Casa Bar, Buenos Aires
by Larry K.
(Honolulu, HI)
Visit the UNOB's Argentina Beer Guide
Casa Bar in Buenos Aires is a great bar for the beer lover as well as those that appreciate fine spirits and coffee. On to the beer!
This bar is located in the heart of Recoleta in a classic three-storey French style house, hence the name Casa Bar. Makes perfect sense to me!
Aside from being a stunning bar with an all-female staff that airs all the international sporting events on huge flat screen TVs and open 7 days per week with the longest Happy Hour in Buenos Aires, it has a solid beer selection (20 plus bottled beers and Heineken on tap).
While Buenos Aires is a beer lover's city, it is not known for quality beers, though there are a few exceptional domestic brews. At this report Casa Bar was carrying the following:
Imports: Bass Ale, Negra Modelo, Carlsberg, Grolsch, Samuel Smith India Ale and Stout, La Trappe (10% ABV), Guinness (bottle unfortunately since the price of draught here is outrageous), Leffe, Corona, Lowenbrau, Staropramen, Erdinger
Imports brewed in AR: Heineken, Budweiser, Warsteiner, Stella Artois
Domestic: Otromundo, Patagonia, Quilmes
Maybe more, but I am not sure since I became fixed on the spirits, which they have the largest selection in the city since most cannot be bought here.
Great drink specials everyday with 5 peso Heineken drafts and I am told daily beer and drink specials. What I loved was the combo meal they serve - Corona with a free shot of tequila, Leffe with a free shot of Jagermeister and so on.
This is an upscale international themed bar with an Argentine flavor style bar (only been open for four months and gaining in popularity). The owner is an American whom also built the bar and the guy knew what he was doing.
The systems of the bar are American style with a standard style bar back set-up like in the States, which you do not see here. The customer side of the house is stylish with great atmosphere that you can only have in one of these grand old houses. Modern LED lighting, killer sound system, huge HD LCD flat screens all fit well into the surrounding.
Prices: You can drink for as little as 5 pesos (US $1.75) or spend a lot more on the expensive imports. I have paid a lot more at many well-known posh bars and dive bars alike.
This is the best bet in the city for someone that wants to be in an upscale bar with reasonable prices and a great crowd. This is no frat house/backpacker bar nor is it one of those passe elitest spots. This is a bar's bar!
Terrific simple food and absolutely the best coffee in the city-Illy Italian espresso (for a coffee-loving country they like lousy coffee, kinda like the beer - good thing the beef is so awesome). This is my top recommendation for beer lovers.
Last note: I normally do not write reviews, but after my first trip to Argentina and reading reviews recommending so-called beer destinations here I was not only disappointed, but felt stupid. Why?
As always seem to be the case with online reviews they are written by foreigners, mostly 20-something year old backpackers that claim to be experts with their 50 years of beer drinking knowledge. This will not change folks, so I pass on my review as a middle-aged businessman with over 20 successful years in the nightclub and bar business (and I do not fashion myself an expert on anything).
Beers to you!
