Guerrin

Posted by Edmund in Argentina, Other, Restaurants | 0 comments

Guerrin
Pizzeria
About $1 a slice or so.

Avda Corrientes 1368
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Just like Americans, Argentines love their pizza. In terms of style, though, we couldn’t have two more different pizza pies. While the American version is very saucy, cheesy, and can be topped with tons of toppings, the Argentine version is much simpler, often  having either sauce of cheese (typically cheese) but not both, and the toppings are often far fewer in between. For example, if a pie has red peppers, it might have just one on each slice. The focus, then, is much more on a pie that’s fluffy and flavorful in its own. In general, the pizza is very fluffy and the cheese is gooey. It’s somewhat similar to deep dish Chicago-style pizza, as the pies are rather greasy, thick, and heavy, but it doesn’t sicken you—good balance in the dough and cheese.

Anyway, I decided to try out this foreign style at one of the famous pizzerias of Buenos Aires, which Salt Shaker recommends very highly for pizzas and which has been serving pies for decades.

While the pie was rather unique and interesting, I can’t say it was one of the best I’ve had. One reason may be that I had it at night, so it was cold and needed to be heated, rather than fresh. It would be great during the middle of the day, without a doubt. Still, the flavor combinations don’t always go well, and often what you’re left with, because of the simplicity of the flavors and the scarceness of the toppings, is a doughy pie with some at times overly greasy cheese. It’s a very heavy pie, and you really need a lot to be able to stomach more than a couple, if for nothing else than the oiliness. Without the sauce, moreover, the pies tend to be on the salty side.

As for the flavors, they are very hit or miss. My favorite flavor, and one of the classics in Argentina, is the fugazetta with jamón, a pizza with cheese, grilled onions, and ham. The grilled onions really bring out some sweetness in the pizza and complement the ham very well. This is also one of the few pies where you can really taste each of the components, especially the onions, which are provided in ample quantity. The other flavors weren’t so spectacular, though. The Napolitana (cheese, onion, and tomato), for example, was okay, but the tomatoes overpowered the other flavors, and you really didn’t taste much onion.

Overall, the pie isn’t bad, but I will say that I’d take an American pizza any day.

Ambience: Not important
Service: Not applicable
Taste: 2.5/5.0
Value: 2.5/5.0. Same price as most pizza in the city, but not a great value for the quality.
Overall Score (for the pizza): 2.5/5.0, but depends on the flavor and time of day.