Best Burger in Salta: Burgerteca's La Segunda
Two 24-year-old friends from Salta started in a home kitchen and won the expert-jury prize at Burgerpalusa 2026, Argentina's national burger contest.
The best burger in Salta, Argentina, is La Segunda at Burgerteca, Rivadavia 747. On 2–3 October 2026 it took the expert-jury prize at the 5th Burgerpalusa in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s national burger contest. Burgerteca belongs to Pablo Agüero and Pablo Nickler, two 24-year-old friends from Salta. Three years ago they were cooking on a small griddle in a home kitchen. I haven’t eaten there yet, so this is a profile built from the local press, not a review.
Burgerteca in Salta: key facts
Burgerteca is an independent burger restaurant in central Salta. Its two founders run it, and it won the 2026 Burgerpalusa jury prize.
| Name | Burgerteca (local press also writes “Burguerteca”) |
| Founders | Pablo Agüero and Pablo Nickler, both 24 |
| Founded | 2023, in a home kitchen |
| Address | Rivadavia 747, between Balcarce and 20 de Febrero, Salta |
| Seating | About 80 people |
| Signature burger | La Segunda |
| Main award | Expert-jury prize, Burgerpalusa 2026 (5th edition) |
Who founded Burgerteca? Pablo Agüero and Pablo Nickler
Burgerteca was founded by Pablo Agüero and Pablo Nickler, two Salta locals who have been friends since secondary school. Both are 24.
They told Informate Salta they started “sin saber nada”: knowing nothing. They quit their jobs, put their savings in and leaned on their families. That’s the whole business plan, and it worked.
From a home griddle to Rivadavia 747
Burgerteca grew in three steps: a home kitchen, then a delivery and takeaway shop, then a sit-down restaurant. According to El Tribuno and Salta Zoom, the pair first cooked on a small griddle with a fryer and sold to friends and family.
Next came a delivery and takeaway counter at the corner of Santiago del Estero and Güemes. They stayed about a year, then moved to Rivadavia 747, a dining room with about 80 seats.
The founding date depends on who you read. El Tribuno gives 31 October 2023. Informate Salta mentions a start on 10 April at Nickler’s home. Other outlets just say “about three years”. Every source agrees on 2023, and that’s what I’m using.
What is in La Segunda, Burgerpalusa’s 2026 jury winner?
La Segunda is a double beef burger with provolone, bacon, mushroom cream, onion, blue cheese and aioli on a classic bun. Infogastronómica, El Tribuno and Salta Zoom all list the same build.
- Double beef patty
- Provolone
- Bacon
- Mushroom cream made with button, portobello and pine mushrooms
- Onion
- Blue cheese
- Aioli (roasted-garlic aioli, according to El Tribuno)
- Classic bun
On paper, it is a maximalist burger. Two cheeses, a three-mushroom cream and garlic aioli all push in the same direction, and my first reaction to the list was that something had to give. Nickler’s answer, to Salta Zoom: “Es como una bomba dentro de una hamburguesa, pero están todos los ingredientes equilibrados”. Like a bomb inside a burger, but every ingredient in balance. An international jury agreed. I’d still like to taste it myself: blue cheese next to provolone is the kind of pairing that wins on a judging table and can turn heavy by the last bite.
Burgerpalusa 2026: who won the best burger in Argentina?
Burgerteca’s La Segunda won the expert-jury prize at the 5th Burgerpalusa, and Burger Shoppe of Mendoza won the public vote. The festival ran on 2–3 October 2026 at Tribuna Plaza, at the Hipódromo de Palermo racecourse in Buenos Aires.
It was Burgerteca’s first Burgerpalusa. First entry, first title. Salta Zoom reports a jury with members from Sweden, Peru and Argentina, and El Tribuno adds Ecuador.
Local press puts the field at some 200 applicants, with 24 preselected. Outlets disagree on how many reached the final (8 or 12), so I’m not giving a number.
