When I heard of Cafe Tortoni a few years ago during one of my private Spanish lessons owing to an article my teacher brought to class, I was happy to discover this place which drew my interest for several reasons. The cafe is in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a city I want to visit in Latin America. Besides, it is not just a cafe but a special place where you can trace the rich history of the people of Argentina and have your coffee in a distinguished sophisticated atmosphere created in centuries with visits of many artists and intellectuals. There are several cultural activities and live tango shows at the cafe. I can feel the nostalgia in the place looking at the photo of the cafe’s elegant building above and its noticeable lamps behind its curtains with their dim yellow light calling you inside. Although the cafe is said to be quiet nowadays due to the pandemic -a chance to see it without waiting in a long line-, there is usually a long queue in front of its door as also seen in the above photo. A queue of people waiting to see the oldest cafe in Argentina with a rich history … .
Cafe Tortoni (Gran Café Tortoni) was founded in 1858 by French immigrant Jean Touan on the corner of Rivadavia and Esmeralda streets in Buenos Aires and took its name from one of the famous cafes on the Boulevard des Italiens in Paris where the elite of Parisian culture met in the nineteenth century. In 1920s, a group of writers, painters, journalists and musicians called ‘Arts and Letters Association’ (Agrupación de Gente de Artes y de Letras) known as ‘La Peña’ founded by the Argentine painter Benito Quinquela Martin held literary meetings in the basement (‘bodega’ / wine cellar) of Cafe Tortoni. Since then, the cafe was frequented by Argentine famous people and intellectuals like writers Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar, tango singer Carlos Gardel, composer Juan de Dios Filiberto, car racer Juan Manuel Fangio, poets Alfonsina Storni and Raúl González Tuñón, and international renowned figures like Italian actor/director Vittorio Gassman, Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, Polish-American pianist Arthur Rubinstein, Albert Einstein, Francis Ford Coppola and King of Spain Juan Carlos. The place was also chosen by Argentine journalist Alejandro Dolina to broadcast his radio program “La vengenza sera terrible“, popular in Argentina and Uruguay, for several years.
Although many cultural activities are carried out in Cafe Tortoni including book presentations, poetry readings and contests and painting exhibitions, its name is mostly associated with tango. The cafe hosts evening jazz and tango shows in the Alfonsina Storni salon downstairs as well as events like special tango nights or tango classes. The Argentine traditional jazz group “Fénix Jazz Band” also performs here. It is stated that Carlos Gardel, one of the most influential interpreters of tango music in early twentieth century, had his own table permanently reserved for him at the cafe. You can see National Academy of Tango (Academia Nacional del Tango) and World Tango Museum above Cafe Tortoni as well. (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar, wiki.acervolima.com)
I like jazz. I also like tango. In my early working years, I had attended a dance course due to my interest in tango. During these dance courses which I enjoyed a lot, I think I captured partly the essence of tango. The dance of life evident in the straightforward looks of partners to each other, which may look like defiant or hostile at first sight as it did to me while watching our instructors dance, but which indeed symbolize the passion for life. This is my impression of ‘tango’, a passionate and emotional dance originated in Argentina and Uruguay. If you are interested in tango, also take note that “International Tango Festival and World Cup” takes place in Buenos Aires every August which includes free concerts, performances, classes, milongas, and the dance competition.
Gran Café Tortoni is located located on Avenida de Mayo (Mayo Avenue) in Buenos Aires, the wide avenue between the Presidential Palace (Casa Rosada) and the Congress. Plaza de Mayo, the square in front of the Presidential Palace, is the city centre of Buenos Aires and the place of large demonstrations in the country. “The Mothers and Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo“, a renowned Argentine human rights group, hold demonstrations every Thursday in the square since 1977 to reunite families with missing children during the last military regime in Argentina. (bbc.com)
Plaza de Mayo is also close to La Boca, a working class neighborhood in Buenos Aires which used to be the city’s biggest port where the immigrants arrived in the late 19th century. It draws attention with its colorful shanty houses made from sheet metal and wooden planks, little shops and its pedestrian street “Caminato” (meaning little path or little walkway in Spanish) where tango artists perform. This street is also said to inspire the famous tango song ‘Caminato’ composed by Juan de Dios Filiberto which Carlos Gardel used to sing in late 1920s. La Boca is one of Buenos Aires’ most photographed neighborhoods due to its brightly painted houses and cobblestone streets. Football fans must note that the stadium of the famous football team Boca Juniors and its official museum are also here. Argentine painter Benito Quinquela Martín, who was among the regulars of Cafe Tortoni as Gardel and Filiberto were, is mostly known for his port paintings showing the daily life in the port of La Boca. (wikipedia.org, argentinastravel.com)
Cafe Tortoni moved to its current location on ‘Avenida de Mayo’ in 1880. The facade of the cafe was designed by the architect Alejandro Christophersen in 1898. It has an art nouveau style interior decoration and retains the decor of its early years. Its high ceilings, solid columns, elegant chandeliers, flamboyant stained glass ceiling, oak paneled walls with historical photos and photographs of celebrities on, mirrors, special glittering Tiffany lamps and round marble-topped tables frequented by the cultural elite create an exclusive ambiance and allow you to experience a period in history while sipping your coffee. The cafe has also a bar, a library and a game salon where visitors can play billiards and dominoes. Currently, the owner of the cafe is the Touring Club Argentino.
