Filed under: bar, featuredarticle, pub, top-feature
Irish Pubs in Buenos Aires
A few years ago Buenos Aires experienced a rapid widespread expansion of pubs, specially Irish ones. If you are in town and feel like going to an Irish pub there are a few good places you might like to check out.
One of these establishments is DownTown Matías. Since it opened its doors back in 1973, it claims to have been the first pub in downtown. The are several locations, but the one I like the most is the original one, the first one that opened, located in the barrio de Retiro (map). It is nothing fancy but in my opinion it is by far the best of the Irish pubs, or at least as much Irish as you are going to get in Buenos Aires. Many people come here after work for happy hour, to enjoy a beer or two or taste one of the more than 100 types of whisky. The menu offers a wide variety of international dishes from which the chicken campestre is a favourite of mine.It is also an excellent place to get together with friends and listen to good live bands. Just go downstairs, usually from Thursdays to Sundays they have some sort of live band playing. It is a good spot to check out local bands. They start late and never on time, so be prepared. If they say 11 pm, it is probably more like past midnight. Beware, it could get a little crowded. Opens Sundays to Fridays from 7 pm to 3 am and Saturdays from 7 pm to 6 am. Happy hour is Sundays to Fridays from 6 pm to 11 pm and Saturdays from 6 pm til midnight.
Here are some other Irish pubs in Buenos Aires you might like to check out:
Starting with The Kilkenny, just around the corner from DownTown Matías (map), it is said to be “The Only Guinness Original Irish Pub in South America”, although there is nothing Irish about it except the over priced Guinness. This place attracts lots of foreigners as well as some locals, especially after work. There is a railway running through The Kilkenny, surrounding the bar, a full-size one, not a miniature. The sleeper cars are there, entirely circumnavigating the bar, although the rails are absent. It gets really crowded on weekends.
The Druid Inn across the street is a quiet place, very nine. It is a long, narrow Irish pub with a lengthy bar, the rear of which is strewn with paper money from around the world stapled to the shelves. The wood surrounding the bar is covered in beermats and towels, including examples from London’s real-ale breweries, and the music is more Alternative Country/Rock than Irish. The pub has lots of tables to cater for the diners who come here for the Scottish and English cuisine, and the table makes a transformation from pub table to restaurant table by the addition of a tablecloth, serviettes and candle as soon as the waitress knows you are here to eat, not drink. A tasty king-size bowl of free, salty popcorn is brought with your beer.
The Temple Bar is a happening place for a few drinks and is good at late hours during the week (map). It is a hybrid of British and Irish pubs, with the obligatory Guinness pictures thankfully not too over-the-top. With lots of the usual beers on tap, most priced about 6 Pesos a pint, a request to try the local beer will be met with a rebuff that local beer is only sold in supermarkets! They pour a good pint and overall is a much nicer place than many others.
The Shamrock Bar is a nice hang out place. Nothing Irish about it, but it is a popular hip place. A large room with a long bar that lines one wall, The Shamrock also attracts foreigners and locals alike. A good happy hour, with two-for-one beers and drink specials, makes it a popular after work stop. There are tables, but many stand or circulate about. At night, it is packed to the hilt with beautiful people. Later in the evening, the pick-up vibe can be a bit too much, so if you are not interested in playing the BA game of flirting and staring, clear out before 11 p.m. There is also a club in the basement where DJ’s spin electronic music and people dance beneath a disco ball. (map)
The Clover Bar, located between Monserrat and San Telmo (map), is an ok little dive bar with lively happy hour, though dead at night. It is not as crowded and there are a large variety of Ales and other beer. Try a Duvel, a top fermented 17 proof Ale. The music is not too loud and the staff very friendly and helpful.
Sullivan´s, located in Palermo Soho (map), is a nice place to have a drink and chat with friends. It is located just off the zoo atmosphere of Plaza Serrano. With live music upstairs and a summer terrace it is everything you want in a pub.. Guinness on draft, bartender banter and attitude, and a dim, cozy atmosphere. Plus it is in Palermo Soho, full of gorgeous people who have no concept of stress or hostility and have never met the phrase “bad drunk.” Sometimes you need to go to a pub where you are not the foreigner freak, where you understand the menu, and where everybody knows your name, or at least they aren’t surprised that it is Frank, and not Francisco.
Dubliners, located in Palermo Hollywood (map), is a favorite of mine for a quiet drink, low profile but overall a cool little place done up nice. Dubliners get a good early night rush from the working crowd and sometimes attracts a younger set later at night. The atmosphere is pretty typical of the Irish Pub genre, but Dubliners also has a good selection of Dark Beers and Bourbons. U2 is the music of choice and there is a live band on Fridays.
So, basically there are no Irish pubs in the stereotypical sense here in Buenos Aires, but more like pubs with an Irish flavour . If you really want to check out a true gem of a pub in the traditional sense, go to Bangalore out in Palermo Hollywood (map). It is more like a British pub and features an Indian restaurant on the top floor. Although small in dimension, this place is a real find. With simple decor, it is warm and cool, and they play great music. They also serve the best pints and overall it is a pub in the truest form. More so, next door you will find Carnal, a popular bar with lots of jamming and reggae music. If you want to dance just cross the street and you will find Niceto, great place, great music, live bands, check it out.
Photo credit: Pablo Augustinowicz on planeteye.com
1 Comment