Café
Café Tortoni
The oldest café in Buenos Aires, founded in 1858 and named after its Parisian namesake, with marble tables, a literary past and tango in the basement.
Negro Café
A speciality coffee bar founded in 2015 in the Microcentro, with its own roastery and barista school, ranked among the world's 100 best coffee shops in 2026.
At a glance
- Type
- Speciality coffee bar
- Area
- Microcentro, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Price
- $ · Budget
Good to know
- Own roastery
- Barista school
- Coffee window
Why we recommend it
Negro Café brought speciality coffee to the Microcentro, the busy financial district of Buenos Aires, at a time when most of the city's new coffee bars were opening in Palermo or San Telmo. It was founded in 2015 by Fernando Lozano and María Conte, who, as they have told the Argentine press, did not know how to make an espresso when they started. Their first bar, at Suipacha 637, used a coffee-window format that was still rare in the city.
The business has grown since then into a small group of cafés, a barista school and a roastery. Negro Escuela, the school, opened in 2016 to train baristas and hospitality staff, and each year it awards scholarships to more than 40 people from the Padre Mugica neighbourhood. In 2019 the founders created their own roaster, Fuego Tostadores, which now roasts around nine to ten tonnes of coffee a month and supplies more than 400 cafés around the country. The team visits farms in Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia and Peru and works with freshly harvested coffee.
That attention to detail has brought international recognition. In 2026 the café, listed as Negro Cueva de Café, was ranked 94th in The World's 100 Best Coffee Shops, presented at CoffeeFest Madrid, its second consecutive year on the list and one of only two Argentine cafés included. The judging considered barista technique, sustainability and bean quality.
The offer is focused: espresso-based drinks such as flat whites, with pastries to go with them. Each café serves a large number of cups a day, the press reports around 1,700 to 1,800, and the coffee-window format means many customers take their coffee on the go. It suits office workers, solo travellers and coffee enthusiasts who want a properly made cup in the centre rather than a long sit-down.
Opening hours were not available from an official source, so check the café's social media before you go. Suipacha 637 is in the centre of the city, so a coffee here fits easily into a morning of sightseeing in the Microcentro, and coffee lovers can look out for Fuego Tostadores beans at other cafés around the country.
Negro Café FAQs
When was Negro Café founded?
In 2015, by Fernando Lozano and María Conte.
Where is the original café?
At Suipacha 637, in the Microcentro.
Does it roast its own coffee?
Yes. Its roastery, Fuego Tostadores, was founded in 2019.
Has it won any awards?
It was ranked 94th in The World's 100 Best Coffee Shops in 2026, its second year on the list.
Does it run courses?
Yes. Negro Escuela, founded in 2016, trains baristas and hospitality staff.
Is it a place to sit for a long time?
It is a busy coffee bar where many customers take their coffee to go.
What are the opening hours?
They were not available from an official source; check the café's social media before visiting.