A Classic of the Grill: "Julio Iglesias Used to Send a Plane to Have His Steaks Delivered to Brazil"

Three generations of the Mattei family have run iconic restaurants from the ‘70s and ‘80s, such as Los Años Locos and Look. Today, they are at the helm of a grill that attracts both tourists and celebrities.

From the food carts of the Costanera to Puerto Madero, and from Puerto Madero to Palermo, the three generations of the Mattei family have been part of Buenos Aires' culinary history for the last five decades. Their legacy includes legendary restaurants such as Los Años Locos, La Rosada, and Look. More recently, they’ve returned to their roots with El Caldén del Soho. Their experiences and anecdotes reflect not only their personal journey but also the evolution of local dining customs and habits.

They recall restaurants that stayed open until six in the morning, contrasting them with today’s spots, which are mostly fueled by international tourism. They know what it’s like to serve 1,500 covers per shift and also to serve only 10 in an entire night due to pandemic restrictions. The Mattei family has survived countless crises—from the Rodrigazo to 2001—and they’ve witnessed the cultural transformation of a city that once never slept but now goes to bed much earlier.

Jorge and Mauricio: The Second and Third Generations of the Mattei Culinary Legacy

The story begins with Ángel Mattei, who fled Italy during the war and settled in Argentina. After trying different businesses, he opened food cart number 39 on the Costanera. "My father was a businessman; he had owned a wholesale tobacco shop and a soft drink concession stand in Palermo. In the 1960s, he got the idea to buy one of the Costanera carts. He named it Saint Tropez, because it was right across from the Saint Tropez beach, which operated until the mid-70s. Back then, there were 53 food stalls lined up along the Costanera," recalls Jorge Mattei, Ángel’s son and father of Mauricio, who now runs El Caldén del Soho.

Ángel Mattei with Diego Maradona at Los Años Locos.

"In 1970, my father’s brother passed away, so he left Saint Tropez to his sister-in-law. Then, he partnered with a colleague who owned Los Años Locos," says Jorge, now 69, with over 50 years in the restaurant business. "In 1974, they opened a new, two-story Los Años Locos, and it was an instant hit. They hosted all kinds of celebrities—even European royalty dined there!"

– What was the secret to success?

"Back in the ‘70s and early ‘80s, everyone in Argentina dined out. The middle class was thriving, and people spent a lot. We used to serve 34,000 covers per month. Plus, nightlife in Buenos Aires was huge. We stayed open until 6 AM because people would come to eat at 2 or 4 AM after late-night theater shows. They’d even hang around for hours after finishing their meals. Back then, Buenos Aires was called ‘The Paris of America.’"

Freddie Mercury at Los Años Locos During His Visit to Argentina.

– What was the signature dish?

"Classic parrilla. The star was a half-kilo sirloin steak—too big for most to finish. But we didn’t do half-portions. It was a full steak, a tenderloin, a quarter of a chicken… Looking at the grill was impressive; it was always packed with cuts of meat. The grill was lit at lunchtime and didn’t go out until the last customer left, usually around 5 or 6 AM."

– Which celebrities dined at Los Años Locos?

"Everyone! From Pelé and Maradona to Freddie Mercury. Julio Iglesias was a regular. Not only did he dine in, but when he stayed at his hotel, he had food delivered from us. And when he was on tour in Brazil, he would send a private plane to Buenos Aires just to bring our steaks to Rio de Janeiro. He even flew over our waiter, Horacio, because he always took care of him at the restaurant. Many celebrities came because my father was well-connected. He was good friends with Carlos Petit, the king of Buenos Aires’ revue theater scene. At one point, Petit even produced a show called Los Años Locos."

– When did you join the family business?

"In 1974, at the original cart, before the new Los Años Locos opened. I was 18 years old, started at the cashier, then moved into purchasing… I learned to do everything except cook!"

Ángel Mattei with Moria Casán.

