The Best Bars to Grab a Drink and Get to Know People in Buenos Aires

Bars are a great place to get to know people while you’re traveling, and Buenos Aires is particularly famous for its nightlife, with a lot of fun places to choose from. The city’s bar scene has been going through a revival recently too, with a host of new cocktail bars, breweries and wine bars.

Read on for our list of the best places to grab a drink and get to know the locals.

Los Galgos

Buenos Aires has a lot of trendy bars, but Los Galgos stands out from the crowd. This bar and restaurant is authentically local, and puts Argentine quality and spirit at its heart. Julián Díaz, who also heads up the acclaimed 878, has designed this bar notable (bars and cafés in Buenos Aires with cultural heritage status) to respect its past, without being too nostalgic about it.

Legendary local bartender, Ariel Lombán, will point you in the direction of the best wines and house specialties, and serve you up some classic Argentine cocktails that you won’t find anywhere else.

Verne Cocktail Club

Verne will transport you to the Victorian-meets-mod world of steampunk with its atmospheric lighting, sheet metal walls, and Persian carpets. Tucked into Palermo SoHo and inspired by the author Jules Verne, who loved Argentina’s southern region, the bartenders here serve up drinks with names like the “Phileas Fogg Martini” and “Around the World in Eight Cocktails” as a tribute to the most famous works of the father of science fiction.

They are constantly coming up with new ideas, which means there’s always something new to impress the regulars at this hideaway, which tends to attract more locals than tourists.

La Ferneteria

Although the Clarito is the official drink of Argentina, fernet mixed with Coke is the drink of the people. The story goes that some teenagers who stole the spirit from their parents mixed it with Coke to make it more palatable, and from there the nation’s favorite drink was born.

Located in an old auto repair shop in Palermo SoHo renovated with a huge marble bar, smooth concrete floors, and red lights, La Ferneteria opened in 2018 with the aim of celebrating this now classic drink. The bar is split into two sections: one casual area where you can try a variety of different fernets on tap, and a more sophisticated space behind a red velvet curtain that serves drinks and portions of Italian food perfect for sharing.

La Fuerza

Alongside fernet, vermouth was another popular aperitif that was introduced into Argentina with the wave of European immigration at the start of the last century. Over time it became known as a somewhat old-fashioned drink, but this all changed when La Fuerza launched itself as one of the first Argentine vermouth brands.

Created by four big names from the worlds of wine and gastronomy, La Fuerza in Palermo Hollywood offers a modern take on this classic drink, serving vermouths made using natural botanicals from Mendoza. The best thing about this corner bar is the way that it brings people together, turning it into the beating heart of the neighborhood.

Funes Brewery

Craft beer is becoming more and more popular in Buenos Aires thanks to places like Funes. They make a wide variety of beers here, including BAPA, a local version of pale ale, and serve locally-inspired homemade snacks to match, like empanadas and tortillas.

The brand opened its first bar in Chacarita, in the same building where the beer is brewed, and has since opened two more locations in San Telmo and Belgrano. All three are excellent, so no matter which one you visit, you won’t be disappointed.

Aldo’s

Started by a sommelier, this wine bar puts independent producers in the spotlight, and with three stylish locations serving hundreds of different, carefully selected wines, Aldo’s is one of the most respected wine cellars in the city.

The waiters know all about new wine regions, interesting grape varieties, and the families behind your new favorite wines, and it stocks a huge range of unique products at great prices too, making it the perfect place for wine-lovers.

Festival

Festival in Palermo Hollywood attracts a hipster crowd with events like DJ nights and fun wine workshops, located in a trendy second-floor art space with a roof that retracts when the weather is good. Some bars might have more sophisticated cocktails or a bigger variety of beers, but Festival is a solid bar in every sense: tasty drinks at reasonable prices, welcoming décor, friendly people, and a great party vibe.