Burgerpalusa 2026 selection: about 200 burger bars applied and 24 were preselected, according to local press. Outlets disagree on the number of finalists (8 or 12), so it is not shown. Burgerteca of Salta won the expert-jury prize. (Chart: Burger Breton (original work), CC BY 4.0, data from El Tribuno and Salta Zoom (October 2026), rendered with QuickChart (800x400))
The prize had three parts, according to Infogastronómica and El Tribuno:
- A trophy
- ARS 2,500,000 in products and supplies
- Direct places at the Montevideo Burger Show in Uruguay and at Perú Burger Fest
When I checked on 23 October 2026, nobody had yet reported whether Burgerteca had competed in Montevideo, or how it placed.
How the 2026 result compares with 2025
For the second year running, both Burgerpalusa titles went to burger bars outside Buenos Aires. At the 4th edition in September 2025, the jury chose Pretextos of Mendoza and the public chose Roses in Rosario, the Burgerpalusa public-vote winner I profiled. My view: the most interesting burgers in Argentina are now being made in the provinces, and the capital’s festival is where they come to prove it.
| Edition | Expert-jury prize | Public-vote prize |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 (4th) | Pretextos, Mendoza | Roses, Rosario |
| 2026 (5th) | Burgerteca, Salta | Burger Shoppe, Mendoza |
Where is Burgerteca? Address and practical info
Burgerteca is at Rivadavia 747 in central Salta, on the block between Balcarce and 20 de Febrero. It is a sit-down restaurant with about 80 seats.
| Practical info | Detail |
|---|---|
| Address | Rivadavia 747, between Balcarce and 20 de Febrero, Salta, Argentina |
| Format | Sit-down restaurant, about 80 seats |
| Dish to order | La Segunda, the 2026 Burgerpalusa jury winner |
| Opening hours | Not confirmed; check the restaurant’s own channels before you go |
| Prices | Not confirmed as of 23 October 2026 |
As of 23 October 2026 I couldn’t confirm the opening hours, menu prices in pesos, the price of La Segunda, delivery platforms or an official website. I’d rather leave a gap than print a guess. I’ll fill it in once the owners confirm.
Two more figures come from a single outlet each. Que Pasa Salta counts 15 burgers on the menu. El Tribuno says the kitchen turns out 450 to 500 burgers a day on weekends. If that second number is anywhere near right, don’t turn up at 9 p.m. on a Saturday expecting a table.
Map of Burgerteca, Rivadavia 747, Salta, Argentina, on the block between Balcarce and 20 de Febrero, north of the historic centre. (Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL (embed 800x450 iframe))
Other burgers in Salta
Burgerteca is the independent, award-winning choice. Mostaza, Argentina’s national chain, is the fast and predictable one. My guide to Mostaza’s branches and hours in Salta lists its addresses, and the Mostaza brand profile tells the chain’s story. If you have one burger night in Salta, spend it at Rivadavia 747.
For every burger address I’ve checked in the city, see the Salta burger guide. For the rest of Argentina and the world, go to the Burger Breton restaurants section.
Where to eat in Salta beyond burgers
Salta’s reputation rests on empanadas salteñas, lomitos and llama, not on burgers. Burgerteca’s win doesn’t change that, but it does earn a burger a spot on the list. On a northwest Argentina route, slot it in between two empanada stops.
A dozen empanadas salteñas, Salta’s signature dish and the city’s best-known food long before its burgers became famous. (Photo: Gonzalo Rivero (Gorivero, Wikimedia Commons), CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Empanadas\_salteñas\_1.jpg (2560x1920))
El Baqueano and Fernando Rivarola: what is current and what is history
El Baqueano, Salta’s best-known chef’s restaurant, is not a burger place, and it has left Cerro San Bernardo. Many travel guides still send diners up the hill, so here is where things stand. It is a fine-dining restaurant of native Argentine cuisine, founded by chef Fernando Rivarola and sommelier Gabriela Lafuente.
