¡Hola! or ¡Buen día!
Un cortado, por favor
oon kor-TAH-do, por fa-VOR
A cortado (espresso with a dash of milk), please
Un café con leche
oon ka-FEH kon LEH-cheh
A coffee with milk
Con medialunas
kon meh-dee-ah-LOO-nahs
With croissants
La cuenta, por favor
lah KWEN-tah, por fa-VOR
The bill, please
Argentina's signature order: espresso cut with a small amount of warm milk. Served in a small glass. The default.
Coffee with hot milk — a breakfast staple, always paired with medialunas (sweet croissants).
A double espresso. For those who need extra strength.
Literally 'teardrop' — hot milk with just a few drops of coffee. The mild option.
Not coffee — hot milk served with a bar of chocolate that you submerge and stir until it melts. A beloved Argentine classic.
The cortado is Argentina's national coffee order. It's smaller and stronger than what you'd get in most countries.
Coffee and medialunas (sweet, buttery croissants) are an inseparable pair. Every cafe serves them.
Buenos Aires has 'bares notables' — officially protected historic cafes where writers, artists, and revolutionaries once gathered.
Café Tortoni, opened in 1858, is the city's most famous cafe and has hosted Jorge Luis Borges among many literary figures.
The specialty coffee scene in Palermo is booming, with roasters and cafes matching international standards.
Argentines drink coffee slowly and socially. Rushing through a coffee is unusual and frowned upon.
10% is standard. Leave cash or add to the card payment.
$2,000-4,500 ARS ($2-5) for a cortado or coffee at a cafe
Did you know? Buenos Aires' Café Tortoni, opened in 1858, is one of the oldest cafes in the world still in operation. It's named after a Parisian cafe on the Boulevard des Italiens.