“Going to Buenos Aires? Get used to garden salads.” This was long the advice given to vegetarians visiting the global meat capital. In its famed parrillas - grill-houses - your only option was to get stuck into a side salad and the bread bowl as your friends salivated over the “best steaks in the world”.

It was hardly an experience to write home about. In a city renowned for its happening and affordable restaurant scene, veggies were left feeling shortchanged.

Now they are biting back. Today some of the hippest eateries in town are steak-free. Manuel Alfredo Martí, president of the national Unión Vegetariana Argentina, can barely keep up with the new restaurants springing up all over the city. “It looks like the numbers are going to keep growing - and quickly,” he says.

“Vegetarian restaurants are to Buenos Aires what gastropubs were to London a decade ago,” says Matt Chesterton, editor of Time Out’s Buenos Aires for Visitors. “Although few locals who go to these places would count themselves as bona fide vegetarians, what they enjoy most about them is the bohemian vibe, the chance to taste dishes outside their usual frame of reference and, above all, the cheap prices.”

Diego Castro, owner of the vegan-friendly restaurant Verdellama, thinks the boom is just the beginning. “Buenos Aires has more vegetarians than people think,” he says. “It’s just that many of them have been hidden in their homes.” Until now, that is.

Here is my pick of some of the best veggie venues in Buenos Aires:

Providencia

Address: Between Cabrera and Arevalo
Tel: 4772 8507
Open: Mon-Fri, 12pm to 4pm; Wed-Fri, 12pm to 4pm and 8.30pm to 12am
Main courses: 11-12 pesos (£2)
There is no sign outside Providencia (despite its being co-run by a typographer); instead you find it by looking for an orange door with the words "GOLPEE FUERTE" ("knock loudly") handwritten on the front. Yet, for those in the know, this is among the most fashionable places to eat in the city, unintentional as that may be. Inside the converted warehouse is a no-frills, homely kitchen, with communal tables and an arty clientele. The menu changes daily, depending on what is in the kitchen that morning, and you can expect to find hearty portions of homemade tarts, huge salads and perfectly cooked polenta. Be careful what you say, though: co-owner Carmen Paz prefers to avoid the "vegetarian restaurant" label. "It makes us sound like hippies who only eat bean sprouts."

Bio

Address: Humbolt 2199 (near Guatemala Street)
Tel: 4774 3880
Open: Mon, 10am to 3pm; Tues-Sun, 10am to 1am
Mains: 16-20 pesos (£2.70-£3.40)
With its spring-green decor and peaceful location on a tree-lined street, Bio has an English-country-garden feel that makes you forget you are in a busy metropolis. Here you will find 100% organic fare, with all ingredients obtained locally. Customers are treated to an appetiser of fresh-from-the-oven bread, delicious aubergine dip and homemade ginger lemonade. On the menu, you find seitan, couscous, Thai rice and salads of pumpkin and fennel. The tofu, served up like a steak, with a garnish of olives, dried apples and damask, proves once and for all that veggie food can be filling.

Verdellama

Address: 3623 Jorge Newbery
Tel: 4554 7467
Open: Mon –Sat, 9am-8pm
Main courses: Around 12-14 pesos (£2-£2.40)
Until late last year, Verdellama was the equivalent of a Cuban paladar, dishing up its vegan specialties from the home of its owner, Diego Castro, and his partner, Lola. However, as word spread and they found their restaurant-cum-domicile being namechecked everywhere from Argentinian Elle magazine to Time Out, they decided it was time to find legal premises. Their menu revolves around "life-food", a style of raw food preparation that Diego picked up in New York and that includes "spaghetti" made entirely from courgette and a "pizza" without cheese or flour. All food is seasonal and presented with artistic panache. And if the menu leaves you feeling unsettlingly virtuous, top it off with a bottle of organic wine (£2.70 - and yes, that’s for a bottle, not a glass).

Masamadre

Olleros 3900 (near Fragas)
Tel: 4554 4555
Open: 7 days a week, 10am to 12am; Thurs-Sat until 1.30am
Main courses: 12-25 pesos (£2-£4.20)
Spotless white table clothes, sparkling wine glasses and a super-cool clientele - a recipe for pretentiousness? Not here. This converted almacén (general store) has become a hit by retaining its down-to-earth roots. Although the menu is not entirely vegetarian, the meat count is low with lots of imaginative, veg-based options. The platters are particularly good: try the Armenio, with hummus, tabbouleh, roasted vegetables, lentil and mint salad, cucumber dip and pita. The restaurant is also well known for its inhouse bakery and indulgent desserts. Nocturnal locals pack this place out after 10pm, so be sure to book.

Krishna

Malabia 1833 (between Costa Rica and Nicaragua Streets)
Tel: 4833 4618
Open: Tues, 12pm to 5pm; Weds-Sun, 12pm to 12am
Main courses: Around 9-10 pesos (£1.50-£1.70)
With no shortage of dreadlocked customers and a chalkboard of philosophical questions to consider before ordering, Krishna is a more stereotypical veggie choice. On the edge of Palermo Viejo Square, in an area loaded with tumbledown character, it offers Indian-inspired cuisine at ridiculously low prices. Sit outside to people-watch, or step into the bohemian interior, where you will find colourful walls draped with flags, low-level seating and mosaic-decorated tables. For the health-conscious patrons, a popular choice is the "balanced dish", consisting of wholegrain rice, salad, sauteed vegetables and chapattis. Veggie empanadas with sweet red pepper and homemade ricotta also make a nice change from the standard offerings in the city.

La Esquina de las Flores

Córdoba 1587 (near corner of Montevideo Street)
Tel: 4813 3630
Opening hours: Mon-Fri, 8.30am to 8.30pm; Sat, 8.30am to 3pm
Main courses: From 6 pesos (£1)
Tracing its history back to 1979, La Esquina proves that vegetarian food is not just a passing fad in Buenos Aires. Here, healthfood meets fastfood. Grab your deli ticket and place an order for homemade tarts, aubergine bakes or nut roasts. Then pull up a stool next to the city’s workers, who pack this place out at lunchtime. If you have time to spare, there is restaurant seating upstairs. Angelita, as the motherly owner is affectionately known, also offers free cookery classes for Spanish speakers, some of which are partially funded by the government to promote healthy and economical eating. Esquina also has a sister restaurant in the trendy Palermo district (Gurruchaga 1630; tel: 4832 8528).

Survival tips for veggies in the meat capital of the world

• Sandwiches in Buenos Aires tend to come with ham as standard. You would be wise to add "sin carne" ("without meat") to every order, just to play it safe.

• Considering Argentina is one of the world’s leading soya producers, you would think they would know how to cook it. Sadly not. In most cases, you would best avoid hot sandwiches known as milanesa de soja, unless you like the taste of cardboard.

• There is no shortage of Asian eateries in the city, with plenty of veggie options. Try Empire Thai (Tres Sargentos 427, Retiro; 4312 5706), Bereber for Moroccan (Armenia 1880, Palermo; 4833 5662), Sudestada’s menu of south-east Asian dishes (Guatemala 5602, Palermo; 4776 3777), or Maki Sushi (Ayacucho 1208, Recoleta; 4823 3900) for fresh sushi rolled before your eyes. The city’s Chinatown is in the Belgrano area, and, if you are missing home, the English pub Bangalore serves up Indian curries (Humbolt 1416, Palermo; 4779 2621).

Getting there

Global Village Travel has flights to Buenos Aires starting from £533. Tel: 0845 347 0265