Cafe Don Juan

UPDATE: The first time I tried to visit Don Juan it was shut so I needed to return and I’m very glad I did as Don Juan is an absolute classic Buenos Aires bar.

The highlight is by far the owner, the 83 year-old son-in-law of an Italian who bought the bar in the 1930s. He and his wife, who were both sitting at a table when I went in, have been running the place for the last 54 years, which as he pointed out is probably longer than I have been alive.

He regaled me, at some length, about the films which have been made in the bar including Assassination Tango and in fact Robert Duvall would often sit in the exact same seat that I was occupying!

Don Juan is certainly off the beaten track out in Villa General Mitre, but if you want to see what a real Buenos Aires bar looks like, then you need to make the trip.

FIRST VISIT: Visiting the Notable Bars of Buenos Aires is not an exact science. Opening hours are notoriously difficult to obtain in advance so things can be a bit hit and miss. Having struck out on a Sunday in Flores, I thought Saturday would be a more of a sure bet. Turns out there is no such thing as a sure bet.

Don Juan, closed on Saturday afternoons it would appear.

Don Juan, I shall return!

Café Don Juan: Camarones 2702
Colectivos: 109, 110

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