El Gato Negro — Restaurant in Autonomous City of Buenos Aires

This historic Buenos Aires coffee house is combination of antique café and spice merchant. The establishment was initially set up at the turn of the 20th century by a Spanish adventurer that after sailing the seas of the Indian Ocean and running tea vessels for the British landed in the Rio de la Plata. His son gave the establishment its current form. The place is very atmospheric with its wooden cabinets and countless spice jars. The aroma of freshly ground coffee and exotic spices from around the globe mix, making El Gato Negro unique. The food is unremarkable. I would advice having coffee or one of the many tea options and if you enjoy cooking, maybe picking up some spices! Don't be put off by the unfriendly waiters- that's a standard for Buenos Aires!

📸 Pictures by Ignacio de Asua 📸INSTAGRAM: @unhippieconosde 📸 TRIPADVISOR PHOTOWALKS : “Buenos Aires...

Had been really excited to visit El Gato Negro and finally made it happen. The space is great, and looks just like spice stores did back in the day. The ambiance couldn’t be better. Unfortunately, I can’t say much good about the café, though. We ordered a café con leche, after asking for details and being told it would be just like a latte - with an espresso shot and texturized milk from an espresso machine’s steam wand. Sadly, the drink did not look or taste like it was espresso based nor did the milk look or taste properly steamed. It was an ungodly hot temperature that scalded the milk, making it taste bad. We couldn’t finish our drinks and we didn’t want to have them remade. May one day go back for the cool space and try something else to give it another chance, but I got the feeling this was standard when the waiter asked how we liked them and told...

The café itself is stunning—beautiful decor and a cozy ambiance that instantly drew me in. The tea was excellent, and the male bartenders were exceptionally kind and attentive, which I truly appreciated. However, my experience was soured by the woman at the cash desk. When I politely asked in English to pay my bill, she responded angrily, saying, “I don’t speak English,” and refused to help further. Her tone and attitude were unnecessarily harsh, leaving me hurt and disappointed. Unfortunately, this interaction cast a shadow over my first hours in...