People get very passionate about their pizza and the topic is no less debate-inducing in Argentina.
The best pizza in Buenos Aires is very heavy on the cheese, light on sauce (what sauce?) and the dough is thick and bready.
For locals, these historic pizzerias are iconic.
But foreigners either love it or hate it.
I, personally, love it but will always caveat that you need to leave your expectations at the door.
This isn’t your nonna’s Italian pizza.
It’s a new beast entirely that has evolved since Italian immigrants brought it to Argentina over a century ago.
This post includes the best Buenos Aires pizza restaurants including a self-guided food tour, a pizza map, and even where to find a proper NYC slice.
QUICK NOTE: This post contains affiliate links and Sol Salute may receive a commission for purchases made through these links, at no extra cost to you.
The Best Pizza in Buenos Aires
While these classic pizzerias are all over town, they really shine on Avenida Corrientes on either side of Avenida 9 de Julio.
This is the theater district in Buenos Aires, reminiscent of New York’s Times Square.
You’ll see locals pop into the pizzerias here before or after a show for a slice and a beer.
At lunch, businessmen eat their slice standing at the bar for a quick meal on the go.
Most of these historic Buenos Aires pizza restaurants have been open since the 1930’s and you’ll notice that not a square inch of decor has changed since then, down to the dusty fake plants and sun faded Coca Cola advertisements.
Let’s get some practical tips out of the way then get started on a pizza crawl through the best pizza in Buenos Aires across Avenida Corrientes.
Buenos Aires Pizza Map
Looking for a slice near you? Here are all the Buenos Aires pizzerias from the article pinned for your hungry convenience.
Buenos Aires Best Pizza: Quick Tips
- This is pizza al moldes, it is very heavy, one or two slices is usually enough
- Order a slice of faina to eat like a local. It is a savory chickpea pancake, lay it on top of your pizza and eat them together (yes, it’s very starch heavy).
- Each slice costs around the equivilant of $1.50-2 US
- If you just want a slice, order at the bar and eat standing. You’ll pay then take your receipt to the guys slicing the pizzas to serve you your portion.
- For a sit down meal you can sit in the dining room and order a whole pie. Some have selected limited seating for by the slice orders (Guerrin reserves a few small tables by the hostess stand, for example).
The Best Pizza in Buenos Aires: Corrientes Pizza Tour
When I started this blog in 2017, this was one of the first articles I wrote: a self-guided pizza crawl.
So you could say I’m a fan, my first blog post ideas weren’t “how to see an opera in the Teatro Colon” or about the best museums.
It was pizza.
What follows is a polished, updated version of my original gluttonous pizza crawl.
And since I’ve visited many, many more pizzerias in the past 7 years, I list even more pizza options after the crawl.
Hope you’re hungry.
🍕 GUIDED PIZZA TOUR: If you’d like to go on a guided food tour, This Asado Adventure food tour highlights the best pizzerias downtown and includes a lot of historical context for the area you’re in. I really enjoyed it! Book here with my code SOLSALUTE to save 10%.
Tips for a successful pizza crawl:
- This pizza is very heavy, if you want to visit more than two restaurants listed below, I recommend sharing a slice with your buddy or you’ll be too full to keep going.
- Same for wine, they pour to the brim. Pace yourself and stick to water if you’re going to a lot of places.
- Try to go at off-peak times to avoid crowds. Guerrin and El Cuartito in particular are very popular. Go right when they open around noon or early evening. Eat like an American (early).
El Palacio de la Pizza
📍Corrientes 751
🍕What to order: Spinach and bechamel, pizza del ricotta
El Palacio de la Pizza has been open since 1956 and despite the palacial name, it is a bit stark inside.
Many pizzerias on this list are frozen in time, but el Palacio de la Pizza wins in that department.
The lettering board menu, backlit signs, and grumpy waiters have likely not changed a bit in almost 70 years.
Start your tour here, share a slice of spinach and bechamel or ricotta and start working your way north up Corrientes…
Las Cuartetas
📍Corrientes 838
🍕What to order: A slice of muzza (cheese pizza/mozzarella), optional: add on a slice of faina
Las Cuartetas was founded in the 1930’s by a Basque and a Catalan.
The origin of the name is a bit of an urban legend.
Legend has it that one of the original guests that frequented the bar was the tango poet Alberto Vacarezza, who would sit and write his “cuartetas” (or “stanzas”).
Clients began to refer to the restaurant as the house of the “cuartetas” and the name stuck.
When choosing their favorite pizza here, almost everyone chooses Guerrin. But my favorite has always been the mozzarella at Cuartetas.
The cheese is overflowing off the bread, burnt to perfection at the crust and had a lot of flavorful sauce for Argentine standards.
