Tango Porteño tickets: which option to book

What you're booking

This is admission to a staged tango show, not a tour. Tango Porteño plays in the building at Cerrito 570 that used to be the Cine Metro cinema, a few metres from the Obelisco. The show has a live orchestra, singers and a large cast of dancers. When you book, you choose one of three options: admission only, admission with empanadas and drinks, or admission with a three-course dinner and drinks. Every option includes entry to the show, so the choice is mostly about what you eat and drink. Your seat is assigned. Tips are optional, and the same dress rules apply to all three options: smart casual at least, and no sandals or flip-flops.

The three options side by side

Admission only is the plain ticket: you get into the show, with no dinner or drinks. The middle option adds two empanadas and unlimited water, soft drinks, beer and red or white wine, but no dinner. The third adds a three-course dinner with unlimited water, soft drinks, beer and wine. Dinner guests start their evening earlier than the others, and your confirmation shows the time for the option you pick.

• Admission only: the show, with no food or drink
• Empanadas and drinks: two empanadas and unlimited drinks, no dinner
• Dinner and drinks: three courses and unlimited drinks

Which option to choose

Choose admission only if you've already eaten, or you'd rather pick your own restaurant first. Choose the empanadas and drinks option for a lighter night: you get a snack and unlimited drinks without a full dinner. Choose dinner and drinks if you want the evening in one place and don't want to plan a meal around a show that starts after dark. Whatever you pick, leave yourself time to reach Cerrito 570 before the start time on your confirmation, and don't book anything else tight beforehand. If anyone in your group has dietary needs, the venue's site says vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free menus are available, so mention it when you book the dinner option.

Seats: what the booking doesn't say

Seating is assigned, and the booking doesn't say which part of the room each option gets. You can't pick a seat or table when you book. The venue's own price page is more specific. It sells dinner tiers called Platea, Executive and VIP, plus a preferential show-only seat, and describes a location for each. Its promotional show-only ticket says the seat is subject to availability, may be on the ground floor or the Pullman level, and cannot be chosen. If your view matters, contact the venue before you pay. Its phone number and email address are on its site.

Booking here or booking direct

You can also book through the venue. Its price page lists dinner tiers and show-only seats, with prices in Argentine pesos, and describes them as non-refundable. Most of its products list a hotel transfer, with conditions. Booked through GetYourGuide, you can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before for a full refund, or reserve now and pay later. If you book direct, read the cancellation terms before you pay, because they are the venue's own and differ from the terms here.

Hotel transfer: check before you assume

The venue's price page lists a hotel transfer with most of its direct products. The booking options here list admission, food and drink, and mention hotel pickup and drop-off only for a New Year's option. So don't count on a pickup unless the option you choose lists one. Plan your own way there and back instead: a licensed taxi is the simplest route, and public transport also serves the area. If a transfer matters to you, ask the venue to confirm it in writing for your date before you pay.

Read next: Cerrito 570: how to get there, what to wear

The VIP gourmet dinner is a separate booking

The VIP gourmet dinner is sold on its own page by a different provider, and it describes a longer evening of about three hours. Its options include dinner and show, with or without a city-centre transfer. Transfers outside Palermo and the city centre aren't included. That page describes a tango and folklore show, so don't assume it matches the main booking line for line. Choose it if you want a set gourmet dinner and a transfer arranged in one purchase, and check exactly what it includes before comparing.

Booking ahead and the box office

Book once your date is fixed. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before, so booking early costs you little. The venue has a box office, and its price page lists daily opening hours, but nothing published says you can rely on tickets at the door. The booking calendar is the guide to what's available on your date. If the option you want isn't offered, try another option or the nights either side before you contact the venue. Groups should book everyone in one transaction and check the seating with the venue.

The building behind the show

The venue is a converted cinema. The Cine Metro opened in October 1956 and was designed by the architect Albert Bourdon. The show's own site says it belonged to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. A Spanish Wikipedia article on the building says the cinema closed in 2005, that a Spanish hotel group bought it in 2007, and that a tango-themed hotel opened in 2009. It is a large commercial theatre, not a small club: the venue also hosts conferences and corporate events. That suits a staged revue. If you want a small room, look elsewhere.

Other ways to see tango

Buenos Aires offers more than stage shows. The city's tourism site lists professional shows, often with live orchestras and dinner, alongside historic cafés with tango, concerts and milongas. A milonga is a social dance where people dance for hours, in places from elegant halls to neighbourhood centres, and many hold a class first. Every August the city also hosts a tango festival and world cup, with free shows, classes and milongas.

• Stage show with dinner: this booking
• Historic cafés: period rooms with tango
• A milonga: watch or dance socially
• A class: a first taste of the steps

Read next: The Production: Orchestra, Singers, Couples

Who this isn't for

If you want to dance, this isn't it: a class or a milonga gives you that. If you want a small, quiet room, remember that the venue also hosts large conferences and corporate events. If you must choose your own table or seat, the booking doesn't allow it. If you need a guaranteed hotel transfer, the standard options don't promise one. And if you need a fixed start time to plan the rest of your evening, wait for your confirmation before booking anything else that night.