About Us
Argentina’s fire, beef, and hospitality as an intimate fireside tasting experience.
Our Story
Fogón Asado was founded in Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2018 by Alex Pels, Danielle Jenster and Chef Sebastián Cardamoni. The idea was to create an Argentine fine dining steakhouse centered on livefire cooking, beef and wine, bringing the parrilla into the heart of the dining room.
The word fogón has no exact translation in English. It could mean a hearth or open fire, but in Argentina it also means the place where we gather around the fire. That deep desire to come together and share is what still defines us today. For us, dining is a ritual, a meaningful way to share our culture and who we are with others. Fogón is where guests from around the world join us to experience our interpretation of Argentine beef, fire, and wine.
Our Menu
Fogón is not a traditional à la carte steakhouse. It is a tasting menu restaurant centered on Argentine beef and live fire cooking.
At the center of the dining room is a custom-designed parrilla where chefs cook, carve and serve directly in front of guests. There is no separation between kitchen and experience. The movement of the fire, the heat of the embers and the work of the chefs are all part of the meal.
Our Techniques
Our cuisine is based on fire, but it goes beyond grilling. We work with traditional Argentine techniques, but driven by our pursuit of modern fine dining, we reinterpret them through a contemporary approach. Different temperatures, distances from the embers, woods, cooking times and forms of direct and indirect heat produce different results. Smoking, slow cooking, resting, charring and the interaction between fat and flame all combine to create a truly unique dining experience.
We think of this work as remastering fire techniques.
Tradition is the starting point, but the objective is to understand it in greater detail, refine it and take it further.
Our Process
This same philosophy defines how we approach all our raw materials. We work closely with producers, examining the beef long before it reaches the grill. Breed, genetics, provenance, feeding, and maturation all influence the final flavor and texture. The sourcing process is just as important as the cooking itself.
This research has led us to work with various expressions of Argentine beef, particularly Angus, exploring both wet and dry aging according to the characteristics of each cut. Some meats gain complexity through maturation, while others benefit from less intervention. Some demand direct heat, while others require long, controlled cooking. Our job is to understand the differences and bring out the best in each one.
For that reason, we rely on a fixed tasting menu rather than an à la carte format: it allows us to tell a progressive story through different cuts, raw materials, and fire techniques.
The tasting menu can be accompanied by a pairing focused entirely on Argentine wines. While Malbec naturally plays a leading role, we also explore different varieties, altitudes, and regions. The selection is designed so that each wine perfectly harmonizes with the dish it accompanies.
ThE Experience
At Fogón, fire is not hidden in the kitchen, but right in front of you. You feel its heat on your skin, smell the wood and the fat reaching the embers… Our chefs are not just cooking the menu, but walking you throughout the meal, bringing the history of the ingredients and traditions to the counter. A piece of beef is never simply served; its provenance, maturation, and cooking method become part of the conversation.
Since opening in 2018, we have continually evolved through research and strong relationships with local producers, expanding our interpretation of the Argentine asado into a broader exploration of fire cuisine. This dedication has earned us a place in the MICHELIN Guide Buenos Aires & Mendoza (2024, 2025, 2026), the No. 22 spot globally on the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants list (2026), and TripAdvisor’s No. 1 Fine Dining Restaurant in the World for two consecutive years.
These recognitions have brought international attention, but we continue to be driven by the exact same elements: exceptional raw materials, fire, technique, curiosity, and that foundational desire to gather and share around the hearth.