Steakhouses›Steakhouses in Mexico City›Cambalache (Polanco)
Argentine parrilla · Polanco · Mexico City
Cambalache (Polanco)
A Polanco branch of an Argentine restaurant group whose founders reached Mexico in 1986, serving what it calls USDA Prime cuts from the parrilla.
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By Hugo Ledger · Steakpedia editorial voice · Who writes
Why go
1986 is the year Chilango gives for the arrival in Mexico of the Argentine founders of Cambalache, who set out to share their culture through typical, family recipes; the article does not say when the first restaurant opened, and neither does Steakpedia. The name is that of an Argentine tango. Today the group presents itself as a reference for Argentine cooking in Mexico and lists eight branches, from Cancún to Toluca; the one in Polanco is on Alejandro Dumas. By its own account, its cuts are USDA Prime and are cooked on the parrilla.
What to order
- Bife de chorizo
- Churrasco Cambalache
- Empanadas
Not published: aging, fire, breed, year opened.
01What to order
- Bife de chorizoChilango (2017, San Jerónimo branch) wrote that its aroma draws people in from the street.
- Churrasco CambalacheThe same article recommends it for two people.
- EmpanadasNamed with the salads as house specialties in 2017.
- Papas souffléThe side dish the 2017 article names.
- Fresas flameadasA flambéed strawberry dessert, listed in 2017.
- Giant alfajorThe other dessert named in 2017. These dishes come from another branch and a nine-year-old article: check the Polanco menu.
02The beef
The group's website says its restaurants stand out for USDA Prime cuts, and that fish and seafood are imported from Canada and the United States. Chilango (2017) says the beef is imported from the United States and aged to keep flavor and juiciness, and calls it prime; no number of days is given anywhere. No source states breeds or feeding. The house wines are produced in Mendoza, Argentina, per the website.
03The fire
The website speaks of its science of grilling on the parrilla, and Chilango (2017) says the meats are cooked on the grill of the asador. No source names the fuel, the grill type or a charcoal or wood oven, so Steakpedia does not state one.
04The story
Cambalache belongs to the wave of Argentine parrillas that Chilango says filled Mexico City from the 1980s, driven by migration from economic crises and by retired Argentine footballers in Mexico who opened grills. In a 2023 column, it lists Cambalache with El Buen Bife and Puerto Madero among the parrillas where eating out became the norm. The group has since grown to eight branches: Cancún, Coyoacán, Insurgentes, Interlomas, Polanco, San Jerónimo, Toluca and Vallejo. The listing used by Steakpedia gives 1986 as a founding year; the only source found ties 1986 to the founders' arrival in Mexico. Steakpedia uses 1986 as that arrival, not as an opening date.
05The practical
Alejandro Dumas 122, Colonia Polanco, 11550 Mexico City, per OpenTable. Phone +52 55 5280 2080, from OpenStreetMap. Bookings go through the Reservaciones page of the group's website, which also carries a separate menu for Mexico City; no source consulted gives the Polanco hours or current prices.
- Address
- Alejandro Dumas 122, Polanco, Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico City
- Phone
- +52 55 5280 2080
- Website
- cambalacherestaurantes.com
- Directions
- Google Maps ↗
Is Cambalache in Polanco Argentine?
Yes: it is a branch of an Argentine restaurant group in Mexico. Its founders, Argentines, arrived in Mexico in 1986, according to Chilango.
What beef does Cambalache serve?
The group says its restaurants stand out for USDA Prime cuts. Chilango (2017) says the beef is imported from the United States and aged.
Where is Cambalache Polanco?
Alejandro Dumas 122, Colonia Polanco, Mexico City.
What is the churrasco Cambalache?
A dish Chilango recommended in 2017 for two people, at the San Jerónimo branch. The article does not describe the cut.
06In Mexico City’s selections
07Sources
cambalacherestaurantes.com · cambalacherestaurantes.com · chilango.com · openstreetmap.org · chilango.com · opentable.com
Last verified Oct. 29, 2026.
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