LandingPad Buenos Aires

Although Recoleta is said have a nightlife district that is “quiet” when compared to the packed and ever-pumping streets of Palermo, there are some unique upscale bars tucked away in this neighborhood that provide a variety of experience, décor, architecture, and taste that doesn’t exist anywhere on Honduras street.

Here’s a list of best bars to visit in Recoleta. Our top five picks of bars, in no particular order:

Gran Bar Danzon
Libertad 1161
Hours: Mon-Fri 7pm-close, Sat-Sun 8pm-close
Contact: 4811 1108/granbardanzon.com.ar

Martini-sippers and sushi-lovers alike gather here every weekend to bare their shoulders and look sharp in the bar made for the business underworld of Buenos Aires. With a superb collection of Argentine wine (over 300 bottles to choose from) and a melt-in-your-mouth menu of entradas, like the oysters with fresh lemon and vegetable ceviche, you can prop yourself on the dark square couches, rubbing up against pencil skirts and power ties, faces glowing in front of blue Blackberry screens, and feel somehow very important. Specialty cocktails like the Red Hot Caipi (Smirnoff vodka, Cinzano, maracuya, red fruit, classic Tabasco, lime, and sugar) are sure to keep this place a classic for many years to come.

Buller
Presidente Roberto M. Ortiz 1827
Hours: every day from noon-late
Contact: 4808 9061/bullerpub.com

As beer-drinkers in Buenos Aires are well-aware, finding microbrews in this city is like finding a needle in a 14-million large haystack. But thankfully, with a location on Roberto M. Ortiz (directly across from Recoleta Cemetery), Buller artisan brew pub has made it a little easier for the beer-fiends of Recoleta. Their six different local varieties, from Honey Beer to Dry Stout, are all 100% natural and 100% tasty, whether you like a little hop, a little smoke, or a little sweet. With bright wooden surfaces and flights for sampling, it is sure to scratch any Irish-style itch you have for sloshing mugs together with friends. Did I mention that they celebrate Oktoberfest?

Casa Bar
Rodríguez Pena 1150
Hours: Mon – Fri 7pm-close, Sat/Sun 8pm – close
Contact: 4816 2712

American-owned and French-infused, this “house bar” is exactly that – an early 1900s house rehabilitated into a modern, yet timeless, lounge and bar. You can sense the American nostalgia, with rock n roll music, an annual Superbowl party, and a menu including nachos and spicy hot wings (that come with a homemade twist on Frank’s New York sauce). The mix of American and Argentine female bartenders, dressed head to toe in black, also serve up a mean frozen drink – dakiri, piña colada, or any combination of maracuya passion fruit cocktails. The plasma screens are always glowing with big sporting events, everything from March Madness to River vs. Boca. Don’t leave without trying the wings. Or buying a tee-shirt.

Milion
Paraná 1048
Hours: Mon-Wed 10am-2am, Thurs 10am-3am, Fri 10am-4am, Sun 8pm-2am
Contact: 4815 9925/milionargentina.com.ar

This elegant renovated French mansion has an equally elegant clientele – slick suits, very high heels, and silk dresses abound. The leafy downstairs patio has tables for dining on the “international” menu, including a wide range of Spanish-infused tapas like the cured salmon with sour crème and corn cakes. The upstairs has a brown and white marbled bar, original Marco Lopez paintings, and an open balcony overlooking the garden. On busy nights, when both the barstools and restaurant seats are packed full, the spillover of guests will recline on the descending stone staircase, posing like Roman statues and puffing cigarettes at one another.

El Alamo
Uruguay 1175. Hours: 4pm-4am
Contact: 4813-7324

An American sports bar connoisseur could walk in here and feel right at home, surrounded by fifteen widescreen TVs, fried bar food, and non-stop ESPN. This self-proclaimed “frat party” is where college kids, American expats, and a large following of Argentines have flocked for the cheap beer (4 liter pitchers are available) and Tuesday night beer pong. They also have quite a Happy (few) Hours for the ladies – free beer every day starting at 4pm. So in case this wasn’t already a regular haunt for the sports bar fanatics, add plenty of drunk chicks to the mix and you might as well make it a home run. This place gets packed every night of the week from about 5pm onward but thankfully, there are a full three stories to stretch your legs in.

Honorable mentions: Shamrock located at Rodríguez Pena 1220, El Living a.k.a located at Marcelo T de Alvear 1540, and 878 located at Thames 878 which is a “secret bar” or an unmarked bar with merely a buzzer and maybe a doorman out front to help let you know you are in the right place.