Abasto Shopping — An Old-Time Market Turned Mall

Abasto, the huge art deco style complex in the neighborhood of the same name, is Buenos Aires largest shopping mall.

The mall’s distinguished façade along Corrientes Avenue features five huge leaded glass archways that are emblematic of the neighborhood, especially when lit in the evening. Inside, a huge atrium floods the building with natural light. The centralized mall features over 250 stores, a children’s museum, a small theme park, a food court, and a cinema with 12 screens.

The unique building was originally the site of Buenos Aires’ central vegetable market, inaugurated in 1893. It slowly grew outward as the population boomed, until the original structure was demolished in the 1930’s to make room for a larger building. The current art deco structure dates to 1934 and took three years to construct.

The building was designed by José Luis Delpini, Raul Bes and Slovenian-born architect, Viktor Sulčič — the same team that constructed Buenos Aires’ most famous stadium, La Bombonera in the La Boca neighborhood.

This was Buenos Aires’ golden age — the new market included all the latest amenities of the era including escalators, phone lines throughout the building and a connection with the underground subway.

A 1952 fire in the building burned for various days but thanks to the sturdy old-world construction, Abasto survived the blaze and Delpini was able to reform the damaged parts. A 1955 movie called Mercado de Abasto set in the mall highlights what a central place the market played in everyday life.

By 1984 Buenos Aires’ population had grown so much that housing the vegetable market in the center of the city became impractical due to the congestion the trucks caused bringing in produce in from the province. Abasto was shut down and the vegetable market was transferred to the Mercado Central in the Buenos Aires province, where it remains today.

Abasto’s Rebirth

To the dismay of residents, the one-time jewel of the neighborhood remained closed until the end of the 1990’s. During that time the neighborhood around Abasto became notorious for squats, prostitution, and drug use and was generally avoided by people who didn’t live there.

During Abasto’s nearly 15 years of hibernation, various proposals were thrown around to determine the building’s destiny while the neighborhood languished. One proposal included converting the market into an arts center similar to Paris’ Georges Pompidou Art Center. Finally in 1997, Hungarian-American billionaire, George Soros (who was also behind the restoration of Galerías Pacífico) purchased the building, and invested $2 million in its restoration.

The resurrection of Abasto as a shopping mall in 1998 instantly ushered in a new era to the blighted barrio, a more modest renaissance to that which took place in the waterfront restoration of Puerto Madero around the same time.

This mall has some decent shopping with international name brands such as Lacoste, Samsonite and Adidas and smaller national outlets. The movie theater is one of the city’s most comfortable and offers a range of films from Hollywood blockbusters to sentimental national productions.

The prices at many of the smaller stores tend to be more reasonable than those at other malls such as Galerías Pacífico, but a costlier than at the maze of street-side stores in the surrounding neighborhood, which carry similar merchandise.

Kosher Kids

Abasto is a mall designed with kids in mind. In addition to the celebrated Children’s Museum, there’s an arcade and a small indoor theme park with a Ferris wheel that spans all three floors.

The food court offers the usual parilla, pasta, pan-Asian offerings and claims fame to the only Kosher McDonald’s outside Israel, a hangout for the Orthodox fast food lovers among the neighborhood’s surrounding Jewish community.

One of the nice things about Abasto Mall is that thanks to its vastness and open construction, it never seems to get really crowded. Even at Christmas time when parents bring their kids here to see Santa Claus, things are quite relaxed.

Abasto Shopping Mall
Corrientes 3247
Abasto
Tel: 4959 3400
Free transport from hotels: 5777-6027

• Hours: 10:00 a.m.—10:00 p.m. everyday

Getting there:

–Buses: 29, 99, 71, 26, 146, 124, 168
–Subway: Station Carlos Gardel, Line B

• Underground parking
• If you spend over a certain amount in any store marked ‘duty free,’ ask for your receipt so you can get a refund on the taxes on your way out of the country.
• If you are staying in a hotel, call the mall for a free ride from your hotel to the mall. To be driven back to your hotel until 7:00 p.m., ask at the mall’s service stands.
• On Wednesday, movies are half price.