Baldomero Fernández Moreno, an Argentine poet of Spanish origin who once lived in Avenida de Mayo, described a session at the Tortoni as follows:
“In spite of the rain, I left home
to drink a coffee. I am sitting down
under the soaked and stretched awning
of this old, known Tortoni.”
(from the book ‘Buenos Aires: A Cultural and Literary Companion‘, Jason Wilson, 1999 [books.google.com.tr])
The highlights of Cafe Tortoni are listed as “churros with hot chocolate“, “picada (a meat and cheese platter)” and “Tortoni Breakfast” in the website of the cafe. You can also have a meal at Cafe Tortoni but its coffee varieties, drinks, snacks and desserts look more appealing and are more talked upon. There is cider on tap and wine by the glass. The cafe is also known for its good wines. There is also “leche merengada” – a mixture between smoothie and ice cream made of milk heated and flavored with sugar, cinnamon, and lemon zest and frozen after mixed with beaten egg whites. But mostly it is recommended that one should try a classic submarino, a typical Argentine drink of warm milk containing a long piece of melting chocolate. (cafetortoni.com.ar, thespruceeats.com, cntraveler.com)
I would opt for Argentinian medialunas though, a rich dough between a croissant and a brioche, with very subtle hint of lemon and vanilla, since I also like croissants which are a perfect match with coffee. Medialunas are said to be popular in Argentina and preferred either for breakfast or snacks. I would also like to try the ‘churros‘ of the cafe which look quite attractive -either filled with caramel sauce (dulce de leche) or chocolate covered- accompanied with coffee.
There are many historic art nouveau style cafes in Buenos Aires listed as “bares notables“, which were the meeting places for literary, musical and political figures and are supported by the government for their cultural value. These cafes are parts of vivid cafe culture of Buenos Aires and are frequented for breakfast, lunch snacks and the traditional ‘merienda’, a late afternoon snack. Although not as old as Tortoni, “Café Las Violetas“(1884) and “Café de Los Angelitos” (1890) are among the recommended ones that I liked – both located on Avenue Rivadavia, the first location of Cafe Tortoni. Cafe Las Violetas is said to be preferred more by the local people and Cafe de Los Angelitos is suggested for its evening tango shows.
I liked the following quote by Jorge Luis Borges, one of the most influential writers of his time also a regular customer of Cafe Tortoni:
“I am not sure that I exist, actually. I am all the writers that I have read, all the people that I have met,
all the women that I have loved; all the cities that I have visited, all my ancestors.“
Lemon Pie with Café con Leche, Gran Café Tortoni, Buenos Aires (TripAdvisor)
I wish us all nice journeys and good moments in life and perhaps one of those would be some moments in the pleasant medium of Cafe Tortoni having coffee in its historic ambiance or enjoying one of the tango shows.
Or if you will, the moments you listen to the popular tango song of 1920s “Caminato” used to be sung then by Carlos Gardel, who had a permanent table at Gran Café Tortoni, Buenos Aires.
Click the link below to listen to the song ‘Caminato’, the story of a man talking to the caminato (little path) he once used to walked on with the woman he loved who deserted him, along with the images of ‘La Boca‘:
Tango Song “Caminato“
(music: Juan de Dios Filiberto, lyrics: Gabino Coria Peñaloza, interpretation: Carlos Gardel)
Notes: You may find the book about the history of Cafe Tortoni titled “Cafe Tortoni” (Spanish-English bilingual edition) here in Amazon. Check here for the book about the cafés of Buenos Aires titled “Cafés de Buenos Aires“(Spanish edition).
You may check here in Amazon for the book titled “Tango Tips by the Maestros” and here for the book “The Meaning of Tango: The Story of the Argentinian Dance“.
For my selection of the CDs of Astor Piazzolla, Argentine tango composer who revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style called nuevo tango (a fusion of tango, jazz, and classical music), check here and here.
Among the books about Buenos Aires, I liked the ones ‘Buenos Aires: The Biography of a City‘ by art and culture critic James Gardner here, the Moon Buenos Aires guidebook here, and ‘Bad Times in Buenos Aires‘ which was reviewed by The Times in 1999 as one of the best travel books in recent years here.
Finally, some sweet options: Check here for the book titled “Dulce de Leche: Recipes, Stories, & Sweet Traditions” containing dulce de leche (caramel) recipes common in Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Brazil, which looks quite jolly.
If you like the popular Spanish dessert churros, check here for a Churro Maker with a free recipe book.
.
