Just as you read it. The oldest bodegón in South America is in Buenos Aires, in Microcentro. In fact, it is a building that fuses history and food and that for more than 150 years has survived as the oldest bodegón in Buenos Aires and South America. It is the restaurant of El Club del Progreso, an emblematic bodegón that was also the headquarters of the oldest gentlemen’s club in South America.
The oldest bodegón in South America is in Buenos Aires. It has more than 150 years of history, free grill and a 5-story food tower.
The Club del Progreso was founded on May 1, 1852, just three months after the Battle of Caseros and at the end of the government of Juan Manuel de Rosas. At that time, Argentine society was deeply divided between federalists and centralists, and the Club del Porgreso was born as a meeting place for the political and intellectual elites of that time.
The current venue, because it has had several locations since its creation, houses both the club and the restaurant, and was originally the private residence of a member of the Duhau family. If you know the ghost house in Recoleta, the Duhau Palace is right next door.
Designed by architects Lanús and Hary, the current building of the Club del Progreso and the oldest restaurant in Buenos Aires preserves the elegance of the late 19th century buildings: spacious halls and many ornamental details that are no longer found in today’s architecture.
The oldest bodegón in Buenos Aires: El Paraíso de la Comida Argentina (The Paradise of Argentine Food)
The Club del Progreso is home to the bodegón and restaurant El Progreso. You will find the traditional food of the bodegones of Buenos Aires but with a particular incursion.
Besides being one of the few old bodegones that offer free grill, this bodegón also offers you something of its own creation, a 5-story food tower where every dish is a delight of the local cuisine. Among the five floors of this food tower, you will find lentil stew, mondongo stew, milanesa napolitana, fried meat empanadas and, of course, a sweet ending with fried cakes and pastries.
El Progreso is not only one of the oldest bodegones in Buenos Aires, it is also one of the city’s urban palaces where you can have a free snack and choose whether to stop by for lunch, dinner or an afternoon snack.
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