"A meatless warehouse in Villa Crespo that never mentions it — Vicky Di Gennaro's fire-cooked mushrooms are worth a trip across town."
Some weeks the kitchen burns through a hundred kilos of mushrooms, and there is not a steak in sight — yet Chuí never once calls itself a vegetarian restaurant. The room sits under the San Martín railway viaduct at Loyola 1250, on the Villa Crespo and Chacarita border, in a converted warehouse of reclaimed sleepers and hand-built fittings. Opened in late 2020, it has twice landed in the Michelin Guide and built its menu around fire, vegetables and an unfussy, affordable spirit.
Executive chef Victoria “Vicky” Di Gennaro developed Chuí's original menu, worked alongside Francis Mallmann and ran the kitchen at Proper before returning to lead it. Her hand shows in the confident use of clay and conventional ovens. Mushrooms run through the menu: an oyster-mushroom milanesa, a pâté, and the standout lion's mane served with a Korean cucumber and turnip salad. The grilled white polenta with chicory chimichurri and aged cheese, crisp outside and silky within, is the other dish people return for.
The cooking is creative without trying to imitate meat: giant beans cooked for days in green curry on the oven's residual heat, charred baby corn with roasted jalapeño mayonnaise, avocado with kimchi and leche de tigre. There are shareable pizzas too — marinara, fugazzeta, kale — as the affordable option to split over a drink. Two Michelin Guide mentions across 2024 and 2025, a place on the 50 Best Discovery list, and a second branch in Mexico City confirm the formula travels.
Chuí turned a warehouse beneath the viaduct into one of the city's most distinctive rooms, all reclaimed railway sleepers, mesquite-wood tables and hand-made lighting, with a patio and garden out back. The mood is warm and informal, the sound lively but not punishing, the lighting low and golden. There is no dress code and no signage announcing the meatless menu. Service is relaxed and clued-up; even on a busy night Di Gennaro stops by tables. It reads as a neighbourhood spot that happens to cook at a high level.
Book Chuí for a first date or a casual group dinner because the shared, fire-driven plates invite conversation, the warehouse-and-garden room is genuinely charming, and the prices keep it unintimidating. Nobody needs to dress up, and the meatless menu is compelling enough that even committed carnivores forget to mind. For more see the Buenos Aires dining guide and our best vegetarian restaurants worldwide.
Not for a committed carnivore in a hurry — there is no meat by design, plates are built to share slowly, and the viaduct location sits deliberately off the tourist grid.
Yes — Chuí is one of the most distinctive restaurants in Buenos Aires, and the fire-driven, vegetable-led cooking has twice earned a Michelin Guide mention. The lion's mane mushroom with Korean cucumber salad and the grilled white polenta are genuinely memorable, and the prices stay reasonable. It is well worth the trip to Villa Crespo even if you eat meat.
Moderately — it has grown popular since the Michelin mentions, so reserve a few days ahead for weekend evenings through OpenTable or the website. Weeknights and the patio are easier. The restaurant is at Loyola 1250 in Villa Crespo, under the San Martín railway viaduct near the Chacarita border.
There is none. Chuí is a relaxed neighbourhood warehouse with a garden, so neat casual is perfectly normal and nobody dresses up. The mood is informal and friendly. Come comfortable and ready to share several plates.
It is mid-range and built to be affordable: shareable small plates and pizzas keep the per-head cost down, and you can eat very well without spending a fortune — comfortably under ARS 30,000 a head, roughly US$25 to US$35 depending on the rate. Wine adds to that. Peso prices move with inflation, so confirm when booking.
Start with the oyster-mushroom milanesa and the grilled white polenta, then the lion's mane with Korean cucumber and turnip salad, the giant beans in green curry, and the charred baby corn. Split a fugazzeta pizza if you are a group. See more meatless tables in our best vegetarian restaurants worldwide.
Via Chuí · patio easier midweek
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