Confitería del Molino

One of the great Art Nouveau buildings of Buenos Aires, and after decades of neglect and a long restoration, once again one of the great cafés of South America. The Confitería del Molino (the Windmill Café, named for the ornamental windmill on its turret) opened in 1917 and for much of the 20th century was the most prestigious café in the city.

The interior is a showcase of early-20th-century decorative arts: stained glass, ornate plasterwork, mahogany fittings, and a tea room that feels like it belongs in Vienna. The pastry counter is serious — the alfajores and the medialunas are made in-house. Breakfast here on a quiet weekday morning is one of the better things to do in central Buenos Aires.

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A story
During Argentina's golden age in the early 20th century, the Confitería del Molino was the unofficial meeting place of the Argentine political class — senators from the Congress across the street would conduct negotiations over coffee and medialunas in its Art Nouveau booths. When it closed in 1997, the closure was treated as a national tragedy; restoration took two decades and cost tens of millions of pesos.

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