RFK Rankings · Buenos Aires
Best Restaurants for Brunch in Buenos Aires (2026)
Weekend brunch · Buenos Aires · 6 rooms ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published April 9, 2024 · Updated June 8, 2026 · Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor-in-Chief · How we rank · Corrections
Buenos Aires does its weekend mornings as merienda and bakery brunch, not the bottomless-mimosa marathon of the north. The scene clusters in Palermo's specialty-coffee corridor, then runs from a 1884 Almagro café to the Alvear Palace Sunday buffet in Recoleta. These seven, ranked, are where to spend a Saturday over medialunas and a flat white when the table matters as much as the coffee.
1.Ninina Bakery
Buenos Aires's marquee Palermo bakery brunch, built on an open kitchen of medialunas and a smoked-salmon bagel; book ahead on weekends.
Ninina runs an open-kitchen bakery at Gorriti 4738 in Palermo Soho, where the medialunas and cakes are made in front of the room. The smoked-salmon bagel runs about ARS 22,500 and the avocado toast with a poached egg about ARS 10,400.
The room is bright and loud, the bakery counter is the draw, and the hours run long, from morning to late. This is the destination bakery brunch in Palermo, so come early or reserve the weekend table.
2.L'Orangerie — Alvear Palace Hotel
The grand Belle Époque Sunday buffet of Buenos Aires, with a live sushi station and dessert spread; reserve for a splurge.
L'Orangerie sits inside the Alvear Palace Hotel at Av. Alvear 1891 in Recoleta and runs the city's flagship grand-hotel brunch, a Belle Époque buffet of Patagonian cheeses, artisanal cold cuts, frittatas, a live sushi station and a chef's dessert spread.
The Sunday buffet runs about ARS 140,000 per person from 12:30 to 3:30, sparkling wine included, and reservations are required. This is the special-occasion entry on the list, not a casual drop-in.
3.Rita Specialty Coffee
A Palermo specialty-coffee set brunch built to share, anchored by the chipá-style Tostado Rita; come hungry with friends.
Rita roasts and pours specialty coffee across several Palermo branches, including Soler 6093 on the corner of Dorrego, and builds a set brunch designed to share. The Tostado Rita is a chipá-style cheese bread filled with ham, dambo cheese, tomato and basil pesto.
The set runs about ARS 48,000 and bundles three savoury plates, two cold drinks, two coffees and two sweets, generous enough to feed three or four. Come with a group rather than solo.
4.Cocu Boulangerie
The most authentically French boulangerie brunch in Palermo, built on croissants and the Fórmula Lulu set; arrive before the weekend rush.
Cocu runs a French boulangerie and coffee house at Malabia 1510 on the edge of Palermo Soho, with proper croissants and pain au chocolat made on site. The Fórmula Lulu brunch set pairs French toast with lemon curd and seasonal fruit, a croissant, a pain au chocolat, orange juice and a coffee.
The room fills fast on weekend mornings, so come early. This is the pick for a Parisian-style pastry brunch rather than an eggs-and-pancakes plate.
5.Hierbabuena
A natural-food brunch off the Palermo coffee axis, on San Telmo's Caseros strip, built on house-made yogurt; reserve, it's tiny.
Hierbabuena runs a natural, mostly-vegetarian deli on the trendy brunch strip at Av. Caseros 454 in San Telmo, with products made in-house and a focus on biological cooking. The house-made yogurt with seasonal fruit is the dish to order.
The room is small and books up, so reserve ahead; it opens Thursday through Monday. This is the contrarian San Telmo pick when the Palermo coffee rooms feel too packed.
6.Las Violetas
A landmark 1884 café of stained glass and Italian marble; come for the merienda and the room as much as the cake.
Las Violetas has held the corner of Av. Rivadavia and Av. Medrano in Almagro since 1884, a grand café of stained glass and Italian marble declared a Buenos Aires heritage site in 1998. The draw is the silver-service merienda and the cake-and-pastry array rather than an American brunch.
Order the tea service with the pastry platter for the full effect. This is the historic, classic pick on the list, more high tea than weekend brunch.
Not for everyone
Famous, but not actually brunch
Olsen. The Palermo Hollywood Scandinavian room that ran the city's original Sunday champagne brunch has closed, so its smørrebrød spread is off the live ranking. For a sit-down weekend brunch nearby, the Palermo rooms above are the working alternatives.
Victoria Brown. This Palermo Soho speakeasy behind a coffee front is a nighttime cocktail bar that runs Tuesday to Saturday from 8pm, not a weekend brunch room. People wrongly expect brunch here; book it for a late drink instead.
La Alacena Trattoria. The MICHELIN-listed La Alacena is the Italian dinner trattoria, distinct from its sister pastificio brunch room. Do not arrive on a Saturday morning expecting the Michelin kitchen; it is a dinner restaurant.
How to brunch well in Buenos Aires
Brunch in Buenos Aires clusters in Palermo, where Soho and Hollywood hold the specialty-coffee corridor along Gorriti, Malabia and the cross streets. A slow morning can move from a French boulangerie to a coffee roaster's set brunch without leaving the barrio.
Off the Palermo axis, San Telmo's Av. Caseros strip and Almagro's heritage cafés give a different morning, and Recoleta holds the one grand-hotel buffet. Weekend tables fill fast at Ninina and Hierbabuena, so reserve rather than walk up, and book L'Orangerie days ahead for its Sunday-only service.
Frequently asked
Where is the best brunch in Buenos Aires?
Ninina in Palermo Soho is the marquee pick, an open-kitchen bakery built around medialunas, a smoked-salmon bagel and avocado toast. For a French pastry brunch, Cocu on Malabia is the Palermo standby; for a set brunch to share, Rita Specialty Coffee bundles savoury plates, coffees and sweets for a group.
Which Buenos Aires brunch is the most upscale?
L'Orangerie at the Alvear Palace Hotel in Recoleta runs the city's grand Sunday buffet, a Belle Époque spread of Patagonian cheeses, a live sushi station and a chef's dessert table for about ARS 140,000 per person from 12:30 to 3:30, sparkling included. Reserve ahead; it is the splurge.
Do you need a reservation for brunch in Buenos Aires?
Yes at the destination rooms. Ninina and the tiny Hierbabuena in San Telmo fill their weekend tables, so reserve rather than walk up, and L'Orangerie's Sunday buffet requires a booking. For an easier morning, the Palermo coffee rooms like Rita and Cocu turn tables faster on a weekday.
What is a typical Buenos Aires brunch?
Buenos Aires leans on bakery brunch and merienda rather than the bottomless-mimosa format. Expect medialunas, French toast, avocado toast and strong specialty coffee in Palermo, a natural-food yogurt plate in San Telmo at Hierbabuena, or a silver-service pastry spread at the 1884 café Las Violetas in Almagro.
Is Olsen still open for brunch in Buenos Aires?
No. The Palermo Hollywood Scandinavian room that ran the city's original Sunday champagne brunch has closed, so its smørrebrød spread is no longer a working option. For a weekend brunch in the same barrio, Ninina, Cocu and Rita in Palermo are the destinations above.
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Browse the full Buenos Aires dining guide, read the Hierbabuena profile, compare the city's counters in the Buenos Aires solo dining ranking and its rooms with a view in the Buenos Aires view ranking, or open the full RFK rankings index.
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