Café Tortoni
The oldest café in Buenos Aires, opened in 1858. Borges and Gardel were regulars, and tango shows are staged in the evenings.
Café Tortoni, at 825 Avenida de Mayo, keeps the atmosphere of the late 19th-century Belle Époque, with stained-glass skylights, dark wood paneling, marble tables and wax figures of writers. Borges, the tango king Carlos Gardel and the poet Alfonsina Storni were all regulars. Its signature items are chocolate con churros (hot chocolate with churros) and medialuna croissants. Prices are higher than at an ordinary café but still acceptable. Queues of 20 to 40 minutes at the door are common, and weekday mornings are the least crowded. A small tango show takes place in the basement in the evening. It lasts about an hour, requires a separate ticket, and feels more intimate than large dinner shows. The café is a three-minute walk from Perú or Piedras station on Subway Line A.
Opening hours
About 8:00–23:00
Nearby sights
- Buenos Aires Cabildo
- Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral
- Obelisco de Buenos Aires
- Plaza de Mayo / Casa Rosada
- Palacio Barolo
- Teatro Colón
- Galerías Pacífico
- San Telmo Market / Feria de San Telmo