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Best Cafés in Buenos Aires (2026)

Café culture runs deep in Buenos Aires, and the city officially recognises its most historic cafés as Bares Notables. Café Tortoni on Avenida de Mayo, founded in 1858, is the oldest and most famous, with marble tables, a literary past and tango in the basement. Las Violetas on Avenida Rivadavia, open since 1884, is famous for its stained glass and generous afternoon teas, while La Biela in Recoleta, beside the cemetery, has life-size statues of Borges and Bioy Casares at its corner table.

Other classics have a different character. El Gato Negro on Avenida Corrientes has sold spices since 1927 and roasts coffee in view of customers, and Bar El Federal in San Telmo occupies a 19th-century general store filled with old advertisements and siphons. For speciality coffee, Negro Café in the Microcentro roasts its own beans and was ranked among the world's best coffee shops in 2026. Order a café con leche with medialunas for breakfast, try a merienda in the afternoon, and expect to linger, as nobody rushes you in a Buenos Aires café.

6 places · Updated October 27, 2026

Our top 3 cafés in Buenos Aires

  1. Café Tortoni Historic café, MonserratThe 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.
  2. Las Violetas Historic confiteríaA grand confitería opened in 1884, with French stained glass, Carrara marble and bronze chandeliers, famous for its generous afternoon teas.
  3. La Biela Historic café, RecoletaA Recoleta café on the corner of Junín and Quintana, named after a racing driver's broken connecting rod and home to statues of Borges and Bioy Casares.

Café

1. Café Tortoni

Historic café$$Monserrat

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.

View details — Café Tortoni

Café

2. Las Violetas

Historic confitería$$Buenos Aires

A grand confitería opened in 1884, with French stained glass, Carrara marble and bronze chandeliers, famous for its generous afternoon teas.

View details — Las Violetas

Café

3. La Biela

Historic café$$Recoleta

A Recoleta café on the corner of Junín and Quintana, named after a racing driver's broken connecting rod and home to statues of Borges and Bioy Casares.

View details — La Biela

Café

4. El Gato Negro

Historic spice shop and tea room$$San Nicolás

A spice shop and tea room on Avenida Corrientes, open since 1927, with oak counters, Thonet chairs and coffee roasted and ground in view.

View details — El Gato Negro

Café

5. Bar El Federal

Traditional bar-café$$San Telmo

A San Telmo Bar Notable in a 19th-century former general store on the corner of Perú and Carlos Calvo, serving picadas, sandwiches and homemade ravioli.

View details — Bar El Federal

Café

6. Negro Café

Speciality coffee bar$Microcentro

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.

View details — Negro Café