Argentina's cerveza artesanal movement has grown from a handful of Patagonian homebrewers in the 1990s into a national phenomenon that now encompasses over 1,300 craft breweries. Buenos Aires is the consumption capital: every neighbourhood has at least one dedicated craft bar, and the quality of Argentine IPAs, stouts, and sour ales has reached a level that commands international attention. These 8 bars represent the finest craft beer drinking in the city.
The Buenos Aires craft beer scene concentrated initially in Palermo and Villa Crespo before spreading to San Telmo, Chacarita, and even the more traditional barrios. Argentine brewers have a distinct approach: heavy use of local ingredients like quebracho wood, yerba mate, and Patagonian hops (grown in the Río Negro valley) gives the best local beers a flavour profile that you cannot replicate elsewhere. For the broader Buenos Aires bar picture, the Buenos Aires bar guide covers all occasions, or dive into the Buenos Aires craft beer page for the filtered category listing.
1. Antares Palermo, Palermo Soho
Armenia 1447, Palermo Soho · Craft Beer Bar · Mon–Fri 5pm–2am, Sat–Sun 12pm–2am
Antares is the brewery that demonstrated Buenos Aires could produce world-class ales. Founded in Mar del Plata in 1998, the Palermo Soho branch pulls 10 house-brewed taps including their landmark Cream Stout, an Imperial Stout aged in ex-Malbec barrels, and a rotating seasonal. The brewpub format — you can see the tanks from the bar — adds transparency that the city's craft scene benefits from. The kitchen serves straightforward food that pairs well without competing.
2. Barfly, Palermo Hollywood
Fitz Roy 1600, Palermo Hollywood · Multi-Tap Beer Bar · Tue–Sun 6pm–2am
Barfly runs 24 rotating taps of Argentine and international craft beer, organized by style on a chalkboard that changes weekly. The bar policy is simple: no Quilmes, no Brahma, nothing that belongs in a stadium. The focus is entirely on independent producers, with a particular emphasis on Buenos Aires-based breweries that are too small for distribution. The can fridge holds a further 80 selections. One of the best curated selections in the city.
"Argentina has over 1,300 craft breweries. The best of them use Patagonian hops, quebracho wood, and ingredients that give local beer a flavour profile you simply cannot find anywhere else."
3. El Federal, San Telmo
Carlos Calvo 599, San Telmo · Historic Bar / Craft Beer · Daily 12pm–3am
El Federal has stood on the corner of Carlos Calvo since 1864, which makes it one of the oldest bars in Argentina still in original form. The original mahogany bar and stained glass windows are intact. Since 2019, the drinks programme has evolved significantly: alongside the standard Argentine spirits, 8 craft taps now rotate through leading porteño and Patagonian breweries. Drinking here is a lesson in Buenos Aires history with a proper pale ale in hand.
4. Caña Cervecería, Palermo Soho
Thames 1885, Palermo Soho · Craft Beer Bar · Wed–Sun 6pm–3am
Caña focuses exclusively on Argentine producers, with all 20 taps sourced within the country. The format is educational: each tap line has a QR code linking to the brewery's story, and the staff are trained to walk guests through regional differences between the Patagonian, Buenos Aires, and Mendoza brewing traditions. The sour programme is particularly strong — Argentine wild ales using local lacto cultures are a serious speciality here.
5. Bierzos, Villa Crespo
Thames 1285, Villa Crespo · Craft Beer / Taproom · Tue–Sun 5pm–1am
Bierzos sits at the junction of Villa Crespo and Palermo and draws a regular neighbourhood crowd that fills the outdoor tables by 8pm most evenings. The tap list runs 16 lines — half from their own small-batch production, half from guest breweries — and the food programme takes bar snacks seriously: smoked meats, pickled vegetables, and cheese boards designed specifically to pair with the beer styles on offer. Good value, good atmosphere, dependable quality.
6. Bierhaus, Puerto Madero
Av. Alicia Moreau de Justo 192, Puerto Madero · Beer Hall · Daily 12pm–3am
Bierhaus is the city's most comprehensive multi-tap operation: 36 draught lines, a bottle wall of 200 Argentine and imported selections, and a waterfront location in Puerto Madero that gives the otherwise slightly corporate neighbourhood a reason to visit. The lager programme in particular is strong — Pilsners and Märzens from Argentine craft producers that demonstrate just how well the local brewing culture handles lager styles. Open daily, accommodates large groups.
7. Cervecería Jerome, Chacarita
Álvarez Thomas 1391, Chacarita · Brewpub · Thu–Sun 5pm–2am
Jerome is a neighbourhood brewpub in Chacarita — Buenos Aires' most interesting emerging barrio — that brews on-site and fills 12 taps exclusively with its own production. The range covers 4 year-round styles and a rotating experimental series. The outdoor terrace fills with local residents by 7pm on weekends. The porter is the standout: deep, complex, and brewed with quebracho wood chips that add a distinctly Argentine smoky note. Arrive early on weekends.
8. Growlers, Palermo
Gurruchaga 1492, Palermo Soho · Bottle Shop / Bar · Mon–Sat 12pm–11pm
Growlers is the beer education hub of Buenos Aires — a combination bottle shop and 10-seat tasting bar where the staff know the backstory of every single bottle. The selection of 300+ craft bottles from across Argentina includes small-run IPAs, barrel-aged stouts, and fruit sours from producers you will not find anywhere else in the city. Buy to drink on the premises or take away. The owner runs bi-weekly tasting events on Thursday evenings for groups of up to 12.
Buenos Aires' craft beer scene rewards exploration beyond the obvious Palermo concentrations. Chacarita, Villa Crespo, and San Telmo each have strong independent bar cultures that local drinkers favour precisely because they have not yet been overrun. For comparison with the world's leading craft beer cities, our guides to craft beer bars in Portland and craft beer bars in Berlin show how Buenos Aires measures up. The best bars in Buenos Aires guide places these venues alongside the cocktail and live music scenes. And for the date night side of the city, the date night bars in Buenos Aires guide runs parallel to this one.
Tom Callahan
Craft Beer Editor — Global
Tom Callahan has covered craft beer culture across 30 countries for barsforKings since 2012. His first encounter with Argentine cerveza artesanal in 2017 convinced him that the country's brewing tradition would eventually command the same international respect as its wines. He was right.
