Unique Burgers with a Latino Flair at Gaucho Burger Company

Have you enjoyed meals at Tango Grill, Gaucho Grill, Milonga, and Taleggio in the past years? You are about to sample a super casual Argentinean hamburger spot in White Plains, as conceived by one of the restaurateurs who brought us the cuisine of Argentina. As I chatted with one of the principals of the Gaucho Latino Investment Group, this confident, enthusiastic gregarious restaurateur said, “This is not a burger place, it is THE burger place.” What makes it unique? “We use 90 percent Argentinian grass fed beef and 10 percent Wagyu fat for our burgers. Added house made chimichurri and marinating for 48 hours results in a great tasting burger.”

The Gaucho Burger concept was born on the streets of New York at farmer’s markets and festivals. “We set up 3 tents in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. We are the first Argentinian burger joint on the east coast. Our goal is to feed New York one burger at a time.” The owners are very passionate about their venture.

As I parked on busy Mamaroneck Avenue, balloons and large posters announced the opening of Gaucho Burger Company. It is not a grand space like the other ventures into Argentinean cuisine, but one thing caught my eye. On the walls were those authentic black and white cowhide panels that previously adorned the walls at Gaucho Grill. Black floors and tables and booths provide seating for about 30 people and rugs with the Gaucho Burger logo cover the floors. The cooks were busy at work in the open kitchen with its large grills. The ventilation system worked very well and the small space remained non smoky, even with the constant grilling. It is kept very clean, as well. My visit was during the first week of opening and very cleverly, a high table was set up at the floor to ceiling glass paneled door, visible from outside, with several of the tempting dishes and drinks displayed, for all to see. The colorful lemonade based drinks and sky high burgers were enticing to those lined up and waiting to order, as well as the passer by on Mamaroneck Avenue. If you choose to eat in the spot, place your order at the counter and it will be served to you at your table.

A limited menu was available for the first few days and it is expanding quickly to include a variety of treats. As explained, “We are more than a burger place and we offer handcrafted Argentinian sandwiches.” Our tasting started with several sips of the extra special and quite large varieties of lemonade, chunky with fruit purees, colorful and ultra fresh and refreshing and not too sweet. We loved the blackberry variety. The berries are grown in South America and pressed. The juice is extracted and the resulting puree is frozen and shipped here. The varieties are numerous, including passion fruit, pina colada and strawberry pineapple. Tropical smoothies of kiwi coconut, pineapple and banana are appealing as well.

On to the namesake, The Gaucho Burger. Ours arrived in a black and white lined disposable basket. It was a tower of delights. Open wide, actually very wide, or be more gentlemanly or ladylike and use a fork and knife to devour this mountain of goodness. Shredded lettuce, a tomato slice and onion rested on the bottom of a sesame seeded brioche. This was layered with a delicious Argentinian beef burger drizzled with chimichurri mayo dressing and a slice of real cheddar cheese. A huge crisply battered onion ring covered the beef and it was sealed with the top half of the brioche. It was messy but very good. You can also order the double variety. You may have to stand up to reach the top of it. As I devoured my burger, I couldn’t help but note the long line forming out the door. With the owner expediting orders to the cooks, it brought to mind (for those of you old enough to remember) the 1978 Saturday Night Live skit called Olympia Restaurant, where John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd are serving cheese burgers to hungry customers. At Gaucho Burger the orders were accomplished in a more orderly fashion. If you prefer your burger without the mayo sauce let the cook put it on the side.

Next, we enjoyed jumbo lump crab burger. The quality of the crabmeat resulted in a fine seafood burger. The recipe was equally as refined as those we enjoyed at past meals at Tango Grill and Gaucho Grill in the past. Here it was presented with the same accompaniments and chimichurri mayo as the burgers. We also sampled the baby back ribs, meaty and well seasoned with a tangy barbecue sauce.

The full menu includes Gaucho chicken, pork, veggie, lamb and Cubano burgers. You can add bacon, sautéed onions or mushrooms to these choices. For the children a kid’s burger or chicken fingers are offered. The handcrafted sandwiches are large here, like everything else here. Try the chicken or pork milanesas with lettuce, tomato and onion and your choice of classic chimichurri or spicy or mild chimichurri mayo. Fish, sausage, porketta and veggie sandwiches are other choices. On the side, enjoy some gaucho fries, yucca fries, plantain chips or tostones. For the salad lover, a Gaucho salad, classic Caesar or strawberry and goat cheese salads are offered and can be topped with beef, chicken, pork or shrimp. Both Italian and Argentinian desserts are offered ranging from flan and tres leches cake to tiramisu and mixed berry bread pudding.

Whether you decide to eat in or take out, Gaucho Burger Company is a unique concept in casual burger spots with a Latin flair.


Gaucho Burger Company
66-68 Mamaroneck Avenue
White Plains
(914) 217-4146

Classic Chimichurri

¾ cup parsley
⅓ cup cilantro
5 cloves raw garlic
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
3 tsps. red wine vinegar
2 tsps. salt
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

For extra spice… chop in some serrano, jalapeno or habanero pepper
Place all ingredients in food processor and pulse until slightly chunky. Store in a glass container in refrigerator. This chimichurri sauce is an Argentinian pesto to use on steak, chicken, fish, seafood, vegetables or pasta