While chefs receive plenty of glory and press for their creative flair in the kitchen, and sommeliers are lauded for their pairing skills, let’s not forget one other important member of restaurant staff: the waiter.

The face of any eatery from the most humble café to the most accoladed of Michelin-starred restaurants, your local watering-hole likely employs a waiter who has chosen service as his profession for life. On first-name terms, he knows how you like your cortado (mitad mitad), your favourite Malbec and the name of your dog. The Real Argentina meets four career waiters who work in and around Buenos Aires.

Diego Salamone, 42, waiter at Alvear Palace
“I was studying to be a systems analyst but it reached a point when I had to look for work. Various doors opened for me in the world of gastronomy, and I worked at Cabaña Las Lilas among other places until I came to the Alvear.”

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