Mixed groups
Palermo food walk
Needs given at booking
- Length3.5 hours
- GroupUp to 12
- DietAsk at booking
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A vegetarian food tour in Buenos Aires, plus vegan and gluten free
Palermo food walk in Buenos Aires
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Claim a spotIs a vegetarian food tour in Buenos Aires possible in the city of grills? Yes, with planning. Here is how to tell the operator, which local dishes are meat-free, and how coeliacs spot safe food.
Editorial team, buenosairesfoodtour.click · Updated November 11, 2026 · Quick read: 7 min
In brief
- On our walkVegetarian and gluten-free menus are arranged at booking; vegan diets cannot be.
- Vegan optionA vegan tour by van for up to 4 people starts from $69.
- Gluten-free labelLook for the official symbol on packaged food.1
- Coeliac safetyThe legal limit is 10 mg of gluten per kg.2
- Tap waterThe city says its tap water is drinkable.3
Can a vegetarian food tour in Buenos Aires work?
Buenos Aires has a reputation built on beef, and the tours reflect it: the premium version of the walk this site sells adds a traditional steakhouse. That does not rule out vegetarians. The same listing offers a vegetarian menu and a gluten-free one if you ask when you book, which is the operator's cue to plan substitutes before the day rather than improvise at the table. Vegans are the exception: the operator says it cannot cater for a vegan diet.
The way to make it work is to be specific. Say whether you eat fish, dairy and eggs, and whether a shared grill or fryer is a problem. A guide can only ask a kitchen for what it knows about, and the more precise your note, the better your plate. Another Palermo walk with 5 tastings also asks guests to send dietary requirements before the tour.
Be realistic about what you are buying. A food walk is a tour of what a neighbourhood eats, and in Palermo that means pastries, pizza, sandwiches and grilled food. A vegetarian guest gets a version of that menu, not a separate vegetarian tour. If meat-free cooking is the reason for your trip, a dedicated vegan tour or class, described below, is the better use of the money.
Know your plate
Classic Buenos Aires food for different diets
| Dish | What it is | Vegetarian | Gluten free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empanada | Baked pastry5 | Veg fillings exist5 | No, wheat pastry |
| Pizza al molde | Deep, cheesy pizza6 | Plain ones are | No |
| Locro | Meat and corn stew9 | Usually not9 | Ask the kitchen |
| Alfajor | Dulce de leche cookie7 | Yes | Only if labelled |
| Ice cream | Italian legacy8 | Yes | Ask about cones |
| Mate | Yerba infusion10 | Yes | Yes, on its own |
Descriptions from the city tourism board; recipes vary by kitchen, so always ask.5,9
Meat-free Argentine dishes to look for
Many classics are vegetarian or easy to adapt. Empanadas, in the city board account, are half-moon pastries, generally baked rather than fried, and they come with vegetable fillings as well as ham and cheese, beef or chicken.5 Ask for the vegetable or cheese versions, often labelled humita for sweetcorn or caprese for tomato and cheese, and you can join almost any empanada stop.
Pizza is the other safe harbour. The city notes that the local favourite is deep and spongy, cooked al molde and smothered with cheese.6 A plain mozzarella pizza or a fugazzeta, stuffed with cheese and topped with onion, contains no meat. Provoleta, a disc of grilled provolone, is a grill-house starter vegetarians can order, though it is often cooked on the same grill as the meat.
Sweet things are easier still. Dulce de leche is a national favourite, eaten from the spoon, in an alfajor or in chocotorta.7 Ice cream shops are everywhere, a legacy of Italian immigration.8 Be careful with stews: the city describes locro as a hearty stew of meat and corn, so ask before you order it in winter.9
Group sizes
Maximum group size on dietary-friendly options
- Vegan van tour4
- Vegan cooking class4
- Empanada class8
- Our Palermo walk12
- Mate tasting10
Largest group each listing allows; a short guest list leaves more room for special orders.
A vegan food tour in Buenos Aires
A vegan food tour in Buenos Aires exists, though on a small scale. One listing runs a vegan tour of 3 hours by van through San Telmo, Palermo and Belgrano for up to 4 people, with pickup, from $69. It includes free snacks, but its listing says lunch is not included, so plan a meal around it. With 3 reviews so far, it is a young product rather than a tested classic.
For cooking rather than touring, a vegan cooking class with a food tasting lasts 3 hours for up to 4 people, with pickup, from $155. With 1 review to date, it is new enough that the listing details deserve a slow read. Both vegan products keep groups very small, which suits travellers who want plenty of questions answered.
