"Gabriel Oggero's Patagonian oyster bar earned a Michelin star and a green one; book a dozen for a first date in Palermo."
The oysters arrive a dozen at a time at Crizia, pulled by hand from Patagonian rocks and never more than forty-eight hours out of the sea. Gabriel Oggero opened the city's first oyster bar in 2004 and moved it to Fitz Roy 1819 in Palermo in 2021, where it now holds a MICHELIN star and a Green Star. Plan on about US$53 a head, with a tasting menu from roughly US$92. It is a fixture of our seafood guide and our Buenos Aires dining guide.
Gabriel Oggero learned to cook in his parents' catering business and was running a kitchen by his twenties before opening Crizia as Buenos Aires' first dedicated oyster bar. The oysters come from beds at Los Pocitos, near Carmen de Patagones, harvested by hand at low tide and served raw, or baked Rockefeller-style with bacon, or dressed with a gin-and-tonic granita.
Beyond the bivalves, the kitchen grills fish and seafood over wood and runs a tight, sustainability-minded operation that earned the MICHELIN Green Star alongside its star for cooking. Crizia also placed at number 40 on Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2025. For the wider category, see our ranking of the best seafood restaurants worldwide.
An intimate Palermo room built around the oyster bar, with the counter as the best seat in the house and tables tucked around it. The mood is warm and convivial, busier and louder on weekend nights, with lighting low enough to feel like an occasion. Dress is smart-casual, in keeping with the Palermo crowd. Sit at the bar to watch the shucking and to talk through the day's oysters with the team.
Book Crizia for a first date because oysters and a shared counter make easy, low-pressure company, the room is lively without being deafening, and the bill is clear enough to settle without a wince. Working through a dozen Patagonian oysters with a glass of something cold is a built-in conversation. It also makes a fine anniversary when you want something celebratory but unstuffy.
Skip it if you dislike shellfish or want a quiet, formal dining room. The menu orbits oysters and seafood, and the bar can get lively and loud on weekend nights.
Yes, especially if you love oysters. Crizia is Argentina's original oyster bar, now Michelin-starred, serving Patagonian oysters harvested by hand and a focused seafood menu. At about US$53 per person, or roughly US$92 for the tasting menu, it offers a distinctive experience you will not find elsewhere in the city, in a warm Palermo room well suited to a date.
Crizia's oysters are harvested by hand from rocks at Los Pocitos, near Carmen de Patagones in Patagonia, at low tide, and reach the restaurant within forty-eight hours of leaving the sea. They are served raw, baked Rockefeller-style with bacon, or with a gin-and-tonic granita. The sourcing is part of the sustainability work that earned its MICHELIN Green Star.
Yes. Crizia holds one MICHELIN star for its cooking and a MICHELIN Green Star for sustainability, and it ranked number 40 on Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2025. Chef Gabriel Oggero has built that recognition on hand-harvested Patagonian oysters and a tightly run, seafood-led kitchen in Palermo.
Reserve through the Crizia website or by phone, with a few days' notice for weekends. The oyster bar counter is the seat to request, both for the view of the shucking and the conversation with the team. Weekend nights are the busiest and loudest, so book an earlier sitting if you want a calmer first-date setting.
Book via the Crizia website or by phone; request the oyster bar counter. Weekends are busiest.
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Where Buenos Aires' Michelin-starred oyster bar sits on our global ranking of the seafood rooms worth travelling for.
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