Confitería Las Violetas

About this place

Las Violetas, «The Violets», is a historic café and patisserie on the corner of Rivadavia and Medrano avenues in Almagro, opened on 21 September 1884; its name is said to come from the beds of violets that once decorated its front. In the 1920s it was remodelled with curved glass shopfronts and doors, stained-glass windows and Italian marble floors. It is one of the city's «Notable Bars», a group the city protects for its historic value. Under high ceilings, gilded columns and chandeliers, locals and visitors sit for tea, coffee, cakes and traditional pastries, above all medialunas, the Argentine croissant, with sweets laid out in gleaming glass cases. There is no charge beyond what you order; the best time is mid-afternoon tea, when the room fills.