1. Where the Media Luna is King
Such is the quantity and variety of coffee shops in Nuñez, that I wake up pondering which I feel like going to that day. Each one (and there is virtually one on every block) serves cafe de especialidad, invariably in bespoke pottery. There is fierce competition between cafes as to who produces the best coffee and, of course, the best media lunas, Argentina's very own style of croissant, which are almost as famous as its beef. The traditional sticky, sweet and slightly heavy, but very delicious, variety have now been perfected by artisan bakers in the cafes, who tend to make them lighter, fluffier and more buttery. Having sampled café con media lunas in about 20 cafes, I can declare my favourite to be (drum roll)... Demente owned by the very attractive master-baker VickI, whose medialunas are flaky and light and easy on the grease. Plus, every year Vicki turns her café into a fun street party, with live music, coffeee cocktails and a barbeque where steaks are stuffed into here her flaky croissants for the best steak sandwhiches.   In second and third place fin the media luna awards come the slightly more greasy but very delicious Fuerza Atelier (favoured by my kids) and Báltica, a very pleasant corner hang out on 11 de Septiembre and Quesada, and great for working until the lunching school girls arrive at midday. All have great coffee too.

2. Plant Passion
You can tell that Nuñez residents love Nuñez by the little fences they build around the many trees on every block, wherein they create mini gardens of exotic fauna. Buenos Aires is known for its tree-lined streets, but after a while in Nuñez you start to notice that each tree has its own special undergrowth - sometimes tropical, sometimes exotic cactii - as if each green bouquet reflects the style of the homeowner that planted it. For me, this gesture of collective care is a sign that society is alive and kicking in Argentina, despite the political and economic frustrations and uncertainty that characterise the country. Sometimes the trees will carry a little sign 'our pavements are not your toilet'  with attached bag dispensers, urging dog owners to pick up their shit, which there is a lot of - just as if to remind us of Argentina's exshasperating, if endearing, contradictions!

3. El Muni
One of the things you start to notice about Nuñez is that there are a lot of sporty people about. Perhaps needing to burn off those media lunas they've just eaten, you see Argies armed with water bottles everywhere, evidently going to or coming from some sort of intense activity in one of the dozens of sports clubs. In Buenos Aires every trade union and every ethnic community has its own club, reflecting this city of immigrants. 'The club', hence, is not a privilage of the rich like in other places, but a meeting place for communities around sporting facilities, some run down, some state of the art, but all serving a cultural love of, mainly, the ball - football, tennis, hockey, padel, rugby, even golf. The Club Cuidad de Buenos Aires, otherwise known as El Muni, was founded for workers of the municipality (hence the name) and still has a heavy discount for public service workers. It's 1940s rationalist building is scruffy retro rather than glamorous, but its immense facilities - even golf course, rugby pitch and three swimming pools (two outdoor and one indoor) are accessible. I prefer it to the posh sports clubs of Palermo like the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis or El Argentino, because, apart from being affordable, it's buzzing with visibly elite activity. While you sit by the pool (on a lounger you have to bring yourself) your gaze will casually land on the multiple-Olympic-medal-winning Leonas (Argentine Hockey Team) practicing their skills, or, in the gym you'll spot a Worls Top 50 tennis player, like Francisco Cerundolo or Mariano Navone, preparing for Europe's clay court season. The club oozes Argentina's passion for sport, which produces world class results on the global stage.

4. Haute Cuisine and Bodegónes
There are many amazing restuarants in Nuñez, from posh fine-dining, trendy tapas to bodegas and parrilla. If you fancy upmarket, then I'd totally Michelin mentioned Piedra Pasillo which has proper works of genii on a plate. For parrilla (Argentine steak house)I like the feel of like Solomía. But my favourite is fish restaurant, La Pescaderia which serves fish in every single format you can imagine and to a super high level. It's impressive menu libre is tasting menu of sorts,ull of fantastic dishes such as prawn croquets, an amazing Wasabi fish ceviche, great sushi, clam fettucine, paella and even traditional fish and chips.  It is ALL delicious and you can have as much as you want for a set price of 35,000 pesos (like £25) which is great value for BA at the moment. I suggest finishing off with a dulce de leche creme brulée. When I'm feeling like a light dinner, I pop by Empanadas Tremendas, where their unusual range of artesanal and deluxe emanadas include sweetbreads, Ossobuco, Gorgonzola and Pear, or tuna and prawn, aswell as the classic Argentine range (beef chicken and ham and cheese). All delicious whilst sitting with a glass of wine on any spring, summer or autumn evening on the pavement tables.

