Buller Pub and Brewery Recoleta

The Great Buenos Aires Beer Hunt

Buller brewpub in Recoleta is one of the best places in Buenos Aires to get a proper pint of beer. ‘Proper’, of course, refers to two things. Firstly, beer served in a traditional pint glass. That is key. Beer just tastes better that way. But secondly, and far more importantly, the BEER MUST TASTE GOOD, and not like the mass-produced, sub-standard brews that are served in the majority of bars across the world, and is especially prevalent in Argentina, where Quilmes, high on preservatives and additives but low on any kind of taste whatsoever, prevails.

Beers at Buller in Recoleta, Buenos Aires

A Short Introduction to Beer in Buenos Aires

Traditionally there was not a whole lot of flavorful beer to be found easily in Buenos Aires, and most of the time you had to make do with the usual suspects of Quilmes, Isenbeck, Brahma (from neighbors Brazil), and some ‘international’ beers that are actually made under license in Argentina and are closer to Quilmes than anything else: Heineken, Warsteiner, Budweiser and Stella Artois. In fact, it’s probable that Quilmes brews most or all of those in Argentina too! There are fortunately some far better beers to be found in Buenos Aires, but you are going to have to hunt them down.

Buller: The Beer

For a more in depth description of each of Buller’s six brews, check out  BA blogger Ken’s review. To sample the full Buller range, you needn’t drink six pints (although it is tempting), instead order the sample taster that Buller do for an affordable price, with cute little quarter pint glasses, as seen in the pictures above and below, with names shown on the table placemat underneath:

As you will note from Ken’s posting of his over-the-top tasting notes, the best beers at Buller are the refreshing Light Lager, the deceptively alcholic and complex Honey Beer and the coffee-chocolate Dry Stout, with the ‘Cotton Candy’ Oktoberfest not far behind. Really the Cream and Indian Pale Ales are nothing to write home about, and did not contain the level of hoppiness that beers in that style should.

Buller: Recoleta Location, Recoleta Prices

The pub is located in the ‘tourist strip’ of bars, clubs and restaurants that runs along calle R. M. Ortiz, right in front of that most famous (and fascinating) of Buenos Aires tourist attractions, the Recoleta Cemetery. However, Buller is probably one of the most pleasant places along this strip, almost completely due to the nice patio area it has out the front.

Prices may run a little steep for the home-brewed beer, especially if you are comparing a pint at Buller to a liter of Quilmes at your local supermarket. However, it does taste two to three times better than Quilmes, so keep that in mind.  Bottoms up!

Location of Buller Pub and Brewery

Presidente Roberto M. Ortiz 1827, between Guido and Quintana, Recoleta
Tel: 4806 0556

Reader interactions

19 Replies to “Buller Pub and Brewery Recoleta”

  1. OK… I guess no one out there is all that interested in beer, huh? 🙁
    Still, I’ll be soldiering on with the series of Buenos Aires beer posts all the same, even if it is only for my own enjoyment 😉

    Reply

  2. What would interest me, is what you know about where to get a good pint of Guinness on draught, hopefully properly poured.

    Reply

  3. Have you tried St James’s Gate, Dublin? 😉
    Seriously though, it is very difficult to find this outside of the Republic of Ireland… it is possible but unlikely in Britain… but all the way down here in South America I think you will be very lucky for this wish to come true.
    Guinness just doesn’t travel very well 🙁

    Reply

  4. Hey Alan!
    The season approaches.
    Contact me when you can!
    Mike

    Reply

  5. Jay from Boston area April 10, 2007 at 10:56 pm

    Hey, thanks for the info and happy beer hunting! South America seems tough for great beers. Have been to Brazil a bunch for work and am heading to your city for vacation later this month. Will try the beer garden at Buller’s during a happy hour. Thx again.

    Reply

  6. Hi Jay, thanks for the comment, glad to help with the info, especially on beer because that is the kind of investigative reporting I can really throw myself into 🙂
    It may be hard to find decent beer in South America, but it seems that if you look hard it is there to be discovered, just not all that easily accessible.
    Good luck, and have a great time in Buenos Aires. Let me know how you liked Buller, and also check out Antares, which I reviewed more recently on this blog, and has a couple of beers that I prefer to what is on offer at Buller.

    Reply

  7. Hi Alan! I made it to Bullers, several times now in fact! The IPA ended up being my favorite because I’m a hophead. I did have a couple of stouts and honey beers as well as tried the sampler when I first arrived there.
    This is my last night here and I am thinking about trying Antares tonight even though they don’t have a pale ale or IPA. Recoletta is on the way back to the hotel if I need one more fix. Thanks for the info!

