Peru 535 (between Venezuela & Mexico), San Telmo

[Note from Alan Patrick: Just a quick welcome to Alan Epstein to the blog as a guest author, with this post on Club Museum, and perhaps some other posts on Buenos Aires nightclubs in the future. So, from one Alan to another - good to have you here, and thanks for your contribution! ] 

Buenos Aires Before Hours

In a late-night city like Buenos Aires it isn’t hard to find a club that stays open until the crack of dawn, or an “after hours” party that will keep you dancing until 10am the next day. This is what makes Club Museum in San Telmo so special: on Wednesdays, the people come pouring into this massive three-story club early, at around 7pm, for their “After Office” party.

Club Museum – Two-for-one happy “hour”

Happy hour begins at 7pm, and then until 10pm the drinks are 2-for-1, with the food reasonably priced as well. Unusual for Buenos Aires nightclubs, there is no charge for entry at Museum, and mixed drinks will run you between 15 and 20 pesos depending on the type of liquor you order (remember, that is the price for two drinks if you order between 7pm and 10pm).

A wide variety of dining options… and sushi!

The variety of food is decent – you can have picadas, pizzas, capresse salad, or of course sushi. The sushi here is about as good as it is anywhere else in Buenos Aires. It’s the same-old-same with sushi in Argentina, everything is salmon and cream cheese, salmon and cream cheese… I don’t know if I’m eating sushi or bagels. Or you might get a “bumblebee tuna roll” (this is only what I refer to it as, I’m sure that’s not what it’s really called) where they actually stick tuna from a can inside the sushi rice. It’s actually not that bad I suppose, but it’s a shocker to see after being accustomed to the bright red fresh tuna from back in the states.

Pardon the rant – the sushi here is as good as it is anywhere else in town, it’s just the state of all sushi in Argentina. Apparently sushi is very new and exotic for Argentines, a drastic change from the beef that they are so accustomed to. And most locals don’t have a point of reference to compare the sushi here to, like many foreign visitors do. (For a slightly different opinion on sushi in Buenos Aires, and further discussion in the comments section, check out Rachel’s post on Maki Sushi).

Anyway, in the end I chose the Tabla de Quesos y Fiambres for AR$20, which is an extremely Argentine dish of meats and cheeses, including jamon crudo (raw ham) – unbelievably tasty and large enough for two to pick on, and a good amount to eat to not get bogged down for dancing. The appetizers will run you 8 to 20 pesos and the main dishes 13 to 16.

What do Club Museum and the Eiffel Tower have in common?

The building is amazing – it really stands out from the rest in this part of San Telmo. The sheer size of Club Museum is overwhelming, and upon further research I discovered that it was designed by Gustave Eiffel, of Eiffel Tower fame! This old style French influence is apparent from the outside but not so much once you enter.

There is a huge cluster of giant disco balls hanging from the ceiling and large projection screens playing a mixture of liquor and fashion commercials, and also street scenes from across Europe. The floor is wide open in the middle with tables in the front and in the back. There are also tables to sit on at the perimeters of the second and third floors, which you need reservations to get.

Live Bands – first sit down and enjoy the show…

Club Museum puts on live bands every Wednesday from around 9pm to 10pm. During this time I recommend that you sit either on the second or third floor so you can enjoy your food and the music simultaneously without losing your voice attempting to talk to your friends over the speakers. I made this mistake on my first visit to the museum – never again. To ensure that you have a decent seat you can reserve a table in advance (see end of post for details), though to do so you should have at least 6 or 7 people in your party.

…then get on the dance floor and do your thing

Once 10pm rolls around make your way down to the dance floor where the DJ will surely play every song Madonna has ever recorded. I would say that Madonna sings about 15% of the songs played in Buenos Aires nightclubs. Museum is no different. The mix at Museum is mostly 80s music and electronic.

I haven’t heard a rap song since I’ve been here (except for the Opera Bay rap room) – the closest I’ve heard was an electronic version of the early nineties hit “Jump Around” by the Irish-American group House of Pain. But nobody jumped. Perhaps I’m the only one that remembers this song from my 7th-grade dance, and also I guess nobody knows what the hell jump around means. Maybe there would have been more response had the song been “Salta Alrededor“, but that’s too many syllables.

When you are downstairs, remember that the Argentines require less personal space in general than we do in the States (and perhaps in Europe too). Everybody is bumping into each other and amazingly nobody gets upset about it. It’s just the way it is in Buenos Aires. Restrain from getting angry and pushing back – this is just a cultural difference to get used to.

Have an economic evening at Museum, and still get up the next morning!

You can enjoy yourself in Museum for very few pesos. I walked out of there after drinking four Fernet and Cokes, a popular drink amongst the locals (it’s of Italian origin – if you haven’t noticed, Argentines are huge fans of all things Italian, probably due to the fact that half of them have Italian blood running through their veins) and eating the Tabla de Quesos y Fiambres, all for the grand total of just 50 pesos. Not bad at all.

And if you happen to be in Buenos Aires teaching English or working (or even have daytime sightseeing to do), you can have a great evening partying at Museum and still leave in time to not be devastated and useless throughout the next day, because of the early 7pm start.

Buenos Aires Argentina Guide Special Tip

Make sure you go to Club Museum in San Telmo on Wednesday nights at 7pm, so as to experience the craziness of the Buenos Aires “After Office” phenomenon.

Club Museum: Reservations

For advance reservations, you can contact Club Museum using the following details:

Email: museum@bsasinsomnio.com.ar
Phone: 4611-5657 or 4632-9381 (between 10am and 6pm, Mondays to Fridays)
Online: Click here for reservation form