San Telmo

01What to order

• Chuletón, 800 g / 28 ozO'Connor's Premium rib eye on the bone, pasture-fed, dry-aged four weeks, A$252 on the current menu. For two or three.
• Ojo de bife, 500 g / 18 ozRib eye, pasture-fed, A$145.
• Solomillo, 500 g / 18 ozBone-in striploin, pasture-fed and dry-aged, A$120; in 2011 the 400 g / 14 oz version was A$49.
• Entraña, 250 g / 9 ozHanger steak, pasture-fed, A$65.
• Vacío, 250 g / 9 ozFlank, the one grain-fed steak on the list, A$58.
• Tira de asado, 350 g / 12 ozBeef short ribs cut across the bone, A$55.
• Chorizo and morcillaA$19 and A$18; the chorizo picked up mallee-root smoke, per Gourmet Traveller's 2011 review.
• EmpanadasA$10 each: beef, olive and egg; or corn, onion and mozzarella. Provoleta with red chimichurri is A$25.

02The beef

O'Connor, Gippsland. Pasture-fed Angus and Hereford; one steak, the flank, is grain-fed. The chuletón and the solomillo are dry-aged in house, and the 800 g / 28 oz chuletón gets four weeks. In 2011 Gourmet Traveller also named Hopkins River, and reported that O'Connor slaughters some steers at 30 months, Argentine-style, for the grass flavour. Dry-aged beef sits behind glass at the entrance, Time Out noted. Concrete Playground adds short ribs, flank, rib eye and rump from O'Connor's South Gippsland herd.

03The fire

Charcoal, no wood. The parrilla came from Pirincho's workshop in Argentina; Broadsheet listed his other grills in the Argentine and Chilean presidential palaces, the Ferrari workshop in Modena and the stadiums of Real Madrid and Barcelona. The cook moves the coals under the grate. The Brisbane house of 2026 runs a grill based on it, charcoal only. Order the chuletón first.

04The story

Brothers Dave and Mickey Parker, with Jason and Renee McConnell, opened San Telmo on Oct. 21, 2011. Michael Patrick, from Ladro and Supermaxi, was the opening chef and wrote the house chimichurri on a trip to Argentina. The front doors are 300-year-old hardwood from a San Telmo mansion, bought at a wrecking yard; the bar is ten metres of hardwood; the antiques came back from Buenos Aires with the Parkers. The group added Palermo, Asado, Pastuso and Robata. San Telmo Brisbane, on Edward Street and listed on the Melbourne house's website, opened in late June 2026 under Ben Robinson and Mikey Dalton, who had worked at San Telmo and Palermo.

05The practical

14 Meyers Place, between Bourke and Little Collins streets. Open Sunday to Thursday 12 to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday 12 to 11 pm. Phone (03) 9650 5525, info@santelmo.com.au; a private dining room is available. Weekend food and drink carry a 10 per cent surcharge. Wheelchair entry from Windsor Place, per Gourmet Traveller.

Address

14 Meyers Place, Melbourne VIC 3000

Phone

+61 3 9650 5525

Website

santelmo.com.au

Directions

Google Maps ↗

06In Melbourne’s selections