Café de la Esquina

Avenida del Libertador is, to be honest, ridiculously long. No avenue should be that long. It starts in Retiro and makes its way northwards, getting swankier by the moment. By the time it leaves Capital Federal it has covered more than 80 blocks (each block being roughly 100 metres long), and actually continues into Provincia for at least another 50 or so. I don’t know the Belgrano stretch very well, I’ve crossed it a few times, or hunted for a cash point when visiting the nearby Barrio Chino, but my impression was one of tall apartment blocks and modern, brightly lit ice-cream parlours and cafes.

Sitting on the corner of Libertador and Olazabal, about 60 blocks from Retiro, the aptly-named and absolutely not-brightly-lit-in-the-slightest Cafe de la Esquina is a nice break from the local trend. In fact it may have gone a little too far – it is so dark and cosy inside that it actually appears, from the outside to be closed. Happily not the case, inside it has tall ceilings and wood-panelled walls decorated with a familiar array of old pictures and ornaments.

It certainly has the look and feel of an old Notable Bar, but according to their website (the waitress wasn’t much help when I asked), whilst the building dates from 1906 the bar itself has only been going since 1983.

Despite that, I liked it nonetheless. It being dark and chilly outside it was nice and cosy space with an ancient-looking open stove giving heat in the corner and lace curtains in the windows. It felt a bit like your gran’s living room, although one with lots of tables and a very high roof.

Cafe de la Esquina: Avenida de Libertador 6196
Colectivos: 15. 64, 118

This page is part of a series examining the Notable Bars of Buenos Aires.