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In the late '70s, when José Ignacio was still a lonesome fishing village, an adventurous, then unknown Argentine chef named Francis Mallmann opened an enchanting restaurant there, Posada del Mar. He followed up its success with Los Negros, which had a tin roof, and poetry on the walls. It soon became one of the most sought-after spots in South America. Mallmann went on to garner international fame, and José Ignacio, with its gravel roads and grassy dunes, became a destination for a certain type of traveler—the kind who has seen the world and wants to get away from it for a while.
Last December, Mallmann returned to open the beachfront open-flame restaurant Chiringuito Francis Mallmann. Inspired by Luchino Visconti's seaside scenes in Death in Venice, Mallmann created a series of tents with striped fabrics, folding sling chairs, and low wooden tables placed right on the sand. “I have so much affection for José Ignacio,” he says. “I love coming back to the beach at this moment in time, when being outside and breathing fresh air is so meaningful.” Chiringuito is the latest parilla—a restaurant with a boho-style wood-fire oven or grill—to open here. In December 2020, the simple Cruz del Sur Farm began serving just-caught fish with rainbow carrots and Swiss chard grown at a nearby ranch, following local institutions like Parador La Huella, built on the sand of Brava Beach, and the down-to-earth La Olada, with rustic tables for roasted lamb and charred squash.
Mallmann is part of a small group who dared to dream up something new during the pandemic. When summer rolled around late last year, Edda and Robert Kofler, an Austrian couple, were putting the finishing touches on Posada Ayana, a beautiful eight-room hotel near Mansa Beach. Surrounded by a breezy atmosphere reminiscent of '60s St. Tropez, cultured international guests get cooked-to-order breakfasts on a poolside deck, private yoga, and soon, exclusive access to an artistic gem: Artist James Turrell is building one of his iconic Skyspaces, a room with a roof aperture that transforms the blue yonder into a natural canvas.
A short drive away, Argentine book lover Eduardo Ballester has opened Rizoma, a bookstore, café, and four-room inn. Set inside a distinctive rust-hued cube surrounded by towering trees, Rizoma is a small, self-contained world, complete with a gallery where Ballester's wife, ceramicist Marcela Jacob, exhibits her work. “I've had a house here since 1996, and I've seen José Ignacio change a lot,” says Ballester, who's been visiting since the '60s and remembers a time before the village had electricity. “It's still so charming, but I love it the most when the summer crowd leaves in March; then it becomes a truly marvelous place.” One that remains true to its roots, no matter what comes next.
This article appeared in the July/August 2021 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here. All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
