Playful Buenos Aires: 6 bars to put your phone down and start playing again

With tokens, neon lights, and something tasty to eat or drink, El Destello has become a go-to spot for anyone looking to relive the 8-bit era. It’s the perfect place to lose track of time with cult classics like Pac-Man, Snow Bros, NAVE, or Speed Up, while sipping a signature cocktail or draft vermouth.

With a retro-wave aesthetic that blends original ’80s arcade machines with newer ones, El Destello offers more than just joysticks and buttons. The bar mixes its classics with a schedule of DJs, stand-up shows, and even Counter-Strike events that revive the golden age of internet cafés. This playful ecosystem is backed by a menu that refreshes every six months: burgers, tequeños, and pizzas share space with a creative cocktail bar, plus draft beer and vermouth.

Good to know: you don’t need to buy tokens—each drink comes with two.

Where: Gascón 1460, Palermo.

This bar in La Paternal features more than 20 pinball machines from different eras, including classics like The Addams Family, Terminator 2, Medieval Madness, and The Getaway. There are also arcades, foosball tables, and even an original Argentine-made waterfall fixture like those that decorated arcades in the ’80s and ’90s.

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The menu includes pizzas, empanadas, burgers, beer, and cocktails (each drink includes a token). The programming features monthly tournaments using the International Flipper Pinball Association (IFPA) ranking system. The experience is rounded out with special packages for birthdays and corporate events, with token-based or unlimited-play options.

Good to know: it’s just 15 blocks from Perro Negro (Galicia 528, Villa Crespo), a brewery with arcades—perfect for a double plan with games like Galaga, Ms. Pac-Man, Mortal Kombat, Wonder Boy, The Simpsons, and Street Fighter II.

Where: Álvarez Jonte 2173, Paternal.

Since 1930, La Academia has never closed: it’s open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. And since 1976, it has embraced traditional games: five pool tables, one billiards table, three foosball tables, and two ping-pong tables, plus cards, role-playing games, and chess and checkers boards. After 95 years on the corner of Callao and Corrientes, it reopened five months ago on Montevideo Street, where another iconic theater-district restaurant, Pippo, once stood.

Its round-the-clock hours and variety of games have made it a meeting point for bohemians, night owls, students, coffee lovers, and billiards fans. A gaming bar that evokes that sleepless Buenos Aires that still occasionally shows itself in places like this.

Good to know: to recharge between matches, you can grab a coffee, share one of their classic platters, or try the famous “La Academia tostado,” a ham, cheese, tomato, and hard-boiled egg sandwich made to share between four.

Where: Montevideo 341, San Nicolás.

Doda was created by board game lovers who wanted to share their hobby with the world. From family-friendly titles with simple rules to complex games that can last five or six hours, from warm-up games to deeply strategic ones—at Doda, play takes many forms.

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Like sommeliers, the staff suggests what to choose among more than 2,200 titles and explains the rules. You can pay per session or by the hour to play. If you’re not playing, you only pay for what you consume at the café, an eclectic proposal that blends Argentine classics with Venezuelan touches: stuffed chipás, tequeños, and the original “Dodalunas” (dice-shaped croissants). There’s also specialty coffee, gluten-free pastry options, and lunches featuring burgers, hot dogs, and focaccias, including vegan alternatives.

Good to know: every Wednesday there are special events, including tournaments, game launches, social sessions, and food pop-ups with partner venues.

Where: Fitz Roy 1855, Palermo. Mini Doda at Mercat Villa Crespo, Thames 747.

Created by actor Juan Esteban Bonora, La Board is a café where games take center stage. There are more than 800 titles for both beginners and regulars: board games, card games, party games, narrative games, hidden-role games, and even cooperative ones where everyone plays against the game.

One of the most played is Dixit, a game of creativity and interpretation. Also popular are Codenames, a team-based word and deduction game, and especially Catan, with its modular board that changes the “terrain” every match.

They host themed nights, launches, talks, special events with guided play, official tournaments with prizes, and even comic presentations and signings. There’s also room for dates, birthdays, and larger gatherings where games become the perfect excuse to connect.

Good to know: live music sessions are organized in collaboration with audiovisual producer la.gorda.nana.

Where: Aguirre 938, Villa Crespo.

This classic already has three locations in Buenos Aires and will soon open a fourth in Ramos Mejía. In Palermo, pinball and arcade games like Daytona take center stage, along with dance machines and shuffleboard. In Boedo, you can play pool, ping-pong, or board games—or try your hand at archery.

The newest location, in Núñez, features mini golf, pool tables, air hockey, bowling lanes, and a massive 370-meter-long Scalextric track that loops around the bar, passing by the tables. But the biggest surprise is the Fono-Bar: paradoxically, it feels novel to talk through old-school telephones from table to table, putting smartphones aside and connecting without “pre-stalking.”

Across all three venues, every night brings surprises: raffles, special guests, live Tinder sessions, and tournaments in truco, Dables, or puzzles.

Good to know: the Núñez location opens at noon, so both kids and adults can enjoy the experience.

Where: Carlos Calvo 3860 (Boedo), El Salvador 4139 (Palermo), Juana Azurduy 2453 (Núñez).