Buenos Aires has a vigorous gay scene, centered mostly around Recoleta, Barrio Norte, and PalermoViejo, with a handful of venues elsewhere. Lots of gay men hang out on Avenida Santa Fe between Callao and Pueyrredón, a good area to meet people and learn the latest. The monthly publication La Otra Guía lists gay-oriented and gay-friendly businesses.

The capital’s gay venues are mostly tolerant and even inclusive of nongays. When non-Argentine heterosexual women tire of Argentine machismo, they sometimes even prefer gay bars for dancing, but porteño machistas are catching on to this.

San Telmo’s Pride Café (Balcarce 869, tel. 011/4300-6435) is a corner café and meeting place that draws plenty of straight folks for sandwiches, sweets, specialty drinks, and the 7–9 p.m. happy hours.

Barrio Norte’s Search (Azcuénaga 1007, tel. 011/4824-0932) is a well-established gay bar open nightly with live entertainment.

In Balvanera/Once, the durable Angel’s (Viamonte 2168, www.discoangels.com.ar) is a gay male bar and dance club that’s open Thursday–Saturday after midnight to the beat of electronica.

On the edge of Palermo, one of Buenos Aires’s most popular gay bars, Sitges (Avenida Córdoba 4119, tel. 011/4861-3763, www.sitgesonline.com.ar), packs them into three large but distinct spaces almost until daybreak. Known for drag shows, it offers some mainstream entertainment and gets celebrity clientele.

PalermoSoho’s Bach Bar (Cabrera 4390) is a predominantly lesbian locale that doesn’t advertise the fact—there’s no sign outside—but there’s usually a crowd. It’s open from about 11 p.m. Tuesday–Sunday.

Also in Palermo Soho, Bulnes Class (Bulnes 1250, tel. 011/4861-7492, www.bulnesclass.com.ar) is a comfortable, spacious locale with contemporary style and drag shows in the Liza Minnelli mold that also draw women and mixed crowds.