THE NEW YORK TIMES: In Argentina, Inflation Passes 100% (and the Restaurants Are Packed)
Argentina’s financial crisis has a surprising side effect: a flourishing dining scene in Buenos Aires, as residents rush to spend pesos before they lose more value.
Text by Natalie Alcoba

Street food patrons gather in an alley hot spot near Chinatown on a chilly evening in the Belgrano neighborhood, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Saturday, May 27, 2023. Photographer: Sarah Pabst for The New York Times
Clients enjoy starters during a tasting in the Aguilar restaurant in the Palermo neighborhood, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. Photographer: Sarah Pabst for The New York Times
Jorge Ferrari, a long-time restaurant owner, stands for a portrait in front of the recently opened German restaurant ABC in the city center of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Thursday, June 8, 2023. Photographer: Sarah Pabst for The New York Times
Santiago Manoukian, an economist at the consultancy firm EcoLatina, stands for a portrait in the Belgrano neighborhood, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. Photographer: Sarah Pabst for The New York Times
Orno restaurant owner Lupe Garcia stands for a portrait in the restaurant’s garden in the Saavedra neighborhood, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Tuesday, May 30, 2023. Photographer: Sarah Pabst for The New York Times
People have lunch in the recently opened German restaurant ABC in the city center of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Thursday, June 8, 2023. Photographer: Sarah Pabst for The New York Times
Customers have lunch in the Miramar restaurant in the San Cristobal neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Thursday, June 8, 2023. Photographer: Sarah Pabst for The New York Times
Kitchen chef Sol Peretti cuts a mushroom during preparations for the evening in the Julia restaurant in the Villa Crespo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Friday, June 9, 2023. Photographer: Sarah Pabst for The New York Times
Co-owner of the gastronomy group Abridor Pedro Diaz Flores sits for a portrait in front of the Aguilar restaurant in the Palermo neighborhood, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. The Aquilar was his 17th food venture in the last 18months. Photographer: Sarah Pabst for The New York Times
Customers stand in line for the Don Julio Grill restaurant in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sunday, June 11, 2023. Photographer: Sarah Pabst for The New York Times