Avenida de Mayo 825

54 11 4342 4328

tortoni@cafetortoni.com.ar

Transportation: Subte stop: Avenida de Mayo

www.cafetortoni.com.ar
all major credit cards accepted
Reservations: necessary for shows

Rating: 3

Cafe Tortoni is the most famous cafe in all of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and as such it has a huge draw of tourists. Cafe Tortoni is fully aware of this. I do recommend going, but go for a cup of bad coffee rather than going to see the shows and eat bad food.

I'm very happy to have experienced Cafe Tortoni while we're here. I was fortunate enough to go twice.

The Cafe Tortoni offers two shows nightly, one at 9pm and one at 11pm. The shows vary depending on time and day of the week. Check the website for details. We went one night to the Retango show, and had dinner before the show. The Retango show was more of a survey of music with a few musicians and a singer, and they threw a couple of tango dances into the mix every 3 or 4 songs. The cost of the show was 50 Pesos per person, and that did not include dinner. So, we all ordered dinner, and none of us were particularly thrilled about the food we got. I recommend just ordering a drink if you go to one of the shows at Cafe Tortoni. Skip the meal.

I chose to go again, so that I could experience the atmosphere. Cafe Tortoni does have a great atmosphere. It feels very old-world style, and you know that famous people from all over the word have flocked to where you're sitting now. This time, I just ordered cafe con leche (similar to a latte in the US). Honestly, it was the worst cafe con leche I've had in all of Argentina. But, nevertheless, I'm still happy to have gone.

When visiting Buenos Aires, you have to take time to visit Cafe Tortoni...if for no other reason than everyone will ask you about it when you get home.

Here's our video from the tango show at Cafe Tortoni: