An Argentinian Restaurant in the Mission for Asado: Lolinda

If you type argentinian restaurant near me anywhere in the Mission, Lolinda is the answer most locals give first. Lolinda sits at 2518 Mission Street, between 21st and 22nd Streets, on the ground floor beneath Cubita, the Cuban-inspired rooftop bar run by the same team. It opened in 2012 and built its reputation on a wood-fired asador, the traditional Argentine grill, which sits at the centre of the kitchen and supplies most of what lands on the tables: skirt and bavette steaks, short rib, house-made chorizo and blood sausage.

The restaurant describes itself as a shareable steakhouse, and the format follows the parrilla habits of Buenos Aires. Instead of one steak per person, tables order a mix of cuts, slice them in the middle and pass empanadas around while the Malbec is poured. Since 2012 that idea has drawn birthday groups, date nights and restaurant-industry crowds into a dramatic two-level room fitted with plush leather banquettes and low, moody lighting.

The kitchen today is led by chefs Alejandro Morgan and Juan Torres. Torres, the executive chef, was born in Acapulco and raised in San Francisco, grew up in the Mission and now runs the kitchens at both Lolinda and Cubita. The restaurant's own profile says he is nearly a decade into the job and that his favourite thing to cook is a properly rested ribeye, which explains the length of the bone-in section of the menu.

The order that defines the place is the Asado Mixto at $78: chorizo, morcilla, bavette steak and short rib with roasted potatoes, blistered shishito peppers and grilled levain bread. It feeds two hungry people or three with starters. Groups celebrating something go for the Asado Mar y Tierra at $135, which adds a lobster tail to skirt steak, chorizo and chicken thigh with lobster butter and chimichurri.

If you would rather pick a single cut, the 14-ounce Bife de Chorizo, an Argentine grass-fed New York strip, is $58. The 26-ounce Gaucho, a USDA Prime bone-in ribeye meant for two, is $98, and the 44-ounce Tomahawk with herb fries and bone marrow béarnaise is $175. A four-ounce link of house morcilla or chorizo costs $12 each, a cheap way to taste the blood sausage before committing to a platter.

Start with empanadas. The Empanadas de Carne, filled with beef, raisins, egg, potato and olives and served with chimichurri, are $14, and the Choclo version with corn, aji amarillo and provolone is the same price. The Provoleta, a disc of grilled provolone with oregano and bread, is $15, and the Humita, an Argentine corn pudding with grilled corn relish, is $16.

For something brighter before the meat, the Ceviche de Pescado with ono, aji amarillo and leche de tigre is $20, and the roasted bone marrow with crostini and chile de árbol jelly is $18. The menu reaches across Latin America, so a crispy pork belly Vigorón and a Brazilian-style pan de queso sit beside the Argentine plates. A 5 percent surcharge supporting employee benefits is added to every bill.

The wine list leans hard on Mendoza. Catena's Malbec from Vista Flores is $15 a glass, the Atamisque Malbec Reserva is $20, and El Enemigo's Cabernet Franc from Gualtallary is $19. If red is too heavy for ceviche, the Torrontés from Cafayate in Salta is $11 a glass and is the classic Argentine pairing for empanadas.

Every dessert is $13, and the one people photograph is Cookies and Milk: house-made alfajores sandwiched with dulce de leche, served with a vanilla milkshake that can be spiked with Old Grand-Dad bourbon for $3 more. Chocotorta, the layered chocolate-biscuit cake every Argentine child knows, and panqueques filled with dulce de leche and Nutella are the other two to look for.

Lolinda serves dinner only, seven nights a week, from 5 to 10 pm Sunday through Thursday and until 11 pm on Friday and Saturday. Reservations go through OpenTable and are worth making for any weekend table. Parties of up to 11 can book online, while groups of 12 to 20 fill in a group-dining inquiry on the website. Walk-ins are taken when there is room, and the two bars are the best bet without a booking.

Arrive early for Bocas, the bar-only happy hour that runs from 5:30 to 7 pm with small bites and a Sip and Dip pairing of a prime rib sandwich with a cocktail. Sunday has its own ritual: Prime Rib Sundays serve a 16-ounce slow-roasted Ojo de Bife with all the trimmings for $62. Vegetarians can build a meal from the corn empanadas, provoleta and grilled vegetable skewers.

Lolinda is in the middle of the Mission's busiest dining corridor, so plan a short walk before dinner. Head south along Mission Street to 24th Street and turn east toward Balmy Alley, a one-block lane lined since the 1970s with murals about Central American history and community life. The surrounding 24th Street corridor, known as Calle 24, is full of panaderías, taquerías and paleta shops.

Going the other way, Clarion Alley, between 17th and 18th Streets, has a rotating gallery of political murals painted by a local artists' collective, and Dolores Park is a few blocks west for the city views. After dinner, the rooftop at Cubita upstairs is the easiest nightcap without leaving the building.

Lolinda, 2518 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110, between 21st and 22nd Streets in the Mission District. Getting there: the 16th Street Mission and 24th Street Mission BART stations are each a short walk away, and Muni lines 14, 14R and 49 run along Mission Street. Founded: 2012. Chefs: Alejandro Morgan and executive chef Juan Torres. Dinner hours: 5 to 10 pm Sunday through Thursday, 5 to 11 pm Friday and Saturday. Signature orders: Asado Mixto ($78), Gaucho bone-in ribeye for two ($98), Empanadas de Carne ($14) and Cookies and Milk ($13). Booking: OpenTable for up to 11 guests, group inquiry for 12 to 20. Takeout and delivery are offered through Toast online ordering.