El Raigon Argentine Asado

This review is purely out of nostalgia but in my humble medium rare steak loving opinion the folks here were (probably still are) grilling artist.
Sadly, I only sampled two of their master pieces in steak: the spectacularly savory ojo de bife and the magically tender bife de lomo.
Do you ever wish you could eat your memories?
The morcilla was breathtaking, imagine goodness in the form of bloody tenderness.
The dulce de leche crepes still haunt me.
Oh how I miss you El Raigon!

For those of you that are confused about why El Raigon is closed, please read my original review. After doing you, so you may surmise that it closed because:
1) The health department doesn’t think sticking your finger in your mouth and then on your meat is a good way to prepare food.
2) Your customers don’t think raw meat and crap service make for a good restaurant in a city overflowing with good restaurants.

4.5
I organized a birthday dinner for a friend of mine here — 9 people, 6 of which were voracious eaters with astonishingly discerning taste.
I –WAS– going to write about how splendid each and every appetizer we ordered was.
I –WAS– going to write about the truly delicious steaks they had, but I –WAS– going to complain that they had run out of the ribeye — for that evening and forever, since they informed us that they would be closing their doors forever 3 days from when we ate there.
I –WAS– going to write about how great our server for the evening was.
And I most definitely –WAS– going to say that this goes down as one of the finer steakhouses in San Francisco, though a bit casual and laid-​back for the prices they charged.
It seems kind of senseless now to make any comments about a restaurant that once was but is no longer.
So I will say only this.
Having spent a week in Argentina last year and having gorged on some of the best meat I have ever had — El Raigon supplied something QUITE close to the real thing and should have been treasured during its existence.
I, like many of the SF residents (based on the comparatively small number of reviews compared to other steakhouses), did not give El Raigon a fair chance, and now it’s too late.
I’m told it was sold to a new restaurateur who has no plans of keeping the Argentinean theme — and it was hinted that they may be creating yet another Mexican restaurant that SF simply has too many of already.
Rest in peace — you will be missed.

Ate here Saturday night to celebrate David’s birthday. He had the tenderloin and I had the rib eye. Both steaks, especially the rib eye, had that excellent grassy taste and were well marbled, well trimmed, and very tender. Perfectly cooked — although they politely refused to cook to medium well. If you’re hungry for a steak that is NOT over-​fired, this is the place to come. The chimmichurri sauce is outstanding & comes to the table along with the bread so you can put it on whatever you want to.
We were disappointed with the arugula/​field greens pear/​blue cheese salad: the dressing had nice flavor and ingredients were fresh BUT it was waaaay oversalted. Could not even finish it.
Mashed potatoes were creamy, smooth, really home-​made tasting and superb.
Waitress was very warm & attentive. (Actually ALL the staff delivered personalbe and efficient service.) I only wanted a glass of wine & asked for a suggestion. She brought two open bottles & gave me a taste of each. I can’t remember the name of the one I chose, but it was a Malbec and was REALLY balanced and good.
They were out of my first two entrée choices: the skirt steak and the salmon special. We were dining at an 8:30 seating … maybe you have to start dinner earlier to be assured of every choice being available.
We LOVED the dulce de leche crepes for dessert. Not oversweetened, just so real & delicate and so good.
We would go back there — when in the mood for straightforward GREAT meat and sides. And for the wine.

Overall: 4.5
As far as I’m concerned this steakhouse sets the bar. I’ve been here twice and will continue to return.
Food: 5
Grass fed steaks! That’s the way I roll and the best way to enjoy steak. A major plus is they serve Mate. Rarely will you even see a restaurant in Argentina serve mate because Argentines are so picky about the preparation.
Décor: 4
Casual and totally relaxed. Not stuffy or trendy like other steakhouses. Really reminded me of a steakhouse I ate at in Mendoza.
Service: 4
Service is prompt and efficient. The only major complaint is that they close early, especially for Argentine standards.
Value: 4
I’ve traveled all over Argentina and compared to there the portions are kinda small and prices big. But compared to other steakhouses in the U.S. the value is really good, it’s not overpriced like other steakhouses.

Camer here again for dinner on Friday night. It had been a few years. The service was great! We also had an excellent bottle of Malbec. The meats were good but still a bit too seasoned for me.
I tried a bit of the tenderloin, the chorizo, and the blood sausage. The Chorizo and the blood sausage were so salty that I could only have a small portion of each.
It was a good experience overall but it is not on the top of my list for return visit.