The Children’s Museum

The Children’s Museum of Abasto is a not-to-missed Buenos Aires attraction for the under-12 crowd.

Here parents might observe the first spark of their child’s future career through experiential exhibits that allow them to play at being grown-ups. Interactive displays allow kids to act as a broadcast journalist, dentist, TV cameraperson, construction worker and supermarket clerk among others.

There is also a pint-sized city with a Casa Rosada, Congress building and National Bank. The brightly colored exhibits are all in Spanish but language isn’t a barrier here.

The museum has various official city endorsements including from the Education Minister, and the culture departments of Argentina and the City of Buenos Aires. The Children’s Museum is a non-profit designed with the Declaration of the Rights of a Child in mind. Unfortunately that doesn’t preclude corporate-sponsored exhibits such as a McDonalds and YPF station to ensure early brand recognition, and that is the museum’s biggest drawback.

In the auditorium there are puppet shows, movie projections, storytelling and other events, listed daily by the entrance to the museum. There are two rooms are dedicated to toddlers and babies for those who have a multi-age brood in tow.

For expat parents, this is the perfect place to host a birthday party that is sure to be a hit. Parents will be happy to find that there are spots for them to rest, or better yet send them with the grandparents, who get in free.

If a few hours at the museum doesn’t wear them out there is also the unfortunately named Neverland Theme Park right next door.

Museo de los niños
Av. Corrientes 3247, 2nd floor
Abasto Shopping
Tel: 4861-2325

• Hours: Tue- Sun& holidays 1:00 p.m.—8:00 p.m.
• Cost: AR$ 30 children
—AR$15 adults
• ½ off from 7:00 p.m.
• Seniors, students and kids under 2 free

La Fábrica del Taco: Mexican Street Food & Fun

lafabricadeltaco-outside — The exterior of La Fabrica del Taco en Palermo

In the heart of Palermo Soho, just a block away from bustling Plaza Serrano, La Fábrica del Taco with its eye-catching neon lights is hard to miss. A fun and authentic Mexican restaurant, the ‘Taco Factory’ opened in 2009 and has since established itself as one of the hippest joints in town. The restaurant is successful enough that they recently opened a smaller location for ‘tacos al paso‘ in San Telmo.

“First and foremost, we will always be about tacos,” says owner, Federico Lobeira, who aims to recreate the feel of the Taquerías in his hometown of Monterey, Mexico. In addition to authentic Mexican street food and delicious margaritas, the restaurant serves up a lively sensory experience with the sites, sounds and smells of Mexico, vivid colors and kitschy art.

Brightly colored lucha libre wrestling masks stare down at diners in one part of the restaurant, a collage of old boxing photographs in another. Dolls and wrestling figurines are found guarding the till or dangling from the ceiling. Multi-colored fairy lights are strung throughout the dining area with red and green plastic clothespins to create ambient lighting in the colors of Mexico. In the men’s room, old posters beckon readers to come and take up arms in Pancho Villa’s revolution.

Drink Specials & Food

The atmosphere is delightfully tacky and the festivity is aided by the drink specials, such as buckets of five Coronas, served with lime like they should be and two-for one cocktails, including some of the best margaritas in Palermo. For teetotalers and kids there are homemade juices such as tamarind, lemonade, Jamaica flower and horchata, sweet rice milk with cinnamon.
Tacos with corn tortillas at San Telmo Buenos Aires' La Fabrica del Taco

Marinated or barbecued beef, chicken, pork or vegetable tacos and quesadillas come with a choice of flour or corn tortillas. The portions are modest in size as well as price— supplement the tacos with the onion and coriander salsa or a plate of homemade, albeit mediocre, guacamole and nachos.

A new menu for those with heartier appetites includes beef, chicken, pork or vegetarian burgers, baked potatoes with a range of fillings and drunk or refried beans.

A selection of flautas, ‘flutes,’ or miniature tacos are a nice way for diners to try all the different flavors. Each table is graced with three bottles of homemade hot sauce, manna for spice-deprived foreigners in this city.

Each sauce, served in old Coca-Cola bottles, varies in spice content ranging from ‘For Argentines’ (who are known to shun spices) to ‘For Mexicans’ to one labeled ‘For Those Who Dare,’ which packs a welcome punch.