5. The Joy of Multi-use Venues 
The River stadium naturally takes up quite a lot of space and attention in the neighbourhood. Every other weekend Avenida Libertador is choka with buses coming in from Greater Buenos Aires, red and white bodies hanging out of the windows whilst setting off flares, being dodged by local families meandering down to support their club (here in Argentina fans still own the clubs). The iconic football club also has a sports club inside which you can join, as well as a primary and secondary school, which have to give the children a day off on weekday matches or when Elton John or Oasis are playing in the stadium. But this music-venue-cum-football-and-social-club- school idea isn't exclusive to River. Just opposite the Muni on Libertador Avenue, Club Obras Sanitarias (the sexy English translation being Sanitary Works Club), was set up by, you guessed it, for the city's Sanitary workers. At around 2pm, its primary and secondary school students of the Instituto Obras - , in their black and yellow colours, pour out like little bees buzzing about the neighbourhood. In the afternoon, towering basket ball players in the same colours jigsaw their way through the crowds of little bees into the Obras sports club. And in the evening, queues for Teatro Obras, one of the city's most notable music venues. These multi-use venues is what makes Nuñez so vibrant and keeps business thriving for local the cafes and bars.

6. Aperó Society
Come nightfall and Nuñez' lovely tree-lined streets sparkle with fairly lights as street corners and sidewalks become bustling bars where friends gather around candle-lit tables in the warm evening. In Buenos Aires, warm weather for 9 months of the year facilitates stylish outdoor apertitif society, and Nuñez, away from the tourist mayhem of Palermo, is a great spot for evening drinking and tapas. Plus, unlike Palermo, there are hardly any buildings between Nuñez and the river, so you get the full effect of the buenos aires (good air) as the clean breeze waves through the streets, calming the night air. Porteños are not big drinkers, but are definitely partial to an Apero Spritz, Negroni or Gin & Tonic on suggestion. My favourite two spots are Aperó, on the corner of 11 de Septiembre and Iberá, which serves Apero of course, Negronis with sandnwhiches and pickles, and Vereda Adentro, which by day is a closed garage door, and by night transforms into a stylish cocktail and tapas bar. There is also Casa Arcos  on the other side of the rail tracks on the lovely street that is Arcos and Campos Salles, which looks nice but I have to admit I haven't been to yet (will update soon).

7. Artisan Pride
Nuñez is still full of artisan shops. One of my favourites is Atmosfera Luz where lampshade maker Carlos Menéndez weaves fabrics to make beautiful lamps. Having adopted the neighbourhood's love of plants, every time I walk past Floreria Brues, the mother and son flower business on Iberá and 3 de Febrero, I can't resist treating myself one of their exotic flora, which Gastón and Estela brief me at length about. Carolita Home on Cramer On is also well worth a visit, for beautifully made clothes and items for the home. In terms of artisan eating delights, I often pick up the delicious freshly-made ravioles - pumpkin and mascarpone, lamb and malbec or creamy shrimp - from the aptly named L'Artisan on Avenida Congreso. Meanwhile the best butcher in Buenos Aires in my humble opinion happens to be Vidal on Manuela Pedraza. Vidal is far too humble to have an IG account, but the long queues which form, as parrilla makers vye for the best cuts (while the chain butcher opposite remains empty) is testament to the trust that locals place in the surly Peruvian, who gets more and more friendly the longer he supplies you with bife ancho,  bife de chorizo, morcilla, mojellas, for your home parrilla. A sprinkle of salt and slap his meats on the grill guarantees as good as any restaurant. And finally I have to give a shout out to my girl Claudia at Chapeaux hair and nails, who does my nails beautifully and, much to her denial, I insist is a proper artisan of the feet.

8. The Memory Museum 
There is a dark side to Nuñez and the ESMA Museum of Memory is there to remind us about it. In 1978, less than a mile from the River Stadium, where Argentina was winning the World Cup, students, trades unionists, activists and anyone considered a 'threat' to the military government were being tortured and killed at the Military barracks (ESMA). As young men lay barely conscious in their cells and pregnant women were giving birth before being executed, just further along from the Muni on Av. Libertador, they could hear the roars of the crowds celebrating Argentina's world cup victory. An estimated  30,000 people 'disappeared' during the military dictatorhsip, which took power in the 1976 coup d'edat, and ended with the Falklands War in 1983. Today the disused barracks are a monument to the victims, and serve as a museum with tours of the torture chambers, guides will tell you the story of what happened and how. Perhaps a rather solemn tourist visit, but in my view an important reminder for all of us how fascism can take over and wreak its damage. It is the physical symbol of Argentina's pledge - nunca mas - never to allow anything like that happen again.

9. The Film School
Argentina is well known for its world class cinema. It is the only Latin American country to have won two Oscars in the foreign language category with  El Secreto de us Ojos (The Secret in Their Eyes) and La Historia Oficial (The Offical Version). Both worth seeing by the way. One of the great Argentine Directors, the late Eliseo Subiela (Man Facing Southeast / Hombre mirando al sudeste  and The Dark Side of the Heart / El lado oscuro del corazón) has a film school in Nuñez. The School provides short courses aswell as degree titles in different aspects of movie making.

All the recommendations cited in this article are from personal experience only, unless stated otherwise. We do not use external guides from the internet as a source, only word of mouth. If you would like to recommend a venue or service for any of our "Things we love about..." guides please contact us vie the contact form