Argentina is not typically considered a seafood country. Buenos Aires is 300 kilometers from the Atlantic coast. And yet Crizia. In over twenty years and two relocations. Has built the most compelling argument that the Argentine sea deserves the same reverence as the Argentine steer.
Chef-owner Gabriel Oggero and his partner Geri Gastaldo have spent two decades cultivating direct relationships with small-scale independent fishermen along the Patagonian coast and the Buenos Aires province shoreline. The seafood at Crizia arrives with documentation: who caught it, where, and how. Oggero's obsession with traceability led the 2024 Michelin Guide to award Crizia not only a star for culinary excellence but also a Green Star for environmental sustainability. The first Argentine restaurant to receive both.
The restaurant occupies a sophisticated, warmly lit space on Fitz Roy in Palermo Hollywood, with a sleek interior that manages to feel both contemporary and intimate. A wine cellar visible from the dining room contains over 700 labels of exclusively Argentine wine. One of the most serious all-Argentine cellar programs in the country. The oyster program alone justifies a visit: Crizia carries multiple Argentine oyster varietals and serving styles that most local diners have never encountered.
The menu divides into two tasting experiences: a sea-only progression showcasing the best of the day's catch, and a sea-and-land menu that anchors each oceanic course with an Argentine land element. Aged beef fat with centolla crab, provoleta with smoked scallop, Andean potato with Patagonian langoustine. The à la carte section allows more spontaneous ordering and is particularly strong in the raw bar. Ceviche, tiradito, and oyster variations that reflect Oggero's study of Peruvian technique applied to Argentine ingredients.