Until a few years ago, La Paternal was a neighborhood totally alien to the
foodie
universe concentrated in Palermo and extended to its neighbors Chacarita and Villa Crespo.
However, in recent times some
restaurants scattered through its streets began to attract more and more fans of good food and drink.
This
neighborhood of low houses, cobblestone streets and groves of trees is located in a strategic sector,
not only because of its location on the map, almost in the center of the City, but also because it has benefited from recent works such as the construction of the viaduct and the Metrobús, which connects it in minutes with Palermo.
And just as it happened in the beginning in other residential neighborhoods that later became gastronomic poles,
its most innovative ventures work in historic houses, old shops or recycled factories,
inside which time seems to pass at a more friendly pace than in the rest of the City.
3 unmissable restaurants to rediscover La Paternal as a foodie neighborhood
The patio of a historic house where you can eat barbecue
El Patio de Mabel: a successful family project.
In 2017, in the midst of the rise of closed-door restaurants,
Mabel and Lucho, her son, talked about
how nice it would be to have a grill in that format.
"My parents were always gastronomic, in the 80s and 90s they had the concession of the Argentinos Juniors club, restaurants in Mar del Plata and in other clubs: I grew up inside a restaurant," explains Luciano, owner of the place.
Tired of his routine as a banker, Lucho, as he prefers to be called, opened El patio de Mabel, in honor of his deceased mother.
He started cooking for friends and acquaintances.
And thanks to the recommendations of his diners, in
2019 he was able to quit his job at the bank and dedicate himself completely to his business.
His daughter Malena works with him.
He also has the help of his father at the reception.
This restaurant, as its name indicates
, works in the family's garden
-they live on the top floor-
inside a house that is part of the City's historical heritage.
Its location is a mystery, it is known to be on Dickinson street but, being behind closed doors, the coordinates are only obtained once the reservation is made.
In El Patio de Mabel there is a 4-course menu with a fixed price.
The menu is 4 courses with a fixed price:
“The idea is that they live a different experience.
Here they come to eat as a family and they stay for 3 hours enjoying themselves”, describes Lucho.
The first step is the classic marriage of chorizo and black pudding together with a fresh salad.
Then the protagonist of the evening appears, which is
a rib that was cooked over the firewood for more than 3 hours with lead potatoes or a generous portion of vacuum
accompanied by cabutia squash.
The price
per person is $4,750
(includes a soft drink or glass of wine).
The vegetarian option costs $4,100.
To finish they serve a dessert with seasonal fruits.
Mabel's Yard. Address with reservation. Whatsapp: 11 6876-5532. Friday and Saturday nights, Sundays at noon. Instagram: @elpatiodemabel
Stern, lunch and pastry inside an industrial complex
Stern's restaurant is located inside an industrial complex.
Photo: Lucia Merle.
When the former Química Estrella stopped producing cotton, it abandoned its plant in Paternal and left
an empty space rich, not only in meters, but also for its striking English architecture.
After 5 years, the place was valued and
today it functions as a 28,500 m2 covered industrial complex
that houses offices, storage rooms, a bank and even a restaurant.
Who took charge of that place was
Rocío, the owner of the Oui Oui restaurant in Palermo
for 20 years.
“Palermo was collapsed
and the opportunity arose to open in this wonderful space and I took a risk because
I needed a change of scenery
”, She explains.
French pastry has a prominent place in Stern.
Photo: Lucia Merle.
With this premise, Stern opened, where times are different:
you have to advertise via WhatsApp to enter and they work with seasonal products,
many come from nearby orchards since the restaurant is located near the agronomy and veterinary faculty.
Stern opens at 7 to receive workers who want to have breakfast and also provides lunch and snack service.
The menu is very small but
all the products they serve are made in their kitchen.
They offer dish of the day that changes according to the seasons.
For lunch, some options on the menu are
bagels: with avocado and brie cheese for $1,850
and with smoked salmon, cream cheese, and capers for $3,550.
There are more elaborate dishes: Milanese meat or chicken with purée or green salad for $2,150 or
sautéed spaghetti with rocket, tomato and Parmesan for $1,800.
You have to announce yourself via Whatsapp to enter Stern.
Photo Lucia Merle.
There, in a relaxed atmosphere,
they serve French pastries where viennoiserie stands out,
such as cinnamon roll ($540) or croissants ($400) that are mixed with Creole options such as cremonas ($500) or fat biscuits.
They also offer cornstarch alfajores ($280) or the classic carrot cake ($580).“We have options for those who want something for mate and for those who value specialty coffee,” he concludes.
Stern. Av. de los Constituyentes 2985. Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. WhatsApp to enter: 11 5912-5020. Instagram: stern_ba
MN Santa Inés, the restaurant that works inside a former historic bakery
MN Santan Ines in Paternal.
Paternal has an island
, yes, it is known that way for its isolation from the traditional sector of the neighborhood.
It is a complex access and has been far from the great movement of the avenues San Martín, Juan B. Justo and surrounding streets.
Silence prevails there, low houses abound and little vehicular movement is observed.
For years it housed the famous Warnes hostel on its grounds.
The cook Jazmín Marturet wanted to expand the space where she developed her catering and restaurant business in San Isidro.
She and her partners found a place in Paternal, located on the island of the neighborhood, with the logical deterioration that implies the abandonment of more than a decade.
What surprised them was finding the furniture and some of the tools from the old bakery.
In MN Santan Inés they use seasonal products and like to experiment.
After months of work where they preserved the vintage style
, the time came for the opening in the middle of the pandemic, so they only worked behind closed doors and with reservations.
When the restrictions tightened, they began to sell food to enjoy during the confinement.
Today Jazmín changes the menu with each moon, the dishes are simple but interesting.
They use seasonal products and like to experiment.
You can almost always find a proposal with homemade pasta, soups or salads with an original touch;
and some international additions that keep changing like kimchi and pork fried rice, pakoras with mango chutney and sausages and mash.
Tacos, baos and Peruvian cause usually appear.
The menu at MN Santa Inés changes every moon.
They do not serve soft drinks and among the products they use there are no imported brands.
To care for the environment, they use dispensers and bottles that are filled with filtered water.
They open at noon except on Fridays when they only open at night and by reservation.
You have to be patient because it fills up.
Santa Ines MN. Give them 360. Whatsapp 11 5848-6888. Instagram: @mnsantaines
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