Argentine Pizza, Empanadas and Cheap Eats: What to Order in a Patagonia Ski Town

Argentina's everyday ski-town food is pizza, empanadas and milanesa, and it is cheap, filling and ready in minutes. A slice of fugazzeta or three empanadas costs roughly $1-$4 USD in Bariloche, against $20-$40 USD for a sit-down parrilla dinner. For skiers on a budget, or anyone who wants a fast meal before the lifts, this is the food to know.

Quick Answer: Cheap eats for skiers in Argentina

• Empanadas: about $1-$2 USD each, sold by the half-dozen or dozen
• Pizza by the slice or "porcion": about $2-$4 USD
• Milanesa (breaded cutlet): about $8-$14 USD with fries
• Best time to eat: early evening at pizzerias, which fill up after 9 pm
• Payment: cash is often cheaper, see our money guide

What is Argentine pizza and how is it different?

Argentine pizza is thicker and cheesier than Neapolitan or New York pizza, and it is a core part of the national diet thanks to Italian immigration. The classic styles are muzzarella (plain cheese), fugazza (onion, no cheese) and fugazzeta (onion with cheese stuffed inside the dough). Toppings arrive generous, crusts are bready and the cheese is pulled thick.

In Bariloche you will find pizzerias along Mitre and the streets near the Centro Civico, and smaller neighbourhood places in the barrios. Many serve pizza on a metal tray at the table and slice it in front of you. Expect a whole pizza to feed two hungry skiers.

What are empanadas and which kinds should I try?

Empanadas are hand-sized baked or fried pastries with a savoury filling, and they are the most portable ski-day food in Argentina. Typical fillings include:

1. Carne cortada a cuchillo: beef cut by knife, often with onion, egg and olives
2. Jamon y queso: ham and cheese, the safe choice for children
3. Humita: sweet corn and cheese, a good vegetarian option
4. Pollo: chicken, usually mild
5. Cordero: lamb, more common in Patagonia than elsewhere in the country

Baked empanadas (al horno) are lighter. Fried ones (fritas) are richer and heavier. Order a dozen for a group and you will pay about $10-$20 USD in total. Shops usually mark the filling with a fork pattern on the pastry edge, so ask the server how to tell them apart before you bite into the wrong one. Most shops also sell a small tub of chimichurri or a spicy sauce on request, and some sell sweet empanadas filled with dulce de leche for dessert. Ask whether the shop does a "docena mixta" so you can sample several kinds.

How do you order at a pizzeria or empanada shop?

Ordering is simple: say how many and which kind, then pay. At a counter shop, ask "media docena de carne, por favor" for six beef empanadas. At a sit-down pizzeria, ask for "una muzzarella grande" or point at the menu. Many places also offer delivery by phone or app.

A few tips from our guides:

• Ask for "servilletas" (napkins) and "platos" (plates), which do not always arrive by default
• Fernet and Coca-Cola, a local favourite, is sold in bars rather than pizzerias
• Cash is often preferred, and card surcharges exist in smaller shops
• Tipping about 10 percent at table service is normal, see our tipping guide

When is the best time to eat if you have been skiing all day?

The best time for a quick meal is 6-8 pm, before Argentines sit down to dinner. Most locals eat dinner at 9 or 10 pm, so pizzerias are quiet early and packed late. If you want a table without waiting, eat before 8:30 pm and you will have the room mostly to yourself.

Our dinner times guide explains why the schedule is so late. For a fast lunch on the mountain, grab empanadas in town on the way up, since lift-base prices run higher. See our refugio lunch guide for on-mountain options.

How does cheap food compare with a parrilla dinner?

Cheap eats cost about one-fifth to one-tenth of a parrilla dinner, and most skiers do a mix of both. A steak dinner with wine at a good parrilla runs $25-$45 USD per person. A pizza and a beer for two in town may cost $15-$25 USD. If you are skiing five or six days in a row, mixing in cheap meals keeps the daily budget realistic.

Our asado guide covers the top-end side. For the comparison, remember the quality gap is smaller than the price gap: a good empanada is as memorable as a good steak.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is pizza in Argentina really that different from Italian pizza? Yes. Argentine pizza is thicker, more cheese-heavy and more bread-like than Neapolitan, and styles like fugazzeta have no direct Italian equivalent.

Are there vegetarian options at empanada shops? Yes. Humita (corn), caprese (tomato and basil), spinach and cheese are common. Always ask, since some pastry uses lard.

Can I carry empanadas on the chairlift? Yes, baked empanadas travel well in a jacket pocket for a few hours. Wrap them in paper or foil and eat them at the top.

Do I need to speak Spanish to order? No. Pointing and numbers are enough, and our Spanish for skiers guide covers the key phrases.

This guide was written by the Ski Patagonia Co. team, based on many seasons of eating our way around Bariloche between guiding days.

Planning your own trip? Tell us your dates and group size and we will build in the meals worth stopping for. Plan your trip with us, or see our group experiences.

Hero photo by olga safronova on Unsplash