where do all the adults hang out?

[austgirl]

lol ... if you a 35 year old guy you not a toyboy ... sorry!

 

[Pearly]

Interested in this topic, given I'm getting near to 50, and I don't want to spoil anything for the young studs, with the ladies, so I will be looking for places to go that cater for a slightly more mature age group (in age anyway, if not attitude).

I am still in the UK, but have my maps etc., and all the places named above seem to be some distance from where I will be living in the San Telmo area. Looking at the books, there seem to be a number of bars listed around there, the main one seeming to be an English Style place called The Gibraltar - What is it like age wise? - What other bars are there around this area?, or do I need to travel further afield to find like minded souls?

I'm not looking for an "Old mans Pub", but somewhere I can chat to people, without having to shout as loud as I can to make myself heard over piped music, and also a place that has a good feel, good mix of people. I do have a little Spanish, and hopefully can just about hold a conversation (maybe not in the first few days - it's a little rusty). I also like a decent beer, and read an article in the paper here that Argentina is developing a good micro-brew industry, and that its not just Budweiser and the local brew, (Quilmes?), and that you can get a good choice of beer too.

Am I being too hopeful ? Good beer, nice people who speak a little English and Spanish, obviously, and in the San Telmo area ? I arrive on July 12th, so any advance help is welcome.

John

 

[argsteve]

Hey Pearly,
I am sure you will Ok in San Telmo... every... or well most...Fridays there is a meet-up happyhour group with Liam and others... it is a mixed crowd.. of ages and they always meet in San Telmo that would be a good start for you!!!

... Gibralter will be good.. an all ages type place.. but you will find here the young kids who go out around midnight or 1am and drink till 5am ,6am or later... I love my mid-afternoon beer.... or rum and coke... so i really love early drinking... go out around 5pm... be home about midnight... but there are some nice pubs around for the old folks!!!
As for the beer... I am not impressed by the "microbrews" here and you pretty much have a few decent ones i guess but this is not a beer culture.. and Quilmes Stella and Heineken are the ones you see everyplace.... well good luck to you..cheers

 

[Pearly]

Have to confess to being more of an early doors man myself, comes with the territory here, where pubs close around 11, hence we go out earlier. As I am not a lager drinker, I may be a little lost if those are the choices, but I do like my wine too, and I do know they have decent wine locally.

Like the sound of the Happy Hour Group, I will certainly look out for that. Are there regular meet ups with people, I looked back over the site and it seems up and down. I will only be around for a few months, at least in Buenos Aires, and would like to make friends quickly, so I have a point of reference, so to speak. I like the idea of regular Fridays, or any other day come to mention it, meet ups. We used to regularly head out straight from work on a Friday, just the right way to start the weekend.

Maybe share a rum and coke some time, (a bottle I mean!).

John

 

[Ries]

Compared to Brits, Argentines hardly drink at all.
Aside from the teenagers from the suburbs, you almost never see a drunk Argentine.
I would say expats or visitors from Blighty outdrink locals by at least 4 to one, and if you are in a non-expat bar, the only time you hear loud drunks, they have an english accent.

It is not uncommon at all for Argentines to drink a few bottles of wine for the table, but seldom will they order more than one or two cocktails in an entire evening, and the idea of standing endless pints of beer is pretty much unheard of here.

I have never once seen anyone, old, young, male, or female, puking in the street.
Nothing like these quaint pictures from Cardiff-
http://www.pbase.com/maciekda/cardiff_st_mary_street_zone

So expect an entirely different nightlife experience. Unless you only go to expat bars- me, I have never been to any of them, so I cant speak to that.
But normal Porteno nightlife is pretty civilized, although it starts very late.
Restaurants are often crowded, with one hour waits to be seated, at one in the morning.

 

[elhombresinnombre]

But normal Porteno nightlife is pretty civilized, although it starts very late.
Restaurants are often crowded, with one hour waits to be seated, at one in the morning.

Yes: if you are from Britain you will be used to pubs that stop serving food at 9pm and some restaurants that close not much later. In Bs As don't be surprised to find restaurants that won't even be open for dinner before 9.

 

[stefano]

Where are the good jazz clubs in BA? I ask because that crowd is usually older that the disco crowd.

 

[nikad]

Where are the good jazz clubs in BA? I ask because that crowd is usually older that the disco crowd.

http://www.thelonious.com.ar/

http://www.notorious.com.ar/

 

[citymike]

I will be living in the San Telmo area. Looking at the books, there seem to be a number of bars listed around there, the main one seeming to be an English Style place called The Gibraltar - What is it like age wise? - What other bars are there around this area?, or do I need to travel further afield to find like minded souls?

Gibraltar has people of all ages. It serves a nice pint of IPA and has Griffin dry cider on tap. Breoghan's have opened a new bar recently just a block away from Gibraltar on Bolivar. They make their own beer and they import other beers. Also on Bolivar another bar has recently opened called Dogtown. There is also Puerta Roja on Chacabuco. All these bars have pool tables which help you mix with the other expats and locals.

 

[citymike]

Compared to Brits, Argentines hardly drink at all.

True, as a whole. It made me smile when one South American, amazed by the volume I drink, asked if I drank as many as 4 pints a night.

Aside from the teenagers from the suburbs, you almost never see a drunk Argentine.

I'd say that you're not looking very hard. I see a lot of them, although I suspect some of the worst examples may be mixing their alcohol with drugs.