Restaurants have caught up faster than tours. The city tourism board lists one restaurant whose whole menu is gluten free, with vegan, vegetarian and keto options next to its meat and pasta dishes.11 That is a useful model for mixed groups: a place where the carnivore, the vegan and the coeliac can all order from the same card.
Match your diet
Which option fits how you eat
Start from your diet and read across to the right option.
If I am vegetarian, travelling with meat eaters
The Palermo walk, with notice
One booking for the whole group; order vegetarian or gluten-free menus in advance.
If I am fully vegan
The vegan van tour
3 hours for up to 4 people, with snacks; lunch extra.
If I want to cook vegan food
The vegan cooking class
3 hours with a food tasting, for up to 4 people.
If I am coeliac
Talk to the operator first
Contamination from surfaces and utensils is the main risk.4
If I just want a meat-free taste
A mate tasting
1 hour in Palermo Soho, from $22.
Routes for any diet
A walk with notice, a vegan tour or a vegan class
Fully vegan
Vegan van tour
San Telmo to Belgrano
- Length3 hours
- GroupUp to 4
- LunchNot included
Hands on
Vegan cooking class
Cook and taste
- Length3 hours
- GroupUp to 4
- PickupIncluded
A gluten-free food tour in Buenos Aires: what coeliacs should know
Coeliac disease is common enough in Argentina to shape the rules. The national food safety authorities estimate that 1 in 167 adults in the country is coeliac.13 The law sets a maximum of 10 mg of gluten per kg for food sold as gluten free.2 Packaged products carry an official symbol set by the national food code, and the advice is simply to look for the label.1
The label is changing. ANMAT gave companies 3 years, until 2 December 2026, to move to a new SIN GLUTEN logo, and both logos remain valid during the switch.12 In shops you will therefore see either the familiar sin TACC mark or the new wording. TACC is formed from the Spanish initials of the grains behind coeliac disease: wheat, oats, barley and rye.14
A gluten-free food tour in Buenos Aires is harder than a vegetarian one. Bread, pastry and pizza dough are at the centre of most tasting walks. The authorities warn that food without gluten can be contaminated through surfaces, utensils, transport, clothing or the hands of the cook.4 Ask for the gluten-free menu at booking, as the Palermo walk requires, and decide with the operator whether a walk can be made safe for you.
Compare the options
Price a dietary-friendly day for your group
Enter how many are eating to price the walk, the tour and the class.
4 options compared
Price a dietary-friendly day for your group
Enter how many are eating to price the walk, the tour and the class.
- Palermo food walk3.5 hours · for one person from $89
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View - Vegan van tour3 hours · for one person from $69
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View - Vegan cooking class3 hours · for one person from $155
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View - Mate tasting1 hour · for one person from $22
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View
GetYourGuide's starting prices, converted at the ECB reference rate; exact pricing appears when you book.
From booking to the plate
How to get a meat-free or gluten-free walk right
At booking
State your needs
Vegetarian and gluten-free menus are requested at booking.
A day ahead
Confirm by message
Repeat your needs in a short note to the operator.
At the start
Brief the guide
Hand over a written note in Spanish.
At each stop
Ask about the kitchen
Contamination comes from surfaces, utensils and hands.4
In shops
Read the label
The official symbol marks gluten-free food.1
What to say at the table: useful Spanish
A few words go a long way. Soy vegetariano, or vegetariana, tells a waiter you do not eat meat; sin carne means without meat. Soy vegano or vegana covers dairy and eggs as well. If fish is a problem too, add ni pescado. Say it before you order rather than after the food arrives, since many dishes are assembled ahead.
For gluten, the key phrases are soy celíaco, or celíaca, and sin TACC. A kitchen that understands sin TACC knows you mean a strict diet, not a preference. Ask whether a dish is apto celíacos, suitable for coeliacs, and whether it is cooked apart. Those questions show you understand the risk of contamination that the authorities describe.4
For allergies beyond gluten, write the words down on your phone in Spanish and show them. Nuts are nueces or frutos secos, dairy is lácteos, eggs are huevos. A clear note handed to the guide at the start of a walk is easier for a busy kitchen than a long conversation at the counter. Keep a second copy in English for yourself, so you can point at the right word when a waiter asks.