I’m not big on meat and only have craving for a steak once in a blue moon. When the craving finally came about, I know I wanted to give El Raigon a try. Reviews are definitely mixed on Unilocal but the aroma from the place is quite tempting and it’s close to home so why not?
The place is smaller than I had imagined. Nothing fancy but definitely comfortable. As you walk in, the bar is to your right and the kitchen is directly in front. There is one long table along the end wall with about 10 – 12 smaller tables of 4 around in the dining area. Tables are of solid wood, brick walls with cow hide stretched on canvas as art pieces.
The waiter wasn’t very friendly, especially when it came to the wine selection. After much debate and ordering 3 bottles that they didn’t have, we settled on the Felipe Rutini 06 Mendoza malbec ($ 40).
Not wanting an order of meat on my own, we decided to get the combo plate to try a bit of everything… that was a great decision. What we ordered:
arugula salad w/​avocado — it’s very much like a caesar — $ 6 — large portion
Parrillada Para Dos — $ 43 — combo for 2 — you get one each of the blood sausage, chorizo, 3 pieces of short ribs & steak in slices. we had our meat in medium rare and they were cooked perfectly. At first bite, everything was tasty. After a bite each of everything, it got salty and I was feeling a bit overdosed with meat… a meat coma is not a good thing.
side order of brussel sprouts w/​caper and dill — $ 7 — halves of small brussel sprouts that were nicely grilled. after a few, it got a bit too sour and salty
for dessert, we had the panqueques — crêpe leche — $ 6 — this was light and delicious, a good way to end a very heavy meal.
somehow the meat here just seem too filling and over whelming and the flavors are ok and not great.

Spectacular experience.
I was recommended this place from a friend of mine who shares in my great appreciation for meat. It did not disappoint. Every steak we got was amazingly juicy, flavorful and unique in it’s own right. The waiter was quite informative of the history and home of where the beef came from, and they were great anecdotes which added to our enjoyment of the meat. The empanadas, skirt steak, rib eye, tenderloin are all perfection but the list does go on. You can tell that it is one of those restaurants that is all focused on the quality of their food/​meat. A classy version of a no fuss no muss atmosphere. I can’t wait to go back. SF is filled with great joints like this one, what a great town.

After a long work week I jumped at the offer to go with a few friends to this Argentine joint for steak and wine. I can sum up the experience pretty easily:
–Grass-​fed free-​range steaks: delicious
–Service: as attentive as it gets
–Bonus: corkage fee waived if you purchase a bottle of in-​house wine*
*This means you could bring x bottles of your own and purchase one of their reasonably priced and delicious reds for only the price of that one in-​house bottle.

After having lived in Buenos Aires, I thought I would be hard pressed to find an authentic parilla experience, but El Raigon took me right back to the asado. The Bife de Lomo is incredible and the Chimichurri sauce is perfect. The service has been top-​notch every time and the wine list has a fantastic selection of affordable Malbecs. I can not wait to go back to El Raigon.
Also, the Catena Chardonnay is like nothing I have ever had before. It dances on your tongue!

Ever since visiting Buenos Aires two years ago, having some of the best steaks in my life, I’ve been meaning to see if El Raigon stacks up to an authentic Argentinian experience. Last night was that first chance.
The restaurant is on Union Street in North Beach, slightly off Washington Square. Inside, it’s an intimate yet boisterous space with exposed brick and wooden beams, cowhide artwork adorning the walls, and a decent view of the open grill. Our server was a good guy but still service seemed to be a bit sporadic. Still, once the food and wine started arriving, all was good.
They use grass-​fed beef, and grill it estancia style over wood and charcoal, then top it with their own house made chimichurri sauce. Simple and straightforward, the way beef was meant to be enjoyed. We tried to cuts — the bife de chorizo (similar to a NY strip) and the bife de lomo (tenderloin) — both juicy and flavorful while not leaving you overstuffed the way some lesser meat does. If steak could be considered healthy, this would be it.
You have to order sides separately, and you should without a doubt; our mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts were both perfect accompaniments. Paired with a malbec (a decent Achaval Ferrer ’05), and end with the panqueques con dulce de leche, and your culinary journey is completed. Not quite Argentina in person, but certainly the next best thing.

