The Villa Devoto neighborhood is in congratulations and it is because it recovered its much-loved Café García.
After almost two years closed, this notable cafe, located on the corner of Sanabria and José Pedro Varela, reopened its doors renovated, recovering the attractions that the neighbors missed so much such as its room full of memories and its enormous bites.
Behind the recovery of this bar there are experienced hands.
Francisco Miranda and his family
, who owned the famous Bidou bar,
joined the Los Notables group that manages renowned bars
such as El Federal, Café Margot, Bar de Cao, Celta Bar and Café La Poesía.
Concerned with maintaining the essence of the place - it should be remembered that the café was declared notable and a site of cultural interest -
they maintained the aesthetics, enhanced the room, retained some of the employees who worked in the old café
and put together a tempting proposal with popular dishes.
The history of Café García
The bar was founded in 1927 by the Asturian Metodio García and Carolina, his wife.
The couple lived there until the 1950s when they sold the business.
Twenty years later, his sons Rubén and Hugo recovered the place and gave it its current fame.
As Hugo had experience in organizing events and many famous acquaintances, he in a short time gave it a character and a gastronomic service that stood out.
A regular resident of the place was the father of Claudia Villafañe
, former father-in-law of Diego Maradona,
Víctor Hugo Morales, Graciela Borges, Alejandro Dolina, Enzo Francescoli and even Francis Ford Coppola.
Director Eliseo Subiela chose the bar to film several scenes for his film “Don't leave without telling me where you're going.”
Eliseo Subiela chose Café García to film scenes for his movie “Don't leave without telling me where you're going.”
Photo: Juano Tesone.
But the times of splendor were left behind, added to the fact that the pandemic hit them squarely and they were never able to recover.
In recent months, two waiters were in charge of the place who limited the hours and lost a lot of audience.
Hugo García had suffered the loss of his brother and his son.
It was then that he decided to sell the goodwill to pay debts from labor lawsuits and
the bar lowered its blinds in September 2022.
That's when Francisco and his partners come in:
“There was a lot of sensitivity with the reopening of the bar because it is the only notable bar in Devoto.
The biggest challenge was preserving what it was, that requires more work than doing it again,” he confesses.
They found a demolished building, with little maintenance.
They had to tile the tin roofs, they kept the checkerboard floors, the original openings that they revived with special treatments.
They preserved the historic bar and added an island that displays the preparation of the famous snacks.
The famous snacks from Café García.
Photo: Juano Tesone.
They made the kitchen new, as well as the front of the bar, for which they used period wood.
And
they set up a terrace, which is not yet equipped but will soon open
to welcome diners.
They demolished a wall to expand the access and join the
nostalgic “Metodio and Carolina” room, in which space the founding couple's bedroom functioned.
On the walls they did everything possible to preserve the memories of the old café: “
When we entered this was a museum.
We took photos and put everything we took down from the walls in numbered boxes
,” explains Francisco.
They recovered most of those objects that today make up the nostalgic atmosphere of the place.
Among them, the billiard cues that were once part of the room and that functioned as a meeting place for neighbors with exhibitions by the greatest billiard players in the country.
They preserved the sector dedicated to Carlos Gardel and Diego Maradona,
where they once hung their boots and which Hugo chose to take as a souvenir.
The corner of the legendary Café García.
Photo: Juano Tesone.
The result of the meticulous restoration was successful: “There were neighbors who cried when we opened,” says Francisco.
They reopened just two weeks ago,
the opening is so recent that the neighbors who pass by the sidewalk are not afraid to stop and look inside.
The service was also part of the marked imprint of the place.
Those young men are already known to everyone.
That's why they
tried to keep some of the employees who had already worked in the cafe
.
Oscar Galarza is one of them.
He started in 1999 and while it was closed he served at the Miramar restaurant that also belongs to the group.
“It wasn't my thing, I missed this place, this is my home.
Here I don't get tired, I don't get stressed.
The people in the neighborhood know you, greet you and even tell you things that not even their family knows.
“I explain to the younger waiters who work with me that this doesn't happen anywhere else,” describes Oscar, who also observes that the regulars are slowly getting used to the change.
Café García reopened two weeks ago.
Photo: Juano Tesone.
What to eat at Café García
As you walk through the front door, the aroma of freshly ground coffee invades your nostrils.
There is no flat white or any Anglicism that describes this drink.
“We have almond milk, because nowadays you have to have it, but since we opened no one has asked for it,” Francisco says with a laugh.
The star dish of the house is the chopped meats
that Hugo served in steps and that the new owners decided to keep: "They bring you small plates of cold cuts, cheeses, croquettes, fritters, tortillas and other portions," he explains.
The Maradona steak eye from Café García.
Photo: Juano Tesone.
Good quality is the premise and for that they use cheeses and cold cuts from Tandil.
The large snack for 4 people costs $24,000 but you can order a medium one.
To accompany it there is draft vermouth, cider and gin ($3,000).
Also classic wines such as Trapiche, Trumpeter or San Felipe late harvest and younger labels such as Animal or Padrillos.
They added to the proposal dishes that were not available before,
such as the Maradona steak eye
($9,500), in honor of Diego, or
the loin milanesa with noodles with butter
($7,500) that Francisco saw in the series Nada, starring Luis Brandoni and which he wanted to add to the menu of the new bar.
Café García's pastas.
Photo: Juano Tesone.
They also serve pasta, fish and one suggestion per day that can be ordered, for now, at noon but they plan to also add it as an option for the evening.
There are Spanish dishes such as tortillas
(from $5,000)
that are served in three versions or hash brown potatoes with raw ham
($5,900).
Soon they will reinforce the proposal for breakfasts and snacks by adding cakes and patisserie.
In the meantime, it is worth visiting to see how this place turned out, which, for those who were lucky enough to be regulars of bars like this, will brighten their souls a little.
Garcia Coffee.
Sanabria 3302. Every day from 8 to 1. Weekends until 2. Instagram: @notablecafedegarcia