Balvanera

Balvanera is the name of a historic barrio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where poets, musicians, and artists once gathered. At Balvanera on New York’s Lower East Side, chef Fernando Navas is cultivating that same spirit in an elegant and laid-back restaurant, with a menu of traditional porteña cuisine inspired by regional Argentinian cooking.

Navas spent time in the kitchens of legendary restaurants including elBulli and Nobu before returning to his Argentinian roots (he’s from Punta Alta) to open Balvanera in 2015. His traditional gaucho-style asado feasts of pasture-raised meats & sausages along with a wide variety of traditional Argentinian-style empanadas have earned Balvanera legions of fans, and now they’re shipping nationwide!