Street Side & Seating

The street-side kitchen lures passers by, who can saddle up to the sidewalk seating in nice weather or make an order to go. Inside are two principal dining areas with smiling wait staff bringing a never-ending supply of bottled beers and tacos to hungry punters seated in red, yellow and green plastic chairs around reflective metallic tables.

The best seating is the outdoor Mexican-tiki style lounge out back with ambient lighting hung from trees, foliage creeping amongst hammocks and the Virgin of Guadalupe gracing the bar. Although the menu is strictly Mexican, the clientele is varied.

Recent price hikes may have put off a few regulars, but the prices still remain reasonable enough to attract a cross-section of locals as well as tourists. So broad is the appeal of La Fábrica that it is not uncommon to be seated between an Argentine family with kids munching sloppily on a hamburgers and a group of twenty-something gringos exchanging tales of legendary nights out over margaritas and nachos. You might even spot a celebrity — despite its lo-fi vibe, La Fábrica del Tacos has fed stars such as Charly Garcia (Argentina’s most eccentric rock star) and Francis Ford Coppola, who owns a home nearby.

Busier nights, especially at weekends, will see diners spilling out front — be prepared to stand in line, especially if seeking a spot in the garden bar.

The only complaint with La Fábrica del Taco is that they aren’t eco-friendly — dishes are served on plastic plates and pints are given in plastic cups. Aside from that the Taco Factory delivers on their motto’s promise to send home diners with their ‘bellies full and hearts content.’

A taco stand in San Telmo, Buenos Aires — Tacos al Paso in San Telmo

—by George Warren

La Fábrica del Taco —$$

Gorriti 5062 (between Thames and Serrano)
Palermo Soho

Hours: Sun:1 p.m.-1 a.m.
Mon: 7p.m-12 a.m.
Tue-Sat: 12 p.m. until late
Tel:4833-3534

• Happy hour until midnight on Wed & 11pm on Fri
• Credit cards; Amex, MC and Visa accepted
• Discounts for any embassy or Mexican airline employee

San Telmo location
Carlos Calvo 491
Tel: 4300-7712

• Hours: Tue-Sun; 12 pm-12 am, closed Mon

Buenos Aires Zoo: Wildlife in Palermo

Editor’s note: The Buenos Aires zoo has been closed and turned into an ‘eco-park’ with no caged animals.

The Buenos Aires Zoo in Palermo boasts a wide variety among its 2,500 animals, but typical of many inner-city zoos, there is not a whole lot of space for them to roam around.

Among the 89 mammals here you’ll find the usual bored-looking big cats, giraffes, elephants and bears. For foreigners a lot of the interest will lie in many of the native South American animals. Pumas, llamas and a whole lot of different kinds of monkeys are fun to watch, and the pygmy hippos look like they are enjoying themselves most of all. Emus and kangaroos hang out together in the Australian section, where there’s even a rare albino wallaby. The red panda, when it decides to come out of its special Chinese tree house, thrills onlookers by running and jumping around its pen like some kind of manic Asian video game critter.

wa zoo baby llama — A newborn llama is fretted over by the adults

If possible, try to go on a school day, or as early in the morning as you can on weekends and public holidays. In the afternoons the zoo can get extremely crowded with hyperactive kids and their even more irritating parents who shout bizarre things at the animals and ignore zoo rules (such as not feeding certain animals). On such occasions you’ll find your patience severely tested after a couple of hours, so you’re better off going when it’s quieter so you can relax and enjoy yourself.

General admission costs AR$15, but that doesn’t include entry to attractions such as the Reptile House, Rainforest and Boat Ride, so you’re better off paying for a ‘Zoo Passport’ which will get you in to those. Even with a Zoo Passport, some attractions such as the Seal . There are endless other opportunities for you to spend money as you wander around, like bags of feed to give to the animals, or overpriced human-feed such as hamburgers and hotdogs for yourself and your herd.

Buenos Aires Zoo – $$
2827 Sarmiento (at Las Heras, Plaza Italia)
Palermo
Tel: 4011-9900

• Hours: Tuesdays to Sundays: 10am-9pm