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Top 10 traditional coffee shops in Buenos Aires according to the locals

Top 10 best traditional coffee shops in Buenos Aires

If you have been following my blog for a while you might have noticed my relationship with coffee. I just cannot imagine my life without it. Well, maybe I am getting a little bit too dramatic, but seriously…life is better with coffee, right? And even better if the coffee is good. The last few months I spent searching for the perfect coffee, which was a bit of a challenge in my new place of residence. Following my love for this mighty liquid, I pay significant attention to coffee shops while traveling. This time I walked Buenos Aires wide and long (twice), and tested coffees in different places. I have prepared for you, fellow coffee lovers, a list of the best traditional coffee places in Buenos Aires.

This is not an ordinary list. What makes it special is the fact that the coffee places were carefully selected by real Argentinians, who were born there and know all the treasures of the city, double-proved by me. Thanks to Cristina, Cuca, and Alicia, I am now able and happy to share with you a list of the coffee places in Buenos Aires that will complete your experience of your stay.

Take the beans
toasted and new,
Add the water, grind and brew.
Bitter as chocolate, rich and sweet,
Mix with friendship
Oh, what a treat.

10 best traditional coffee shops in Buenos Aires

La Biela

This coffee house is located in the heart of Recoleta neighbourhood with a traditional interior and a big terrace. This a place where two friends and Nobel Prize winners, Adolfo Bioy Casares and Jorge Luis Borjes used to have their afternoon coffee. Try their tostados, ham, and cheese toasted sandwiches and enjoy the atmosphere.

Av. Pres. Manuel Quintana 596

Café Dorrego

In the heart of San Telmo market Café Dorrego is a must. Sitting there at a window, watching the world go by in this vibrant and colourful market. Try there submarino– a glass of hot milk and a chocolate bar you melt in it.

You will notice there that the tables and wooden elements on the walls are rather old and scratched. It is not a lack of care, but giving old school furniture a second life.

1098 Buenos Aires, San Telmo

Cafe Dorrego, Buenos Aires 10 best traditional coffee shops in Buenos Aires

Clásica y Moderna

This is the first one out of two on this list of coffee houses that are placed in a bookshop. I found the atmosphere there really welcoming and friendly. This would be a place to relax and watch a show offered every night. From jazz through bossa nova ending with tango can entertain the fussiest ones. Stars such as Mercedes Sosa, Liza Minnelli, and Susana Rinaldi added an extra spice to the place in the past. Also, a  great selection of books in this little backroom bookshop tempted us enough not to leave empty-handed.

Four words for Clásica y Moderna: coffee, books, dinner and show.

Where: Av. Callao 892

10 best traditional coffee shops in Buenos Aires

 Café Tortoni

In Café Tortoni you don’t only get a great coffee experience, but being there is like a tour through the history of the artistic and literary side of Buenos Aires. This is Argentina’s oldest coffee house and an inseparable element of porteño lifestyle and landscape since 1858.

This place was famous for its tango shows and poetry recitals. Hector Negro has written a tango, especially for Tortoni, which was sung by Eladia Blázquez – ‘Viejo Tortoni’. Today, Café Tortoni is probably the most popular coffee place amongst tourists in the whole Buenos Aires.

Where: Av. de Mayo 825

Cafe Tortoni, Buenos Aires

La Puerto Rico Café

Being so close to many sites for tourists and San Telmo, La Puerto Rico Café can be an excellent place for a little rest for your legs and satisfy your sweet tooth and caffeine need.

Where: Adolfo Alsina 418

La Puerto Rico Cafe, Buenos Aires

Café de los Angelitos

If you are a big fan of coffee houses, this is the one! This place is special. The traditional decor with stained glass windows, little hanging angels, and photos of tango stars is far from boring. The look of the place and elegantly dressed waiters take you back in time to the grand splendor of the city.

Make sure you try an amazing cake covered with pieces of merengue balcarce and torta de ricota.  On Sundays, you can be a part of a special treat. At 17:00 every Sunday you can be a part of a cycle ‘El té de los Angelitos’ organized there, so you could enjoy a half-an-hour-long free tango show while enjoying your tea and cakes.

Apart from that event on Sundays, every evening there’s organized a special dinner with a show, where the best tango performers entertain guests. The dinner and shows have a place in a separate room with a theatre stage. It costs $140 and needs to be booked in advance, but it is a treat that will leave you with wonderful memories from Buenos Aires.

Café de los Angelitos is a piece of Buenos Aires tradition.

Where: Av Rivadavia 2100

 

Cafe de los Angelitos, Buenos Aires

Las Violetas Confitería

This is another coffee place with the traditional decor you can find in Spain and France. If you fancy spoiling yourself a little, go there for High Tea. I did not eat there but heard opinions from other travelers that this is a place for coffee, not lunch as the food at times is disappointing.

