Iguazú Falls & the Northeast - Argentina - page 199

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El Patio Value PARRILLA El Patio looks and feels like you are in an aircraft hangar.
It consists of a huge, not-so-pr etty shed right in the center of to wn, with an open grill
smoldering to the left as y ou walk in. S uch “open planning” is not off-putting in the
slightest, and is more than compensated by the giant portions of meat that keep coming
until you are full. The “tenedor libre” (eat as much as y ou can) is the best v alue in town
and comes in at around $10 (£5.50) per person. Just ask for a parrilla, and the traditional
asado (barbecue) appears on a sizzling minigrill heaped with sausage, blood sausage,
steak, and chicken. The lone waiter is friendly , efficient, and eager to push that last rib
on you, so much so you can hardly make the short walk to your hotel afterward.
Av. Victoria Aguirre 221. & 3757/424-167. Main courses $10-$13 (£6.80-£8.80). No cr edit cards. Daily
11am-1am.
Gustos del Litoral ARGENTINE This is a tiny side walk restaurant with lots of
character. There is r oom for only thr ee tables inside and a little mor e in the wooden
framed veranda outside. There is a chalk mural on the inside wall, and the menus come
covered in bamboo shoots. J azz plays in the backgr ound as y ou eat y our way thr ough
local river dishes such as pacu fish with lemon sauce and saffr on flavored rice. Small but
colorful, it makes a pleasant change from the mammoth touristy joints this town special-
izes in. Portions could be bigger.
Av. M isiones 209. No phone . M ain c ourses $12-$16 (£8.20-£11). AE, DC, MC, V. Wed-Mon 8am-

11:30pm.

Il Fratello AR GENTINE With its big windo ws o verlooking a tidy wooden str eet
deck of wine-colored tablecloths and dark furniture, Il Fratello seems a more stylish and
compact restaurant than its tacky neighbors. Located in the hear t of the downtown area
on a busy street, the restaurant has both an informal outside area, with comfy deck-chair
seating, and a more formal indoors, with two TVs. Still, it is nice to hav e cloth napkins
for a change instead of the shiny, nonabsorbent serviettes that seem the staple of r estau-
rants up and do wn the countr y. Il Fratello offers standar d fare in giant por tions. The
surubí fish I ordered was easily three times bigger than any I received in other restaurants
and quite delicious.
Gustavo Eppens 294. & 3757/424-157. Main courses $10-$15 (£6.80-£10). AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 11am-
11:30pm.

7

PUERTO IGUAZU AFTER DARK
Although it has improved somewhat in recent years, Puerto Iguazú's nightlife is nothing
to get y our disco flar es in a twist about. M ost of the bigger r estaurants stage liv e tradi-
tional music at w eekends, while a series of ne w, y outhful bars has popped up along
Avenida Brasil, offering late-night alfr esco drinking. The slickest of these disco bars is
Jackie B rown, Av. B rasil 180 ( & 3757/421-208 ). The designer-white seating inside
goes well with the designer-chrome seating outside. This place rocks to techno all week-
end until 5am, with a more eclectic mix of pop during the w eek. Across the street is the
more laid-back La Tribu , Av. Brasil 155 ( & 3757/421-794 ), with tropical Latin beats
reverberating around a stylish deck and inside bar with black leather seating. I t is open
every day fr om 6pm to 2am. E ven mor e chilled out is Puerto Bambu, Av. B rasil 96
( & 3757/421-900 ). This is a large corner bar with a giant bamboo veranda and a reggae
music list that goes w ell with fr equent happy hours. I t is open ev ery day fr om 5pm to
3am. Cuba Libre, at Paraguay and Brazil (no phone; [e-mail]),
has been around the longest and plays tr opical beats until late.