The easiest, friendliest and probably best-looking bar/restaurant in BA with top cocktails supplied by a Geordie barman, barflys made up of artists and jovial locals and a kitchen that serves up delicious argie-based food with an often spicy twist (rare for BA!). Enough said.

san martin 941, BA

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Excellent atmospheric bar full of locals all having a good time and doing it in a civilised manner.
No English spoken but ask for 'chop Quilmes' (draught beer) and that may be all the Spanish you need!

I met six other Irishmen at a football game and they announced they were off to a bar they had found that they really liked - turned out to be the same one I had discovered days before: Bar Seddon!
The food is not bad either.

Corner Defensa and Chile.
Subte: Independencia

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Beautiful little tango bar in the San Telmo district. The place is so small that you can really appreciate the performers' skill. You do get roped in with singing and even dancing, but it's done with such good humour that it's really not that painful.

The bar is featured in Wong Kar-Wai's film Happy Together.

Estados Unidos 299
San Telmo
Buenos Aires
www.bar-sur.com.ar/

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Smoking was recently banned in all bars, restaurants and enclosed public spaces (bars over 100m2 are allowed a separate smoking area). The law appears to be being upheld and respected, although i'm not sure how as Argentines smoke more than a stereotypical Albanian and are not known for their law abiding-ness.

It has made going out much more bearable, even for someone like me who likes a fag now and again. Before, bars and restaurants were under a pall of smoke and it was common to leave with stinging eyes and stinking clothes. It's the second progressive law to come out of the blue in the last couple of years (gay civil unions being the other). This country never ceases to amaze me, lurching from one extreme to the other. Fantastic.

Everywhere

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A stunning converted mansion with a garden. The food used to be good but they changed the menu in November to some sort of Latin fusion, doubled the price and it's now truly awful. Drinks are good though and the actual building is amazing.

Parana 1048, between Santa fe and Marcelo T de Alvear.

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Having once stayed in Recoleta, I discovered that Palermo is the only place worth staying in Buenos Aires. Tree-lined low rise buildings in the most fashionable trendy part of the city with all the cutting edge bars, restaurants and hotels.

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A new and very cool bookstore in the heart of Palermo Hollywood, where most of the local TV,
radio and film studios are located. Set in a typical Casa Chorizo, this beautiful libreria framed in mahogany bookshelves, offers meals in a quaint setting, with a full bar and cafe set in the back.

An ample selection of English language books plus local guides make it a perfect stop for
a quiet moment for a 'cortado' after eating at one of the local eateries or before checking out
the BA nightlife.

Honduras 5574; tel: 4774-4100;
www.eternacadencia.com

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A killer kitsch cocktail bar that serves classic cocktails to good tunes under bordello-red lighting. Leather booths make it even more sexy.

Guatemala 4802

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Old-fashioned buzzy bar on the edge of the square where at weekends you can watch tango and browse the flea market. Speedy service from the ageing waiters... grab a table outside if you can, order a chop and watch the comings and goings in the square.

Plaza Dorrego, San Telmo

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This place is perfect for lunch, and especially breakfast. It's very good vulue for money, with nice and varied set menus, including cooked options. It has great ambience and is in a great location, ideal for starting the day or take a break after strolling around Palermo Viejo. During the evening it gets busier and more expensive but still worth it.

Armenia 1676

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A fun art hotel run by two Germans in the colonial San Telmo district. Each room is decorated with works by different artists. Its modern restaurant serves kitsch cocktails and there are art events, poetry readings and DJ parties on weekends. Prices range from $30 to $50 a night.

Estados Unidos, 1393; Tel: 4381 6064; www.boquitas-pintadas.com.ar/

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Situated in Palermo Soho, the Uriarte Bar attracts the arty crowd with its wood-burning oven and a sophisticated menu.

Uriarte, 1572; Tel: 4834 6004

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A cerveceria (beer house) in Palermo Hollywood with a small range of fantastic real beers, the best in the city. Proper pints, relaxed and not Hollywood pretentious. Recommended.

Corner of Carranza and Gorriti;
tel: 4777 2827

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Mundo Bizarro has gone seriously downhill in the last year. Gran Bar Danzon is for pathetic wannabe yuppies and expensive ladies of the night. Most bars in Palermo Viejo and Hollywood are all style and no substance and way overpriced to be completely honest. If you find a good one, stick to it.

Mundo Bizarro-Guatemala 4802, Palermo.
Gran Bar Danzon-Liberted y Santa fe, Capital Federal.

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A fun bar with a relaxed atmosphere and board games, very big.

Honduras 5733, Palermo Hollywood
Tel: 11/4772-0845

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A genuine art deco masterpiece of a bar. In my 2 years living and working in Buenos Aires, I've yet to find a better looking place to sip a gin and tonic. Expensive by Argentine standards (around £4-6 a drink) it's well worth it once in a while.

Plaza San Martin (at the end of Florida).

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All-white decor but not as poncey as it sounds - the service is down to earth. Great place for tapas, washed down with a mojito. It’s a tiny place with tables crammed in, so get there early if you want to secure a seat.

Honduras 5656, Tel: 4774 4224.

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Of course you should eat the beef whilst in Buenos Aires, but at some point you might seek something a little different. If so, try Filo, an Italian restaurant, right in the heart of the city, by Plaza San Martin. The pizzas are divine, the wine sublime, and the tiramisu is the best in the southern hemisphere. There's even a tasteful gallery in the basement.

Address: San Martin, 975
Tel: 011 4311 0312
www.filo-ristorante.com

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The 23rd floor of the Crowne Plaza Panamericano Hotel overlooks the impressive Avenida 9 de Julio ("the widest avenue in the world" according to Argentines). Order a drink or sushi at the Kasuga Sushi Bar and enjoy breathtaking views of the classic Colon opera house across the avenue and of the 67 metre-high white "Obelisco" that marks the geographic centre of the city.

Carlos Pellegrini, 551; Tel: 4348 5000; www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/1/en/home

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