The hostel I was staying at offered La Ventana for I think 190 pesos if you were a member, and 220 pesos if you were not a member.

Based on my dining experiences elsewhere, I'd say the dinner and wine were worth at least 100-120 pesos altogether. The transport is maybe worth 30 pesos. The venue is quite elegant. I don't doubt that you get a more authentic version elsewhere, but this is an enjoyable evening. As mentioned, the guitarist is excellent.

I also did La Boca Tango (which I can't find a link for online). The dinner was not quite as good here, but still fine, and the wine did not flow quite as freely (but I had more than enough). This features a cute operetta held out in the courtyard, and then a regular tango show. This was enjoyable too, and a little cheaper than La Ventana.

Cafe Tortoni
 

4 of us just went to Cafe Tortoni to catch their Sensaciones de Tango (@9pm most nights.)

The Short: Highly Recommended. Great "Bang for Buck." Good Service and selection of food. Enjoyable show with more than just Tango. GREAT live music to go along with the show.

The Longer:

Honestly, our primary reason for choosing this show was cost... 70 pesos compared to AT LEAST $50US for a lot of the other shows that we looked at. We weren't interested in dinner, either (Juana M!) I took a look on TripAdvisor and saw a lot of mixed reviews. In a couple of threads in this forum people had fairly good things to say, so I trusted FT and decided to go.

The website itself is a frustrating piece of unmentionable, even with decent Spanish knowledge (not that mine is anywhere near decent.) Your best bet is to go to the main site: http://www.cafetortoni.com.ar/, click on "Ingresar.." (the only way to get a listing of dates and shows...:mad:) on the bottom left, and see if "Sensaciones..." is playing.

Then, CALL to reserve tickets. They won't respond to your emails, and I don't see a way to order online. The website was almost enough to make me punch a hole in my ceiling. ;)

We arrived at the cafe at around 8 (as per the guy on the phone) and took our seats in the 2nd "row" of tables. Ordered some wine, picadas, and sandwiches - all were great to snack on during the show. We were also able to take a few pics in front of the stage before the show started (and on the stage after the show ended.)

The show itself consisted of a little bit of comedy, lots of tango dancing, a couple of great music performances (bass, piano, violin, and accordian... all 4 were amazing, especially during one segment where they all did solos), what I assume was a traditional gaucho dance (a tap dance type of thing and, um... clackers? I don't think that's a word, but it was basically a rope with a wooden ball on the end that the performer used as a percussion instrument as he swung it against the ground), and, of course, singing.

From what I've read, the main jab at the Cafe Tortoni show is its catering to tourists... we all had a great time, 2 tourists, 2 non... I would assume that most places DO cater to tourists, but that doesn't mean the evening can't be fun and the performances can't be quality.

Here's a tango deal for you.... $1.99 for 50 pieces!

http://www.amazon.com/50-Essential-T...dp/B002KWHAOU/

Wirelessly posted (Nokia N97 / Palm TX: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows 98; PalmSource/Palm-D050; Blazer/4.3) 16;320x448)

bizco- great report, thanks for sharing!!

Any recent experiences with tango shows? My wife would very much like to take one in while we're down here...

Not sure why more folks don't avail themselves of the offer, but if you see my post 28, you'll see that discount tickets for the tourist tango shows are easily obtainable from the discount ticket outlets (you might want to google the locations to see if they've changed). Not using these is, to me, the equivalent of buying Broadway tickets at full price for a show waaay past its prime.

With a substantial discount, I can't imagine any tourist being disappointed by a tango show. Heck, I try to go to one everytime I'm in town. Where else can I see tango? It's a cheap and fun night out with the discounted tickets.

I suggest you repeat your post so its easier to find for folks that look into this thread..... :)

Here's another approach visitors may want to consider.

My wife and I rent an apartment for a month every year in Bs As in Aug-Sep, to get away from the Texas heat. We love music and dance performances but dread touristy places.

We always try to catch several shows at the Borges Cultural Center, in the same building as Galerías Pacifico. A couple of examples: One year we saw Anoche, Un baile de Tango, and last year we were wowed by Nicole Nau & Luis Pereyra in El color de mi baile with music by Horacio Banegas. There's no dinner (the Borges just has regular auditoriums), but for that we walk over to El Establo afterwards.

