Campo Bravo

Once you’ve been to fifty or more steakhouses in one city it starts to become a blur. There are a handful of the more expensive steakhouses that have superior products, such as Le Grill and Cabaña Las Lilas, and about as many that are budget oriented that fall at the bottom of the list on meat quality, like Las Cabras and La Dorita. But the majority fall into the middle range where it’s difficult to tell any difference in the quality of one steak, when comparing one to another. Often, the quality of the steak has more to do with the side of beef your steak was cut from rather than any characteristics of the steakhouse serving it. I’ve had fabulous steaks at reputable steakhouses in Buenos Aires and then returned and was served a substandard steak on a subsequent visit.

The only real difference between this middle-group of steakhouses has more to do with ambiance, service and the side dishes they serve, than it does with the quality of the steak.

Campo Bravo falls into this middle group. I’ve eaten at Campo Bravo a half-dozen times and each time the steak was very good and cooked as ordered. But I can say that about another dozen steakhouses in Buenos Aires as well.

What distinguishes Campo Bravo from most of the others is the personality of the restaurant. It’s ambiance and vibe. The owners have made it clear that they are targeting a younger and more “hip” patron. The music reflects this emphasis on attracting a younger “jet set” crowd. The locations, in Las Cañitas and Palermo Hollywood, seem to have been chosen with this crowd in mind.

There’s next to none of the hokey “estancia” décor that most Argentine parillas are known for. Save the stylistic logo that depicts the head of a steer, you wouldn’t even know the restaurant was a steakhouse.

Modern art and up-tempo, high-volume dance music are part of this personality. And the volume gets higher as the evening goes on. The Palermo Hollywood location even has a rooftop terrace dedicated to selling cocktails to the beautiful, young crowd that frequents the restaurant (and the slightly older, fashionable crowd that wants to show off their designer clothes).

The marketing hype on the website attempts to sell you on the claim that the restaurant offers gourmet cuisine in addition to the typical steakhouse fare. Save the offering of some stir-fries (“woks”), which I’d hardly call gourmet, and a few unique side dishes, like the “strudel de vegetables” and the “broccoli gratin” (which you can see in our images), the menu looks to be right out of the playbook for Argentine steakhouses. Nothing all that unique that I can see.

That said, I like the restaurant. There’s lots of indoor and outdoor seating in both locations. Always an up-tempo vibe. It has a no-frills, but attractive décor. It’s great for people watching. During peak hours, there’s usually a short wait for table, especially at the Las Cañitas locale. You can sip on a glass of complimentary champagne and mingle with BA’s beautiful people out front while you wait. And despite the lack of “gourmet” food as advertised, there are some slightly unique side dishes. On my visits, the food has always been well-executed and service well above average. And prices are reasonable, well short of the hefty price tag you’d experience at the big name parillas in Puerto Madero.