Cochabamba 444 (between Defensa & Bolivar), San Telmo

Note from Alan: Taking inspiration from the fantastic team blogging efforts over at both Argentina’s Travel Guide and Expat Argentina, I recently decided to get some fresh blood on board to help with the creation of the Buenos Aires Argentina Guide. There are so many great places in Buenos Aires to review, and only one of me to do so… it would take years if I continued solo! If you think you have what it takes to be a contributer here, even if only for one ‘guest post’, please email me or leave a comment. Right now, I’d now like to cordially welcome our first new member of the team, Rachel Signer, whose bio you can find at the end of this article, and whose first post, about the Cochabamba 444 milonga in San Telmo, I hope you will now read with enjoyment…

An authentic milonga in San Telmo

For an authentic tango experience in Buenos Aires, don’t go to one of those expensive places that offer shows aimed at tourists, with bloated prices. Instead, head to Cochabamba 444, the San Telmo milonga where the city’s best tango dancers come to strut across the dance floor with people of all ages, walks of life, and nationalities. The bar is dimly lit by chandeliers with yellow bulbs, giving an aura of antiquity that takes you back to Buenos Aires in its Golden Age of high-society and sizzling tango bars. It’s located on a quiet street just three blocks from Plaza Dorrego, where the Sunday antiques fair is held.

Buenos Aires tango lessons

At Cochabamba 444, tango lessons are offered Thursday and Friday nights at 8pm ($10 pesos), although if you arrive a little late there’ll be no problem - this is Argentina, after all! The teacher gives the class in Spanish, but if your Spanish isn’t great have no fear, because there is bound to be some English-speaking expat or even an Argentine who will happily translate for you as you whirl around the floor (or trip over your own feet, as the case may be). There are indeed better places in Buenos Aires for instruction on dancing tango than Cochabamba 444 (more to come on those in a future post). What this milonga is really known for is its atmosphere and music.

Dance the night away, or just watch and enjoy

If you just want to come to watch the dancers and enjoy the music, you can show up around 10pm or 10:30pm and grab a table near the modest bar in the back. The bar serves bottles of wine for $10 pesos (try to find prices like that elsewhere in San Telmo!) and things to munch on like empanadas, matambres, and picadas (plates of meats, cheese, olives etc), all at very low prices, even by Buenos Aires standards. Overall, the bar is populated by Argentines who are serious about tango, but there are certainly some foreigners on the scene too.

Once the music starts, people will whisk out on the dance floor and dazzle you with their grace, covert sensuality, and intensity. There’s a method to the madness, though: the culture of tango is outlined in strict rules that you can only learn from being a part of it. For example, the men always ask the women for a dance, and sometimes it’s done subtly with just a raised eyebrow. And once a couple is dancing tango, they will continue as partners for an entire song set.

Cochabamba 444: a performance worth coming for

Toward the end of the night, Cochabamba 444 will offer some sort of performance. It’s usually a traditional live tango band, who will bang out classic tunes with style on a stand-up bass, bandoneon (the type of accordion used in tango), and piano. Sometimes, however, you might get lucky and see a hilarious puppet show or a singer belting out some soul tunes. You never really know with Cochabamba.

Make note that Thursday nights are infamously the best times to go, although you will probably also see some spectacular dancing and live music on Fridays too.

Buenos Aires Argentina Guide Special Tip

At Cochabamba 444, dress is casual but it’s best not to wear jeans and sneakers, as tango culture is somewhat more refined and traditional. You may not easily meet other travelers or Argentines at Cochabamba, but you will certainly observe a beautiful dance, authentic tango culture, and stirring musical performances.

More about our new author, Rachel Signer

Rachel moved to Buenos Aires from Washington, D.C. five months ago, following her dream to live in the city that fills her with a passion for discovering life. She works as an English teacher, giving conversation and grammar classes in businesses all over the Capital. While living here, she began freelance writing for a number of online magazines and websites, and realized that she wanted to become a serious writer, so now she is following this path as much as possible. In her free time, Rachel volunteers a few days per week as an English teacher in a community center in Mataderos, explores jazz clubs and art exhibits, takes photos obsessively of city life and people, and enjoys the cheap wine, tofu, and pleasure of living in one of the world’s most colorful cities.

In her first month and a half in Buenos Aires, Rachel was lucky enough to live right in front of one of the most famous milongas in Buenos Aires (the one you have just read about). For the first couple of weeks, she could only sit on her balcony and watch the people filter in and out, absorbing the tantalizing sounds of the tango. Finally, however, she overcame her shyness and ventured into the milonga - only to discover that she makes quite a clumsy, ungraceful tango dancer. In the end, she still loves to watch the sensual dance with a glass of wine and some friends, but she doesn’t dare set foot on the dance floor after the first try. Everyone says to try again, and someday Rachel intends to do just that.