It’s a sad day in my barrio. Four blocks from my apartment is, or was, one of my favorite, old spots in the city, Bar Británico. Located in San Telmo at the corner of Defensa and Brasil, Bar Británico was one of the classic cafes of Buenos Aires.
I just returned from walking by the now closed Británico . Police are standing in front of the doors and all the furniture has been removed. It’s now just an empty shell. I didn’t even want to take a photo, preferring to remember it as it was before. On flickr you can see these photos that others have taken of this wonderful place. And be sure to look at this great photo.
Británico has been fighting to stay open for months over a dispute with the new landlord. We signed a petition earlier in the year, along with 20,000 other people, and the case has been in the courts. The city also has tried to mediate a solution between the property owner and the tenant. The end came finally this month when a judge ordered the bar to be closed. This morning the police arrived to enforce the court order. The Clarín has an article about the closing, as does La Nación. [both in Spanish]. Several news crews were around so there should be coverage on the Buenos Aires TV stations tonight.
The bar has been run for almost fifty years by three guys from Galicia. They are José Trillo, Manolo Pose and Pepe Miñones. At almost any given time you could go into the Británico and see one of them, now old men, serving the beer and food to customers. José Trillo says that now that the bar is closed that he will return to Spain.
The problems started when the former landlord died and the property was inherited by his son. The son Juan Pablo Benvenuto, seeing a prime real estate opportunity, didn’t want to renew the lease and rented the corner property to another person.
True, Bar Británico didn’t have the splendor of the Tortoni and hadn’t renovated itself like 36 Billares but the Británico had an antiquated character that kept it a popular place. While its competition across the street El Hipopótamo is a nicer cafe, we preferred to take our foreign visitors to the Británico.
The new tenant plans to open a cybercafe on the corner, as if the neighborhood really needs another one? How boring, you would think that with all this trouble that they could come up with something more creative.
Update: The rumored cyber never opened, yeah. Bar Britanico re-opened some time ago and I’ve returned as a regular patron. It’s not quite the same as the old Britanico but it’s close enough.
June 24th, 2006 at 1:44 am
Cyber Cafe?
I give the new owner 7 months before shutting down.
June 24th, 2006 at 3:12 pm
[…] En Buenos Aires, City of Faded Elegance, cubren el triste cierre del Británico, uno de los bares notables de Buenos Aires. Más en este enlace (en inglés). […]
June 24th, 2006 at 3:29 pm
[…] En Buenos Aires, City of Faded Elegance, cubren el triste cierre del Británico, uno de los bares notables de Buenos Aires. Más en este enlace (en inglés). […]
June 25th, 2006 at 9:47 pm
San Telmo has to be my favourite place in Argentina and from the photos I’m sure I’ve drunk in that bar at least once, so it’s a real shame to see it go:-(
With regard to your previous post on books, maybe I could ask you for a recommendation on what to read next? I’m currently reading “El Libro del Fantsma” by Alejandro Dolina and enjoying it tremendously – mainly due to its short chapters and easy words! Do you know of anything similar (i.e modern, easy to read) that’s good?
June 26th, 2006 at 12:27 am
Alex, I don’t know the Dolina book so can’t recommend anything similar. But, I’ll add Dolina to my reading list. Mostly, I’ve been stuck with old Argentine writers, just coming up to speed on the modern ones. Can’t say yet which ones fall into the easy vs hard to read categories. Might have some future postings on that.
June 27th, 2006 at 4:08 pm
I’ve just put my own English translation of an Alejandro Dolina short story on my blog if you want to check it out:-)
Your blog’s fantastic by the way, really interesting and different!
June 27th, 2006 at 9:46 pm
Alex, thanks for the nice comment about my blog.
June 27th, 2006 at 11:06 pm
couldn’t agree more about the passing of el britanico…i only ever went there once, about a year ago but i remember it as one of those old style bars from back when…it’s a shame when they ruin these places. it’s like all the old buildings being knocked down to put up cheap, nasty looking high rises; in 20 years time, these decisions will be regretted. unfortunately, argentines tend not to think long-term, it all comes down to the here and now. although they haven’t committed a sin as great as the uruguayans in plaza independcia in montevideo. now that really is shameful.
the other great example of this kind of bar is ‘la giralda’ on corrientes, between uruguay and parana. none of your fancy pretension a la palermo, just great cortados and crappy, floppy little tostados. fantastic. hasn’t changed since corrientes really was the broadway of the southern hemisphere apparently, and you wouldn’t want it to.
January 10th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
I can’t believe it, I only just found out today and I feel so sad about this, I lived close to San Telmo for a year in 2005 and I think every day I went to a one of the bares notables. I loved the atmosphere at el britanico, even the slow service – at least I’ll always remember it being open. Cultural vandalism at its worst, I hope the extra rent does nothing but make the owner regret his decision. I’d kill to have somewhere with that kind of history open almost all night where I live. I’m praying nowhere else has closed down!
January 10th, 2007 at 9:02 pm
Hi Mark, the Britanico is supposed to re-open soon under new management but they brought the rights to the name from the old owners. For the last few months the place has been undergoing extensive renovation. It probably will be more expensive and touristy, not nearly as charming as the old place but we’ll soon see.
February 17th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
The ultimate Dolina’s book is, in my opinion, ‘Crónicas del Angel Gris’.
You don’t need to read it carefully to notice similarities with Borges’ style. I’m not saying it is a miserable attempt to mimic him, no. Probably, it is the influence received through hours of reading Borges, since Dolina is known to be a great admirer of him.
February 19th, 2007 at 9:29 am
Bar Británico: The Empire Rises Again…
It’s not often that you lose a fave watering hole and then get it back with clean crappers to boot. When the über-classic 24-hour Bar Británico in Buenos Aires closed last June, there was much gnashing of teeth, signing of……
November 9th, 2007 at 11:36 am
Hi!
I’m translating/editing and updating the Insight Guide on Argentina and just stumbled upon your blog’s item Britanico. It is mentioned in the original text of my book. What has happenend? Has it ‘risen again’ meanwhile – and, more important – is it still worth to be mentioned in the upcoming (Dutch) edition?
Thanks for letting me know!
Hanny
November 9th, 2007 at 11:57 am
Hello Hanny,
Yes, the Britanico is now open again under new ownership. Evidently the new owners purchased the rights to the name. The place has been updated and modernized a bit but not too much. It doesn’t quite have the same character as before but, yes, it’s still worth mentioning.
September 18th, 2008 at 9:18 am
[…] Qui potrete leggere un interessante articolo in lingua inglese sulla chiusura del bar e sul suo significato e per San Telmo e per l’autore del testo. bar britanico Sabato san telmo […]
May 10th, 2011 at 12:58 am
I was there when the Bar Britanico was Closed, and i made a video.
This is the link
http://vimeo.com/22941719
May 10th, 2011 at 9:11 am
@Damian: Great video! It really captures the ambiance of the old Britaánico. Thanks for sharing.