In the heart of Doral, Miami, El Bodegón de Lucho is building something familiar for Argentines abroad: homemade food, football on the screens, and an atmosphere that feels like Buenos Aires.
“We started in November,” Pablo Helling, one of the cooks at the restaurant, told Mundo Albiceleste. “The idea behind El Bodegón de Lucho belongs to Luis. He’s from Argentina and has been working in gastronomy for several years here in the United States, in Miami.”
The concept is clear. “He took the idea of a traditional Argentine bodegón from Buenos Aires. Bodegones come from Italy, from homemade food,” Pablo explained. “So he brings that product here to Miami, combined with football — to create a place where friends get together to watch matches, especially now in a World Cup year.”
And football is everywhere inside the restaurant.
“In the decoration we have jerseys from all Argentine teams,” Pablo said. “It’s decorated with photos of Messi, Maradona, Gardel… a lot of football atmosphere.”
On Sundays, the focus is clear. “We show Boca, River, Argentine football. We have different sports TV shows from Argentina playing all the time.”
But El Bodegón de Lucho is not only about screens and nostalgia — it’s about food.
“We work with Argentine products — milanesas, different types of meats like entraña, vacío, parrilladas…” Pablo said. “Typical dishes like provoleta, milanesa napolitana, milanesa fiorentina. We also make homemade pasta.”
The response in just a few months has exceeded expectations.
“In three months, the flow of people we’ve had has been quite large,” he explained. “On social media, we started with 700 followers from a previous business account and transformed it. Today we’re close to 8,000 followers. In a short time, many objectives were achieved.”
The majority of customers are Argentine, especially given the Doral location. “About 70-80% are Argentine because of the area,” Pablo said. “Families come. Yesterday we closed with an Argentine family of 11 people. They had an excellent experience. They choose us week after week.”
But the reaction from Americans and non-Argentine Latinos has also been strong.
“That’s fantastic,” Pablo said. “Argentine gastronomy is very well regarded here, especially because of the meats. But people discover it’s not just meat — we also have homemade pasta. The evolution has always been positive, thank God.”
With the Finalissima and the 2026 World Cup approaching, the restaurant is preparing for big moments.
“The vision this year is to meet expectations in service and food production,” he said. “We’re going to share several matches with promotions. The place has full liquor, so people can enjoy a Fernet or Campari. The facilities are ready to receive the World Cup in the best way.”
Behind the project is a close-knit team led by founder Luis.
“Luis is the founder. I’m Pablo, I work as a cook,” he explained. “Luis created the menu structure and we execute it. We don’t work in a pyramid system — we follow him as the leader and execute his vision.”
The team includes Mati from Chaco, Pablo from Córdoba, Junior Alejandro from Cuba — “who adapted very well to our culture and provides extraordinary service” — and Jorge from Buenos Aires, who helps with production. They are also looking to expand the team in anticipation of larger crowds.
Looking ahead, the ambitions go beyond Doral.
“The long-term solid vision is to have several bodegones,” Pablo said. “To bring it to Kendall, South Beach, Miami Beach, Hollywood. It’s about solidifying the product and the service, and then expanding.”
For Argentines in South Florida searching for milanesa, Fernet, and a packed room singing during an Argentina match, El Bodegón de Lucho is quickly becoming that meeting point.
As Pablo put it simply: “We want people to come and experience what an Argentine bodegón is.”
For updates and upcoming events, follow El Bodegón de Lucho at bodegondelucho.com or on Instagram @bodegondelucho.
