El Alamo is an ex-pat owned American sports bar in Recoleta that is to some a beloved refuge for the young and homesick and to others, a loud, drunken expat nightmare.
El Alamo (or ‘Shoeless Joe’s Alamo’ as it’s officially called) was once known as the mecca of American-style hedonism in Buenos Aires.
Reminiscent of the dive bars you can find along the highways of any major American city they hosted bikini contests and a ‘free beer for girls’ policy that continues today.
A sign on the wall in Spanish says, “What happens in the Alamo, stays in the Alamo.”
It was a place you could find older American men throwing down pitchers of beer from plastic cups and having confused, barely bilingual conversations with their Argentine, erm, ‘girlfriends’ at six in the morning.
In the last few years El Alamo has toned it down a bit, the management has changed hands and it is no longer open 24 hours a day.
They also did away with their popular American breakfasts.
Overall, the Alamo these days is a slightly less seedy version of its former self, which is good or bad, depending on whom you consult.
Games on TV: NBA, NFL, Football (⚽️) & more
The ground floor has ample bar space and is one of the most reliable spots in the city to catch an American sports game, as well as international rugby and soccer.
El Alamo’s re-modeled smoking section upstairs has expanded table seating and an infinitely more attractive environment.
Both the upstairs and downstairs bars serve up cheap pitchers of lager and a menu of American fare (wings, Philly cheese-steaks and even nachos).
Despite its excessively ‘Yankee’ vibe, the majority of the customers at El Alamo are Argentine these days.
It particularly draws younger locals who come to practice English with foreigners (and consider it a bonus if their conversation partners are of the opposite sex).
During play-off season (NBA, NFL, La Liga) expect game days to fill up the bar with English-speaking students and ex-pats.
Singles at the Bar
The best night for young singles on the hunt is Thursday — the continued ‘free beer for girls’ policy seems to help achieve a high success rate.
A nominal cover charge starts after 10 p.m., but is redeemable at face value for food and drinks.
—by Daniel McGrath
1175 Bar and Lounge/ Shoeless Joe’s/ El Alamo-$$
Uruguay 1175/77
Recoleta
Tel: 4813-7324
• Hours: Mon-Sun, 2pm-4am
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