41 Best Bars in Palermo, Buenos Aires

BA’s original speakeasy has spawned a spate of followers over the past few years, but it remains a classic for cocktail lovers: 878 has an extensive drinks list, many made with its own line of spirits, armchairs to sink into, plus a supercool clientele. Be sure to stick your head around the more private back bar.

One of the growing number of wine bars in the city, Bar du Marché is getting it exactly right. This cute French-inspired spot has an ample wine selection and some delicious picadas for sharing.

Decadence meets southeast Asia at this award-winning cocktail bar helmed by Buenos Aires’ mixology queen Inés de los Santos. Enjoy one of her signature Umami Martinis streetside, in a cozy booth or at the bar itself (made from egg shells). Watching the cool team slinging drinks makes for the best seats in the house. The food menu is equally tempting; try the lacquered pork bao. Still thirsty? Snap up one of Ines' ready-to-drink cocktails from the boutique for the walk home.  Book a table at Arriba, the upstairs bar, to try the tasting menu paired with cocktails.

The team behind award-winning cocktail bar Tres Monos also opened La Uat, a small and hidden dance floor whose street face is Cacho Rotisería canteen. Push through the curtain to unveil DJs playing a range of music from 80s to hip hop, regaetón, and pop latino, while a hipster crowd pulls moves with fluorescent cocktails in hand. For more space, head upstairs to the terrace bar. La Uat’s late hours attracts the young gastronomic crowd, keen to wind down; plus it's right in the thick of Palermo Soho. 

Champions of low-intervention wines and those made by small producers, Naranjo has captured the attention of Buenos Aires’ young wine lovers. While 180 labels sourced from all over the country are always available, in a bid to demystify wine, there’s just one single crystal glass for all grapes and styles. Drinkers keen to try something new take a seat under the orange tree after which it was named, and stay for delicious gluten-free, often vegan, small plates to share. 

Themed around Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Verne Club runs a tight ship thanks to it's top-notch mixologists. This old-school cocktail bar serves innovative offerings that are often inspired by the eponymous author’s characters, including a Phileas Fogg Martini.

This immense gay disco has two floors of high-energy action and shows. Friday and Saturday are fun and frivolous verging on hectic; there's often a one-fee, all-you-can-drink entry. Amerika remains the city's gay club to check out—and be checked out in.

Founded in the city of Mar del Plata in 1999, this is now a successful national brewer making dozens of brews. The spacious bar attracts a cosmopolitan group of drinkers who keep it packed from after-office until the wee hours. Service is friendly and efficient, the music is feel-good, and the bar snacks are tasty.  In San Telmo? Check out the outpost inside the Mercado de San Telmo.

Catering to hip young things, Caracas has the great selection of rum-based cocktails and the kind of funky vibe you would expect from a Venezuelan night spot. Sample Caribbean bar snacks while sipping on a mojito, listen to the DJ’s super-smooth sounds, check out the on-site art exhibits, and take advantage of one of the largest terraces in Palermo.

Opposite Niceto, Carnal and its buzzing terrace are immensely popular during the warmer months and remain busy all night long. The name is completely apt; as the rock blasts and the cocktails flow, many customers aren't shy about getting to know each other a bit better—especially behind the curtained-off sections.

A serious party crowd is found at Club Aráoz. Bump and grind it at Thursday's block-rocking hip-hop night; Friday and Saturday see DJs spinning rock and electronic dance music for a relatively laid-back bunch of Buenos Aires youth.

Beautiful people—in faded fitted jeans, hipster sneakers, and leather jackets—frequent this hangout post-dinner and pre-club. Browse the great cocktail list at Congo’s lengthy bar, or head for the large back patio: either way, you’ll easily be able to convince new friends to stick around for another drink or three.

With frequent visits from "superstar DJs" and a dependable line-up of local party starters, this is the Buenos Aires base of the international Crobar club brand. There's lots of space plus the obligatory VIP lounges, and proximity to the transvestite zone means that leaving the club in the morning can get as interesting as the time spent inside.

Ancient coffee machines and 1930s posters give Finisterra a vintage look, but it’s the solid mix of ’80s hits that puts drinkers in a dancing mood. The crowd arrives early to nibble on a selection of cured meats and cheeses while taking advantage of the cerveza-o-metro (a liquid meter of beer). Only the very hardy should give the same length of local tipple Fernet and Coke a go.

