The Top Hidden Gems of Buenos Aires

Our Local Expert Says:

This might be the most authentic "del campo" Argentine experience available (not to mention that leather and silver is cheapest here) within city limits and shouldn't be missed if you have an extra Sunday. The long bus or taxi ride is well worth it.

Description:

This traditional fair located across from the cattle market (Mercado de Hacienda) brings a little countryside to the city. Artisans offer traditional crafts made from silver, wood, textiles and ceramics, as well as regional food like empanadas, tamales, tortas fritas (sweet fried pastry), alfajores and mate cocido, a local infusion. There is also a small music and dance festival and skilled demonstrations of horsemanship and "gaucho." Visitors should try their luck at the game of sapo, climbing a lathered pole. Admission is free.

Description:

Although Buenos Aires is home to tons of discos and clubs where you can boogie the night away, the music tends to be fairly limited in terms of variety. So when you tire of the standard electronic, techno, and house, enter Zizek, the resident "urban beats" party in BA, albeit on a very irregular basis. Each fiesta features guest DJs and performers churning out an endless stream of reggaeton, hip-hop, dancehall, and cumbia mash-ups like you've never heard. Check them out online for sound clips and to see where they're turning up the beat next.

Description:

Chefs Mariana de Rosa and Flavio Pop have created their own dream-world eatery in Sifones & Dragones, whose slogan states that "it is not a restaurant, but rather a kitchen with tables." With just a few tables and ecletic decor, Sifones & Dragones is an intimate gem of a restaurant and a local favorite of the creative crowd. Choose from the number of tasty a la carte options that include gazpacho, pate, Thai shrimp, mushroom risotto, and gnocchi, among other options. For a romantic evening, Sifones & Dragones is not one to be missed.

Our Local Expert Says:

Don't be put off if the tables all look full inside - the bar is huge and is the best seat in the house. Before 10pm on week nights is happy hour, which means 2-for-1 drink specials, and live music adds some noise

Description:

This French-style cafeteria is a favorite in Buenos Aires, especially at sunset. It constitutes a very special gathering point of youngsters. In the menu, mostly made up European Cuisine dishes, fish is a favorite. Live music shows and DJ presentations with avant-garde European music are in house. Superb menu items, superior drink preparations, and exclusive music selections are the highlights of the venue. There are many parties at night during the week. One of the most important ones is the Noche Francesa (French Night).

Description:

The museum and headquarters of the Pan Club Foundation is what used to be the residence of the late Xul Solar. It houses a permanent exposition of much of his works. The building's architectural layout is outstanding; it was especially designed by Architect Pablo Beitía with the aim of displaying the artist's work. The uneven back yard coincides with the house's old garden, while the interior communicates with the terrace and with the second floor, where Xul used to live. The simple furniture was designed by the artist himself. There is also a piano, some puppets, and an enormous library.

Xul Solar developed a versatile, eccentric personality, of great genius. This personality led him to perform on many disciplines: inventions, chess, astrologically-based tarot, a fuller-sounding piano with 3 rows of textured keys for people with sight impediments, architectural ideas in urbanism and landscaping, and even linguistics by creating the "neocriollo": a humorous mixture of Spanish and Portuguese. He attempted to found pan-universalism as a base in which people of every nation and religion could meet.

His greatest achievement was in painting. In this field he is renowned as predecessor in surrealism in a Latin American reality. With his small, colourful watercolours he uncovered a mysterious world of symbols (represented, for example, by arrows and stairs) and unveiled the path of surreal culture.

Our Local Expert Says:

Visit on Sundays for a half-off entrance fee.

Description:

Just when you think you've had enough of looking at antiques and crumbling, faded-glory buildings in San Telmo, El Zanjón proposes a refreshing, unusual look back to the past. Enter this historic mansion, built over 150 years ago, through the unassuming entrance on Defensa to inspect the restored house, after which you will be whisked underground into the amazing labyrinth that once contained an arm of the Rio de la Plata, and, later, tenement houses. Artifacts recovered from these passageways are on exhibit both above and below ground, showing the evolution of the city over the past several hundred years.

Our Local Expert Says:

Located just a few blocks from the bustling Plaza Serrano, Nico Alligator is a rare no-frills gallery space that could interest everyone from the art connoisseur to the unknowing wanderer.

Description:

If you manage to get by the pit bull chained near the entrance (he seems to be more bark than bite), you will be pleasantly surprised by the quality of found-object artworks inside this huge, no-frills warehouse, which houses both the artist's studio and exhibition space. From materials such as old pipes, rusted hubcaps, and broken glass, Nico has formed figures that are wonderful positioned together or alone; choose from a twelve-inch dog-walker to a five-foot cupid, complete with bow and arrow. Prices are quite reasonable, but even just browsing is an entertaining event.

Description:

Confiteria Ideal is a café-bar-nightclub that's been around since 1912, and is most popular with the locals. Most people come down here to shake a leg, enjoy live music, and grab a bite or two in between! The ancient wooden flooring, dark wood furniture and marble staircase are reminiscent of an era gone by. On certain nights, the tango and the milonga are taught by well-known dancers. And oh, here's one more feather in Confiteria's cap—scenes from Madonna's "Evita" were shot here.

Description:

The Jewish Museum of Buenos Aires was founded in 1967. It is a private museum with historical, religious, and artistic heritage. To found the museum, Dr. Salvador Kibrick donated his private collection almost entirely. It features two rooms: one displays ritual objects and documents from the Jewish immigration to Argentina; the other room features valuable paintings of Jewish themes. Guided tours are available in English and Spanish, and include a visit to the Synagogue.

Description:

This is a locals-only happening nightclub that features something for all music-lovers—either the DJs are spinning high-voltage tracks from rock standards you can groove to, or there are live jam sessions by local artists for the listening pleasure of hard-core rockers. You will find that the crowd is friendly and easy-going, so grab a drink from the bar and get ready for some good times!

Description:

Opened in 1992, though begun in the 1970s, this modern architectural oddity stands on the land of the former Presidential Residence where Eva Perón died. (The building was demolished by the new government so that it would not become a holy site to Evita's millions of supporters after her death.) It is a spectacular example of 1970s Brutalist architecture, which was extremely popular under the dictatorship. Built almost as a fortress, among its distinctions are its porthole windows at ground level, the raising of the actual structure off the ground, long approach ramps, moatlike berm landscaping, and the difficulty in determining where the actual entrance is. With its underground levels, the library's 13 floors can store up to five million volumes. Among its collection, the library stores 21 books printed by one of the earliest printing presses, dating from 1440 to 1500. Visit the reading room -- occupying two stories at the top of the building -- to enjoy an awe-inspiring view of Buenos Aires. The library also hosts special events in its exhibition hall and auditorium.