I like to order a glass of wine, the quality is debatable and it always comes filled to the brim. Do this sparingly. If going on a pizza crawl, stick to water. Pace yourself.
Banchero
📍Corrientes 1300
🍕What to order: Fugazzetta
Next up, Banchero at the corner of Corrientes & Talcahuano. The original location was opened in 1932 in La Boca.
But the history of Banchero dates back to 1893 when a Genovese immigrant, Agustín Banchero, arrived in La Boca and – like many Italian immigrants at the time – settled in the neighborhood.
Soon he opened a bakery named Riachuelo after Lo Boca’s river. In 1932 he opened the current restaurant with his two sons.
Banchero: Home of the Original Fugazzetta
Banchero is a pizzeria with a claim to fame: they are the founders of one of the city’s most iconic flavors.
Fugazzetta is a classic Argentine pizza. It’s a filled pizza, with mozzarella sandwiched between two pizza crusts and topped with raw onion slices and sometimes a bit more cheese.
This is called fugazzetta, fugazzetta rellena, fugazzetta con queso… regardless of the name you’ll get a very cheesy onion pizza with no sauce.
It is better than it sounds, especially when done well.
Güerrín
📍Corrientes 1368
🍕What to order: Muzza (cheese/mozzarella)
Güerrín, at Corrientes 1368, was founded in 1932 by Italian Franco Malvezzi.
After arriving in Argentina in 1927 he wanted to open a pizzeria, and that he did.
Güerrín has always been at this location ever since and is iconic. In recent years they even expanded into the space behind them and now the restaurant occupies the length of a city block.
Personally, I prefer the original dining room towards the front of the restaurant. The new dining space in the back is larger, though, and may feel more comfortable and spacious.
TIP: Visit at off-peak hours. Güerrín is everyone’s favorite and gets very crowded at peak lunch and dinner hours. For a more peaceful experience (especially if you want a slice at the bar), then be strategic and visit in calmer hours.
El Cuartito
📍Talcahuano 937
🍕What to order: Fugazzetta
El Cuartito is 5 blocks from Guerrin and Avenida Corrientes but if you make the walk (walking off all that pizza along the way), you’ll pass the beautiful Teatro Colon, so it’s not so bad.
El Cuartito was opened in 1934 in a literal “cuartito”, tiny room, with a window to the street where they served up pizza by the slice.
Today, if you order a slice they often don’t even charge you until you’re finished eating. They trust you to come up and pay, and everyone does.
When I tried to pay in advance they pushed my card back and insisted I eat before my pizza got cold. It was all very charming and familiar.
But don’t get too comfortable, El Cuartito is extremely popular and if you go at peak hours the line can go out the door. Like Guerrin it’s best to visit right when they open for lunch or early evening for dinner.
A bit of El Cuartito lore: Aníbal Troilo, a famous tango musician and composer, often ate at El Cuartito, in the “sanctuary.”
He loved to eat anchovy pizza and drink whiskey with friends, but when he came with his wife she’d try to push healthy choices on her husband.
Don’t worry, the waiters took care of him, reserving a large glass of whiskey for him to drink in peace, in the bathroom!
Buenos Aires Best Pizza: More Iconic Pizzerias
The pizza doesn’t end with Avenida Corrientes.
There are a lot of iconic pizzerias all over town and it is my personal mission to visit as many as I can.
Beyond the pizza (and I really do love the pizza), what I really love about these places are the ambiance: the frozen in time decor and the friendly waiters who have been working here for decades.
Here are some more great classic pizzerias to add to your list.
La Mezzetta
📍Av. Alvarez Thomas 1339, Colegiales
🍕 What to order: Fugazzetta
La Mezzetta, open since 1939, is well known not just with the locals but with foreign visitors thanks to Somebody Feeds Phil on Netflix.
La Mezzetta keeps things simple with no sit down dining and only four options: muzzarella, fugazzetta, anchoa y napolitana.
You’ll queue up on the sidewalk and order and pay from the window outside. Take your receipt and go inside to wait for your slice and eat standing at the counter (or order a full pizza to take home).
What to get? Don’t think twice and get the fugazzetta (the cheesiest version of this already cheesy flavor I have ever seen).
Pizzería Angelín
📍Av. Córdoba 5270, Villa Crespo
🍕 What to order: Pizza Canchera
Pizzería Angelín has been making pizza here in Villa Crespo (on the border of Palermo) since 1938. It was founded by Oscar Pintos, an Italian immigrant.
They’re claim to fame is being the creators of the pizza canchera, a cheese-less pizza with actually flavorful sauce featuring actual spices (not common here, let’s be honest!).
Legend has it that Oscar was looking for an easy way to sell pizzas outside futbol stadiums. Making pizzas without cheese was not only cheaper, but easier to transport. He could easily stack the pizzas without worrying about cheese sticking and sliding everywhere. The name canchera comes from this pizza being sold outside of the stadiums, or canchas de futbol.
