If you find yourself at a loose end or looking for something to do after dark in Buenos Aires, going to a tango show is something I can highly recommend. I fully caught the tango bug in Buenos Aires and ended up attending two tango shows during my short time there. Based on my experiences and observations at Tango Porteno and El Querandi, I’ve compiled some info about what to expect and most importantly what to avoid in order to have a better experience and save money.

Dig in!

Tango do’s and don’ts

Some tango shows offer transport to the venue, this is a very good option as it saves the hassle of organizing an Uber and usually you arrive before the other guest ergo better seats! (this was particularly true for El Querandi)

Most venues offer various packages including a dinner, wine and show package, a wine and show package or just the show. I recommend eating before the show and NOT booking the dinner package. The dinner package is usually an exorbitant price and not very good quality. Most Argentinians opt to eat at a nice restaurant beforehand and watch the tango with only wine accompaniment. We tried both options and found at El Querandi that the food was pretty average in comparison to other restaurants.

We found that it was much cheaper to book on Whatsapp or at the box office than online. The prices online are much higher and often listed in US dollars. We booked Tango Porteno at the box office the day before, paid for the show only without food and it saved us loads of money as we ate at Santos Pizza beforehand and just enjoyed the show without any add-ons. 

It’s best to check beforehand whether it’s beneficial to pay in peso or dollars. For El Querandi, it worked out better to pay in dollars whereas at Tango Porteno it was cheaper to pay in peso. 

FYI, the servers expect a tip. We had an awful experience at El Querandi as we only took the correct pre-arranged amount of peso and after paying the amount in full, the waiter refused to remove the bill from the table until we paid an additional service charge of 20%, which hadn’t been advertised to us beforehand and which we didn’t have in cash. We felt really embarrassed about this, we finally spoke to the manager and he profusely apologized for the waiter’s behaviour. Just a heads up!

At some shows a photographer may try to take your photo, if you definitely know that you don’t want to buy the photos then politely decline to have your photos taken in the first place. This was another awkward situation that no one explained to us, we were personally handed the printed photos by the photographer at the end of the show and expected to buy them. Nip it in the bud right away if you don’t want photos.

The waiters will ask you to pay before the end of the show, they won’t wait for an interval or pause in the show. You’re expected to pay the bill whilst the performance is still in full flow, try not to get annoyed by the apparent rudeness of this, it’s just the way things roll. 

At El Querandi or a similar smaller venue, if you’re seated at a table with a pole or obstruction in the way don’t sit down but request to be changed to another table. We watched this happen many times and the waiters seemed used to this happening.

If you’re on a really tight budget and can’t stretch to a ticket for a tango show, you can always head to the area near Florida y Lavalle in the centre of Buenos Aires. You’ll usually find street artists performing tango right in the middle of the busy streets.

Most importantly, enjoy the show! Watching a live tango show in Buenos Aires is an unforgettable experience.

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