Gran Bar Danzón: Buenos Aires’ James Bond-Style Bar

If James Bond had to rendezvous with a seductive female double agent in Buenos Aires he would probably invite her to El Gran Bar Danzón for a cocktail. This Recoleta cocktail lounge, wine bar and restaurant has just the sort of sophisticated atmosphere where 007 would feel at home, and it’s also home to the city’s best Martini, shaken or stirred.

A strong whiff of valerian greets visitors as they make their way up the steps at the small entrance of Danzón.Valerian is supposed to put people at ease, which is obviously the desired effect in this low-lit, smart bar-cum-restaurant.

Bar Danzón is a good spot to bring a date or meet someone new. To fit in here, be sure to dress up if you’re a lady, and flash the cash if you’re a man, as those seem to be the prerequisites for falling in love, Danzón-style. It may not be quite tuxedo and gown territory, but dressing with a little panache will ensure you stand out among the city’s movers and shakers.

Although there are usually a few twenty-somethings, Danzón is geared toward a more mature Recoleta crowd, with the median age for women being mid-thirties or so (think Pussy Galore in Goldfinger), and men a tad older (Pierce Brosnan in Goldeneye).

Floor space is at a premium in Danzón, meaning the atmosphere can go from ‘intimate’ to ‘crowded’ very easily, especially during peak cocktail sipping hour which from about 8:30-11:30pm.

Thriving since it opened in 1998 and designed by the same people responsible for top end bars such as Sucre and Uriarte (now closed), Danzon’s layout tends towards style over practicality. The prime real estate in this bar is the lounge area with its leather loungers, where you’ll get table service and the chance to socialize with fellow sofa-dwellers while observing the beautiful people at the bar. For non-diners not lucky enough to land a sofa spot, other options are a seat at the delightfully glittering bar or one of few raised tables. Once those places are snapped up, most people end up standing pressed against one other, balancing their drinks while struggling to maintain a nonchalant air as staff and fellow customers squeeze past.

Tables in the small dining area to the back of the bar are also snugly arranged — a reservation is recommended if you don’t want a long wait. Both bar and waitstaff are immaculate in their presentation and service. Their long white coats make them look like butchers or lab assistants, but since they’re all so good-looking and maintain a level of professionalism that is hard to find elsewhere in Buenos Aires, somehow it works.

Food, Wine & Cocktails

Those who do decide to dine won’t be disappointed, although they may be a little taken aback by the prices, which are high by local standards, but not totally unreasonable considering the quality of the food.

Since the beginning, Chef Martin Arriera set the gastronomic tone, offering up some surprising taste combinations such as goat’s cheese ravioli with sweet pumpkin sauce and sweetbreads, or crunchy glazed duck with a sauce of blueberries, balsamic vinegar and pistachios.

The over 400 wines selected by sommelier Fernanda Fazekas to represent the best of what Argentina has to offer is one of Danzón’s best selling points. Highly knowledgeable waiters can recommend the perfect drop to compliment customers’ meals, with prices ranging from reasonable to rap star territory. Danzón is one of the few places to find fresh oysters in Buenos Aires and they also serve excellent sushi, which are great options for those in the bar or lounge areas who want to dabble for dinner.

Danzón’s bartenders are about as good as you’ll find anywhere in the tango city. Weekly cocktail specials written up on the blackboard are often inventive, usually delicious and always interesting. Keep an eye out for specials on wine by the glass as well, which are rotated daily. If you’re unsure of what to select, chat to any of the bilingual bartenders and they’ll offer helpful suggestions – or just stop flip flopping and ask yourself, ‘what would Bond do?’

Bar Danzón gets crowded on Wednesday nights from 7-9 pm during ‘jazz y tragos,’ which features a DJ spinning jazz on vinyl. Other nights the music tends to be chill-out inducing ambient electronic.

-Dan Colasimone

Gran Bar Danzon—$$$$
1161 Libertad
Recoleta, Buenos Aires
Tel: 4811 1108

Hours:
Mon-Thurs 7:00pm-2:00a.m.
Fri 7:00- 4:00 a.m.
Sat &Sun 8:00-4:00 a.m

• Happy Hour: 7-9 p.m every day
• Dinner reservations recommended
• major credit cards accepted

Milión: Recoleta’s Enchanting Mansion Bar

Milión is a mystical restaurant-bar that combines the main ingredients that draw people to Buenos Aires: timeless elegance, beautiful people and gourmet food.

Set in a beautiful Belle Époque-style mansion, Milión is a mainstay of the city’s pre-club hour night scene. This quintessential Buenos Aires’ getaway attracts fashionable young socialites and an international jet-set crowd, especially after being named by Newsweek as one of South America’s six top bars and ‘one of the world’s 21 secret hideaways’ by Elle magazine.

Recoleta Cocktail Hot Spot

Located among the graceful Recoleta estates on Libertad Street, the only thing that gives Milión’s entrance away is a bouncer perched on a stool just inside the front door. Upon entry into the palatial haunt a multi-level bar opens before you. The bottom floor is dominated by an indoor-outdoor dining area, usually replete with pretty people in the garden enjoying fine food and expensive wine.

The international-Argentine cuisine by chef Darío Toledo is gourmet, as are the twilight prices, with dinners starting at about US$25 for a prix fixe entrée. In typical Buenos Aires’ night owl style you can eat dinner here until 1 a.m. on weekdays and until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, although the mellower weekdays more readily lend themselves to dining late here as do the accessibly-priced lunches.

