El Viejo Almacén: The Temple of Tango

Tango started at the beginning of the 1900′s as a way of entertainment for porteños as well as for those immigrants who spent all day working very hard and wanted to relax and have fun at night. Prohibited for women, tango was danced only by prostitutes and amongst men as well. With time, tango songs and the dance itself started gaining everyone’s heart and soul.

Tango cafés are an important part of the life of Buenos Aires. While Café Tortoni is the most famous of the old-fashioned, elegant tango clubs in the city, it could sometimes get crowded and filled with loads of people coming, going, ordering coffee and cake, and snapping photos.

However,  El Viejo Almacén is a good alternative if you want to see a tango show. This tango place is housed in one of the oldest buildings of the city, and is an icon of Buenos Aires.

Its building dates back to 1798, during which the first 40 years it functioned as a general store (Almacén de campaña). Later, during the 1840′s it was transformed into the British Hospital where the first ether induced surgical operations took place in Buenos Aires. At the beginning of the century the place was bought by Paula Kravnic, daughter of a Russian immigrant who transformed the building into a bar where the local bohemians started to gather to hear this new popular music called Tango. In 1960′s, a tango icon called Edmundo Rivero bought the building with the idea of preserving this traditional place as the Temple of Tango. This is how El Viejo Almacén was born.

The greatest tango singers, musicians and dancers performed at the Viejo Almacén and where applauded and celebrated by locals as well as by international personalities, kings and presidents from all around the world, who came to Buenos Aires.

From Sunday to Thursday the show begins at 10.00 PM. On Friday and Saturday there is also show at 9:30 PM and at 11:45 PM. But, be warned, it is a very pricey show at about U$D 53 per person without dinner. If you are on a budget I would suggest you ask the locals where a better alternative can be found. There is no shortage of people who know how to sing and dance the tango in Buenos Aires. Many of them are bound to perform at a small club where your wallet will not be ravaged. If you are not a big tango fan, an afternoon in Caminito would be adequate.

El Viejo Almacén

At the corner of Avenida Independencia and Balcarce – San Telmo

4307 6689