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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Every Sunday evening the residents of the cobbled streets of San Telmo indulge themselves in their favourite pastime, the tango. Don't pay for an expensive tango show, simply observe from a bustling cafe these locals doing what they do best well into the early hours of Monday morning.

San Telmo is easily reached from Buenos Aires's main Avenue, Avenida de Mayo, walking for approximately 15 minutes along La Defensa.

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Since La Catedral closed at the beginning of this year after it failed to comply with the new regulations imposed by the local government following the fire at Cromagnon nightclub, young portenos have been desperately searching for an equally bohemian tango venue. Unfortunately, La Catedral really is unbeatable, but until it re-opens, most young dancers appear to have gravitated to the pogoda in the Barrancas de Belgrano.

Located in the open air on Juramento y Luis M Campos, just one block from the Belgrano C train station, free lessons are given at 7pm everyday and a fabulous milonga takes place after the class on Sunday evenings. This is one of the few tango events with such a high concentration of young people, all of which are happy to take you through the steps.

Barrancas de Belgrano park on Juramento y Luis M Campos. Directly in front of the Belgrano bus terminal and Belgrano C train station

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The Tortoni has become Tango's equivalent of the Hard Rock Cafe selling T-shirts and nonsense, with even waxworks of Borges and Gardel sipping coffees!

Infinitely more authentic, with just as much architectural style, is the Cafe Ideal in Suipacha (half a block from Corrientes). Even if you've got two left feet and never thought of having a tango lesson ... pinch your nose and go to one of the lunchtime beginners classes in English. They're a hoot ... and very cheap.

Suipacha, just up from Corientes.

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