Buenos Aires is one of the best cities in the world if you are looking for Argentinean meat on your plate, but there are not many alternatives if you are looking for some French haute cuisine. There is only one proper alternative and that is Chef Patron Jean-Paul Bondoux’ La Bourgogne.

Jean-Paul Bondoux has three La Bourgogne restaurants and the one in Buenos Aires’ more exclusive district of Recoleta was his second after his original in Uruguay’s Punta del Este. La Bourgogne in Buenos Aires was opened at the ground floor of the chic Alvear Palace Hotel in 1993. The style of the restaurant is more European than the typical Argentinean top restaurant, with white table cloths and the typical set-up of cutlery, plates and glasses as you have come to expect of a French restaurant. Though, the red-leather chairs and the interior as a whole feel a bit dated so the management should consider a renovation to freshen up the concept.

Just like any typical French haute cuisine restaurant you will have an amuse-bouche at the beginning of your meal, but the petits fours which usually are served last will arrive to your table before the desserts right after you have tasted your way through the cheeses from the cheese cart. The produce is the best available and Jean-Paul Bondoux produces a lot of his own vegetables and herbs of top quality.

Bondoux is one of the most experienced Chefs in South America and he could easily be a top Chef at any restaurant in Europe or anywhere else, but he does not spend all his time in the kitchen at his La Bourgogne in Buenos Aires so the performance of the restaurant can suffer from occasional ups and downs and is not as phenomenal as his original La Bourgogne in Uruguay. However if you are looking for a French dining experience in Buenos Aires this is the only place to go to and the restaurant is still one of Argentina’s best.

Written by Andy