Angélica Cocina Maestra

This restaurant, the name of which pays homage to the mother of Nicolás Catena Zapata, showcases the authentic flavours of Mendoza from a modern perspective. The dining room, which is as imposingly impressive as the rest of the building, is part of the Catena Zapata winery in Agrelo (in the department of Luján de Cuyo), famous both for the quality of its wines and its design in the shape of a Mayan pyramid. Here, the duo of chefs at the helm, Josefina Diana and Juan Manuel Feijoo, boldly showcase their “Wine First” concept, where every aspect of their cooking revolves around wine, and not the other way round. They invite guests on a personalised tour of the facilities (a stroll through the winery and a glass of vermouth in the distillery room) before they seat you at a table where the focus is on an exclusive and creatively inspired tasting menu which evolves in various stages or courses and is centred on the full DNA of Mendoza (we thoroughly enjoyed the appetisers and dishes such as Trout-Carrot-Tomato). Other details that stood out included the free return transfer from our hotel.

• Dining is preceded by a personalised tour through the winery, including a vermouth in the distillery room.
• The room sits inside Catena Zapata’s Mayan-pyramid winery building in Agrelo.
• “Wine First” concept, the cooking is designed around wine, not the other way around.

Signature Ingredients

• Seasonal produce from Mendoza, treated as the backbone of the tasting progression.
• Trout, used in a signature-style dish noted by Michelin inspectors.
• Andean potatoes and other native ingredients grown from unmodified seeds in the restaurant’s organic garden.

Menu

• A multi-stage tasting menu served after a guided walk through the Catena Zapata winery.

Style

• “Wine First” dining inside the Catena Zapata winery in Agrelo, with each course designed to revolve around wine rather than pairing wine to finished plates.
• Seasonal Mendoza ingredients anchor the cooking, with the menu built as an exclusive, creative progression.