Buenos Aires · since 1890
Six couples dance where Gardel once sang
A three-course dinner, a five-piece orchestra and two singers inside the 1890 café on Avenida Rivadavia.
Check dates on GetYourGuide ↗Per person — includes the three-course dinner and open bar; the final price in your own currency is shown before you pay.
A café that outlasted the tango craze
Bar Rivadavia, before it was Los Angelitos
The building opened in 1890 as Bar Rivadavia, on the corner of Avenida Rivadavia and Rincón in what's now the Balvanera neighbourhood. It was renamed Café de los Angelitos in 1920, and the name stuck through more than a century of Buenos Aires nights.
The café that heard Gardel first
Carlos Gardel, the singer who did more than anyone to turn tango into a national art form, was a regular here before he was famous for it — part of why the café has kept its place in the city's tango history rather than becoming just another old bar.
Closed, then rebuilt, in 2007
The café underwent a full restoration completed in 2007, bringing back the stained glass, marble and mirrors of its belle-époque room and adding the two-storey theatre where the dinner and show now run nightly.
Not preserved behind rope
Despite the history, it's a working nightly show with a fixed 20:00 dinner and a 21:45 curtain — the room functions as a theatre every night rather than a museum piece you look at from a doorway.
The show, in three frames
Real photographs of a Buenos Aires tango orchestra, singers and dancers — representative of the evening, not photographs of this specific show.
Side A, side B
Two sides to the night, the way a 78 used to have two: the orchestra and singers open on Side A, the six couples take Side B, dinner turns between them.
Side A
- A1 Piano, bandoneón, guitar, bass, violin
The five-piece orchestra opens the night alone, the same combination that has carried tango arrangements since the 1920s. - A2 The first singer
One of the show's two singers carries the earliest numbers — the register Gardel himself worked in, up the street from here. - A3 Toward Piazzolla
The second singer and the orchestra move the set from the 1920s toward Astor Piazzolla's sharper, later tango. - A4 A touch of modern
The orchestra closes Side A with newer arrangements before the floor opens for the dancers.
Side B
- B1 Six couples, not one
The show's six dance couples share the floor across the set rather than a single pair carrying the whole night. - B2 Salon tango
The close-embrace style that's been danced in Buenos Aires cafés since long before this one reopened. - B3 Stage tango
A more theatrical, wider-figure style, built for a room watching from tables rather than a milonga floor. - B4 The full company
All six couples return together for the finale — more than twenty artists on stage at once before the lights come up on Rivadavia.
Dinner is served from 20:00; the show doesn't start until 21:45, so the record only needs flipping once — nobody eats through the dancing.
Dinner, then the show
A three-course Argentine menu and open bar, served before the tango starts.
Three courses
The Cena & Show ticket includes a three-course Argentine dinner, seated from 20:00, ahead of the 21:45 curtain.
Open bar
Wine, beer and soft drinks are included through both the dinner and the show, not sold separately at the table.
Show-only, without dinner
A cheaper show-only ticket seats you at 21:45 with the same open bar, if the three-course dinner isn't what you're after.
Dietary requests
Tell the operator when you book — one fixed kitchen sitting means changes are easiest arranged in advance, not at the table.
Getting there, and what to wear
How the evening unfolds
One fixed schedule, the same for every guest.
- 19:30 Pickup — Hotel pickup runs for guests who booked the transfer; independent arrivals should aim to be seated by the same time.
- 20:00 Dinner begins — The three-course menu and open bar start as the room fills for the night's single seating.
- 21:45 The show starts — The five-piece orchestra opens Side A; the six couples take the floor for Side B once dinner is cleared.
- 23:00 Curtain — The show ends and the room empties back onto Avenida Rivadavia.
Rivadavia at Rincón
The café sits at Av. Rivadavia 2100, on the corner of Rincón in Balvanera, about two blocks from the Argentine Congress building.
Pickup at 19:30
Both packages include hotel pickup around 19:30; guests arriving independently should be seated before dinner begins at 20:00.
Dinner 20:00, show 21:45
Dinner runs about 90 minutes before the show starts; the whole evening, door to door, runs roughly three and a half hours.
Smart casual
There's no strict dress code — smart casual is the norm, though the belle-époque room is elegant enough that plenty of guests dress up for it.
Café de los Angelitos vs Rojo Tango vs a milonga
| Café de los Angelitos | Rojo Tango | A public milonga | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | An 1890 café's own dinner-and-show: three courses plus a company of twenty-plus artists | A cabaret show inside the five-star Faena Hotel, Puerto Madero | A social dance night — you dance, nobody performs for you |
| Price & style | From US$125pp with open bar, smart casual is fine | From around A$364pp, dinner optional, a dressier crowd | Usually a cover charge only, sometimes a short lesson first |
| Length | About three and a half hours, pickup to curtain | About two hours, one fixed seating a night | Runs for hours; guests come and go |
| Best for | Watching a full company — orchestra, two singers, six couples — over dinner | A luxury night out inside a landmark hotel | Actually dancing, not watching |
See Rojo Tango at the Faena Hotel.
Dinner at 20:00, show at 21:45 — everyone on the same clock, not staggered tables
Bar Rivadavia opened on this corner in 1890, renamed Café de los Angelitos in 1920
A five-piece orchestra, two singers and six tango couples share the stage each night
Two blocks from the Argentine Congress, not out in Puerto Madero
Café de los Angelitos questions
Where exactly is Café de los Angelitos?
At Av. Rivadavia 2100, on the corner of Rincón in Balvanera, about two blocks from the Argentine Congress.
What time does the show start?
Dinner is served from 20:00 (pickup around 19:30); the tango show itself starts at 21:45 and runs to about 23:00.
Is dinner included?
The Cena & Show ticket includes a three-course Argentine dinner and open bar. A cheaper show-only ticket at 21:45 skips dinner but keeps the open bar.
How many performers are on stage?
More than twenty — a five-piece orchestra (piano, bandoneón, guitar, double bass and violin), two singers and six tango couples.
Is there a dress code?
No strict one. Smart casual is fine, though many guests dress up for the belle-époque room.
How old is the café?
It opened in 1890 as Bar Rivadavia and was renamed Café de los Angelitos in 1920. It was fully restored and reopened in 2007.
Did Carlos Gardel really drink here?
Yes — the café was one of his regular haunts before he became tango's most famous voice, part of why it's kept its place in tango history.
What if I have a dietary requirement?
Let the operator know when you book. The kitchen runs one fixed sitting a night, so changes are easiest arranged ahead of time.
Planning a tango evening in Buenos Aires
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