We have never been disappointed by a concert at the Borges, and we've never seen any tourists there.

I enjoyed La Ventana when I was in EZE one year ago almost to the day, though I skipped the meal portion and attended just the show paying around USD$50 for a single including roundtrip hotel pick up.

I also was fortunate enough to experience more "authentic" tango in less touristy venues and also sought out the Carlos Gardel House Museum in Abasto to learn more about the music & dance.

YMMV as always.

Cafe Tortoni or La Ventana ....we are going to try to catch a show at the end of the month...are these still our best bets? And does anyone bring children to them?

Oddly, I've never seen kids at the tango shows. But I don't think there'd be anything wrong with taking them. By modern standards, the shows aren't risque or anything, and the tourists don't get rowdy. :)

I guess I'd ask first. Let us know what you find out.

Current recommendations?
 

If one is more interested in the dance than the dinner (and price isn't the issue) what show(s) would be good fun these days? Staying in Recoleta at the Hyatt, if that matters to the recommendation.
Thx,
ST

Rojo Tango is one of my favorites... but Senior Tango is also quite a production. Those two would be on my A list.

tango
 

Any word yet or anyone checked out the We are Tango show?

Thanks,
X

Never heard of it... which does not mean anything in itself as Im not much of a Tango person. If you can share some more details, where the show is, etc. - perhaps we can try to find some feedback....

came across it in a search of Tango places...looks new and low key.http://www.wearetango.com and they are also on Facebook.

If you're open to not going to a "show," Salon Canning in Palermo is great! It's an actual "milonga" where people go to dance tango. If you don't want to dance there's absolutely no pressure and you can just sit at a table and enjoy a bottle of wine while watching real porteños dance. It's more authentic and not outrageously expensive.

Welcome to FT !
And thanks for the tip...

Gonna give this a bump as I am in the market for a good Tango show as well. Not looking for anything super expensive or touristy. Don't need a meal included.

Unfortunately it seems that using Tripadvisor for reviews of any shows leads to someone labeling it a tourist trap.

We did Salon Canning and an actual Tango show. We loved the experience of the milonga better than the "show". Salon Canning was recommended to us by an American Expat living in BsAs. Don't come too early, after 10PM is when the party starts. IIRC, the entrance fee was ~5 USD.

We were looking at possibly going to rojotango when we are at CowDO but do not see anywhere on their website to get tickets? Do they only sell through brokers and if so who would you recommend to go through for tickets? Tried an internet search but a lot of the links I pull up don't work.

Here's the email:
[email protected]
Alternately you could send an email to the hotel where you'll be staying and ask them to phone rojotango (number provided below) to make a reservation.
+54 11 4952-4111

We loved Rojo Tango a when we saw it in April. I just made the reservation via phone and it was extremely easy. They even follow-up after via e-mail to ask about your experience. The show was absolutely stunning. Enjoy!

Thanks all. Actually took Tuchop's suggestion and our hotel is going to set it up for us.

I've been in Señor Tango and La Ventana. I liked both, though Señor Tango had kind of a Broadway touch, so La Ventana seemed a bit more authentic, anyway I enjoyed both.

I'm looking for any show of Tango combined with other Argentina folk musics (La Ventana had a bit of this, but don't want to repeat the same place), not pure Tango the whole show. Any recommendation?

I'd like to try these discount ticket outlets. Do people usually go to those outlets physically after you get to EZE? Or do they also use email that you can negotiate while in the States? I'd much prefer to make these reservations beforehand.

I thought Cafe Tortoni was a really good tango show because of the intimate setting.

Also in response to a show with more music I highly recommend Fernandez Fierro, though there is not actual dance the music itself is pretty enjoyable. Shows every Wednesday. fernandezfierro.com

Looking for a smallish tango show
 

Saw this post, looked at the website (they say they are truly small), and now I am wondering: has anyone been there?

What if I wanted a dance lesson and not just a spectator experience? The catch is that my Spanish is fairly minimal (and Cuban accented, so I find the Argentinean accent particularly difficult).

Any recommendations?

Folks, is this still the best tango show to watch in BsAs?
Or are there any new/better shows?

Visiting mid-March 2016!