Tourists from many countries may first need a moment to recover from the shock at the hours portenos (those who live in Buenos Aires) keep. An early dinner hour is at 9 p.m. Getting to a club before 11 p.m. is a guarantee of either a closed door or an empty bar. Some of the hotter clubs, you need to get there as late as 2 a.m. for the serious partying.
So, the best way to start off your night in Buenos Aires is a good dinner, which is definitely not going to be a “eat and run” experience. It’s not uncommon for meals to last a few hours. Asado, which is barbecue, or a steak from the Argentine Pampas is a common main course and those the city is best known for. For something less heavy, empanadas (a beef pie) are a good choice as well. Dulce de leche, made from milk, is usually the key feature in desserts. It’s also a customary, and an affordable idea, to start drinking the red wine with dinner. Many of the restaurants also turn into discos after midnight. Happy hour is usually before 11 p.m., with many restaurants offering drink and dining specials.
Nightlife offers the main choices of theater, a dance show, or the typical drinking and dancing found in a club. Most clubbing districts are highly safe, but normal caution is advised. Women should watch their drinks, and not wander off with unknown men. Valuables should always be protected. Using drugs is not uncommon, but highly risky for a foreigner, as jail times and fines are stiff.
The most popular days for clubbing are Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with the first half of the month hosting more portenos than the end of the month, when paychecks have worn down. Most patrons are between 18 and 30. However, every night in Buenos Aires can still be a party despite the day or your age!
The area near the Recoleta cemetery, where Evita is buried, is popular among tourists but losing its luster with locals. So, if mingling with the portenos is important, a better choice might be Arcos del ferrocarri or Costanera Norte. For the gay crowd, El Palacio is a long-standing popular spot.
Dance shows usually feature Argentine tango, and can be found all over the city. They also don’t begin before 9 p.m. Theatro Colon, one of the world’s most popular houses, is the choice for music lovers. The Maipu offers its own special shows with elaborately dressed dancers as well as spunky comedians.
But once the show, dancing, or casual time of drinking and socializing ends, the night is still young, even if it’s 6 a.m. If you decide to go back to your accommodations between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., take a taxi as public transportation has closed. It’ll probably be more fun to go with new friends to a coffee shop to sober up a little and keep enjoying that nightlife, and watch the sun rise.
