Buenos Aires' first kissa: vinyl curated nightly by Bobby Flores, cocktails by Pablo Pignatta, and a 16 step omakase counter.
Mixtape opened on Franklin D. Roosevelt 1806 in Belgrano as the city's first kissa, the Japanese audio bar format where the sound system outranks the seating plan. SalPimenta documented the claim: a DJ cabin set directly opposite the bar, spinning vinyl, CDs, and rotating daily programs of jazz, blues, and rock curated by radio legend Bobby Flores.
The drinks hold their own weight. Pablo Pignatta, one of Argentina's most decorated bartenders, built a signature list with a tiki streak, per Baires Gourmet, while Takeshi Shimada runs a 16 step omakase counter at the back.
Who would hate it? Talkers. The room is engineered for listening, and conversation competes with the point of the place.
Time Out describes the space as resembling a recording studio: warm lamps, shelves loaded with records, and acoustic treatment doing invisible work. Rolling Stone en Espanol lists Mixtape among the listening bars sounding loudest in Buenos Aires right now, and the DJ cabin facing the bar makes the night's selector part of the show.
Order from the signature list first; Pignatta's tiki leaning builds pay homage to rum tradition, per Baires Gourmet, and price at the top of the city's cocktail range. The food runs Japanese Argentine fusion, osso buco wontons, grilled bao, and the 16 step omakase that turns a bar visit into dinner theater. Hawaiian shirt tiki nights rotate through the calendar.
Record collectors, musicians, and curious Palermo expats make the trip north to Belgrano; Time Out frames it as a refuge for a different night out. Tuesday through Thursday runs 7pm to 1am and quieter; Friday and Saturday stretch to 2am with themed vinyl nights.