Ushuaia Beach Club Restaurant Review

It feels like there are hundreds to choose from, every inch of the promenade is taken up by another cafe, restaurant, beach bar or beach club. Eventually we were pulled in by the decor and atmosphere of the beach club at the Ushuaia hotel, situated down on the south end of the beach. We were seated quickly under the cool canopy shade on the wooden terrace front and offered menus. The waitress was quickly on hand to talk us through the days specials and a few variations on the menu, bringing us water and bread rolls while we made our decisions.

Initially looking at the menu I was struck by how expensive it seemed. Having been to several of the more remote and upmarket beach clubs located around the island I felt that the prices were a bit steep...but then again, I hadn't tasted the food yet!

We went with the obligatory All i oli for starter, olives, aioli and bread. The perfect snack and just enough to keep your appetite at bay as you wait for the main course to arrive. We also ordered a couple of refreshing fruit smoothies that were delicious and almost a meal on their own. With fresh strawberries, a hint of mint and a creamy base they were divine.

I have found that in many holiday resorts, especially those by the sea, that vegetarian options are somewhat limited and tend to come in the form of a salad rather than a hearty meal. Ushuaia however was very different with several good vegetarian choices and I opted for the rather rich sounding spinach ravioli with a cheese and black truffle sauce. My friend had a few options in mind and so asked the advice of our waitress who suggested that the pad Thai was a nice change to the usual Spanish style seafood dishes.

When the dishes arrived we were very pleasantly surprised, going immediately for the obligatory foodie photos. The meals were served on large white, wide brimmed plates, almost dwarfing the portions of food. My ravioli came topped with slivers of black truffle and plenty of the rich creamy sauce. The pasta was cooked to perfection and the sauce was delicious, especially with small bites of truffle through it and it like the first proper hearty meal I had eaten all holiday. Although the portion had not looked overly large, it was plenty for lunch time and more than enough to fill me up.

My friends pad Thai was colourful, fresh and came with crunchy vegetables, well cooked seafood and chicken and a healthy dose of peanuts sprinkled on top. It turned out that it not only contained prawns as was advertised but also bite size chunks of what seemed like octopus. This was a good choice for a hot summer day, filling but refreshing and a good blend of Asian flavours and local seafood.

In the end the lunch was better value that I had thought. A total of 68€ for two people with starters, drinks and mains. We both left pretty full and satisfied!