 | Buenos Aires Cafe Tortoni Reviews | 1 - 10 of 34 |  |
What can I tell you about Cafe Tortoni that you don't already know? Well, it's probably the most famous Cafe in Buenos Aires, and is a tourist attraction for people who aren't even going to sit down and have a cup of coffee. I recall seeing groups of students coming through just to see the place and look around. Most has no idea what they were seeing...pity....
Founded in 1858, Cafe Tortoni was originally owned by a Mr. Tounan, and he named it after the famous Parisian cafe. The original location was at the corner of Rivadavia and Esmarelda Streets, and was relocated to its present location in 1880. The architect Alejandro Christopherson, who also worked on several other buildings along the avenue, designed the facade. They say that the Porteno tradition of placing tables and chairs on the sidewalk started then. In the basement you can also attend tango shows.
It's quite clear that the Cafe has taken pains to make sure they maintain their carefully crafted ambiance, with photos of famous guests, paintings and other memorabilia adorning the walls. And of course, you can't have that olde-time ambiance without the appropriately surly, non-smiling waiters. Gruff? Heck, they wrote the book!
The first time I came here I just had a cafe cortado and medialuna (a short coffee cut with milk and a croissant). Both pretty pedestrian. And the second time I had a "Tortoni Sandwich", though I forgot what the name was in Spanish. It was basically an open-faced sandwich of ham, cheese and tomatoes. Tasty, but a little greasy.
Anyway, you're not really coming here for the food, are you? Of course not, you come here for the ambiance, the history and to be able to tell your friends back home you had a drink at one of the coolest cafes in the world! Leave a Comment
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This is our oldest cafe. It a very bohemian one!
You have shows almost every day.
You cannot miss the tea there, you have to order chocolate & churros! Leave a Comment
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It is one of the oldest café in town and one of the most raditional cafés in the MICROCENTRO of Buenos Aires! :) setting at Café Tortoni is more than taking part of the local daily life, it is a religious experience. In this place all the composers and best Tango characters used to come and have a good time, I was sitting in the same place where Gardel used to come many times!
They have incredible sandwishes and spanish tapas, but here they all PICADAS! Leave a Comment Theme: LocalPrice: US$11-20 » Currency ConverterComparison: least expensiveAddress: AVENIDA DE MAYODirections: Very close to the Mayo Squarem, you can get off at MAYO SUBWAY STATION OR CATEDRAL
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It seems like there is a cafe on every street corner in Buenos Aires, but the best known by far is Cafe Tortoni on Avenida de Mayo. It's a historic cafe which in past times was frequented by some of the great Argentine writers and intellectuals, including Jorge Luis Borges. Nowadays, it's something of a tourist trap, though it's still worth visiting at least once.
The cafe was very busy when we visited and almost everyone appeared to be a tourist. The already busy waiters spent much of their time taking pictures for people. I felt the waiter here was encouraging us to hurry up and leave after our coffees as there was a queue outside and all the seats were taken. This would never happen in any other cafe in Buenos Aires, so we were having none as we still had a load of homework to finish!
The interior of the cafe is lovely with old pictures from its glory days. The prices in Cafe Tortoni aren't too much higher than in other BA cafes, but you get the feeling that today's artists and intellectuals have moved on elsewhere. Leave a Comment
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During my stay in Buenos Aires, a friend in Ottawa asked if I could meet two of her friends passing through the city. I called them at their homestay and they asked me to choose a nice place for lunch. I knew San Telmo well by then and had my favourite haunts there but I don't know... I wanted a well-known place so they could find it easily, and also thought this was my chance to enjoy something special.
So we met at Tortoni's, an imposing fin-de-siècle café near Plaza de Mayo. The location was perfect since they wanted to go to the March of the Mothers of the Disappeared at the Plaza afterwards. The décor blew us away! Not one inch of wall or ceiling is left bare, everything is framed in gold leaf, bronze statues everywhere, and the waiters in long black aprons complete this picture from the 1900's.
We had a nice time catching up on the news at home and talking of our recent travels. I'm not complaining. But the service and the food was disappointing. Our waiter strutted around a lot and was obsequious. When he saw my camera, he offered to take our picture but took forever and moved so that he got another waiter instead of us. By then, he had to serve another table and said he'd be back to take a good one. When we were almost ready to leave, I asked him for the bill and if he would kindly take another pic. He started playing hard-to-get and saying "no" -- we waited for the bill and didn't know what to make of this nut. Suddenly, he stuck his head close to mine and whispered something about "why the rush to go?" -- god, I can't stand waiters like that!
He finally took the dam pic but he moved again I guess. It's blurry.
My friends had a cold cut plate that they said was good but they didn't rave. I had "Oeufs à la russe", they were presented in the old-fashioned, rather heavy on the potatoes style, but good. We decided to have an icecream outside for dessert.
Btw, I went back alone a few weeks later to compare with my first impression. I asked for a cheese and pâté plate and it took the longest time! The dish comes on a huge, round wooden board and could satisfy three persons. The cheese was all of the same variety, hard and rather bitter. I loved the pickle. Wish I'd asked for a jar of pickles.
