Abasto

The barrio of Abasto is dominated by two giants, one a building, the other a superstar. The Abasto de Buenos Aires was, until 1984, the city’s central wholesale fruit, vegetable and meat market. Abandoned for many years, it has now been renovated into a large shopping mall with all your favourite brands, a kids museum and a food court (complete with the only Kosher McDonald’s outside of Israel). The original building & structure remain largely untouched, its Art Deco interior and exteriors are worth a visit whether you’re buying or not.

Abasto is also home to Argentina’s greatest cultural icon, here as unavoidable as the massive market building, the tango singer Carlos Gardel. Uruguay and France may squabble over where the silky voiced warbler was born, but there is no doubt that he belongs to Argentina. Tango references & Gardel are everywhere in Abasto, from his statue next to the shopping centre to his old home, now converted to a museum, to the Pasaje Filete decorated with murals of the man himself and the words of his songs.