While other bars of its ilk have gone legit, Frank's takes open pride in its reputation as a speakeasy. Simply knowing the address isn't enough—you also need a number and a password for the phone booth that leads into an understated yet sophisticated two-floor setting, complete with staff dressed the old school way in suspenders. This bar has picked up a heap of awards in recent years, so you'll be sipping some of the best cocktails in the city.

A classy speakeasy, the Harrison is inspired by the Prohibition-era and the time-warped cocktails have earned a cluster of awards. Dine at the shop-front sushi restaurant, then ask “to see the bodega” to gain access.

Glamour is the name of the game at Isabel, one of Palermo’s posher watering holes. You can feel like a star sipping a cocktail under the twinkling ceiling lights, while actually star spotting if you're up to date with your Argentine models and polo players. Hip DJs spin tunes for a bling-y crowd, so booking is essential—as is a bottomless wallet.

Right in the heart of Palermo and next door to Congo Club Cultural, Kika is much bigger than you'd guess from the outside. Thanks to its funky musical orientation, its two dance floors fill up quickly. The back room sometimes hosts live bands but it's mostly about looking hot and dancing to electronica and reguetón with a student-heavy crowd until dawn.

There's nothing pretentious about this place: laid-back groups gather to enjoy traditional Argentine folk music and hand-held foods like empanadas and tamales. The exposed-brick walls are adorned with rustic memorabilia, including guitars that you're welcome to play if so inspired.

Milongas Wednesday through Sunday make this the place for a very long weekend. Classes at different levels precede them. The vibe on the floor is friendly and rather chaotic, and dancing standards are low, so it's a good place for beginners to get in some practice. DJs mix tango with rock, salsa, and cumbia.

Attracting electronic music lovers keen on catching big names from out of town, Liv has slowly captured the market that the larger Crobar can’t muster. A more relaxed club than some of its Palermo counterparts, Liv also caters to those who want the full VIP booth-and-Champagne treatment.

Porteños love sports—and sports, for them, means fútbol (soccer). Although Argentine teams also excel at basketball, rugby, and especially polo, it's fútbol that evokes the most passion, with fans attending even the smallest scrimmages; most games play on wall-mounted TVs in regular cafés and restaurants. But perhaps it's the ubiquity of soccer that means there aren't the really atmospheric screenings in bars that many visitors hope to find: to get the real buzz, you have to go to the stadium. Your second-best option is definitely Locos x El Futbol. Just try to count the number of TVs here, and you'll realize the extent of the locals' love for the beautiful game—the x stands for por, which makes this place "crazy for soccer." Key games require a reservation, but otherwise just turn up for big screens and bigger servings of pizza, fries, and beer.

Named after the tall cactus plants that typify northwest Argentina, Los Cardones is the place to go for a beer around a big table with strangers you'll get to know by the end of the night. Spontaneous dancing at this peña folklorica isn't unheard of; to prepare, ask ahead about their folk-dancing classes.

The cool expat kids have taken Magdalena's Party under their wing and rightly so, given that it has all the bases covered: decent cocktail list, weekend brunch offerings, mood lighting... Join the movers and shakers who start their nights here by pulling up a bar stool or a comfy armchair, or follow the party out onto the street.

This small and understated boteco (Brazilian-style pub) on busy Plaza Armenia is a good place to stop in for an after-dinner caipirinha; it stays open until around 3 am. The music is always upbeat and irresistible, and the atmosphere friendly and welcoming; if you have a weakness for things Brazilian, you'll be happy here.

One of the city's best venues for two decades features everything from demure indie rock to the flamboyant and legendary Club 69 on Saturday. Check out live bands and dancing on the A Side, while something contrasting and chill simultaneously takes place in the back B Side room.

A barely marked door and a narrow passageway open into a world far removed from the flashy bars and restaurants surrounding this music venue. The eclectic programming includes a wide range of folk, tango, jazz, classical, and improvised music as well as some politically charged theatrical performances. Grab the sofa if you can, for maximum comfort.

At the aptly named Pain et Vin, a husband-and-wife team bake the bread daily while expertly advising on fermented grape choices. Sip a glass, join a group tasting, or buy a bottle from the boutique winery to take home.

Located slap bang in the middle of Palermo Soho, this place promises a good mix of locals and students. The dark ground-floor bar plays rock and serves stiff drinks (happy hour runs from 9 pm to 1 am). Upstairs in the disco, dance-friendly music is pumped into the psychedelic setting: wear white to be especially eye-catching under the neon lights.