I said once that happy cows don’t come from California, they come from South America; I don’t think I’ve ever said anything more true to this day.
It felt just like Argentina in here, based on everything from the atmosphere, the food, the large Che Guevara portrait and the Eva Peron imagery in the ladies’ room. It felt fun and festive, and there were many groups having a great time in this boisterous space.
You’ll find everything tasty from the land of steak and leather products here, except at American prices. (Our money’s actually good there, enjoy it while you can). Gambas al Ajillo (prawns swimming in butter and garlic) to start was good. Entrana (skirt steak) was soft, perfectly prepared (medium-​rare) and presented beautifully. You have to order sides separately, a quality I tend to dislike in steakhouses, but our roasted potatoes and spinach were good complements to the steaks.
Speaking of complements to the steak, we selected a bottle of tasty Argentine malbec (from a massive list) to accompany the meal. Yums.
Sadly, they were out of a couple key items, including the panqueque de dulce de leche (the crêpe filled with dulce de leche, nooooooOO!!) and Quilmes beer (their Budweiser, basically).
Bill came to almost $ 200 for three people; Tuesday-​night food it ain’t, but it’s good for a nice celebration dinner.

El Raigon is so authentic, it smells, feels, tastes, sounds, and yes, despite its North Beach locale, even looks like Argentina.
We got a reservation on a Thursday night for dinner, and it’s a good thing we did. The smallish dining room filled up quickly shortly after we arrived. Not sure if it’s the space or the crowd tonight, but get your eardrums and vocal cords ready for NYE party-​level loud.
They offer my favorite Argentine beer, Quilmes (though they were out of it tonight — boo!), in addition to what has to be, easily, the best selection of Malbec in San Francisco.
A smattering of appetizer options, four or so AMAZING-​sounding salads (we didn’t get one, though … I guess we just didn’t feel like being nice to our bodies), a couple of simple sides, and then the juicy stuff. Five varieties of beef (from Uruguay or Montana, as the menu informs us), as well as about the same number of chicken dishes.
Desserts all sounded off the hook, but we were devastated to learn that they didn’t have the panqueques with dulce de leche, so we skipped the postres.
A bit on the pricey side, so save it for special occasions. Special occasion or no, I’d go back here about three times a year.

YUM! I took my husband here for his birthday, not only because he loves grilled meat but also because he recently spent a month in Argentina. We had a wonderful meal. Started with the chorizo appetizer, which was pleasantly mild compared to Mexican or Spanish chorizo — but still very tasty. Our entrees, a ribeye steak and grilled lamb, were perfectly cooked and served with the most wonderful mashed potatoes and fresh corn. I ate every last bite and washed it down with an Argentinian beer… which, admittedly, is not their specialty, but I wasn’t in the mood for Malbec or another variety of Argentinian wine.
El Raigon is a great place for a special occasion meal. Definitely fairly priced when you consider the sheer volume of food we consumed. I think it would also be a great place for group celebrations as the atmosphere is loud, lively and comfortable.

Earlier this year as part of my never ending birthday week some friends treated me to dinner at El Raigon and let me just say, it’s great to have friends like mine!
Dining at El Raigon is like stepping off the plane and walking into a steakhouse in Buenos Aires. Very cool brick interior with cowhide on the wall and other nice little Argentinian flourishes. Oh hell, I don’t know jack about interior design but I do know meat. And El Raigon does meat right.
My steak last night was the tastiest piece of meat that I’ve ever had. Yes, it was $ 31. No, it didn’t come with any sides. Was it worth it? Hell yes. Not only that but everything else we tried was delicious. Arugula salad with avocados, fried provolone cheese, grilled prawnsyum. Mashed potatoes, sauteed spinach, brussel sproutsyum yum.
Ok, now I’m just babbling. If you are a fan of steak and want to be blown away, give El Raigon a shot. And if you’re not a fan of steak, well, I don’t think we can be friends.

I found out that I really like the word «rustic.» Come on, say it with me now, «RUSSSSTIC»
Anyway, that’s what the décor is like. Cow fur lining the bar, cow cur hanging on the brick walls. Wait, do cows even have fur or is it just called cow hide? I don’t know, i’m not a cow expert.
I starved for a good portion of my early evening just to eat here. I turned down happy hour @ Fuzio’s just to eat here. So my friend and I arrived at 6:30pm as our evite had said. Walk in, «Reservation is at 7»
WHAT
THE
FUCK
Oh hell no. Susy is HONGRAY! BUY ME GELATO! LET’S GO HAVE GELATO! (that’ll be my next review btw)
So we come back at 7… Entire group finally gets there… We order…
Food finally gets there around 8.
So I had the risotto, my friend ordered a rib eye medium rare and we split it.
Risotto was alright, nothing too spectacular or to write home raving about.
Okay… The steak? OVERCOOKED. Medium RARE homie, how you going to do me wrong and give us MEDIUM WELL!!! =(
I tried a bit of everyone else’s food.
The lamb was great! Not much of that gamey taste I hate and it was exceptionally tender. The side dish of corn was very good as well. Huge kernels, very sweet and fresh. Our server however, didn’t sell it up to us too good. This is what he basically had said about it «Yea it’s corn. you know cooked in a little beeet of butter… ess very good. ess awesome»
Does that really make you want to buy some corn? Hahahah
For the price, not really worth it. I mean I know fancier restaurants serve smaller portions, but that usually always means there’s better flavors. The steak. oh man, I didn’t taste chimichurri? It tasted like regular olé steak to me.
Oh, also tried my friend’s chocolate mousse dessert. Dear lord it didn’t have mousse texture. It was like hard chocolate.

