San Telmo and Palermo Viejo are Buenos Aires’ most gay-friendly districts.
! Amerika Buenos Aires’ biggest gay disco, this venue packs in a gorgeous-looking crowd of gay, lesbian, and straight people.
Straights hang out mainly on the top floor, with gays and divas mingling on the lower two levels, where DJs spin techno, dance, and Latin tunes. Expect a night of hedonistic pleasures.d Map K5
• Gascón 1040, Villa Crespo • 4865-4416
• www.ameri-k.com.ar
@ ZOOM Located on a corner of one of the city’s main cruising zones, this subterranean 24-hour bar attracts an adventurous crowd of Argentinian males and tourists, from 18-year-olds to 50- somethings. Inside is a maze with private cabins and darkrooms. Pre- or post-cruise, chill out in the cool lounge bar, with house beats and flowing drinks.d Map N5 • Uriburu 1018, Barrio Norte • 4827-4828 • Open 24hrs daily
• Adm • www.zoombuenosaires.com
£ Club 69 Held in a century-old theater, Club 69 boasts one of the city’s wildest club nights, pulling in a mixed gay-straight crowd with hard-house and electronica. The night’s big event is a 4am cabaret show, which features leather-clad performers on the main stage. d The Roxy Club, Federico Lacroze y Alvarez Thomas, Colegiales • Open from midnight Thu
• www.theroxybsas.com.ar
$ Titanic Club This kitschy cool club attracts a mixed gay and lesbian crowd. Highlights of a fun-filled night here include dark rooms, go-go dancers, hot strippers, drag queens, and a huge bar.
With a cruise-like atmosphere, the club is at its best on Saturday nights.d Map M4 • Avda.
Santa Fe 2516, Barrio Norte • 4822-7530
• Open from 11:30pm daily • www.the- titanic-club.com.ar
% Sitges This modern pre-clubbing venue crams with an unpretentious gay and lesbian crowd of 18–40 plus. Strippers perform on Friday nights, and comedy drag queens on Saturdays and Sundays. Make sure you turn up before 1am to get a stage-side table. Sitges lacks the cruisey edge of other gay-lesbian venues.d Map K5
• Avda. Córdoba 4119, Palermo Viejo
• Open from 10:30pm Wed–Sun
• 4861-3763 • www.sitgesonline.com.ar
^ GLAM Set within a beautiful colonial-style house, Glam pulls in a hip younger crowd of gays and lesbians, especially on Saturdays. There are three bars, a pool room, an exterior patio, a playroom upstairs and, best of all, uplifting dance tunes. The crowd starts coming in around 2am.d Map M5 • Cabrera 3046, Palermo • 4963-2521 • Open from 1am Thu and Sat • www.glambsas.com.ar Left Empire Thai Right Gout Café
Buenos Aires’ Top 10
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& Empire Thai
This gay-friendly restaurant fuses spicy Asian cuisine and oriental decor with a cool New York ambience. At lunchtime, grab a seat at the bar, on the main floor, on the cozy mezzanine, or at an outside table, and enjoy hot curries, stir fries, soups, and salads.
Alternatively, turn up for early evening cocktails, when the gay crowd is at its biggest.d Map Q5
• Tres Sargentos 427, Microcentro • 4312- 5706 • Open noon–midnight Mon–Fri, from 7pm Sat • www.empirethai.net
* Alsina This mammoth, multilevel venue is housed within a former factory. It throngs on Friday nights when international guest DJs rock the male-dominated dance floors. Handsome, adventurous guys pack out bar areas. There are long queues, so arrive early.d Map E2 • Adolfo Alsina 940, Montserrat • 4331-3231 • www.
alsinabuenosaires.com.ar
( Gout Café This gay-friendly café adds a dash of modern chic to the old grandeur of Recoleta. The interior is intimate with modern and elegant decor. The menu features health-food items and a short but high-quality wine list.
For afternoon refresh- ments choose between aromatic coffees, fruit smooth- ies, muffins, pastries, and brownies. The attractive staff, jazz audio backdrop, and WiFi add to Gout’s appeal.d Map N4
• Juncal 2124, Recoleta
• 4825-8330 • Open 8am–
9pm Mon–Sat • www.
goutcafe.com.ar
) Pride Café This hip café is straight out of New York’s Greenwich Village, and is very popular with gay tourists, especially on Sunday afternoons. The menu is completely organic with tasty green salads and delicious cakes and pastries. The cute, friendly waiters are happy to advise on drink options that include coffee, smoothies, or cocktails. The café’s interior is a cool, pristine white and chrome affair with a sofa-salon at the back. Outside tables overlook a cobbled street corner. d Map F3 • Balcarce 869 Giuffra cnr, San Telmo • 4300-6435 • Open 9am–9pm Mon–Fri, 11am–8pm Sat, 10am–10pm Sun
Pride Café
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Recommend your favorite club on traveldk.com
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Buenos Aires’ Top 10
Left Provoleta Center Tourist drinking the ubiquitous maté Right A box of alfajores