Tango show at Esquina Homero Manzi
A tango show built around the songs of Homero Manzi, with an optional three-course dinner and a pickup choice.
Manzi and Boedo
A poet, a corner and a song
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The poet whose name is on the door
Homero Manzi was born Homero Nicolás Manzione Prestera on 1 November 1907 in Añatuya, in the province of Santiago del Estero, and died in Buenos Aires on 3 May 1951, aged 43. Wikipedia calls him a tango lyricist and also a filmmaker, and he co-wrote screenplays as well as songs.
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The corner in the song
Sur, with music by Aníbal Troilo and words by Manzi, was first recorded by Troilo's orchestra with the singer Edmundo Rivero in February 1948. Buenos Aires city tourism says Manzi wrote it at one of this café's tables that year, and the city's Boedo tango article says the corner of San Juan and Boedo was immortalised in it.
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A barrio with a literary past
Boedo is a working-class neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. In the 1920s its main avenue gave its name to the Boedo group, left-leaning writers who gathered around a publishing house on Avenida Boedo. The city's own tango route for the barrio points to its literary tradition and its historic cafés and bars.
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A café with several names
The venue says its bar was built on this corner in 1927. Buenos Aires city tourism adds that some locals recall a bar here as early as 1914, that it carried other names before 1981, and that it closed in 1999 and reopened in 2001. Today it stages tango dinner shows.
Listening aid
Four songs to know
Manzi wrote the words and others wrote the music. These four titles come up whenever his name does, though no title is guaranteed on any evening.
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Sur
1948, music by TroiloThe corner song. Wikipedia calls it an elegy for a lost love, set among landmarks of Buenos Aires's south side. It was recorded in February 1948 with Edmundo Rivero singing and has been covered since by, among others, Julio Sosa and Roberto Goyeneche.
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Barrio de tango
1942, music by TroiloA song of the neighbourhood, written with Aníbal Troilo, the bandoneón player and bandleader whose orchestra was among the most popular with dancers in tango's golden age.
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Malena
1941, music by Lucio DemareSpanish Wikipedia says the lyric was inspired by and dedicated to the singer Nelly Omar.
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Che bandoneón
1950, music by TroiloThe title addresses the bandoneón, the squeezebox at the heart of a tango ensemble. The instrument was developed in Germany in the mid-1800s and, Wikipedia says, was brought to Argentina around 1870.
The performers choose the programme and may change it, so use these four as homework rather than a setlist.
A dinner show, start to finish
How the night runs
The ticket gives about three hours in all, transfer included if you choose it; your confirmation shows the pickup and show times.
- Getting there
Pickup or meeting point
Pickup from your hotel is part of the ticket. If your pickup address is not a hotel, the operator arranges it at the nearest hotel; if you stay outside the pickup area, you choose the meeting-point option when you book. Guests who rode the shuttle mention several stops to collect everyone.
- At the table
Dinner, if you chose it
The dinner option adds a three-course meal before the show, with drinks: alcoholic and non-alcoholic ones, and a bottle of house wine for every two guests. Menus for coeliacs, diabetics, vegetarians and vegans are available if you give advance notice.
- On stage
The tango show
Fifteen performers bring the music of Homero Manzi and Carlos Gardel to life through dance and live music, set in tango’s golden age. Programmes shift between nights, so this page describes the show as the booking page presents it now, not a fixed running order.
- Afterwards
The ride back
With the pickup option the same service takes you back to your hotel. Reviewers mention a late start to the show, so keep the next morning loose.
The ticket in six lines
What the ticket covers
What the fare buys, in six lines.
- The show
- A tango show at Esquina Homero Manzi with fifteen performers, built around the music of Homero Manzi and Carlos Gardel. The ticket gives about three hours in all.
- Dinner
- Optional. The dinner option brings a three-course meal, and the drinks belong to it: alcoholic and non-alcoholic ones, with a bottle of house wine for every two guests.
- Menus
- A standard and a VIP menu are set out on the booking page. Menus for coeliacs, diabetics, vegetarians and vegans are available with advance notice.
- Pickup
- Pickup comes with the ticket, and the page where you choose your date lists the specifics. Guests outside the pickup area take the meeting-point option instead.
- Access
- The ticket is wheelchair accessible. Take your passport or ID card; a copy will do.
- Cancelling
- Cancel at least a day ahead and the whole fare comes back; or hold the seat now and pay later.