Fun fact: Frank Sinatra was a regular here when in town!
Pin Pun
📍Av. Corrientes 3954, Almagro
🍕 What to order: Fugazzetta rellena, napolitana, the fried meat empanadas
Pin Pun’s original location is a few blocks from the Abasto shopping center in Almagro but they have a few locations throughout town.
I’m a particular fan of their empanadas (usually hit or miss at the pizzerias) and loved their fugazzetta rellena and napolitana pizza.
Researching for this article I recently discovered that Pin Pun was founded by the same Italian immigrants responsible for Güerrín, so it’s no wonder I love it so much.
Kentucky
📍Av. Santa Fe & Godoy Cruz, Palermo
🍕What to order: Mozzarella
Kentucky has grown into a major chain restaurant and is everywhere these days but the original location retains its greasy spoon charm.
It’s located on Avenida Santa Fe in Palermo, it takes it name from the horse races nearby Hipodromo (a la Kentucky Derby).
El Fortín
📍Av. Álvarez Jonte 5299, Monte Castro
🍕What to order: Fugazzetta or Anchoa (anchovy)
Founded by 5 friends in 1962, El Fortín gets its name from the nearby football club el Vélez Sársfield (a name the new owners inherited when they purchased the place).
El Fortín is far off the regular tourist path in far flung barrio Monte Castro. If you brave the trip out there, you’ll feel perfectly safe in this residential barrio but won’t find any English spoken so bring your Google Translator.
I’m particularly fond of El Fortín and if I’m ever remotely close I make the effort to swing by for a couple of slices (which are very generous).
The vibes are strong here with beautifully fileteado windows, friendly waiters, and decadent traditional desserts if you have the room for it.
International Pizza in Buenos Aires
Had enough of the thick, cheesy Buenos Aires pizza?
Never fear, there are alternatives and in fact, Italian napolitana pizza has become a major trend in recent years.
Here are my favorite pizzerias in Buenos Aires:
- Togni’s Pizza – Belgrano – The best New York style pizza in the entire city (country?). You can’t beat it.
- Siamo nel Forno – Palermo Hollywood – Best pizza napolitana in the city and the original, they were here before this style of pizza took Buenos Aires by storm. They even brought their original oven stone by stone from Italy, it’s the real deal.
- Cosi Mi Piaci – Palermo Soho – Crispy thin crust Roman style pizza
Read more about food in Argentina
- The Best Buenos Aires Food Tours
- The Best Buenos Aires Steak & How to Order
- Traditional Argentina Desserts to Try
- Delicious Foods to Try to in Buenos Aires & Argentina
- Cheers! Traditional Argentine Drinks to Try
SHARE A SLICE, PIN THIS FOR LATER
This is my kind of crawl! On a pub crawl I wouldn’t even make it to the second bar. But a pizza crawl? My stomach has a huge capacity for that deliciousness. I especially like the look of the pizza from Güerrín – and the history behind it doesn’t hurt either!
This looks sooooo good! I’m hungry now 😂
Ok, I was salivating after that first photo! The pizza at Las Cuartetas looks to die for! And sounds so in your description too 🙂 Although, like you, two slices and I’m full so a pizza crawl may be a bit of a struggle!! And I think the more full you are, the less tasty they become so the first slice would always taste the best!
I know right! My pub crawl days are far behind me, but pizza is never a bad idea! Guerrin is my favorite! They’re so generous with the cheese…
Totally, which is why my husband doubts his judgment that Las Cuartetas was the best, was it the best or was his appetite just freshest? haha I barely ate all day so I could eat more pizza than usual, they’re so filling!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying it, thanks!! I have been to Italy! Once in high school and we also honeymooned there in 2013! Rome and the Amalfi Coast, but I don’t know what happened, I lost all my photos 🙁 Italy is pretty hard to beat in the food department
This has made me sooo hungry! All I can think of is pizza now. I have just found your blog, but I’m loving it already. Have you been to Italy? X
I can taste that pizza through the screen! I can’t wait to go home again and eat a fugazzetta rellena from El Cuartito!
So good!!! El Cuartito, Cuartetas, Kentucky, Guerrin….so much cheese!
Oh my gosh the Argentine pizza!! So much cheese!! You didn’t make it to Kentucky?? 🙂
I love pizza! They really don’t know how to do it here in New Zealand, but looking at your photos, and I am already craving it. We will be there soon and have to try out at least one of these. Did you notice if any offer a gluten-free option?
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like any of these offer gluten free (or as they say here, “sin tacc”) options. Almacen de Pizzas has an option on their menu, but it’s a thin crust pizza, different than the style in these pizzerias…
I like the pizza at Los Immortals – nice ambience too.