Video
Vegan restaurants in Buenos Aires
Eliseo and Brechtje on YouTube · Nothing is fetched until you hit play.
It is important to know that a food that naturally does not contain gluten can be contaminated with it unintentionally during preparation, through surfaces, utensils, transport, clothing and the hands of the person preparing it.
Is it safe to eat salad and drink tap water?
The city tourism board states that tap water in Buenos Aires is drinkable.3 It also describes the city as having no major health risks for visitors, and says no vaccinations are required for entry into Argentina.15 That makes life easier for vegetarians, whose plates tend to include raw salads and fresh fruit.
Salads in restaurants are a normal part of the menu, and on a walk your guide chooses the kitchens. As anywhere, a sensitive stomach is best introduced to a new country gently: start with cooked vegetables for a day, carry a refillable bottle, and follow your own doctor's advice if you have a medical condition.
Public hospitals in the city treat emergencies 24 hours a day free of charge, and the ambulance number is 107.16 A wide network of pharmacies covers every neighbourhood, many of them open at night.17 It is reassuring to know before a trip built around unfamiliar food. Note the address of the pharmacy nearest your hotel on the first evening, and you will not need to search for one later.
How to plan a meat-free or gluten-free eating day
Start with breakfast in a classic cafe. The city suggests coffee with medialunas, the small local croissants, in one of its historic bars.18 Medialunas contain gluten, so coeliacs should carry their own breakfast or look for the official label in a shop.1 From 12.30 to 15 h is lunchtime in the city, a handy slot for a class or a tasting walk.19
In the afternoon, a mate tasting is a naturally meat-free stop. A mate tasting with a teacher in Palermo Soho takes 1 hour and costs from $22, and the drink is nothing more than yerba leaves steeped in hot water.10 Dinner runs from 20 to 23 h in most homes, which gives you time to find a restaurant with a clear vegetarian or gluten-free menu.19
For a vegetarian food tour in Buenos Aires that fits the rest of your group, book the Palermo walk and order its vegetarian menu at booking; for a fully vegan day, choose the vegan tour or class, since the walk cannot cater for vegans. Either way, tell the operator early, confirm before the day, and keep a few Spanish phrases ready. A little planning turns the city of grills into a city where every diet eats well.
FAQ
Fast answers to common questions.
Can vegetarians join the Palermo food walk?
Yes, with notice.
The listing offers a vegetarian menu if you ask at booking; say exactly what you do and do not eat.
Is there a vegan food tour in Buenos Aires?
Yes, a small one.
A vegan tour by van for up to 4 people lasts 3 hours, from $69; lunch is not included.
What does sin TACC mean?
Is the gluten-free logo changing?
Yes.
Companies have until 2 December 2026 to move to the new SIN GLUTEN logo; both are valid meanwhile.12
How common is coeliac disease in Argentina?
About 1 in 167 adults.
That is the national estimate for adults; the rate among children is higher.13
Can I drink the tap water in Buenos Aires?
Yes.
The city tourism board states that tap water in the city is drinkable.3
Are empanadas vegetarian?
Some are.
Fillings include ham and cheese, meat, chicken and vegetables: ask for the vegetable ones.5
Is locro vegetarian?
Usually not.
The city describes locro as a hearty stew of meat and corn, so ask first.9
Sources
- Government of Argentina (argentina.gob.ar), Senasa · Celiaquia y alimentos libres de gluten ↩
- Government of Argentina (argentina.gob.ar), Senasa · Celiaquia y alimentos libres de gluten ↩
- Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · Health and security ↩
- Government of Argentina (argentina.gob.ar), Senasa · Celiaquia y alimentos libres de gluten ↩
- Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · What, where and when to eat ↩
- Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · What, where and when to eat ↩
- Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · What, where and when to eat ↩
- Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · What, where and when to eat ↩
- Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · What, where and when to eat ↩
- Government of Argentina (argentina.gob.ar) · El mate ↩
- Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · Campobravo ↩
- Government of Argentina (argentina.gob.ar), ANMAT · Alimentos libres de gluten ↩
- Government of Argentina (argentina.gob.ar), Senasa · Celiaquia y alimentos libres de gluten ↩
- Government of Argentina (argentina.gob.ar), Senasa · Celiaquia y alimentos libres de gluten ↩
- Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · Health and security ↩
- Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · Health and security ↩
- Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · Health and security ↩
- Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · 8am | Breakfast at one of the city's classic cafes ↩
- Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · Feriados, horarios, talles y electricidad ↩