Asado in Mendoza: Cooking Class, Rooftop Dinner or Winery Lunch, Which to Book?
4 min read
For most visitors the asado with a local host and Malbec at €79.33 is the one to book: 39 reviews, a group of up to 5 and a central meeting point. It involves two flights of stairs, though, and the page lists people with mobility impairments as not suited.
Four different formats
The four listings sell the same meal in four formats. Two are meals on a terrace in central Mendoza, one is a hands-on class at the host’s house and one is a lunch at the end of a wine tour. Work out which of those you want before comparing prices.
The asado with a local host lasts 4 hours and takes up to 5 people. You help make empanadas while the fire gets ready, then eat empanada, morcilla, chorizo, pork matambre and beef on a rooftop terrace, with Malbec, beer, dessert and a last Fernet and Coke. The guide speaks English, Spanish, French and Italian. The meeting point is Av. Ejército de los Andes 346; the page says it is ten minutes on foot from the city centre and five blocks from the main bus station. If it rains, the meal moves into the host’s living room. Vegetarian options are available on request, and the page asks you to report dietary restrictions and allergies in advance.
The asado cooking class at Mauricio’s house costs €115.88, lasts 4 hours and takes up to 7 people. You build the fire, prepare chimichurri and grill meat and vegetables yourself. The page lists regional appetizers, Mendoza reserve wines, choripan, dessert and mineral water. It needs at least 2 people; otherwise the booking is refunded. The host will drive up to 4 guests from a hotel or apartment in the city area, but the return is by taxi at your own cost. Children under 13 and people over 95 are listed as not suited.
The sunset asado dinner on a private terrace costs €75.77 and lasts 3 hours, from 6 pm. Guests share one table; the description says 2 to 8 people, although the page header says up to 10. The meeting point is Gral. Espejo 772 in central Mendoza. Premium wine, beer, water, coffee and a starter, main course and dessert are listed, with vegetarian options.
The private winery tour with asado costs €169.36, lasts 6 hours and has 28 reviews. A private driver who speaks English, Portuguese and Spanish takes you to two wineries in Maipú or Luján de Cuyo for visits and tastings, then to a lunch where the host prepares the asado and shows you how. Pickup times of 9:30, 10:30 or 11:30 am are mentioned. Wineries named on the page include Santa Julia, Carinae and Antigal, but the page says others are possible.
| Option | Format | Duration | Group | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asado with a local host | Rooftop meal, helps cook | 4 hours | Up to 5 | City centre |
| Cooking class | Hands-on class | 4 hours | Up to 7 | Host’s house |
| Sunset terrace dinner | Dinner, learn the fire | 3 hours | 2 to 8 | Central terrace |
| Winery tour with asado | Private, lunch | 6 hours | Private | Maipú or Luján de Cuyo |
Our recommendation
Book the asado with a local host for a meal that mixes cooking and eating, as long as stairs are not a problem. Choose the cooking class if you want to run the grill yourself and have no children under 13 with you. Take the winery tour with asado when you want wine and the meal in one day and a driver to take care of the logistics. Each page offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before. More choices are under asado and cooking class tours, and the wine tour guide covers the wineries.
