La Biela

If you were to spend only 24 hours in Buenos Aires, there is a strong possibility you would come across La Biela; a Recoleta classic, it sits on Avenida Quintana, in the shade of an enormous 215 year-old OmbĂș and more importantly just steps from the entrance of the world-famous Recoleta cemetery.

The terrace, La Biela

The terrace, La Biela


Originally known as La Virideta (a slight variation on the word veredita meaning small pavement), and squeezing just 18 seats onto a narrow stretch of pavement, it grew into El Aerobar, and then definitively renamed to La Biela in the 1950’s.
The bar, La Biela

The bar, La Biela


It quickly became the focal point for a mixed group, racing drivers and fans on the one hand (a biela is a crankshaft, a motif cut out of the seatback of every chair) and thinkers and the literary crowd on the other.
La Biela seatback

La Biela seatback


La Biela nowadays has a dual function – due to its location its terrace fills with tourists taking a break from the rigours of exploring the cemetery but it also manages to retain a local flavour with many Recoleta residents to be found meeting and talking inside.

La Biela: Avenida Quintana 500
Colectivos: 101, 10

This page is part of a series examining the Notable Bars of Buenos Aires.