This time, I sat in another area so I wouldn't get the same waiter as the first time. I got another waiter all right, he totally ignored me. I can't stand waiters like that either. haha. Leave a Comment Theme: LocalPrice: US$11-20 » Currency ConverterComparison: more expensive than averageAddress: Avenida de Mayo 829Phone: 4342-4328Directions: Between calle Tacuari and calle Esmeralda
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This famous cafe not far from the Casa Rosada has been around for over 50 years. It is known for having famous writers like Federico Garcia Lorca sit here and congragate with other famous writers.
Each table has a plaque with a famous writers name as where they sat. Its a beautiful place inside with lots a antiques and art work. They have a light fare and a full menu. You can have a capuccino and a pastery to a big steak with a bottle of wine.
We had two capuccinos , a cocktail , and a couple of pasteries and it was all under $3 dollars. It maybe very expensive to Argentines but with the devaluation of the peso with dollars its very cheap. Leave a Comment Theme: Pub/BreweryPrice: less than US$10 » Currency ConverterComparison: more expensive than averageAddress: Avenida de MayoDirections: Between Congreso and Plaza de Mayo.
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Probably the most famous cafe in Buenos Aires. The inside is very ornate. Lots of wooden columns, a very exuisite wooden bar. The wait staff was very attentive. Saw lots of them taking photos for and of the large number of tourists that were there. Unlike others reports of bad service, I found the service to be very good.
If you are going for the tango show, MAKE RESERVATIONS!!! I did not know that this was a requirement and just showed about an hour before the show. Luckily there were some no shows and I lucked out in getting seated at the front table.
The show is very entertaining. They had 2 couples who danced tango, a solo male tango dancer, 3 musicians and a tango singer. The show lasted about an hour. The cost for the show was $20 pesos per person.
I had a few cervezas(beers) and the famous Tortoni sandwich which is a ham sandwicc with tomatos and cheese on toasted bread. Leave a Comment
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They are so proud that Gardel really liked Café Tortoni that they have all the pictures and newsparer articles regarding his several visits to the place, it is a big big big place where you can elarn and see lots about Tango, and also Tango shows are provided, the prices are very friendly and the ambience is really traditional!
SEPT - THRID WEEK - 2005 Leave a Comment Theme: LocalPrice: less than US$10 » Currency ConverterComparison: least expensiveAddress: AVENIDA DE MAYODirections: Avenida de Mayo Subte - LINEA A
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The Café Tortoni was inaugurated in 1858 by a french immigrant, who took the name from a famous café in the Boulevard des Italiens, in Nice. The Tortoni is the oldest café in Buenos Aires.
Intellectuals and Tango singers always met in the Tortoni for years, which makes it a very touristic place. Unfortunately, owners knew it and prices are very high.
The ambience is very Porteña, full of small tables, old waiters and the smoke of cigarrettes (don't worry, there is a non-smoking sector too).
Every night, from midnight to 2 am, Alejandro Dolina broadcasts his radio program "La Venganza será terrible" (The Revenge will be terrible) from there. It is a show about history, philosophy, habits and lots of humour. Beware: it contains lots of local words, unknown to any foreigner. The show is broadcasted live by AM 590 Continental.
The "Chocolate con churros" (Hot Chocolate with a special Argentine mace) is a must in the Tortoni every evening. Leave a Comment
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Sophisticated and elegant Cafe Tortoni is the classic example of Buenos Aires' old world charm. It was founded in 1858 and is the oldest cafe in the whole country. Art nouveau decor and high ceilings transport you back in time. Wonderfully appointed in woods, stained glass, yellowish marble and bronzes, the place tells more about its history than any of the paintings and pictures (mostly dedicated to cafe itself) hanging on its walls.
Carlos Gardel, one of Argentina's most famous tango star, writer Jorge Luis Borges and intellectuals of the time used to frequent the cafe. While the place is now flooded with international visitors, you can still find typical Porteños sitting and enjoying their coffee. Cafe Tortoni is a perfect place for a coffee or a small snack when wandering along Avenida de Mayo.
Cafe Tortoni is also a historical tango spot and every evening they present a different tango show to those with reservations. For 30 pesos (plus the cost of a drink) you can sit in their historical basement saloon and enjoy live tango music and dancing where performers often walk through the crowd. Check their site for an updated schedule of performances. I was unfortunately too late for the show but very much enjoyed the ambience of the place anyway.
The cafe is open Mon-Sat 8am-2am, Sun 9am-1am
I had chocolate con churros (hot chocolate with sticks of fried sweet pastry for dipping) that the place is famous for. The chocolate drink was very delicious, thick, felt like it is just melted chocolate. This is definitely something not to be missed when visiting Buenos Aires. Absolutely divine! Theme: LocalPrice: less than US$10 » Currency ConverterComparison: more expensive than averageAddress: Avenida de Mayo 825Phone: 011 4342 4328Directions: Microcentro; between Tacuari and Esmeralda; metro: line C - Av de Mayo and line A - PiedrasWebsite: %s4%cbwww.cafetortoni.com.ar%s*%c*
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