“Old Tortoni, faithful refuge / Of friendship by the small coffee cup...”(“Viejo Tortoni”, Tango by Eladia Blázquez and Héctor Negro) If only I could travel back to the 19th century and tell a romantic stroller wandering through the Boulevard des Italiens that two of the most important poets of Buenos Aires would write a tango dedicated to the Tortoni Café...! The site described in that tango song, however, is not the Tortoni Café at the so-called “Petit Coblence” in Paris, but the one at 825 Avenida de Mayo, in the city of Buenos Aires.In fact, it was a French immigrant who opened the ever-crowded café in the Argentine capital city; a place which has become the refuge of the city’s intellectual elite since its opening.Perhaps by naming it after its European predecessor, in an attempt to recreate the atmosphere of the original coffeehouse, in 1858 a gentleman by the name of Touan opened, a few blocks off Plaza de Mayo, the café that would become, for both its atmosphere and its regular customers, one of the major attractions of our city.The history of the Tortoni Café of Buenos Aires is characterized by the constant presence of the most celebrated and distinguished representatives of the local and international arts and culture scene. Poets, writers, singers and other select regulars like Jorge Luis Borges, Federico García Lorca, Raúl González Tuñón, Alfonsina Storni, Quinquela Martín and Carlos Gardel himself, - to mention a few -, have left their mark on the objects and photographs displayed on the cozy walls and in the interior of the Tortoni Café. Even its tablecloths, tables, couches, pictures; in short, its whole atmosphere seems to be filled with the “charm” of the Porteño Belle Epoque. The café’s interior (almost etched in time) faithfully keeps the Art Noveau style given by its second owner, another French by the name of Curutchet, in 1893. In general, the architecture of the Tortoni Café is an eloquent expression of the city’s eclecticism at the time, magnificently represented by the varied profiles showcased along the Avenida de Mayo. The whole area around the café is the perfect synthesis of the building styles that flourished during the first one hundred years of Buenos Aires. Such a place could not do without Tango in all its artistic expressions: dance, music, singing and poetry. This is why the Tortoni Café has a very interesting bulletin board that offers 7-days a week shows.The Tortoni Café also features a billiards room and an exhibition room that showcases a permanent art exhibition. At the Tortoni Café you can sip coffee to the beat of tango music, or if you wish to feel like King Juan Carlos of Spain, (who also visited the café), you can enjoy churros (strips of fried dough) with hot chocolate or the specialty draft cider. In addition, the café offers the tourist the most varied and exquisite international and local dishes.For those who want to listen to tango singers and watch tango dancers, tango shows are performed at the Tortoni Café every night.You can make your bookings on line at www.cafetortoni.com.ar, or call 4342-4328.How to get to the Tortoni Café:Bus lines: 7, 9, 10, 17, 24, 29, 45, 50, 56, 59, 64, 70, 86, 91, 100, 103, 105, 111, 129, 194.A Subway Line, Piedras Station.v