El Quincho brings Argentine wood-fire cooking into Riverside Market, with a seated restaurant built around the grill rather than a quick market counter. The name refers to a gathering place around the fire, and that idea shapes both the cooking and the way the menu is shared. Diners can begin with empanadas and house-made charcuterie, order a mixed parrillada for the table, or choose an individual cut of meat. Argentine wine and familiar cocktails complete the restaurant format inside the market's energetic central Christchurch setting.
The opening dishes establish the kitchen's from-scratch approach. Empanadas come with beef, chicken or ham-and-cheese fillings, each enclosed in house-made pastry. Smoked cabbage and a potato tortilla give vegetables a prominent place, while El Quincho's own chorizo and morcilla bring two classic sausages to the table. Grilled bread and sauces such as chimichurri and criolla are not mere extras: they connect the entrees to the fire-led main courses and give groups useful components for sharing.
The parrillada is the clearest expression of the restaurant's barbecue identity, combining rump cap, chicken thigh, pork belly and chorizo from the wood-fired grill with bread and several sauces. Diners who prefer a single centrepiece can move toward tomahawk or ribeye, while slow-cooked lamb offers a different texture. Milanesa adds an Argentine-style breaded beef preparation, and grilled provoleta provides a substantial cheese-based alternative. Salad, chips and wild potatoes allow each main to be balanced to match the diner's appetite.
El Quincho also makes its menu accessible to a more casual lunch. Beef, chicken, pork and vegetable burgers arrive with chips, while choripan places the house chorizo in a baguette with lettuce, tomato, aioli and criolla sauce. Potato sides range from chimichurri-salted chips to double-cooked wild potatoes, and salads add halloumi, citrus or fresh tomatoes. Homemade flan with dulce de leche gives dessert a clear Argentine reference, which can be matched with Malbec or followed by a Fernet-and-cola cocktail.
Address: Unit 16, 96 Oxford Terrace, Riverside Market, Christchurch Central City, Christchurch 8013, New Zealand
Been to El Quincho? Be one of the first to rate it.
+ Log your visit
