If you’ve been reading this blog since before the pandemia, you might remember the “research” visits to the Bares Notables, a collection of old traditional Buenos Aires bars, about which I was going to write a book. I put the book on hold because a number of these old places went out of business. I don’t know if I’ll ever finish it, but that’s no reason to stay away from the bares!

Last night, four of us went to a venerable old place called Bar Roma. We started with a group of eight, but there was some high wind activity yesterday and the others begged off. But Venetia, Gillian, Christine and I had a good time and we didn’t get blown away!

Bar Roma has an interesting story, which was the reason I really wanted to go. For many years it was owned and operated by two cousins, Jesus and Laudino (can’t find any reference to their last names), who in latter years were in their nineties and still working. Not surprisingly, it was a bit too much for them, and the place had become run down and not very inviting. They began to look for successors, and eventually this small group of friends took it over in late 2018. They spent four months renovating it, had their grand opening which attracted lots of people in the neighbourhood—and days later the plague came upon us and we went into lockdown.

Some people might have been defeated by this, but not these guys. The bar reopened a few weeks ago, and last night when we were there it was full. They specialize in pizza, and judging by the number of boxes piled up on the counter, their delivery business is going strong too.

I’m happy for them—Viva el Bar Roma!