I was looking for something familiar to eat when I stumbled across Le Pain Quotidian in Palermo, Buenos Aires. A few years earlier, when I worked at Canary Wharf in London, the addition of a Le Pain Quotidien to the giant underground halls of Canary Wharf station warranted positive murmurs from my corporate colleagues. I was familiar with the brand from New York City branches where its breakfast-style tartines (open sandwiches) were the star of memorable brunches.
Buenos Aires
Unexpected blasts of street noise kept me awake on my first night in Buenos Aires (at the Apart’ Hotel San Diego). Street workers were hard at work by 4am in the morning. Therefore my morning walk through Palermo in Buenos Aires had the clear aim of getting me into the time zone. I wondered if food my help with that process (food always helps). For a brunch snack, I wanted something familiar and full of flavour.
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The Room: Pain Quotidien in Palermo
Le Pain Quotidien is laid out with refectory-style shared tables, small tables for two and a lively menu heavy on carbs. Those open sandwiches / tartines are a popular choice, alongside eggs, salmon, Danish pastries, muffins and a small range of alternative baked goods.
This branch is in a chintzy part of Buenos Aires called Palermo. The interior mixed warm wooden tables and shabby chic styling with a sunset-yellow backdrop. Service was more than a little abrupt and at times the server seemed exasperated with any customer.
Check out how I got on at 2 other local restaurants: Quotidiano and Burger 54
The Food in Le Pain Quotidien Palermo
I did manage to order a lightly dressed chicken salad tartine on rye bread with sparkling water and fresh lemon.
The sandwich was accompanied by an unexpected side of pomegranate molasses. The chef seasoned the sandwich with care and needed little of the tart sweetness to offset its savoury high notes.
This branch did offer free wifi, a blessing which meant I could get on with plotting my food blogs for the South America trip.
Wi-Fi Access at Pain Quotidien in Palermo
Le Pain Quotidien is an international chain that offers the reassuring familiarity that visitors (and locals) sometimes need. However, Buenos Aires is absolutely awash with extremely high quality and interesting food options from street food to fine-dining options. As a result, one visit to this branch as a way to ease into the Palermo district is probably enough.
