Rave: Ito-San Japanese Restaurant

Rave: Ito-San Japanese Restaurant
by Oliver Butterick

This modest-looking restaurant (from the inside and out), located in the San Telmo barrio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, offers excellent Japanese cuisine and political commentary. The one-man show—a little-known secret in BsAs—may be the most difficult ticket to get in the world’s 9th largest city.

I haven’t tested it out yet, but I’ve been told that the only way to get a table is if you know Ito-San personally, or if you go to dinner with someone who knows him. Lucky for me, I know someone who knows him. But in case you don’t, I’ve included some tricks for getting a table below.

I shared a table for four on a recent Tuesday night. The menu for the night was sashimi and sukiyaki. If you’re the type who likes to be able to order what you want when you go out for Japanese food, this might not be the place for you, but I would suggest you try it anyway. You might not get that spicy tuna hand roll that you’ve been craving, but if your experience is anything like mine, you’ll get a platter of sashimi and sukiyaki for four, along with two bottles of red wine, all for a reasonable price (less than US$60). Yes, that was the price for the entire meal, not per person.

Granted, the cost of living is cheaper there than in the US, but this is not just any sushi, either. Although I’m not quite the connoisseur of sushi that some Babblog writers may be, I thought it was pretty good. And when one of my friends complimented Ito-San by telling him that he made the best sukiyaki in Buenos Aires, Ito-San was quick to respond that his was the best in the world.

The secret to getting a table without knowing someone on the inside is knowing enough about the man to know what might persuade him to let you into this exclusive establishment. First off, his love for the US extends only to its wines. I’m not sure how old Ito-San is, but he was definitely around for World War II, which might explain why he blames the US for all of the world’s problems. So I wouldn’t admit being an American unless I had a friend who made a point to bring it up with Ito-San at the height of one of his rants.

He doesn’t really have much love for Argentina either. He’s one of those who lost a lot when the country faced the devaluation of its currency a few years ago. In fact, he doesn’t have much love for anyone. He really is a bitter old man. But he loves wine. He even brought out a Japanese wine magazine and shared it with us.

Also, the only other customers that evening were three members of a well-known wine family in Argentina. Every time they dine there, they bring an extra bottle of wine for the chef. So, I’d suggest bringing in a bottle of good wine when you make the reservation.

Oh yeah, his English isn’t very good, so you need to speak Spanish or Japanese, so as not to give away your American status. If all else fails, you can tell him that you know me. He made a point to tell me that I look like James Dean, so that might spark his memory. Clearly, the old man is half-blind.

Oliver can be reached at oliver@babblog.com.