Most local Milión devotees don’t come here for a gastronomic adventure but for the rapturous atmosphere.

The 1913 French-style mansion was inherited by the uncle of one of the enterprises’ four partners in 2001. It had been abandoned for seven years and was badly in need of repairs. During the next six months, it was minimally but lovingly restored and adapted for public use. During the work, mementos were uncovered from the Allemand family, German immigrants who built and inhabited the home for nearly 70 years.

Overseen by Buenos Aires’ hippest feline, Emilio, Milión’s hallmark is the wide set of marble steps flanked by ivy-covered walls which lead from the bottom level to the bar on the second floor. There are few better ways to experience firsthand the intrinsic charm of the city than a cocktail here on a summer night below the Medlar tree with the soothing sounds of jazz, soul, bossa nova or tangotronica echoing through the breeze.

Three-Floors of Bars

At the top of the steps lies the largest of several bars, attended by some effortlessly cool and showy bartenders. This area tends to get crowded, although this highlights not the thirst level of the patrons but the inefficient paying and ordering system. Those who want to mingle hang about the bar area, while the low tables and sofas towards the back of the long room draw groups who prefer to lounge and nibble on tapas.

The bar has retained all the classiness of the mansion it now inhabits, with its original door and bathroom fixtures, pinewood staircases, oak floors, fireplaces and high ceilings. Among the artifacts on display in the home are the Allemand clan’s piano, family portraits and the original 1913 wooden telephone.

The fine details are revealed for two more floors, each offering little compartmentalized rooms for groups to enjoy their own, virtually private parties, and a second floor exhibition area with a rotating collection of bold artwork by celebrated local artists. The very top floor has the most exclusive feel, and is often occupied by private parties or a band performing to an audience of elite Porteños.

WA-babars-milion-vase — photos: Vera Frascino

The crowd is an eclectic mix of tourists and arty Argentine types ranging from those in their mid-20’s to older patrons. It’s not uncommon to see well-known local actors, directors and artists tucked away in a corner somewhere enjoying the relaxed atmosphere.

International cocktail connoisseurs will be pleased with the punchy martinis, caipirinhas and mojitos. Outside of the after-work happy hour, the expertise of the bartenders is reflected in the price, but the drinks here are no more expensive than many Palermo bars that offer more flash and less class.

We’ll also let you in on an insider secret: Once a year Milión celebrates its anniversary with a special, unannounced party hosted on the top two floors. Waiters circulate with foods to nibble on and there are a variety of free drinks. Although entry is free for everybody, because it is not publicized, many customers remain on the bottom floors, oblivious to the complimentary treats being given out above. The date is December 2 — every year. If you’ll be in Buenos Aires, mark it on your calendar.

Milión—$$$/$$$$
Parana 1048
Recoleta
Tel: 4815-9925

• Hours:
Mon, Tues, Wed: Noon-2am,
Thurs: Noon-3am
Fri: Noon-4am
Sat: 7:30pm-4am
Sun: 8pm-2am

• Dinner reservations recommended
• Credit cards accepted
• Fully accessible/Braille Menu

Le Bar: A Sexy Downtown Cocktail Lounge

buenos aires le bar cocktail lounge — Things heat up at Le Bar

*Editors Note: Le Bar closed in April 2012 after five years of business. Check our list of other bars in Buenos Aires.

There’s something sweet about downtown cocktail lounge, Le Bar. This Parisian-style bar is set in a traditional early 19th century Buenos Aires home, but inside its three floors have been jazzed up with strong colors and original art lying around as if somebody just happened to have left it there.

The ground floor has dark red walls and droplet-shaped lights oozing down from the ceiling like viscous honey. Upstairs there’s a more intimate feel, with small rooms and low set tables.

Founded by French expatriates, this bar is known for its cool atmosphere, rooftop terrace and great music. A DJ provides an eclectic mix, with the focus on slow, funky and sexy to cater to the bar’s youngish crowd. Among the acts featured here are some of Buenos Aires’ most popular deejays. You’re likely to hear hip-hop and cumbia mashups from Villa Diamante or the danceable tropical electronic tunes of Chancha Via Circuita.

Food & Cocktails

A fairly light menu by Fernando Mayoral contains tasty tidbits such as a calamari salad, chicken and avocado wrap and a lamb burger, but it’s the desserts he offers up that really satisfy. Boost your endorphins with the cold chocolate soup topped with walnuts and orange-perfumed whipped cream. Well-done classics such as crème brûlée (with strawberries) and trifle (with cream cheese, orange and biscuit) are certain to please sugar lovers, while the tangy passionfruit mousse finished with a crunchy almond wafer is guaranteed glee. You’re probably just better off getting the dessert sampler so you can choose your own favorite. Dinner for two will set you back about US$45.

Leo Speroni has designed a fine cocktail menu that could not be classed as overly extravagant, but certainly continues the saccharine theme. Drink a Moloko (Absolut vodka, amaretto and milk) or try one of the many fruit-based concoctions such as the Magdalen (rum, melon, apple and lime) or the Belleville (Absolut Mandarin, Absolut Citron, passionfruit and orange). The happy hour two-for-one drinks last until 10pm, but like most Buenos Aires’ hot spots, Le Bar peaks later in the night.

With Le Bar’s multi-pronged attack on the senses, if your date is not in the mood by the end of the night, you may be beyond help.

Le Bar $$-$$$
Tucumán 422
Microcentro
Tel: 5219-0858

• Hours: Mon-Fri: 12pm—2am
Sat: 9pm-late
closed Sundays