I need to come back here for dinner.
I was there after a night in north beach to get some flan which was amazing. Best flan I have ever had. It even had caramel to top it off.
We also had the provoleta (melted cheese) which was awesome.
The staff were helpful and very friendly.
I thought that this place would be too expensive for me but after looking at the menu there is no doubt in my mind that I will be going back.

A few weeks ago I wrote a review of Levende East, proclaiming it my best meal of the year:
Last night I had a meal that not only topped Levende East but might go down as one of the best meals I’ve ever had. As part of my never ending birthday week some friends treated me to dinner at El Raigon and let me just say, it’s great to have friends like mine!
Dining at El Raigon is like stepping off the plane and walking into a steakhouse in Buenos Aires. Very cool brick interior with cowhide on the wall and other nice little Argentinian flourishes. Oh hell, I don’t know jack about interior design but I do know meat. And El Raigon does meat right.
My steak last night was the tastiest piece of meat that I’ve ever had. Yes, it was $ 31. No, it didn’t come with any sides. Was it worth it? Hell yes. Not only that but everything else we tried was delicious. Arugula salad with avocados, fried provolone cheese, grilled prawns… yum. Mashed potatoes, sauteed spinach, brussel sprouts… yum yum.
Ok, now I’m just babbling. If you are a fan of steak and want to be blown away, give El Raigon a shot. And if you’re not a fan of steak, well, I don’t think we can be friends.

Sure, this place has been touted by my friends as the «best steakhouse» in SF… But am I going to simply succumb to peer pressure and go on by blabbering about just how fabulous it is… uh, not exactly.
I’m giving this place 3.5 STARS
Ambiance is simple (maybe a little overly spartan for my taste): Wood tables & chairs, brick walls, & cowhide art.
Waitstaff is jovial & upbeat.
Menu: Despite the various dishes listed, we were told they were sold out of skirt steak, ribs, fish and chicken! Keep in mind that this is a weeknight at 7pm… never encountered this issue in a restaurant before… quite odd.
Though I was originally salivating for the skirt steak & my dad had his eye on the ribs, we went with the lamb and the Bife de Chorizo (Argentinian version of NY strip) due to the aforementioned availability issues. Once the dishes arrived, we were definitely impressed by how juicy and perfectly cooked the meats were… the lamb in particular was excellent. The side of mashed potatoes was also quite delish.
For dessert, the chocolate mousse bombe was highly recommended by our waiter… it however was not quite da bomb and turned out to be just average.
Overall, El Raigon is definitely good. It is mos def on the pricey side and I’m not convinced that the cost is completely justified by the experience. I am however pretty sure that it is not the absolute best steakhouse in SF… therefore my quest continues… next stop Morton’s and Bobo’s (sounds like a 3-​ring circus… where’s Krusty?!)

Are you kidding me!!!
«I had a match,
But she had a lighter.
I had a flame,
But she had a fire.
I was bright,
But she was much brighter.
I was high,
But she was the sky.»
First Manu Chao, now Cake! These guys have my playlist!
I chose El Raigon for my first birthday dinner of the year and was completely happy with my selection. They now offer an amazing sampler platter that includes a hearty serving of Morcilla, Chorizo, Asado de Tira and Bife de Lomo at a super reasonable price!
The morcilla was just as delectable as the first time I had it, all chorizo is good to me and the bife de lomo (tenderloin) was a much bigger portion that I expected on a sampler. Now on to the asado de tira (cross cut short ribs). This was the first time I’ve ever tasted Argentine style short ribs and was pleasantly surprised! Before we noticed the sampler (big enough to serve two) I was going to order the short rib entrée and am glad I didn’t. Although they were wonderfully succulent, they were slightly too rich for a full meal. They are fatty and reminiscent of the flavor of fat left on the side of a steak.
We finished with a flourish and once again ordered the luscious dulce de leche filled crepes! A happy, happy birthday to me!