Chacras de Coria: A Saturday of Vineyards, Markets, and a Chef's Table Dinner
📍 4 stops · ⏱ ~9.5 h
Chacras de Coria is a small, leafy town south of Mendoza City where vineyards and olive groves press right up against the residential streets. On a Saturday, the town wakes up slowly — first with coffee and pastries, then with a market that fills the main square, and later with long lunches that stretch into the afternoon. This day moves through the best of it: a morning market, a winery lunch, and an evening at a restaurant where the chef cooks whatever looked best that morning.
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Morning Coffee and the Saturday Market
feels more like a village than a suburb. Plane trees arch over the streets, and the houses are a mix of old adobe and modern concrete, many with their own small vineyards in the backyard. On Saturdays, the pace picks up slightly — locals walk their dogs to the square, and the market stalls appear one by one. It's a place where people still know their neighbors, and the restaurant scene, while sophisticated, retains a small-town warmth.
Café de la Plaza
A small café on the main square that serves as the unofficial morning gathering spot for the neighborhood. The coffee is strong, the medialunas are fresh, and the tables on the sidewalk fill up early with locals reading the paper or chatting with friends. The owner often works the counter herself, and the service is warm and unhurried. Order a cortado and a couple of pastries, and watch the town wake up.
Bookmodule.lafourchette.comFeria de Chacras de Coria
The Saturday market in Chacras is a lively affair that takes over the main square and the surrounding streets. Vendors sell handmade crafts, local cheeses, organic vegetables, fresh-baked bread, and jars of preserves and chutneys. There's usually a stall grilling choripán, and the smell of wood smoke drifts through the market. It's as much a social event as a shopping trip — families come to browse, eat, and catch up with neighbors. The market winds down by early afternoon, so morning is the time to go.
Winery Lunch and an Afternoon Stroll
Bodega Clos de Chacras
A historic winery that dates back to 1921, with a restaurant that's become one of the best in the area. The dining room is set in the old barrel cellar, with thick stone walls and low lighting, and the menu is built around seasonal ingredients from the property's own garden. Dishes might include a carpaccio of local beef with arugula and parmesan, or a slow-braised lamb with roasted vegetables and a glass of their own . The wine pairing option is worth it — the sommelier knows the cellar intimately and will guide you through their best vintages.
BookGetYourGuideBook the wine pairing lunch
The full tasting menu with pairings is the way to go — it's a splurge, but the setting and the quality of the cooking make it a highlight of any trip to Mendoza.
After lunch, the town slows down. The market stalls are being packed up, the heat of the afternoon settles in, and the streets grow quiet. It's the perfect time for a slow walk through the residential lanes, past the adobe walls and the gardens heavy with roses, before heading to the final stop of the day.
A Chef's Table Dinner at Anastasio el Pollo
Anastasio el Pollo
A restaurant that's earned a quiet reputation as a favorite of Mendoza's top chefs — the kind of place where winemakers and visiting cooks come on their nights off. The menu is small and changes daily based on what's available, but the focus is always on the wood-fired grill and the best local ingredients. The room is simple and warm, with an open kitchen so you can watch the chefs at work. The roasted chicken, as the name suggests, is the thing to order, but don't skip the vegetable dishes — they're often the surprise highlight.
Bookfacebook.comWhy chefs love this place
The owner, a former sommelier, has built relationships with small local producers who don't sell to the bigger restaurants. The vegetables come from a farm ten minutes away, and the chickens are raised just outside town. It's the kind of supply chain that chefs appreciate and that you can taste on the plate.
Reserve ahead
The restaurant is small and popular with locals — book a table a few days in advance, especially for a Saturday evening.
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