep, further south an Ushuaia).
Only 15 fishing families live here and it’s officially the Ruta de la Centolla.
You can eat king crab straight from the source here!
How to get to Puerto Almanza
It’s easy but a bit of a trek to get to Puerto Almanza.
We had a rental car (check rates here) so we enjoyed a full day in the area, starting with a tour of Isla Martillo’s penguin colony and ending with lunch in Puerto Almanza.
The village is only a few minutes from historic Estancia Haberton so it’s very, very easy to combine this tour (penguins + estancia) with Puerto Almanza.
If you have your own car you can simply meet the tour group at the estancia rather than go in their bus and stay afterwards to eat it up in Puerto Almanza.
IMPORANT: The best two restaurants in Puerto Almanza are Puerto Pirata and La Mesita de Almanza. Not all restaurants are open every day, it’s ideal to visit on a weekend to make sure they’re open or call and reserve. Everything closes on Mondays and on other days it can depend on which restaurants have arrangements with tour groups (another benefit to going with a tour).
Tours to Puerto Almanza: La Ruta de la Centolla
If you don’t have a car, I highly recommend these guided tours to Puerto Almanza.
In fact, rental car or not, I planned on going on the fishing tour during our visit. We reluctantly decided against it because we had our baby with us and the boat with him on a cold windy day wasn’t admittedly a bad idea.
- Crab Fishing in Ushuaia | If you love to eat, this is THE tour to go on in Ushuaia. You’ll go out with a local fisherman and catch your own king crab. Afterward, the centolla is cooked up for you at Puerto Almanza’s best restaurant.
- Experience The Crab Route | Don’t want to fish? This tour is more comprehensive, with a short and easy hike to a waterfall included along with a visit to a restaurant in Puerto Almanza. It’s highly-rated for a reason, it’s a great way to see this off the beaten path with a local. Ideal if you can’t speak Spanish and don’t feel comfortable going it alone.
Read More About Eating in Argentina
- 27 Popular Foods in Argentina You Have to Try
- What to Eat in Buenos Aires: 11 Traditional Buenos Aires Food Experiences
- A Beefy Guide to Eating Steak in Buenos Aires
- A Gluttonous Guide to Ice Cream in Argentina
- Traditional Argentine Drinks to Try
Argentina Travel Resources
- BOOK A CONSULTATION | I offer one-on-one travel consultations to help you plan your trip to Argentina. Pick my brain to get a local’s insight. Click here for more information.
- MY MAP | Buy my interactive map with 300+ pins to have access to the city as I see it. It is an invaluable resource. See more here about how it works.
- AIRPORT TRANSFERS | Having a driver waiting for you is ideal for a stress free arrival, Welcome Pickups is the best option for a driver from Ezeiza or Aeroparque.
- TRAVEL INSURANCE | Always travel insured. Anything can happen anywhere and it is scarier and costlier in an unfamiliar country. SafetyWing’s Essential Plan covers unexpected travel and medical emergencies and even offers add-ons like electronics theft or adventure sports. It is the best if you’re coming on vacation. If you’re coming as a digital nomad or an extended stay, you need their Complete Nomad Plan which also covers routine check ups, maternity, mental healthcare and more. Read more: Health Insurance in Argentina
- PHONE PLAN | These days, traveling with data is essential. Especially in Argentina where everything is managed on Instagram and WhatsApp. I recommend this E-SIM card. It’s hassle-free and affordable, for more read how to get an Argentina sim card.
- ACCOMMODATION IN ARGENTINA | booking.com is the most common hotel site used in Argentina and it’s where you’ll find the most options.
- RENTAL CARS | I love to travel Argentina via road trip, I’ve always used rentalcars.com, now they are operating under the umbrella of Booking.com’s car rental system.
- BUS TICKETS | Check Busbud for long distance bus routes and tickets.
- VPN | If you’ll be using a public WiFi connection and want to secure your data, I highly recommend using a VPN, I personally use and have had a good experience with ExpressVPN. I also use it to access Hulu and American Netflix from Argentina.
- FLIGHTS | Always check Google Flights and Skyscanner for flights to and within Argentina. Aerolineas Argentina is the local airline with the most routes. FlyBondi and Jetsmart are two budget airlines with dirt-cheap prices (but expect to pay for every add-on like luggage).
Hi there!
I am curious about the crab that you tried in El Viejo Marino – the parmesan style – how much did that cost approx in pesos?
They’re around 10 dollars give or take, but in Argentina it can change so much with inflation