9 favourite wine restaurants and wine bars in Mendoza
Mendoza, the wine-production capital of Latin America, is a city where wine is not only an important pastime but part of the culture and livelihood. Check out our guide to the wine bars and wine restaurants not to miss when visiting the city!
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Phone: +54 261 429-4200
Address: Avenida Sarmiento 765, Mendoza
Azafran has always been one of my top choices for fine dining in the city, and its cellar - at the front of the restaurant - is as eye-catching as it is emblematic. With no wine list per se, diners are invited to step into the sommelier’s cava and pick their own wine with the guidance of the team of three sommeliers. With over 400 labels, there are plenty of local wines to choose from and there are always wines by the glass if you prefer the sommelier to pair wines to your different courses. The best seat in the house is at the round table in the cellar, and colourful ponchos keep you cosy an...
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Phone: +54 261 420-4322
Address: Avenida Belgrano 1069, Mendoza
María Antonieta is the tasteful restaurant of Vanina Chimeno, protegee and also wife of famed Argentine chef Francis Mallmann. This bright bistro-style restaurant serves up fresh, polished and indulgent dishes with a small but well-curated list of wines which includes small producers and big names on the wine scene in Argentina.
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Phone: +54 9 2615598684
Address: Guardia Vieja 2898, Luján de Cuyo
This intimate restaurant is the creation of chef Mariano Gallego and sommelier Florencia D'Amico and their cuisine and wine selection reflects their own evolving tastes having spent a few years living in Spain and Japan before resettling in Argentina. The sophisticated tasting menu comes accompanied by Florencia’s selection of wine pairings, which often include exclusive labels sourced from neighbouring wineries in Lujan de Cuyo.
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Phone: +54 261 456-1748
Address: Costaflores s/n, Cobos, Lujan de Cuyo
Cavas Wine Lodge was one of the first luxury lodges in Mendoza and its location right in the middle of a vineyard filled with old vines makes it hopelessly romantic for wine lovers. The intimate restaurant is equally as charming and the wine cellar may well be one of Mendoza’s best kept secrets as sommelier Martin Krawczyk keeps 500 labels in stock, all served alongside the organic cuisine of their Relais & Chateaux restaurant.
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Phone: +54 261 461 3800
Address: Ruta Provincial 94, Los Sauces
There’s a double pedigree which makes The Vines an important food and wine stop in Mendoza. In its original carnation several years ago, it was Mendoza’s first and only wine bar, but in 2014 The Vines moved location from the city to the Uco Valley, transforming into not only a new wine bar but a luxury hotel and boutique winery, as well as the Siete Fuegos restaurant in collaboration with Argentina’s most famous chef, Francis Mallmann. The restaurant has a seven course tasting menu which explore seven ways of cooking on fire (or a simpler a la carte menu if you prefer) which are paired with...
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Phone: +54 261 476 9831
Address: Ruta 94, kilómetro 14.5
This luxury hotel and restaurant en route to the Manzano Historico in the Uco Valley is also a boutique winery and vineyard estate. But it isn’t only the wines of Casa de Uco that you can taste at the contemporary restaurant, but also a smart selection of Uco Valley wines and some choices from further afield. Overlooking the vineyards and estate, the airy and bright restaurant serves up a fantastic lunch and dinner menu and the service is some of the best in the Uco Valley. The owner is an architect, so you can expect expertly choreographed interior design too.
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Phone: +54 11 5720-5609
Address: Montevideo 735, Mendoza
This hole in the wall wine bar is an intimate space which is personally attended by the owners, Marina and Fernanda, who hunt out interesting wines to serve you by the glass, flight or bottle. An unpretentious space which is a favourite haunt of locals and tourists alike, as one of the few places where you can have both a quiet conversation with a friend over wine or get the inside scoop on what’s happening in the industry at the bar.
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Phone: +54 261 424 3336
Address: Belgrano 1188, Godoy Cruz
1884 was the first fine dining restaurant to open in Mendoza, back in 1999, and has been one of the hottest dates in the city ever since — as the flagship restaurant of renowned Argentine chef Francis Mallmann. With a penchant for the open flame, Mallmann’s cuisine is typically flame-grilled with a focus on native ingredients and flavours from around Argentina. 1884 wasn’t only a pioneer of fine dining in Mendoza, but this was also the first restaurant to have a serious cellar — with over 300 labels on the menu making it a favourite of winemakers and wine lovers too.
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Phone: +54 261 441 1200
Address: Mendoza
Bistro M is the smart restaurant of Mendoza city's most iconic hotel, the Park Hyatt right on the main Plaza in the heart of the city. Serving up a fusion of international cuisine, often with guest chefs and themed menus from around the globe, the wine list is versatile and extensive, covering predominantly wines from Mendoza with varieties as diverse as Nebbiolo to Albariño.