Some restaurants are born from grand ambitions. Others are created from something more: a feeling, an atmosphere, a bittersweet memory you want to hold on to for just a little longer. Anahi emerged from the latter category.
The story begins in 1990s Paris, in a former butcher shop in the 3rd arrondissement. There, a charismatic woman named Carmina Lebrero created something unique. The space was tiny, just 25 seats, but what it lacked in size, it made up for in soul. Word spread quickly. This wasn’t just another Argentine steakhouse, it was somewhere people felt truly alive, where evenings stretched long into the night.
Riccardo Giraudi, a restaurateur who’s dined everywhere from Tokyo to New York, became a devoted regular. “I’ve never spent evenings like the ones I’ve had there,” he said. In 2017, captivated by what he’d experienced, he took over the address, bringing in architects Humbert & Poyet to refresh the space while preserving its welcoming spirit. The formula also remained unchanged: exceptional meat, an intimate setting, and a feeling of warmth.
This summer, that same spirit arrived in Monaco. The new address on rue du Portier brings Anahi’s Argentine cuisine to the Riviera, allowing more diners to experience what made that small Parisian butcher so beloved.
Anahi arrives in Monaco
When walking into Anahi Monaco, you immediately understand what drew Giraudi in that tiny Parisian butcher shop. The space is both elegant and comfortable, decorated with velvet couches and chairs in deep, rich tones, giving you that nostalgic feeling of a warm Christmas night.
The lighting, blending perfectly together with the decoration, is low but never gloomy, putting you in that sort of place where conversation flows as freely as the wine.
However, it’s the meat that is still the star of the restaurant. The kitchen works with top quality cuts, cooking them over charcoal in the traditional Argentine manner. The technique might seem simple, but their Black Angus cut, which arrives with a charred exterior and a rose interior needs no fuss to speak for itself.
The menu also includes playful openings such as Mini Churros with caviar, and an Empanada de Carne Cortada filled with beef fillet and charred vegetables.
Meanwhile, the restaurant’s service is as inviting as its menu, attending to every need before it arises, always attentive but without hovering, creating the perfect environment.
Perhaps the reason for Anahi’s success is they understand that great ingredients need little interference. Or perhaps it’s the warmth of the place, or the hospitality. Well, whatever the alchemy, it works.
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Main photo credit: Marion Butet Studio