"Go and drink wine with the people," a post dedicated to Jill's mom

In the recent months we were getting through a lot of the touristy things we wanted to do and were trying to find another way to experience BA. One of Sara’s assignments for her Spanish class was to pick a café from a list of Café/Bar Notables around the city and go with a classmate. These cafes and bars are designated as “notables” because they are oldest in the city and each one has its own historical relevance to Buenos Aires. We thought this would be a great way to take Jill’s Mom’s advice to “go and drink wine with the people” - something she told Jill to do every week on Skype. Now it is part of our weekly routine to go to a café notable and drink vino (wine), cerveza (beer), clerico (white sangria), hot chocolate, submarinos (steamed milk that you drop a bar of chocolate into), and sidra (cider) with the people and it’s been great.

BA is famous for its café culture. At any time of the day, but particularly in the late afternoons and on the weekends you see people of all ages meeting up at these bars. And each one is very unique in its own way. For example, last week we went to La Giralda, which is known for its hot chocolate and churros. The hot chocolate was definitely delicious, and different than the submarinos that are found on menus everywhere. And really how can you go wrong with churros? These pastries are made of fried dough, covered in cinnamon and sugar and often filled with crème or dulce de leche. It was clearly popular with Argentinians as well since the place was packed and everyone seemed to be ordering the same thing. The ambiance here, didn’t feel as sophisticated as others we’d been in, as it had neon lights and the walls behind the bar were lined by whiskey flasks.

Another notable we went to with Jess and also Sara’s family was El Federal, one of the older ones in the city with a beautiful stained-glass bar. This bar has artisan beer and papas fritas provenzal (french fries smothered in olive oil and garlic-yum). Bar Seddon, is another that has a darker ambiance with low music playing and candles everywhere. We went here with Jess for a happy hour one weeknight, and on another trip we watched the World Cup with Jill B. and Elana and ordered a giant picada of meats, cheese, and olives. On Jill's birthday, we had gone to Las Violetas with Sara's family, but unfortunately, they weren't serving afternoon tea because they were closing early for New Year's Eve. So we revisited the cafe on one of our last days with Jess and had afternoon tea, which consisted of a plate piled with finger sandwiches and pastries, three pots of tea, and flutes of champagne.

So as you can see, each one has its own charm. Looking at the list we've also been to Bar Britanico, Bar Plaza Dorrego, Cafe Tortoni, Clasica y Moderna, Confiteria Ideal, El Gato Negro, El Hipopotamo, La Petit Colon, La Poesia, and Richmond. Out of the 60 that are still open we have collectively been to 14, and we’re still going!