 Where: Av Rivadavia 3899

La Violeta Confeteria, Buenos Aires

El Ateneo Grand Splendid

This is probably one of the most amazing places I have seen. You go to a theatre to browse shelves full of books. You can even have a coffee there, right on the stage. This place is wort visiting even if you don’t fancy coffee. Just go there and walk around. I have heard opinions that the book selection is not great, but come on…the place is beautiful and unusual, which is enough to pop in.

Where: Av. Sta Fe 1860

El Ateneo Grand Splendid Buenos Aires

El Gato Negro

The Gato Negro has been a surprise. You will find it while walking along the busy show street of Corrientes that never sleeps, full of many exciting places. The café is a place with lots of character and great coffee. What is so amazing about this place though, is that sells many different spices and teas displayed in old fashion jars and boxes. The second you open the door to enter, you’ll be welcomed by many amazing fragrant products.

Where: Av. Corrientes 1669

El Gato Negro Cafe, Buenos Aires

El Olmo

Av. Sta Fe 2502, corner Pueyrredon

It is another traditional coffee shop and is quite popular. Although it is quite nice and located on the Broadway of Buenos Aires with many theaters around and they have excellent medialunas, the staff there is not very pleasant.

El Olmo, Buenos Aires


Favourite travel resources:

  • Booking.com for searching best prices on accommodation.
  • Discover Cars is a great website as they search both local and international car hire services, so you can choose the best deal for yourself. Make sure though, that the company has a good reputation and reviews.
  • Get Your Guide is my place to go for searching and booking tours and excursions, especially when I travel solo.
  • World Nomads travel insurance. I like them because they have quite extensive coverage of different activities.
  • Jack’s Flight Club is a service that can save you hundreds of dollars on flights, it works especially well in Europe.
  • Trivago where you can search and save on hotels.
  • Go City is a perfect site for booking bucket list experiences and attractions all in one to avoid paying for multiple tickets. Easy and saves money.
  • Trip Advisor– amazing for good quality recommendations.
  • Skyscanner is a perfect website for searching flight routes and comparing prices.

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Please note that this post included affiliate links, when you decide to purchase anything through these links I get a small commission at NO extra cost to you, it helps me to keep running this blog! I only promote products and services I use or would use myself. All images are the property of Postcards from the World and cannot be used without permission.


Thanks for reading. I hope you will find it useful. Which one of those coffee places appeals to you most?

I would love to read your suggestions and ideas in the comments. And if you know some awesome coffee places, please don’t keep it to yourself. Spread the word and end the misery of drinking rubbish coffee, because for some of ‘us’, the hopeless coffee addicts, that information would be golden. Click the social media below to share it with other coffee lovers.

You can now subscribe to GPSmyCity to have access to maps of this article during your visit.


See also:

7 short excursions from Buenos Aires

9 reasons why you can’t avoid falling in love with Buenos Aires

Casino city of Mar del Plata- weekend escape from Buenos Aires

Salta la Linda. A city in the north of Argentina you should visit.


 

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  1. Having just purchased my very first laptop (always used my phone or iMac before) I am looking forward to discovering the best of the best coffee shops in MY neighborhood. How I wish I could zip into yours. Such a great list.

  2. Congrats on your list of coffee shops in Bs As! It must have been a pretty difficult task to actually find good coffee in Argentina! To be honest I’m fed up of looking for decent cofee bars in Argentina. After having spent 2 years in Milan, Italy, no place abroad beats the worst Italian coffee bar in Italy! The are the best!!!!

    I invite you to visit my blog:

    http://www.travelekspert.com

    1. Thanks for stopping by, Pati. Actually the loist is based on the interior of coffee places before the quality of coffee. I find coffee in Argentina quite good actually, especially after living in Chile, where it is almost impossible to find a nice coffee place. I must agree with you though, in Italy coffee is great!

  3. Analie Julie says:

    Thanks Anna for sharing these memories…I visited Tortoni Cafe too !!! and 36 Billares, La Biela, Grand Splendid, and Confitería La Ideal as a part of the Historic cafes Tour, me and my husband took this February. We loved the fileteado artwork, the vaulted ceilings, the gloriously beat-up furniture, the waiters in bowties, the checkerboard floors. Everything made for a perfect café environment. Some of the cafés were breathing and living museums.
    We fell in love with Tortoni Cafe and especially with the sculpted trio in the corner. Over the years such talented and famous people sat right there in this same chair comfortably in literary discussion over their coffee. At the end of the tour we visited the biggest book shop in Latin America which has a Cafe inside and you can take a book and read it, taking a sweet coffe, and then return the book, for free !
    This book shop used to be a huge theatre, really amazing. The tour company is Kangoo Tours: http://www.kangootours.wix.com/tours . I highly recommend this tour

    1. Thank you Analie for visiting and giving us the tips. Really appreciate it. Have wonderful travels :-). Hope to see you again here.

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