    Reply

  8. agnieszka bando June 19, 2007 at 7:55 am

    Dear Sirs,
    I am very keen on collecting beermats, bottle labels, caps, pins and gadgets. There
    are many interesting items in my large collection of bottle labels and others and I am still looking for new ones. If it is not very big trouble, I would kindly ask you to send me some beermats and bottle labels and pins, caps from your brewery.
    I have many friends from all around the world and as we meet and exchange gadgets and bottle labels, I’m looking for something that I could surprise them with.
    In future I would like to open my own pub, with large selection of beer types from all around the world and knowledge about many breweries and beers will be very helpful in realization of my dreams.
    I am looking forward to your answer and getting your beermats and bottle labels ad others.
    Best regards
    Agnieszka Ba?do
    My post adress:
    ul. Armii Krajowej 85/58
    30-150 Kraków
    POLAND

    Reply

  9. Hi Agnieszka,
    Sounds like a great hobby you have there – anything to do with (real) beer I’m certainly down with!
    However, I have no connection or affiliation with Buller Buenos Aires brewery or pubs – I just reviewed them. You would have to contact them to see if they can send you anything.
    Here is a way to contact them:
    http://www.bullerpub.com/contactos.htm
    And good luck with your dream of having your own pub in the future – I would love to come to visit, especially if it is in Krakow, one of my favorite European cities!
    Cheers,
    Alan

    Reply

  10. I’m off to BA in a couple days and have been looking for brewpub beer bar info. Between your site and scooping abroad argentina I think I’m pretty well equipped for some serious beer hunting. thanks.
    Mike

    Reply

  11. Damn , i feel very thirsty now 😀 By the way your blog seems consists lots of useful info about B.A,i thinks i should consider a trip there.

    Reply

  12. Alan-
    Great idea and very useful site. I’m a beer nut myself and will definitely try Bullers and Antares when in town. Any other spots reviewed recently that you would recommend? Thx again for struggling through the legwork on this….

    Reply

  13. is Boddingtons beer available anywhere in the San Telmo district?
    If so – where?

    Reply

  14. a year behind in posting… but a few of us hit up buller, excited to find a brewery and see what it had to offer… we must agree, after trying a pitcher of the light lager and some refreshing american bar food (onion rings, anything loaded with Vitamin G(rease), we were completely unimpressed and it was onto the honey lager. by far the biggest surprise of argentine beer i had come across! tasty, refreshing, and has quite the deceptive punch! the thick honey coats and soothes the mouth and throat from what normally would be too much alcohol in a beer. 4 or so pitchers later, the three of us stumbled into the street very confused and certainly drunk (not really our style). hilarity ensued… but that is a different story available on request.
    buller’s honey… delish! just don’t make my rookie mistake and underestimate it… unless you are looking to lose a sandal and come home with a few uniquely offensive argentine phrases i’d never heard of along side some chicks phone number in your pocket (no name though).

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  15. Fantastic info Alan.
    Really helpful.
    I was wondering if you know much about pubs out in the suburbs of BA?
    Do the regular suburbs have a local pub or is it strictly an inner city thing?
    I was thinking of venturing out 20 or 30 kms where I’ll be the only gringo hopefully.

    Reply

  16. Hi Alan,
    Great article! Unfortunately, I seem to have read it a few years too late! I would love to see an updated version of this article as I am planning on coming to Buenos Aires for 6 months from Scotland (where we have a very interesting craft beer scene).
    I found this article whilst looking for information on small breweries in BA and it’s great to see someone taking so much interest in craft beer! do you have any more recent info on where I might try some good beers in Argentina?
    Cheers!
    Dave

    Reply

    1. Hi Dave,
      Thanks for your comment, glad you liked the article! You aren’t really that late… Buller still exists, in the same location with the same styles of beers brewed on site, and is still worth a visit.
      Also worth visiting is Antares, which I reviewed on this website around the same time as Buller, here is that article: http://www.buenostours.com/antares-pub-palermo – however personally these days I prefer the Antares pub located in Las Cañitas, on Arévalo 2876.
      When are you coming to Buenos Aires? I am toying with the idea of starting a “Beer tour”, probably one night of week, for small groups, like a pub crawl but with the emphasis on quality rather than just quantity of beer. Perhaps you could be a guinea pig for the tour? Let me know what you think – my email is alan@buenostours.com – drop me a mail and I’ll also help you with some even more recent craft beer recommendations.
      Take care,
      Alan

      Reply

  17. Great blog over many years. My son is in ba at the moment. He is by reason some genetic throwback a Western Bulldogs fan in the AFL. The Dogs happen to be in the grand final next Saturday for the first time in the last 60 years. Do you know any sports bar in ba where the Afl is shown on tv live? Thanks

    Reply

    1. Hi Simon,
      Thanks for reading and for the kind words. I asked around a couple of Australian friends here in BA, and unfortunately they do not know of any places that show AFL games live – I think it’s a little bit too niche for Buenos Aires. Probably your best bet is finding an online stream of the game and watching at home, perhaps with some friends round to cheer the team on 🙂
      Best of luck!
      Alan

      Reply

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