Cafe culture and the hottest spot in Buenos Aires

Like I’ve mentioned before, Buenos Aires has a strong café culture. We’re not talking about Starbuck’s attempts to create a faux sense of corner café (though there are some of those). On practically every street block there’s a different café, different in aesthetics, size, patron base, type of ownership. The streets are just full of different cafes.

Some of the ones that I’ve spent some time on near my house:

Right next door to my apartment building is a café run by a father and what appears to be his two sons. The wireless router is pretty sub-par, it’s been on the fritz a few times, so I haven’t been back there in a while, which is something I’m sort of disappointed about. They have menus that were obviously printed at a home computer and then laminated in a corner shop, adorned with clipart pictures of coffee and croissants (or medialunas as they call them down here).

Just to let everyone know, we do croissants so wrong in the States. When you order a croissant at home, its an oversized, flaky roll, baked basked in butter. It’s more about the texture than anything close to taste. Of course sometimes you get fruit filled croissants, but they are often overly sweet monstrosities. Down here, croissants are nice and dense, yet still fluffy, with a semi-sweet glaze over the crispy crust. I know that most seem to be from the same distributor, or the same recipe, but they taste fresh at each café.

Anyways, the café next door to me is frequented by day by people looking for a morning coffee. At night, you can find the owner and his sons pushing a bunch of tables together for large parties of older Argentines, most likely taking advantage of the affordable prices of the café’s fully stocked menu. The walls are all white and they have a modest bar, but not much selection for beer.

A block down is a café with a bit of a more artsy feel. Every time I’ve been, I’ve only seen one women working there, someone whose wardrobe, hairstyle, and overall demeanor spells out “independent woman”. When I ordered medialunas there, she heated them up, definitely a nice touch. Usually, I’ve spotted students or academic looking types there, all of whom seem to be familiar with the owner. Her windows are crowded with signs drawn on construction paper advertising weekly salsa dancing lessons, an open mic night, a journalism class, her daily discounts and combos, and other assorted activities that take place at the café. She doesn’t have wi-fi.

The next block down is a place that I first went to on a Saturday night when it was a dinner establishment. The menu had the typical Argentine fair of meats or pastas, but also a collection of artsy or ethnic dishes that were served with a nice flair. Lights were strung through the trees in front of the café over its outdoor seating and modern art adorned the walls inside.

When I returned there to use the internet, I was able to notice the rustic feel of the interior. Wooden columns stand on top of a wood floor. A barrel of peanuts sits in the corner for customers. However, the coffee is more expensive and their wi-fi isn’t compatible with Windows Vista. But they did have a larger selection of beers on tap. A younger, self-consciously trendy crowd frequents it along with a collection of well-dressed older people. The Argentine cast of Friends seems to run this place.

At the end of my street, at the intersection with a busy shopping street is a 24 hour café that serves up a truly bizarre dichotomy. The inside is fashioned after a typical European café with plush chairs, a well-stocked bar, wood paneling, and waiters with bow ties. However, the walls are adorned with autographed pictures of famous American movie stars like Val Kilmer, Adam Sandler, and Kurt Russell. The music seems stuck on a mix radio station from the twilight zone with Amy WInehouse following Love Shack following Frank Sinatra. Though they offer chips, little breaded snacks, and peanuts with drinks though, definitely the widest selection of free snacks.

The café where I’m sitting now is a new one on my list, just a block down the other direction on my street. Its run by a husband and wife and it is distinctly influenced by southern Asian design. The design is distinctly modern, yet still warm due to couches, and cushiony chairs everywhere. Pictures and weaves of Buddha look down at me from corners along with seemingly Mayan influenced art. They serve endless popcorn with drinks. The place is full of professionals, meeting after work, or just going over business papers.

There are several chain cafes in the city, ranging from the stale food of Delicity to the trendy atmosphere of Bistro Exresso, but one place brings together everyone under its roof. Rich, poor, old, young, working, unemployed. Everyone drops by this café chain where they can get coffee, pastries, ice cream, una hamburguessa, salads, and a toy with their meal. McDonald’s and to a lesser extent, but still bizarrely enough, Burger King.

I’ve visited them because they’re places where you can slip in and use a clean bathroom without paying, but each time I go through a McDonald’s in this city, I am amazed.

At the front, they have a window that just sells a variety of ice cream products. Usually, right next to the entrance is a separate McCafe that sells coffee, tea, medialunas, pastries, and all sorts of things comparable to your corner café.

Further on is the typical McDonald’s counter with a few variation in menu items, but mostly along the same themes of fries and burgers and McNuggets (whatever they really are).

People are meeting over business, like in other cafes, families are sitting down to what almost seems like elaborate meals, young Argentines are hooking up in the corner booths (something seen in all cafes) and not a tacky clown is in sight.

McDonald’s isn’t just for the kids or when you’re in a rush down here, it’s a legitimate establishment.

Old men sit over coffee and newspapers, people use internet terminals. These things are beyond belief.

The insides are nicely furnished, the place is kept spotless. Roy Croc couldn’t imagine this in his wildest, McNugget induced fantasies.

I ordered internet for my room, coming at about 20 dollars a month, including the instillation. So I won’t have much of an excuse anymore to frequent the many different types of cafes. Even though it’s been a nice experience to have each day, the price will add up, and buying a coffee or a beer to squat in a café and absorb the internet for hours won’t be cost effective in a week or two.

But if I happen to pass by a little place that catches my attention, I’ll take a trip inside, absorb its unique culture, and order an empanada or two and a drink, maybe a coffee and medialunas. And I might have to be cool and grab a Big Mac some day.