Where to eat ARGENTINA 🇦🇷 Lucerne: El Rincón Argentino

El Rincón Argentino

Moosstrasse 15, Lucerne

What we ordered: For two persons, morcilla spring rolls with a side salad of rucola, tomato, parmesan and peppercorn, four empanadas consisting of two minced meat and two onion and cheese empanadas, entrecôte steak with french fries, churrasco with baked potatoes and to drink: two glasses of Torrontes (white wine), one bottle of Alchimia Gran Reserva Malbec, a half-liter of sparkling water and one espresso.

Cost: 244 CHF / €255 / $273

El Rincón Argentino is about a fifteen-minute walk from Lucerne Central Station. It is around the corner from a bustling square with more restaurants and bustle than on the quiet corner (rincón means “corner” in Spanish) of this authentic Argentine spot.

Our server was a Lucerne local. While he did not speak Spanish, the Argentine owner lent an authentic ambiente argentino to the interior décor and the outdoor tables. While we sampled some wonderful Torrontes white wine as an ápero (what the Swiss call an aperitif), we were snacked on bread, olives and fresh sour cream with herbs.

The morcilla came wrapped in a crispy spring roll dough which may have been too much as morcilla is so rich as is. The side salad, however, took the bite out of the extra heaviness. The empanadas were full-flavored, though we both preferred the onion and cheese empanada to the minced meat as the onions were carmelized to perfection and tasted in harmony with the creaminess of the cheese.

As for the entrees, my partner reports the churrasco was light and tasty. He said it was not a big bang but instead nuanced and of quality. And as a result, he was able to taste the full spectrum of the beef, more than when you have too much in front of you.

The entrecôte was a perfect medium rare, and a thicker cut than expected. The chimichurri, served in a wonderful crystal dish, paired nicely. We both found ourselves intensely satisfied with our asado or grilled meat dishes, so much so that I joked about temporary onset gout, likely due to the summer heat.

Both dishes were served with two different types of potatoes. The baked potatoes had a softness and a crunchiness that made them quite filling. The French fries were not at all greasy.

The Torrontes as an opener was a fine recommendation. The weather was a bit too hot to thoroughly enjoy the full-bodied Malbec, which is a shame because we could not finish it. We left well fed, with hemoglobin running a marathon through our systems.

How to get to Argentina from Switzerland:

Air France, Delta, Iberia, KLM, Lufthansa and Swiss Air all offer reasonable connections to Buenos Aires. No nonstop flights are currently on offer.

How many Argentines are in Switzerland: There are approximately 2,000 Argentines in Switzerland, many with dual citizenship as it is one of the places many Swiss abroad settled.

Distance between Bern and Buenos Aires: 11,185 km

Learn how to make Argentina's national dish, asado with chimichurri, and about its origins.

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