Bar Plaza Dorrego

The imaginatively named Bar Plaza Dorrego can be found sitting on the the edge of, you guessed it, Plaza Dorrego in the heart of San Telmo. It ticks all the Notable Bar boxes, with its dark wood tables, well-worn bar stocked with a wide selection of bottles that don’t look like they’ve been touched for years and the black and white tiled floor.

For all that however, there is something that just isn’t very welcoming about the Plaza Dorrego. I’ve been in there twice. The first time on a quiet April weekday afternoon and the waiters, despite the lack of other customers, were spectacularly surly, even by Buenos Aires standards. No interesting tidbits to be gained there.

The second time it was a rainy Sunday and the place was packed with tourists who had come for the market and were taking shelter. Again the service was perfunctory and cold and we were in and out in 10 minutes. It might look the part, but it’s in a touristy place and the atmosphere struggles to rise above tourist-trap status.

Bar Plaza Dorrego: Defensa 1096
Bus: 29

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