The oldest café in Buenos Aires, opened in 1858, and still one of the most atmospheric. The interior is intact 19th-century: ornate plasterwork, bronze fixtures, marble tables, and wood-panelled booths where Argentine presidents and poets have sat since the place opened. A national historic monument.
The Tortoni is famous enough to have long queues on weekend mornings — the porteños who once used it as their neighbourhood café now arrive early to avoid the tourists, or have largely moved on to other establishments. Go on a weekday morning before 10am for the most authentic experience: cortado and medialunas, standing at the bar, watching the older regulars who have been coming for decades.