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Buenos Aires, Argentina > Buenos Aires restaurants > La Maja La MajaAvenida San Juan 548 (@ Bolívar)
Just off the main drag in San Telmo are several semi-clandestino alternative, less-gringo-visited drinking and eating options, like La Maja, just half a block down from popular neighborhood eatery Café San Juan, originally named for Spanish painter Francisco Goya’s nude and then clothed paintings of his reputed secret lover, also the eye of Napoleon Bonaparte, or so the story goes per the friendly bartender this particular night (actually, it was the reputed mistress of then Spanish Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy). Opened in 2004, La Maja is a converted, angular multi-level industrial space, mixing dark adobe-red floor tiles with diamond-plated metal staircases leading patrons up and down through a slight maze of separate dining areas. There’s even a non-functioning old-fashioned elevator that apparently goes nowhere. The patio out back is a welcome retreat for those hot summer BA nights and for smokers alike. The food, “Its basically sandwiches and pizzas… and hamburgers. Typical,” says my companion for the night. But it is different for the neighborhood, much more down home and basic. Orange colored hanging paper lanterns, random halogen spotlights, monogrammed black table clothes cleverly folded over and diagonally lying across the tables… and the two pictures of La Maja, both nude and clothed. A standard selection of pizzas range from $10-$17AR, a 1.25 liter bottle of Warsteiner beer will cost patrons $12AR with a half-liter chopp (draft) going for $5.50AR. A picada plate for four is $30AR and sandwiches are in the $7-8AR range with the El Lomo Maja peaking at $11AR. La Maja serves local residents as a good place to have a beer and a bite before heading out to bigger, grander destinations for the night. —La Maja review by Greg Roden
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