Empanada and Dulce Tasting at San Telmo Market
Sure, Sunday is a buzz at San Telmo Market when all of the shops open their doors – but we found a majority of the vendors were open on an idle Tuesday, along with more personal space and less tourists.
San Telmo Market was designed by Italian-born Argentine Engineer and Architect Juan Buschiazzo, and opened its doors in 1897. You’ll find the outside is rather traditional looking, but inside there’s beautiful iron and glass laid high above the stalls.
We wandered the shops for a few hours and found the following to be our favorite spots for food. Shopping here wasn’t too exciting for us, mostly vintage goods and second hand items you’d find at Goodwill back in the states – not great shopping if you’re just passing through and don’t have space for packing up fragile items.
El Hornero de San Telmo
They chefs are making the empanadas right in front of you, hastily yet lovingly stuffing the floured shells with vegetables like zucchini and tomato, or the regional onion and corn. Meat lovers can reach for the chicken, ham, or other meat-stuffed classics. There’s a spicy red sauce shared by anyone lucky enough to find a seat, and it makes the flavors sing in your mouth.
Pescadería Antonnino
Here we sampled two different types of fish empanadas, served hot or cold depending on your preference. We loved the salmon option, which included a spicy onion mix. The tuna empanada included olives, and was also pleasant to the taste buds. If you’re living locally, you’ll find fresh fish for cooking at home and all the accouterments like tartar sauce and spices for sale as well.
Merci
A French Bakery at San Telmo Market, this place is easy to find because of it’s location on the outer edges of the market and the alluring smell of the fresh baked baguettes, croissants, and chocolate-filled French delights. Fridays until 8pm they serve free tapas if you buy a bottle of wine.
We ate a lovely “medialuna” which is just a sweet bread made into a crescent shape, but smaller and simpler than your typical croissant.
Dulce de Leche and Co
If you’re looking to sample all of the dulce de leche’s of the region then this is your spot. There are surprisingly many variations of dulce de leche, each with different milks from goat to cow and different add-in’s like chocolate. This quaint store has very friendly attendants that spoke great English, and it has other regional sweet gift options like alfajores and caramels.