The corner and the room
The corner and the room
The corner entrance, the painted signs and the dining hall are photographs of Esquina Homero Manzi. The dancers at the top of the page and in the bar scene were photographed elsewhere, at tango performances that are not this one.
Show only, or dinner
Show only, or with dinner: the options on one ticket
| Choice | Included | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Show only | The tango show without dinner. The drinks belong to the dinner option, not to the show on its own. | Anyone with dinner plans elsewhere |
| Show with the standard dinner | A three-course dinner before the show, with drinks that include a bottle of house wine for every two guests. | A full night out in one place |
| Show with the VIP dinner | A second menu set out on the booking page beside the standard one, with its own starters, mains and desserts. | Guests who want the other menu on offer |
| Pickup or meeting point | Pickup comes with the ticket; guests staying beyond the pickup area take the meeting-point option. | Pickup for a door-to-door evening, meeting point to make your own way |
Book the show
The tango show in Boedo
One ticket, shown below: the tango show at Esquina Homero Manzi, with the dinner and pickup choices set out on the booking page.
More in Buenos Aires
Practical notes
Practical notes
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Where it is
The venue gives its address as Avenida San Juan 3601, on the corner of Avenida Boedo, in the Boedo barrio of Buenos Aires. Type that address into any map app.
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Getting there
Pickup comes with the ticket. If your hotel lies beyond the pickup area, pick the meeting-point option at booking, and the confirmation carries the details.
- 3
Arriving
Your confirmation shows the pickup and show times. Reviewers mention a late start to the show, so plan the next morning loosely.
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Eating and drinking
Dinner is optional, and the drinks come with it. Menus for coeliacs, diabetics, vegetarians and vegans are available if you give advance notice.
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What to bring
Your passport or ID card; a copy will do. The ticket is wheelchair accessible.
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Changing plans
Cancel at least a day ahead for a full refund, or hold the seat now and pay later, so nothing has to be settled today.
Go deeper
Six guides to a night in Boedo
- Which ticket to book
Homero Manzi tango show: tickets
How to book the Esquina Homero Manzi tango show: show only or with dinner, the standard and VIP menus, pickup or meeting point, and who it suits. Read the guide → - The corner and the song
Esquina Homero Manzi and Sur
Who Homero Manzi was, how the tango Sur put the corner of San Juan and Boedo on the map, and what the café has been called since the 1920s. Read the guide → - Listening guide
Tango, milonga and vals explained
A short listening guide for a first tango show: what the rhythm is, which instruments play, and how milonga and vals differ from tango. Read the guide → - The neighbourhood
Boedo: the barrio of Manzi
A short guide to Boedo, the working-class Buenos Aires neighbourhood with a literary group, a football club and a tango corner named for Homero Manzi. Read the guide → - Dinner and drinks
Dinner and drinks at the show
What the dinner option adds to the Esquina Homero Manzi tango show: the three-course meal, the drinks, the menus, dietary needs and the show-only choice. Read the guide → - Getting there
Pickup or meeting point
How the pickup and meeting-point options work for the Esquina Homero Manzi tango show, who each suits, and what to expect on the ride. Read the guide →
FAQ
Before you reserve a table
How long is the tango night?
The ticket gives about three hours in all, with the transfer included if you choose it. Your confirmation shows the start time.
Where is Esquina Homero Manzi?
At Avenida San Juan 3601, on the corner of Avenida Boedo, in the Boedo barrio of Buenos Aires.
Who was Homero Manzi?
A tango lyricist and filmmaker, born in 1907 and died in 1951. He wrote the words of Sur, Barrio de tango, Malena and Che bandoneón.
Is dinner included?
Dinner is optional. Add it while booking; the three-course meal and the drinks belong to that option.
Can I have a vegetarian or gluten-free meal?
Menus for coeliacs, diabetics, vegetarians and vegans are available if you give advance notice.
Is pickup included?
Pickup comes with the ticket; the booking page has the specifics. Staying beyond the pickup area? Take the meeting-point option.
Is the venue wheelchair accessible?
Yes, the ticket is wheelchair accessible.
Will they play Sur?
Nobody can promise a song, because the programme belongs to the performers. Sur is the song most closely tied to the corner.
A Boedo tango night in the café tied to Homero Manzi and the song Sur.
Reserve the Boedo tango show ↗Choose a date and the fare shows in your own currency.