Bringing to Boedo to Life

Boedo is on the cusp of being cool. A crop of new cafes and stores celebrating the arts have recently emerged as fixtures along the avenue for which the barrio is named. However, while the press has begun to take note, the tourist population still remains largely ignorant of these new ventures inside and around this area defined by avenidas Independencia and San Juan, around the 4000 mark.

Having pushed my way through crowded sidewalks all week and always wanting to be the first to uncover new trends, I decide to check Boedo out for myself.

My first stop is Esquina Homero Manzi, named for beloved tango author and cinema director Homero Manzi who mentioned the location, San Juan and Boedo, in his milonga song, ‘Sur’. The song paints a nostalgic picture of the past and is older than Boedo the neighbourhood, which was not formally defined until its borders were drawn in 1972:

Old San Juan and Boedo, and all of the sky,
Pompeii and what was before the flood.
The mane of your girlfriend in your memory
and how your name flowered in the farewell.
The corner that belonged to the blacksmith, the mud and the land,
your home, your path and the settlement,
and a perfume of herbs and alfalfa
that again fills my heart.

The city has done its part to enhance Boedo’s appeal so that it may again be remembered in the hearts of many as it was in the heart of Manzi by erecting statues down the avenue which bears the barrio’s name, and creating a tourism and cultural map and website that illuminates just how much those who have yet to visit are missing.

A quick look at the map ‘boedo+10’ reveals I seemed to have stumbled into another Buenos Aires theatre district. Teatro Boedo XXI (Av Boedo 853, www.teatroboedoxxi.blogspot.com) is particularly popular and tonight there are hordes of people entering. There’s something here for everyone, with plays created specifically for kids, adolescents, and adults as well as choreography and yoga classes on the premises.

For those who’ve worked up an appetite, nearby is a haven for both art enthusiasts and foodies alike known as Pan y Arte, (Av Boedo 878, www.panyarte.com.ar). This hybrid between a café and a gallery is a creation of the Marín family from Mendoza, and their subsequent openings of eateries and art centres has sparked the interests of similar minded individuals who are now giving pause to the once faded barrio. Pan y Arte has become notorious for the buena onda that would, naturally it seems, accompany any establishment replete with white and orange walls and playful artwork. Those inside seem to be absorbing this palpable energy; I walk into a lively establishment with friends jumping up to greet one another with kisses and exuberant smiles and chatting animatedly with wild hand gestures fueled by cafe cortado.

While the many recent additions to Boedo seem to suggest a vested interest in creativity, the area has always been a haven for authors of literary works and tango lyrics, poets, and sculptors. Various street corners bear plaques with these artists’ names to remind visitors of this special aspect of the area’s history.

There seems to be something about the crux of San Ignacio and Av Boedo that gets one’s creative juices flowing. In the 1920s prominent Socialist party members met and voiced their opinions on a podium near the intersection.

Currently though, most visitors remember the site for two other reasons:  the famous sculptor Francisco Reyes who has been honoured in that the esquina now bears his name, and the divine Café Margot (Av Boedo 857). Literary types seem to burrow in here under the soft glow of the lights and draw inspiration from the elegance of waiters in fine attire contrasted against the aged brick walls.

Should your tastes be more mainstream, and your goal be to fight your own hunger rather than plot a revolution, there’s the Trianon Confiteria (Av. Boedo 845, www.confiteriatrianon.com.ar). The establishment advertises itself as the birthplace of the traditional sandwich de pavita, or turkey sandwich. Yet despite this deli delight, the restaurant’s real forte appears to be its expansive menu of facturas, cakes and delights that are so well presented they are impossible to ignore.

In case those who crave heavier fare are beginning to worry, fret not! There are quite a few parrillas, including Cosechero (Beauchef 2000), which adds live folk music to your dining experience.

There is too of course, cena con tango, lest it be forgotten that Boedo was the birthplace of the dance. To celebrate this piece of history, head over to the dinner show at Esquina Osvaldo Pugliese (Av. Boedo 909), or Bien Bohemio (Sánchez de Loria 745), if you’ve wandered a bit north.

Finally, for after-dinner activities check out Cossab Bar (Carlos Calvo 4199, www.pubcossab.com.ar), which has possible the largest selection of beers in the capital, many of them home brewed or artisan. After having drank so much malbec it seems to be leaking out of your pores, I promise it will be a welcome change!

And if you can still stand after all the rubias and negras, why not finish your night off at Klub Killer (Castro Barros 809, www.klubkiller.com.ar), a bar that looks like nothing from the street, but is a wonderful intimate hangout inside a traditional casa chorizo.

Boedo is accessible by the station which bears its name on the E subte line. For more information get your hands on the boedo+10 Mapa Turístico Cultural or check out www.boedomas10.com.ar.