Abasto de Buenos Aires occupies a grand market building first established in 1893 and rebuilt between 1931 and 1934 to serve as the city’s central wholesale fruit and vegetable market until it closed in 1984. The surrounding Abasto neighborhood is inseparable from tango legend Carlos Gardel, who lived there from 1927 to 1933 and was nicknamed “El Morocho del Abasto.”
After more than a decade of abandonment, the building was restored in the late 1990s, preserving its striking Art Deco facade while converting the interior into a modern shopping and entertainment complex that opened in 1998. The site is directly served by the Carlos Gardel subway station, named for the singer’s ties to the area.
A visit combining shopping, dining, and admiring the building’s Art Deco architecture typically takes one to two hours, longer if paired with a walk through the surrounding Gardel-themed streets.
