How to Visit the Mataderos Market in Buenos Aires

In modern day Buenos Aires, city buses dominate cobblestone streets that previously belonged to gauchos.

However, every Sunday in the southwestern corner of the city the streets are blocked off for the weekly Feria de Mataderos, a market that embraces Argentine tradition.

This used to be where the countryside collided with the city. Gauchos would bring their cattle to the slaughterhouses here where they would be butchered and sold within the city.

Today it’s just another urban neighborhood but the pride of rural tradition holds strong.

Locals return week after week to dance to folkloric music, dressed in traditional clothes.

There’s a market selling artisan goods where you can pick up small batch cheeses and salami, hand made knives, or crafts from around the country.

And don’t neglect the food – here you can try traditional dishes from a classic choripan to locro and empanadas from the north.

The Mataderos Market is a unique experience that will be a highlight of your trip.

the Mataderos Market: What to Know

WHEN | March-December, every Sunday from 11 am – 7 pm

The Feria de Mataderos shuts down during the hot summer months, it will re-open in March and run through December (inclusive), more information.

They keep their Instagram page up to date, posting special events (like special ferias for patriotic holidays) and a weekly announcement of the performers for the upcoming week.

Always check their Instagram page before going for the most up to date information.

How to get to The Mataderos Market

Address: Av. Lisandro de la Torre & Av. de los Corrales 1072, C1440 CABA

Being completely honest, the Mataderos Market isn’t very easy to get to.

It will take around 45 minutes to an hour.

Taxis and Uber, of course, are ideal for an easier trip.

You can also take the Subte E line to the very end, then catch a taxi from there to lower your taxi fare.

City buses (called colectivos) are also an option but not ideal if you’re not used to them. You might have to connect two buses.

If you’d like to try out the bus, use Moovit or Google Maps to plot out your route and read my guide to conquering public transportation in Buenos Aires.

History of Matadores: A Neighborhood Steeped in Tradition

Mataderos is a quite a bit off the beaten track on the southwestern edge of the city.

The name Mataderos, which translates to slaughterhouses, says it all about the neighborhood’s origins.

For many years, Mataderos was where the rural gauchos collided with the urban city. It sprang up as a commercial hub due to its livestock market and slaughterhouses.

Tradition has always been important here.

Payadas, or improv lyric contests, regularly took place in the local bars.

Even today at the weekly Mataderos market you can almost feel the pride emanating off of those dancing to the traditional folkloric music.

How must it compare to the payadas of the past?

Read more: Learn more about Argentina’s rural culture but visiting one of these excellent estancias near Buenos Aires.

New Chicago

Mataderos was often referred to as “Nueva Chicago,” due to the city’s role in the American meat industry.

Chicago also served as a sort of meeting point for the midwestern countryside and the slaughterhouses of the city.

Matadero’s soccer team is actually still called Nueva Chicago so you’ll see reference to them and their colors of green and black all over the neighborhood.

Read Next: The 8 Coolest Buenos Aires Markets

Traditional Argentine Folkloric Music at La Feria de Mataderos

My absolute favorite part of the Feria de Mataderos is the traditional music and dance.

Buenos Aires is famous for its tango, but Argentina has beautiful music and dances from many other regions as well.

In the center of the market, you’ll find the dance floor and stage.

There’s a gaucho MC running the day’s schedule, announcing the performances and bands that will perform on stage.

Couples return week after week to dance. This is a market for the locals.

Most come just as they are, in their street clothes, and dance the day away.

But some come dressed to the nines in their traditional leather boots, bombachas (gaucho pants), pañuelos (handkerchiefs), and ponchos.

Listen for the chamamé from the province of Corrientes or the chacarera from the province of Santiago del Estero.

Handkerchiefs fly and singers make sounds that remind me of Mariachi’s yelling. I LOVE it.

The music you’ll hear here is filled with all of the joy drained from the depressing tango lyrics you’ll hear downtown.

El Resero: The Story Behind the Statue

In the center of the main square, just behind the stage, you’ll see a statue of a man atop a horse.

The sculpture, El Resero (named for the gaucho herding cattle), was finished in 1932 by Emilio Sarguinet.

It quickly received criticism based on the horse’s gate. Horses walk with their front right foot and back left foot, alternating.

But this horse is carved with both the right front and right back legs stepping forward together.

Everyone claimed the artist had made a very obvious mistake. But the skeptics were the ones in the wrong!

The artist depicted the pasuco breed perfectly as they walked in this particular way, both feet on the same side advancing together, to allow for a more peaceful gate.

The rider could rest and even fall asleep atop a pasuco, and get much-needed rest for the long rides through the pampas.

Read Next: A Local’s Guide to the San Telmo Market

What to Eat at the Mataderos Market

Ya’ll, the food here is so good that my mouth is watering just typing about it.

The small but mighty Mataderos Market is filled with food stands frying up empanadas and grilling up chorizo.

Find the bulk of the food stalls surrounding the main square behind the main stage.

There are also a few more food stalls at the end of the artisan stalls to the right (if you were facing the stage). The stalls I saw here sold mainly empanadas and sandwiches along with a couple breweries selling their beers on tap.

You can go for a cheap and always delicious choripan (chorizo sandwich above), slathered in chimichurri.

There are traditional empanadas from Salta and Tucuman in the north.

Looking for something off the ” red meat/grill” menu? Try humita, a creamy corn mixture cooked in a corn husk.

Or order tamales or locro (a hearty, traditional stew).

Whatever you choose, come hungry!

Sit Down Restaurants in Mataderos

If you want a sit down meal there are a lot of small restaurants in the surrounding blocks dishing up popular Argentina foods for a good price with not a single tourist in sight.

For example, I ducked into Parrilla de los Corralles for my kid to use their bathroom but everything looked delicious enough to make me want to go back for lunch!

La Cantina del Cosquin is just across the street and also looks incredible.

Bar Oviedo: Traditional Bar in Mataderos

To rest your feet with a coffee or wine, stop by Bar Oviedo at Lisandro de la Torre 2407. 

It’s been open since 1900.

Bar Oviedo is one of the official “Bares Notables” of the city, a list of historically important bars and cafes located throughout Buenos Aires.

It was a meeting point for the workers from the slaughterhouses and the cattle workers coming in from the countryside.

Oviedo was the stage to many a “payador”, like Nicanor Reyes, who weaved amongst the tables singing traditional Argentine folkloric music.

If you’re not thirsty or hungry, still take a peek inside to see a bit of history as it looks frozen in time.

Shop in the Market

The blocks sprawling out from the main square in every direction are lined with stands selling every souvenir you thought you wanted and those you didn’t know you needed.

Leather belts, mate cups, hand made gaucho knives (called a facon), and ponchos… you’ll find it here.

The stands on Avenida de los Corrales sell delicious edible goods, from olive oil to salami and cheeses.

Walk slowly and taste things along the way. My favorite is always the dulce de leche liqueur.

Visit La Feria de Mataderos

I really hope you make it out to the Mataderos market.

It’s something special and one of my favorite things to do in Buenos Aires.

If you love to experience a local culture and venture off the beaten track, the Mataderos Market is for you.

Related Buenos Aires Guides

• The 8 Best Buenos Aires Markets
• San Telmo: Market & Neighborhood Guide
• Recoleta: A Buenos Aires Neighborhood & Market Guide
• The Best Argentina Souvenirs
• The Best Buenos Aires Food Tours
• Where to see Tango in Buenos Aires