Cafe Tortoni Buenos Aires
I am in Buenos Aires once again on a Sunday, not that being here on a Sunday is bad, it’s just the city is very quiet, For a major city Buenos Aires will not start coming alive until mid afternoon and then most shops will still be closed with only a handful of restaurants opening up.
So waking up early and not wanting to eat in the hotel, I try to get away from eating in hotel restaurants as much as possible, I feel it’s too Americanized and you are not getting the taste of the local culture.
Today my friend, an American who is living here in Buenos Aires called me up early knowing I would already be up since I am a early riser, asked if I wanted to meet at Cafe Tortoni for coffee, I looked at the time and said let’s do it. Not that the time really matters for coffee it just a matter what time you are going to Cafe Tortoni.
For those unfamiliar with Cafe Tortoni, this is the oldest cafe in Buenos Aires, Located on Ave De Mayo, just a couple blocks down from the Pink House, Buenos Aires answer to the States White House. Opened in 1858 by a French Immigrant, Cafe Tortoni has become a very popular stop on the tourist tours of Buenos Aires. The cafe is decorated with antiques and the walls are covered with old photo’s on the history of Buenos Aires giving the cafe a air of yesterday and years gone by.
Cafe Tortoni old photos Buenos Aires
So our decision to meet for coffee on a Sunday morning was more on timing, Sundays few cafes are opened early yet Cafe Tortonis can be found opened. If you are interested in seeing Cafe Tortoni it it advisable to go early. We arrived just before 9am to find only a few table occupied. This early it is very pleasant to sit, talk, drink coffee and enjoy the history of the building. By the time we left almost a hour later the place was almost 3/4 full the noise level starting to rise. Later in the afternoon when I walked by the line to get in was at least 50 deep with more tour buses pulling up.
Looking for good coffee, a little bit of history and you are in Buenos Aires on a Sunday, try Cafe Tortoni. Then stroll down to Plazo de Mayo to view the Pink House and make your way to Defensa Street for the street fair that stretches from Plaza De Mayo all the way to Plaza Dorrego in San Telma, another Sunday favorite in Buenos Aires.
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