Things to do in Santa Fe
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A
El Brigadier
Half a block from Plaza 25 de Mayo, this refurbished restaurant offers an elegant interior and tasty cuts of meat and river fish that win out, despite a few strange quirks in the service department.
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Convento y Museo de San Francisco
The principal historical landmark in Santa Fe is this Franciscan monastery and museum, built in 1680. The walls, which are more than 1m thick, support a roof made from Paraguayan cedar and hardwood beams held together by fittings and wooden spikes, rather than by nails. While the museum section is mediocre, the church is beautiful, with an exquisite wooden ceiling and a fine polychrome Christ by the grumpy Spanish master Alonso Cano – it was sent as a sympathy gift to Santa Fe by the Queen of Spain when the town moved. Note also the tomb of Padre Magallanes, a priest who was killed by a jaguar that took refuge in the church when it was driven from the shores of the Paraná…
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El Quincho de Chiquito
This legendary place is a local institution, and the place to go to eat river fish. It’s on the costanera some 6km north of downtown. There are few frills to the service, and no choice about the menu: four or five courses of delicious surubí, sábalo or pacú are brought out to you. You won’t leave hungry. Drinks are extra but cheap. Think AR$10 each way in a taxi (staff will call you one to take you back) or catch bus 16 from any point on the waterfront road.
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Granja La Esmeralda
Nobody likes to see wild animals locked in confined spaces, but this experimental zoo has a wild and woodsy feel to it that makes it stand apart from most other zoos in the country. Provincial native fauna is mainly represented, including toucans, pumas, jaguars and a giant anteater. Many of the animals have been rescued after experiencing problems in the wild. Bus 10 bis, from Av Rivadavia, goes to the farm.
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Bodegas del Castelar
Run by the upmarket hotel of the same name, this spot appeals for its terrace on the stately Plaza 25 de Mayo – a fine spot for a sunset drink – as well as for its service and pricy but high-quality dishes, which include a couple of fondues (AR$50 to AR$70 for two people) and a copious platter of cheeses and meats (AR$52). Cheaper snacks are also available and there’s plenty of wine to try.
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D
Museo Histórico Provincial
In a lovable 17th-century building, this museum has a variety of possessions and mementos of various provincial governors and caudillos (provincial strongmen), as well as some religious art and fine period furnishings, including a sedan chair once used to carry around the Viceroy of Río de la Plata.
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E
Círculo Italiano
Part of the Italian social club, Círculo Italiano prepares good, moderately priced lunch specials (AR$25 to AR$30 Monday to Friday) and tasty pasta. Come for the ritzy atmosphere, the waiters in linen jackets, the complimentary pâté or the extensive wine list. Stay for the classic rock on the sound system.
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Museo Etnográfico y Colonial Provincial
Run with heartwarming enthusiasm, this museum has a chronological display of stone tools, Guaraní ceramics, jewelry, carved bricks and colonial objects. Highlights include a set of tablas – a colonial game similar to backgammon – and a scale model of the original Santa Fe.
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Cervecería Santa Fe
Cervecería Santa Fe is the brewery which produces the Santa Fe lager as well as brewing Budweiser and Heineken under license. If you call ahead, you can tour the plant for free and try the brew. Be sure to wear sturdy footwear and long pants.
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G
Las Delicias
Delightfully old-fashioned and elegant, with a great shady terrace, this bakery offers some of the most sinful pastries and cakes imaginable; it also does breakfast, afternoon tea and sandwiches. Service is traditional and correct.
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Restaurante España
This hotel restaurant has a huge menu that covers the range of fish (both locally caught and from the sea), steaks, pasta, chicken and crepes, with a few Spanish dishes thrown in to justify the name. The wine list is a winner, too.
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Iglesia de la Compañía
On the east side of the colonial square, the exterior simplicity of the Jesuit Iglesia de la Compañía masks an ornate interior. Dating from 1696, it's the province's best-preserved colonial church.
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J
Merengo
Since 1851 little Merengo has been making some of the town’s best alfajores santafesinos (Santa Fe’s sugar-crusted version of the country’s favorite snack). There’s another branch on Av San Martín.
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K
La Victoria
Right in the middle of La Recoleta nightlife district and still pumping at 3am, the Victoria is the place to come before, after or in between bars to have a few drinks and load up on good pizza and snacks.
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La Estaca
A cheap, traditional, hearty parrilla, with outdoor seating under a high awning. If you're not a vegetarian, it's mighty difficult to walk past when you can smell the grill going.
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Club Social Sirio Libanés
In a rather aristocratic dining room, attentive waiters serve well-prepared Middle Eastern–style dishes; it’s a pleasingly unusual place to eat. You enter down the end of a passageway.
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Casa de Gobierno
The vast Casa de Gobierno was built in 1909 and replaced the demolished colonial cabildo (town council), seat of the 1852 constitutional assembly.
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Teatro Municipal Primero de Mayo
Designed in the French neo-renaissance style so common in Argentina at the turn of the 20th century, this theater presents both drama and dance performances.
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Brigadier Estanislao López Stadium
The city’s best football team, Colón, plays at the Brigadier Estanislao López stadium, where you can also pick up tickets.
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Passage
This venue has been dishing out rock, electronica and Latin grooves for years, and it is still a good place to cut loose.
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Suite
Trendy lighting design and a roof terrace are the attractions at this handsome preclub venue.
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Tarantino
An attractive bar with a popular attached nightclub, Sivra. Dress smartish.
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