In Thomas-Hofre, most restaurants are open only on weekends and holidays
In the town of Tomás Hofre in the Argentine province of Buenos Aires, 15 out of 19 restaurants are open only on Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays, according to The Rio Times. The town is located in the Mercedes partido, about 100 kilometers from Buenos Aires. In an article published on August 16, 2026, the publication noted that the public holiday on Monday, August 17, was to be a rare opportunity to visit the town on a weekday.
By car, the trip from Buenos Aires via Acceso Oeste and National Route RN5 takes about one hour and 15 minutes. For navigation, the publication recommends searching for the official GPS name “Jorge Born.” There is no direct passenger rail service to Tomás Hofre. The tourist train from Mercedes has not been running since May 2024, after a truck damaged the bridge over Route RP41.
For more up-to-date news, follow the UA.News Telegram channel.
The main format at local restaurants is “tenedor libre,” or a fixed-price lunch. It typically includes appetizers, homemade pasta, asado, dessert, and drinks. The cost ranges from 35,000 to 45,000 Argentine pesos per adult; at Banco Nación’s selling rate cited by the publication on August 14, 2026, this was equivalent to approximately 23–30 U.S. dollars. Dishes include local cheeses, meat appetizers, and salame quintero, as well as ravioli, sorrentinos, or tagliolini. The main course is asado, which is slowly cooked over a wood fire.
Most restaurants close between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, dinner is available only at Silvano, Fronteras, and La Casona, while La Querencia de Jofré is open Tuesday through Sunday. Santa Victoria accepts orders only for pasta on weekdays, and Cua Cuá may open by advance reservation. A local operator quoted by The Rio Times reported that on a typical Sunday, the town is visited by about 7,000 people, so guests were advised to arrive by 12:30 p.m. The publication also announced the 51st National Salame Quintero Festival, scheduled for September 11–13, 2026, in Mercedes, 12 kilometers from Tomás-Jofre.
