My BA B-side

Buenos Aires has been my home since I moved here in 2010. In the early years I was living on a shoestring, renting a room and sharing a house with a landlady as I found my feet. Hunting for things on the cheap was as much a hobby as it was a necessity – from where to chow down on the tastiest empanadas to where to pick up a cool vintage dress for a steal for a night out on the tiles.

I began rummaging through my parents’ wardrobe as a teenager, discovering my dad's amazing retro GB tracksuits from his Olympic fencing days and my mum’s custom-made pieces, hand-stitched by a seamstress in Buenos Aires. Soon I began experimenting with my own burgeoning style and from here stems my enduring love of vintage. That led to many years of trawling through charity shops, eBay and flea markets for bargains, and ultimately, to having my own stall on Brick Lane selling the finds I would pick up around London each week.

Fast forward 14 years, and while I am no longer living hand to mouth, the idea of unearthing a tucked away cantina where you can eat cheap as chips surrounded by local characters, or discovering a feria americana with cool second-hand clothing for peanuts is still irresistible.

Curating tours over many years has enabled me to show my clients the more hidden facets of the city and some of the local spots that are unspoiled by tourism, many of which never receive any international press or social media exposure.

BA might not be as cheap as it was six months ago, but it’s a city that has always prided itself on its diverse and accessible cultural scene. It’s just a case of knowing where to find it.

Here are five spots I frequent regularly that won't break the bank:

Parque Centenario: Mecca for thrift hounds
Caballito

As I live close by, browsing at this flea market – where you can pick up everything from a vintage jumper to mid-century crockery – has become a Sunday ritual.

If you’re into reading or collecting books, you can find unusual titles or first editions, either from the permanent book stalls or the pot-luck selection on display as people lay out their bric-à-brac wares for sale impromptu on blankets around the circumference of the park.

After swooning over some Parisian influencer’s chocolate brown suede loafers on Instagram a few weeks ago, I found an identical pair which miraculously appeared on an old man’s stall, for the paltry sum of 8,000 pesos. The same day I picked up two beautiful photos from the 1950s of a couple of dashing Argentines in bespoke suits on the Mar Del Plata Bristol Pier, for which I paid 2,000 pesos a piece.

If vinyl is your thing, visit the dealers located at the Lillo Street entrance to the park, where nerdy collectors descend early on Sunday morning to check out the newest additions and buy, sell, haggle and socialise with fellow wax heads. Claudio, Jorge and Damián are my favourite sellers, stocking a mix of jazz, international rock and pop and Brazilian and Argentine rarities, from Rock Nacional to Tango. I never know what I’m going to come away with.

La Tayuela: Slice of porteño cafe culture
Rodríguez Peña 110, Centro

This corner bar opened in the early 1980s and the decor has remained unchanged ever since. The spearmint green formica countertops, swivel leather and chrome bar stools, faded backlit photos of 80s styled food and the glass domes encasing the delicious sandwiches each day, their speciality.

At lunchtime it gets busy so prepare to get cosy with your fellow diner at the bar as conversation flits between economy, football and politics. I go several times a week, and Aníbal or Hipólito will ask me “Lo de siempre?” (“The usual?”) before serving me a delicious tostado mixto with a carrot-and-egg salad and a soft drink, all for a paltry 6,900 pesos. Their artichoke sandwiches are also a must.

Cactus Records: Heaven for vinyl enthusiasts
Uruguay 290, Centro.

Brother and sister duo Darío and Mabel Raris run this record store in the centre of the city, which opened 22 years ago and covers an eclectic selection of genres, stocking new and used vinyl, cassettes and CDs.

From period pressings of local folklore (think Atahuel Yupanqui and Mercedes Sosa) and rare Argentine and Uruguayan reissues that they import from Europe, to Argentine pressings of Beatles and Stones records, there’s so much to check out, but the real joy of visiting this tucked away vinyl haven is the duo behind the till. Darío and Mabel have an infectious enthusiasm for music and visitors can pick their brains for their extensive knowledge. Plus, there’s the bonus of being able to listen to the records prior to buying them.

El Balón: Jewel in Flores’ crown
Gaona 3199, Flores

This family owned bar, which opened in 1955, is famed for serving draught beer in a balón glass measure, hence its name.

It frequently crops up in films and adverts given its picturesque decor of colourful tiles and neon signage, most famously in the Oscar nominated film Argentina, 1985. It's an hour-and-a-half round trip on foot from Caballito so I regularly go in the week for a midweek supper.

The waiters at El Balón are an institution, with Carlos clocking up 42 years of doing the day shift and Ariel over 30 years working nights. The meat empanadas are delicious, as are the minutas, the raviolis gratinados (personal favourite) or the classic carne al horno con papas.

Locals regularly pop and read the paper propped up at the bar while sharing chit chat with owner Andrés, and in the evening, old-timers watch the football over milanesas and Vasco Viejo, while a younger hip and intellectual crowd keep the ambience lively.

The Book Cellar & Henschel: Book-lovers’ paradise
Reconquista 533 1ºpiso, Centro

Englishman Daniel Zachariah set up his book-selling business when he wasn't able to find any English books for himself. Having started out with the idea of selling to tourists, he soon realised that it was more intelligent to cater to locals instead.

After an offer to buy up a collection of books from the widow of a bookseller named Henschel and take over the premises of the shop, Daniel relocated to the centre where he continues to hone his skills and expand into the antique and speciality book field.

According to Daniel, what most drives him is being able to buy personal libraries and learning the stories behind the books and their sentimental value, who their owners were, and being able to share this with the future buyer.

The selection of items for sale includes literature in multiple languages, art-books, rarities and collectibles, from a vintage Penguin edition of an Evelyn Waugh book to a rare and collectible photography book by Argentine Horacio Coppola from the 1940s.

Prices start at 4,000 pesos.