Comments on: Empanadas 3 – San Juan

By: dan

dan — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:11:44 +0000

One of those to chalk up to, "who knows?" I eat there about once a month and have been taking people there regularly for 3-1/2 years without a problem. Perhaps one bad batch or bad empanada, or something else entirely. Two hours is awfully quick onset for most types of food poisoning - 4-8 hours is more common, often as much as 10-12 hours. It's actually far more likely, given that it happened so quickly after dinner, that whatever hit you was from something you ate earlier in the day.

By: Mich212

Mich212 — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:09:40 +0000

I love your website and used it as my (basically only!) resource during my trip to Buenos Aires. I gotta tell you, though — I was really, really sick after eating at El Sanjuanino. I’m pretty sure it was the empanada de lomo, which had a slightly “off” taste that I blamed on the olives until about two hours later, when I was miserably sick.

Not sure what happened there, and I was sad because I wanted to love this restaurant!

By: dan

dan — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:20:20 +0000

That does sound strange bunnie, I’ve been many times, and it’s often one of the first places I take visiting friends. While the empanadas come out fairly quickly, I’ve never had them come out that fast, nor cold. I also have to admit I never noticed that they even had music, so it probably is canned, background music, which I tend to just tune out.

As noted in my writeup – the place does have a certain orientation towards tourists – while I like their food and always have a good meal, they’re located along a street that’s peppered with high-end hotels, and while they get their share of long-time locals, they also get hit with a large number of visitors. So, yes, I suppose the experience may feel a little “manufactured” – even though it’s been there for decades and the food is authentic, it’s not what one might call an “authentic local” spot. Then again, there’s practically nothing in Recoleta that would be – it’s a wealthy neighborhood that, for the most part, does cater to visitors more than locals.

By: bunnie

bunnie — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 03:56:24 +0000

I really respect your blog and feel bad that did not find out about it until I left BsAs. I had some cold empanadas at El Sanuanino….in fact, they brought them to me 30 seconds after I ordered, which was very strange. I didn’t bother to ask them to heat them up again. Did I just miss a bad day? The canned music bothered me a bit too. The experience feels manufactured.

By: SaltShaker » Blog Archive » The Supremes - Track 1

SaltShaker » Blog Archive » The Supremes - Track 1 — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:10:24 +0000

[...] the next block is, for me, the most important food stop of this short trek – El Sanjuanino, which over the last couple of years has become my favorite spot to take visitors for good [...]

By: El Sanjuanino Restaurant - The Best Empanadas in Buenos Aires - Argentina’s Travel Guide

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 19:56:37 +0000

[...] So if three dollars for a delicious lunch or dinner (plus drinks) sounds like your idea of a good time, El Sanjuanino is your best bet. Not only is the price unbeatable, but I dare you to find a better empanada in the city, or better yet, anywhere in the world! El Sanjuanino is one of Epicurious.com top 5 budget restaurants in BA, and has been around for 45 years. Dan over at SaltShaker.net also had some things to say about it. [...]