La Nueva Piamontesa (Belgrano and Mackinlay, tel. 02964/424366) is a longstanding favorite for delicate baked empanadas and the pizzas in its deli. An inexpensive sit-down restaurant as well, it’s open 24/7.

Two other places specialize in pizza and pasta: Café Sonora (Perito Moreno 705, tel. 02964/423102) and La Nueva Colonial (Fagnano 669, tel. 02964/425353).

Leymi (25 de Mayo 1335, tel. 02964/421683) serves fixed-price lunches for about US$3.50 and has a broad menu of parrillada, pasta, and other short orders. El Rincón de Julio (Elcano 805, tel. 02964/15-604261) is a hole-in-the-wall parrilla, highly regarded by locals, with lunch-counter-style service.

By Río Grande standards, Araucas (Rosales 566, tel. 02964/425919) has a sophisticated menu—a wide variety of seafood, for instance, and the Patagonian lamb (US$6) can come with variations such as a mint sauce. The desserts are excellent.

Mamá Flora (Av. Belgrano 1101, tel. 02964/424087) is a good breakfast choice that also has coffee and exquisite chocolates. At the plaza’s northwest corner, Limoncello (Rosal and Fagnano, tel. 02964/420134) is an exceptional ice creamery.

Several hotels have their own restaurants, most notably the Posada de los Sauces (Elcano 839, tel. 02964/430868), which gets special mention for superb service, the cooked-to-order lomo a la pimienta (pepper steak, US$8), and their complimentary glass of wine. There’s also a 10 percent cash discount.