– What did you learn from your father?

"That quality is non-negotiable. It’s a family motto. My father believed a restaurant's success depended on top-tier ingredients. I’ll give you an example: When I started working with him, he handed me the car keys and told me to drive to Florencio Varela to buy strawberries. I asked him, ‘Why go so far? There are good strawberries nearby!’ He said, ‘The best ones are there. Go and fill the trunk’. The strawberries were huge and sweet. People would see them as soon as they walked in and immediately order them for dessert. That quality was why customers were willing to wait three hours for a table when we were packed."

– How long were you at Los Años Locos?

– Until '96, but in 1981 my dad opened Look, also on the Costanera. It was international cuisine and pizzeria, like "pizza with champagne". Even in '82, during the Falklands War, we were visited by an Englishman who was Pizza Hut's representative for South America, to tempt us to open the first Pizza Hut in Buenos Aires. And we said no. Pedro Muñoz worked at Look, who had been the chef at the Plaza Hotel, and who when he retired came to work with us. He was a number one in gastronomy, I learned a lot from him.

– And then they landed in Puerto Madero.

– We opened in '97 and were only there for seven years. The southern part of Puerto Madero was just being developed, when we left it had not yet been consolidated. It was called La Rosada and had an international cuisine proposal. In some way, we were pioneers in the area.

Front of El Caldén del Soho in the Palermo neighborhood

Starting over

Mauricio, the third generation of the Mattei family, did not originally plan to follow the gastronomic legacy. "I had finished university, I have a degree in Economics, and I was starting to see how my working life would continue," recalls Mauricio, 42 years old. "I was a bit hesitant to continue in the family tradition. But it happened by chance that some of my dad's cousins were leaving the business, selling El Caldén del Soho, and we decided to take this opportunity."

– What was Palermo like at that time?

– El Caldén had opened in 2004 and we came in 2006. At that time there were many houses and many neighbors; today they are all commercial businesses. But it was already becoming clear that it could be an open-air shopping mall. For us it was a different challenge. We came from very large businesses, with a different country context, and we were looking for a profitable economic unit, with a little more comfort. I was also taking my first steps in gastronomy.

The classic grill is the hallmark of El Caldén.

– Did you reformulate the restaurant's proposal?

– Yes, when we arrived it had a Palermo feel, with an author's grill. And we turned it into the classic grill, which is what we knew well. Today our most popular dishes are the ribeye and the hanger steak. The foreigner who comes to the restaurant goes straight for the ribeye.

– Was it difficult to generate a clientele?

– At first, many customers from the family's previous restaurants came. What we found in Palermo was a lot of tourism, and a tourist who when he arrives in Buenos Aires is looking for meat: at some point during his stay a barbecue is eaten!

– How did you experience the pandemic?

– It was tough. We were with the business closed for ten months without doing anything. Because the grill is very difficult to work with delivery. You eat a ribeye steak fresh from the grill and it has nothing to do with the one that travels from the restaurant to your house, we didn't want to bastardize the product. When we were able to open, we opened. At first with tables outside and a capacity for 10 people. It was like starting over.

– Do celebrities come here too?

– Yes, they do. Although at first people from the theater scene came, today that restaurants close earlier, that Buenos Aires night of the time of Los Años Locos no longer exists, they prefer to eat in the center. What we receive here is many international celebrities, musicians who come to Lollapalooza, actors from abroad. A funny anecdote is when Matt Smith came, who now stars in House of the Dragon. He came in December, a day when the restaurant was full of people; he came to the door and asked me for a table for two. I told him that when there was a table I would let him in and he waited outside.

When he came in, everyone at the tables stood up to take photos and ask for autographs. Then I asked and they told me who he was, although in shorts and sneakers he looks very different from how he appears characterized in the series. But on the other hand, it seems that he liked that we treated him like a regular person, because he came back to the restaurant three or four times.

By Sebastián A. Ríos