The Gran Café Tortoni was founded in 1858, and with that, it became the oldest café in Buenos Aires. Located on one of the most historic streets in the city, Avenida de Mayo, it has always been in the middle of social and cultural activity, welcoming both locals and international visitors. The place originally belonged to Jean Touan, a Frenchman, who gave it the name of one of the most famous Parisian cafés. It became, over the years, a real meeting point for artists, intellectuals, and well-known personalities-a cultural landmark in the country's history.
Its rich history is entwined with the lives of many influential personalities. Well-known guests like Albert Einstein, Jorge Luis Borges, famous actors, and literature authors passed its doors, adding prestige to the place. Apart from serving coffee, Café Tortoni developed into an artistic and intellectual hotbed, particularly during the first decades of the century, with writers, painters, and musicians congregating in its symbolic Peña-a cellar dedicated to cultural events.
Peña del Tortoni was an active period from 1926 to 1943. During this period, the famous Argentine artist Benito Quinquela Martín and other creatives used to visit this place and help build up cultural prestige for the café. The cellar was adapted to be used as a place of artistic performances, literary readings, and other cultural events that go on performing shows and exhibitions to this date.
Art has formed a part of the Tortoni experience from the very beginning. The café is almost more like a living, breathing museum-a house to over 100 works of art, paintings, and sculptures left as gifts by famous artists over the years that encapsulate moments from its illustrious past and the contributors who have left their mark on its walls.
Besides this cultural role, since 1988, Café Tortoni has also been honoring outstanding Argentine personalities with its prestigious medal. The laureates are historians, poets, musicians, and actors, all connected with Argentine intellectual and artistic expression. Such traditions allow for a substantial bonding between this place and the country's culture.
Up to the present day, Gran Café Tortoni remains one of the most important sites to visit on any tourist's list for a worthy taste of the great history, art, and culture of Buenos Aires. Mixing historical value with the still-ongoing artistic effort turns it into something way more than a simple café: it is a symptom of the vivid cultural landscape of Argentina.