History
- El Baqueano started at Chile 499 in San Telmo, Buenos Aires (sources disagree on the year: Bichos de Campo says 2008, La Nación says 2007).
- It ranked No. 21 on Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021.
- After Rivarola won a municipal tender in 2019, the restaurant moved to the summit of Cerro San Bernardo in Salta in April 2022. You reached it by cable car (about 10 minutes) or by road.
- In early 2022 the San Telmo site became Trashumante, a more casual restaurant.
- On the hill, El Baqueano ran as a restaurant, research and training venue with a free public library, the Biblioteca Gastronómica Dolli Irigoyen, and a producer network, Proyecto Milpa.
- Its signature dishes were llama crudo or carpaccio and a pacú choripán. No burger was on the menu.
The San Bernardo cable car in Salta (photographed in 2007). From 2022 to August 2026 it carried diners up to El Baqueano, the summit restaurant run by chef Fernando Rivarola, which has now left the hill. (Photo: Lian Chang (diametrik, Flickr, via Wikimedia Commons), CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Teleférico\_de\_la\_ciudad\_de\_Salta\_01.jpg (3456x2304))
Current status
In early August 2026, El Baqueano announced it was leaving Cerro San Bernardo after four years. It called the move “una decisión dolorosa que excede nuestra voluntad”, a painful decision beyond its control (InSalta, 4 August 2026). No reasons were given. The brand continues, but no new location had been announced by 23 October 2026.
Who is Fernando Rivarola?
Fernando Rivarola is the Argentine chef who co-founded El Baqueano. According to La Nación and Bichos de Campo, he was born in San Cayetano in Buenos Aires province and grew up near Necochea. He trained in Mar del Plata and studied game cookery in Spain under Luis Lera.
How I put this profile together
I cross-checked every fact here against published sources on 23 October 2026. For Burgerteca and Burgerpalusa: El Tribuno, Salta Zoom, Informate Salta, Que Pasa Salta and Infogastronómica. For El Baqueano: InSalta, Cuarto Poder Salta, La Nación, Bichos de Campo, Perfil and Latin America’s 50 Best. Where sources disagree, I name them. I haven’t eaten at Burgerteca yet, so La Segunda gets no rating from me: this is a profile, not a review.
FAQ
What is the best burger in Salta, Argentina? La Segunda at Burgerteca, Rivadavia 747. It won the expert-jury prize at Burgerpalusa 2026, Argentina’s national burger competition, held in Buenos Aires on 2–3 October 2026.
Where is Burgerteca in Salta? At Rivadavia 747, between Balcarce and 20 de Febrero, in central Salta. The restaurant seats about 80 people.
What is in Burgerteca’s La Segunda? A double beef patty, provolone, bacon, a cream of button, portobello and pine mushrooms, onion, blue cheese and aioli (roasted-garlic, according to El Tribuno), on a classic bun.
Who founded Burgerteca? Pablo Agüero and Pablo Nickler, both 24 and friends since secondary school. They founded it in 2023 and started out cooking at home.
What is Burgerpalusa, and who won in 2026? Burgerpalusa is a burger competition and festival held in Buenos Aires. Its 5th edition took place on 2–3 October 2026 at the Hipódromo de Palermo. Burgerteca of Salta won the expert-jury prize and Burger Shoppe of Mendoza won the public vote.
Does Burgerteca serve smash burgers? One local outlet, Que Pasa Salta, says so, but I couldn’t confirm it with a second source. Ask when you order.
Is El Baqueano on Cerro San Bernardo still open? No. El Baqueano left Cerro San Bernardo in August 2026, after four years there. The brand continues, but no new location had been announced as of 23 October 2026.
Who is the chef of El Baqueano, and does it serve burgers? El Baqueano was founded by chef Fernando Rivarola and sommelier Gabriela Lafuente. It served native Argentine fine dining, such as llama carpaccio and a pacú choripán, and had no burger on the menu.
