Buenos Aires Black Book

Buenos Aires is a city that can feel pretty impenetrable to an outsider. The scale is vast, the neighborhoods shift dramatically in character, and understanding the currency fluctuations can be head-spinning. Plus it’s the kind of place that arrives pre-loaded with associations: the Paris of South America; steak and Malbec; tango and soccer. And then you land and realize none of that helps you understand the city’s true nature.

To help peel away the layers, we turned first to Vanessa Bell, founder of Crème de la Crème, who has lived in Buenos Aires for 16 years after growing up between Europe and Argentina, and now curates bespoke itineraries for collectors, creatives, and culturally curious travelers. She understands the city’s codes and how outsiders misread them. “I always feel that Buenos Aires is sold in clichés,” she says. “And unless you live here—unless you’re constantly moving through it—it can be very hard to separate what’s authentic from what’s just being plugged to death.”

Take the city’s much-invoked Europeanism. “It’s not about it being derivative,” she says. “It’s that during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when Argentina was extraordinarily wealthy, the architects hired here were the architects du jour from Europe. Materials were shipped over. There was a parallel reality happening—Art Deco, Beaux-Arts—just as in Europe and the U.S.” And though waves of Italians, Spaniards, and British came over to build the railway system, with other nationalities arriving to shape industrial and agricultural infrastructure, the city doesn’t feel like a patchwork of identities. “In Argentina, you’re Argentine,” she says. “Yes, your grandfather may have been Polish or Basque or Italian, but there’s an extraordinary degree of integration. It’s warm and embracing. We still have an open-border policy in our constitution.”

That warmth translates into a very approachable experience of everyday life in the city, she says. “You can see world-class contemporary dance at the San Martín Theatre for six dollars. Cinema is four dollars during the week. There are free events in parks, subsidized exhibitions. Even if you’re here on a shoestring, you can live the city fully.” And yet, the economic instability does have real consequences. “A restaurant can open all guns blazing, and two months later the management changes, the menu plays it safe, and it’s no longer what it was,” she says. “Businesses are constantly adapting. So unless you’re here, constantly checking in, it’s easy to be sent somewhere that was once great—and isn’t anymore.”

Thankfully she shared some of her contacts in the city—artists, designers, writers and chefs—and we reached out to several of ours, and the result is the following deep list of recommendations that will help us all have a full experience of the city the next time we visit.

OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Alejo Musich is an artist whose paintings and tapestries explore themes related to folklore, mysticism and art history. He lives in Buenos Aires with his family, loves art and wine, and works for a non-profit organization making movies and developing cultural and social programs.

Cristián Mohaded is an Argentine artist and designer who works closely with artisans from his home country, exploring traditions, crafts, and local culture. A designer of furniture, lighting, objects, spaces and installation, his collaborations include collections for Louis Vuitton, Loro Piana, Moooi, and Molteni, among others.

Clément Le Coz and Justina Socas are cofounders of Le Coup de Foudre—design, fashion and art curators in Paris. Born in Buenos Aires, Justina is an art historian, stylist and artist, who has worked as an art advisor. Clément lived in Buenos Aires for over a decade, culminating in a book called Ma Vie à Buenos Aires, released at the MALBA museum library. He’s one of the most loyal customers of Dada Bistrot, a gastronomic institution soon to publish its 30th anniversary book.

Eugenia Cesana is a Buenos Aires native, vice president at Villar Biotech and co-founder of wellness brand AYNI, with an MA in history and a deep curiosity for ingredients and their origins—a passion that drives both her work with South American botanicals and her exploration of BA’s evolving food scene.

Fernando “Fefo” Aciar is a New York-based designer and chef, and founder of the multidisciplinary creative studio, fefostudio. Hailing from the Andes Mountains of Argentina, he is inspired by nature and traditional craftsmanship native to his upbringing, and known for crafting functional art tailored for the conviviality of the home.

Harry Hastings is the founder of Plan South America, which has been organizing private travel to South America and Antarctica since 2006. He moved to BA after university and lived there for nearly a decade, working as a journalist, fixer and concierge, and in the years since has traveled around nearly every corner of the continent. (Read our Navigator Q&A with Harry here!) 

Ivo Lepes is a restaurateur living between Buenos Aires and Mexico City, and the co-founder of some of BA’s coolest restaurants, including Chui BA (brother to Chui CDMX), and Coronado.

Kim Alves is a global brand strategist and consultant based between Los Angeles and Europe, advising fashion, lifestyle and hospitality brands, and the founder of In Pursuit Of, a travel and design platform. She has lived and worked around the world, including in Buenos Aires, a city she credits with shaping her career and worldview. 

Martin Sclippa is an Argentinian chef and co-founder of Fico, an independent restaurant located in Villa Crespo, Buenos Aires. There, they interpret a cuisine based on quality ingredients, with simple flavors and a distinctive spirit. 

Maria Abdala Zolezzi (“Maydi”) is the founder of Argentine knitwear brand MAYDI. She worked in fashion design in Paris for over 12 years, collaborating with brands such as Trovata, Sonia Rykiel, Isabel Marant, and Hermès. Upon returning to Argentina, she started her brand as an expression of her Franco-Argentine culture and a desire to create collections that are 100% local—incorporating merino wool and other raw endemic materials into knitwear that integrates traditional techniques, sustainable practices, and contemporary design. 

Nanda Haensel is a travel writer from Rio based in the Bavarian Alps, with a special interest in culture, community, and conservation; her work has appeared often in Yolo Journal, as well as in Esquire, Tatler, and the NYT Magazine. She brings her 4-year-old twins with her around the world on her travels, including to Buenos Aires, to which they return for its food, culture, and distinctive neighborhoods. 

Ryan Volatile is the founder of Fields Outfitting, a brand based between Buenos Aires and Asheville, North Carolina. He lived in BA (where he met his wife) for over a decade, during which he launched his apparel brand dedicated to the preservation of Argentine craft and heritage, working with several artisan groups scattered across the country. 

Sofia Sanchez de Betak & Maita Barrenechea are a mother-daughter duo we have known since our CN Traveler days. Sofia is a Buenos Aires–born creative director and designer known for her work across fashion, travel, and lifestyle, the author of Travels with Chufy and founder of the style brand “Chufy.” She lives in Mallorca with her daughter and hosts healing retreats across Europe under @thejourneywithin. Maita is the founder of Mai 10 and one of Argentina’s most well-respected travel experts; she recently co-launched Pirqa, designed to bring sustainable tourism and community livelihoods to treasured, out-of-the-way places across the country. 

Tamara Tenenbaum is a writer: born, raised, and based in Buenos Aires. She writes for several media, has published fiction and non-fiction books, and works as a screenwriter. In English, you can read her essay “The End of Love: Sex and Desire in the Twenty-First Century” (Europa Press). You can also check her series, The End of Love, on Prime Video. 

Vanessa Bell, the founder of Crème de la Crème in BA, helped us enormously with this guide, connecting us to several of her creative friends in the city. For 15 years, she has been curating made-to-measure experiences of Buenos Aires: unique and one-off experiences/itineraries that allow her clients to feel locals and offering entree to less-accessible facets of the city in the realms of art, interior design, architecture, culture, food, fashion, and other niche interests. Read more about her in our Navigator Q&A here!