El Federal – The oldest bar in operation in the city of Buenos Aires

the federal It opened its doors in 1864, when San Telmo was a labyrinth of tenements and rental houses where blacks and poor immigrants, especially those from Italy, found shelter.
the federal Toward the end of the 19th century, it was a brothel and then a warehouse with a drinks office until, in the early years of the 20th century, it definitively became the bar-café that continues to this day.

It was born as a grocery store in 1864 on two dirt streets, the same corner of Peru and Carlos Calvo, through which carriages and horses circulated at that time.

Years later, the general store was a warehouse and it was common knowledge that on the top floor of the building, right where the drinks warehouse is now, there was a clandestine brothel, then called "house of tolerance" either "of public women".

They say that formerly the federal a "grocery store" operated, where good Spanish sardines, original Izmir figs and excellent Italian olive oil were available. Today they would be called delicatessen.

In the early years of the twentieth century it was remodeled with its current appearance and works as it does today. When digging the well to place the current bar, buried corpses were found, probable victims of the terrible yellow fever epidemic that affected Buenos Aires in 1871. Another dramatic event would have occurred on the site when the daughter of the owner of the premises was murdered by her boyfriend, when he found out that his fiancée was unfaithful.

Various films have been filmed in its facilities such as "Cafetín de Buenos Aires", "El Tango tells its story", "Custodio de señoras" and "From the Abyss".

Today the federal is part of the declared Notable Bars in the City of Buenos Aires.