Recoleta

This is the barrio that I live in, and it is perfect for me! It is super close to the IES center. It is filled with quiet, shady streets, French architecture, and is the “old money” neighborhood of Buenos Aires.  I especially love the tea house that is a block away from where I live!

They have great tea in adorable little tea pots and deliciously warm scones. I go there a lot to do homework, read, knit, or just people watch. People often meet each other here after work. Old women bring their dogs to sit with them and their friends and chat.

When I am not at  the tea house, my favorite ice cream spot is also in Recoleta a few blocks from my house. It´s called Fragola and has tons of amazing flavors. I have made it mission to try all of the flavors before I leave Argentina. I haven’t completed the mission entirely but have come quite close. I love the Maracuyá (passion fruit) and Roger flavors. The Roger flavor really confused me at first because  I had no idea what Roger could possibly be in Spanish. But it is actually flavored after the candy Ferrero Rocher, which I love and so I also loved the Roger (in Spanish sounds like Rocher) ice cream. I love getting ice cream and crossing the street to sit in the shady park when it is unbearably humid and hot. In the park, I can sit and enjoy my ice cream while families play with their babies and other young people sit around and drink mate. On the same block of the ice cream store is my favorite empanada place, Maestros. This is a great place to grab a cheap meal: three empanadas of mozzerella, tomato, and basil for 50 pesos, or about 5 dollars. On the weekends, there is also a great fair on Plaza Francia. They sell a lot of leather goods, mates, incense, and jewelry. I have bought a lot of souvenirs and gifts for my friends there.

Overall, Recoleta is filled with small cafes and boutiques that make it very charming to stroll around and enjoy the day.

Palermo

The most charming part about Palermo, a neighborhood to the west of Recoleta, is that there are so many colorful murals and colorful cafes that line its cobbled streets.

This barrio is very different from Recoleta. It has a huge expat community and sometimes restaurants or cafes will have their entire menu posted in English or have numerous references to American culture.

Many expatriates establish their own restaurants that offer food that is difficult to find in Buenos Aires. For example, I love going to a this one restaurant with my friends that offers Sunday American brunch. I normally don´t go for breakfast burritos in the US, but when I go I want something obnoxiously American for breakfast. So I ordered their breakfast burrito, and it is amazing! Another fun place on the weekend is LattenTe, a coffee shop. On Sunday´s an expat from New York sells his homemade bagels. His company´s name is Sheikob´s Bagels; sheikob is how Argentines would pronounce his name, Jacob. He was a lifesaver because I absolutely love bagels and they are not to be found in Buenos Aires, unless you count bread in the shape of a bagel.

So in Palermo, it is definitely more common to hear English and feel more at home.

Belgrano

Belgrano is farther away from where I live, so I haven’t been there too many times. But I went there once on a field trip with IES to a Buddhist temple there. We got a tour of the temple and learned how to meditate and greet the Buddha. Another time, I also visited Barrio chino, their Chinatown, which is also in Belgrano. It was fun to walk through the pagoda gate into the barrio. My friend and I happily enjoyed a yummy, spicy meal in a Chinese restaurant. Spice is sometimes hard to find in Buenos Aires: they don’t even offer black pepper on the table in restaurants. So, it was great fun to spend a day in Barrio Chino.

 

 

 

 

 

San Telmo

This is an older neighborhood of Buenos Aires and is where the biggest artesanal fair in the city is held on Sunday´s. I love taking the colectivo (the bus) to the Plaza de Mayo and wandering down Avenida Defensa through the fair. Similar things to the Plaza Francia fair are sold here, but there are tons of tourists and stands; you could waste all day browsing through the stalls. One of my favorite restaurants is also in this neighborhood: La panadería de Pablo. The food is great and there´s a great outdoor terrace with heaters for when it is a little chilly. The restaurant also plays great music and the menu has soup, which is not commonly offered at restaurants in Buenos Aires.

Puerto Madero

This is the newest neighborhood of Buenos Aires: about a decade ago the government invested in the abandoned port area to renovate it. It is now so beautiful and is actually where my local university is located. So sometimes after class, I walk along the water and enjoy the nice breeze that comes in off the port. There are a lot of touristy restaurants and you can even go in a gondola to float along the river for a bit. This area is the most expensive to live in, and there are a lot of executive offices for large companies like Google in the skyscrapers in this neighborhood. The best part about this neighborhood is that there is an ecological reserve to the East where you can get some fresh air and get away from the noise of the city.

 

Only a part of the whole

All of these neighborhoods have a unique feel and a unique group of people that live there. However, whether you’re looking for a tea house, a cafe with great espresso, a buddhist temple, or a burger joint, you can find it in this cosmopolitan city. But no matter what neighborhood you visit in Buenos Aires, you are always greeted by a cafe on the corner, two bookstores on every block, and a restaurant that offers a fresh milanesa and empanadas.

Location: Carlos Pelligrini 1069 Buenos Aires, Argentina