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Buenos Aires, Argentina > Buenos Aires restaurants > 36 Billares 36 BillaresAvenida de Mayo 1265 (@ Salta); Tel. +(011.54.11) 4381-5696
 Tango rules the night at historical 36 Billares on Avenida de Mayo. Photo by Clare Nisbet. Gorgeous, attentive, and historical cafes like 36 really give the feeling that the tour buses that only park in front of Café Tortoni are missing out. 36 is a lovely, less-touristed alternative located in a mirrored location just on the opposite side of the famous Avenida 9 de Julio. Founded in 1894, 36 gives the impression that if walls could talk, they’d have a lot of deliciousness to share. This is the kind of establishment where dapper, bowtie clad waiters will collide with one another and drop plates putting two tables together to accommodate a need for a less intimate environment. Heart-stopping coffee is served with flair, tea in steaming pots, and the bar always beckons. The menu is traditional porteño fare offering a little of everything from burgers to pasta dishes. Food is generally underwhelming and slightly overpriced, though the asador certainly knows his way around the grill. Sticking with parilla options will allows visitors to enjoy a treat. Specialty dishes include veal and an impressive lomo in mushroom sauce. Main dishes range from about $15-30AR. Wash it down with a selection from their over 75 regional wines ranging in price from bargain to exorbitant and dull the edges of the evening. The sweeping ceilings, wooden bar, and low-lit tables all make for the feeling of a typical Buenos Aires café. The main salon is large enough for over 20 tables and the fun continues downstairs in the billiards hall. While upstairs, the crowd ranges from time-pressed 20-somethings taking advantage of free WiFi to elderly porteños huddled in clandestine pairings, downstairs and in the backroom pool hall, the older male crowd rules and the drinks flow freely in a sometimes raucous environment. From Thursdays to Sundays, tango rules. The 36 dinner show begins at 10pm presented by the thoroughly enjoyable and totally corny Demian Gonzalez. The dancing is impressive and visitors sing along to classics like Mi Buenos Aires Querido. The show includes folk dancing as well as traditional tangos making for a more well rounded Tango Show experience than most offer and the highlight is certainly the exquisite performance of the Azul Tango Orchestra. The show costs $10AR in addition to your meal and reservations are recommended. Gonzalez sprinkles in some English when the need arises. So when Tortoni is stowed, head to the historic 36 for your all-around Buenos Aires café experience. 36 does not disappoint. —36 Billares review by Clare Nisbet
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