Lomos Pirandello - San Juan

Pirandello is a classic reputed in San Juan to be the best lomoteca of many. After having visited many times over the years, I was pleased to find that it was still so good and not quite downhill, as some reviews suggest. For those who are not familiar with the Lomo, it is a sandwich of thin cut steak that comes with various additional ingredients such as ham, cheese, fried egg etc. My favourite is the simple Lomo-Comun that has only steak, salad and tomatoes, but with the double meat option delicious! The bread is a thin roll similar to a panini or a pita and pressed it on the grill. You can also order 'al plato' where the same ingredients come without the bread. Other options are chickens or pigs instead of beef, but beef is the classic. The restaurant also serves pizza and other dishes, but is best known for its Lomitos, which by the way are particularly good in San Juan, so that Sanjuaninos miss them when they live in Buenos Aires, where they seem to be nowhere near so good. I definitely recommend trying them in San Juan. Note Lomitos are an evening instead of lunch affair. Pirandello opens at 9 a.m., but not really until 9:30 or 10:00 a.m. Nice place to sit outside in the summer.

If you want an informal setting for some Lomitos with friends, this is the place to go. Most young people, great attitude of service and owners, although it is overcrowded, can be a little slow. Place will arrive late (after 11:00) so early if you want a place.

Pirandello is a classic in San Juan - reputed to be the best lomoteca by many. Having visited many times over the years I was pleased to find it was still as good as ever and not at all gone downhill as some reviews suggest. For those unfamiliar with the lomo, it is a sandwich of thinly sliced steak which comes with various additional ingredients such as ham, cheese, fried egg etc. My favourite is the simple lomo comun which just has steak, lettuce and tomato but with the double meat option - delicious! The bread is a thinish roll similar to a panini or a pita and it's pressed on the grill. You can also order 'al plato' where the same ingredients come without the bread. Other options are chicken or pork instead of beef but beef is the classic. The restaurant also serves pizza and other dishes but is best known for its lomitos, which incidentally are particularly good in San Juan, such that Sanjuaninos miss them when living in Buenos Aires where they're apparently nowhere near as good. I definitely recommend trying them while in San Juan. Note lomitos are an evening rather than lunch affair. Pirandello opens at 9pm but doesn't really get going till 9:30 or 10:00pm. Nice place to sit outside in summer.

If you want an informal setting for some lomitos with friends, this is the place to go. Mostly young people, great attitude from the service and owners, although given it gets crowded, can be a little slow. Place gets packed late (after 11pm) so arrive early if you want a spot.