Gardel's Winning Streak
Gardel is a sit-down restaurant on Ives Street, not a sports bar. It is typically open only for dinner, but when Argentina played in the World Cup, the Fox Point restaurant adjusted its hours, brought in a large screen TV, and the strategy worked. Gardel became the go-to spot in the neighborhood for Argentina fans to watch games.
The dining room at Gardel was bustling. Diners arrived in Lionel Messi jerseys, restaurant staff slipped out of the kitchen to catch key moments, and strangers who came to watch a match or two often returned as regulars.
“Whenever there was an Argentina game, our restaurant was booked out completely,” said Julia Nguyen, a Gardel waitress who worked every Argentina match. “Friendships were made. Having that community was beautiful.”
Gardel, at 102 Ives St., opened in January 2025, and is owned and operated by Tom Pelaez. Named for the celebrated Argentine tango singer Carlos Gardel, the restaurant draws on Argentine food and culture but expands its menu beyond just traditional Argentine dishes.
Gardel’s Argentine influence made it a natural meeting place for World Cup fans. Pelaez saw an uptick in Argentine patrons but also second-generation Argentine Americans, folks who have lived or spent time in the country, former study-abroad students and diners with a personal connection to its culture. During the World Cup, that audience found a reason to gather repeatedly.
One couple—including a woman who had lived previously in Argentina—came to every game Gardel showed, Pelaez said. The watch parties also brought in newcomers to the restaurant.
Nguyen remembers a few Scottish fans coming in during the tournament. They initially looked for familiar options such as cider and ale, she said, but were open to trying Argentine drinks and beers, including Quilmes, the Buenos Aires-based lager.
“We got a lot of new faces,” Nguyen said.
The restaurant’s decision to make room for daytime games was particularly significant. Gardel normally opens at night, but some Argentina matches began at noon or 3 p.m. Pelaez adjusted the schedule to accommodate them and publicized the special hours on Instagram. Gardel temporarily added a large television specifically for the World Cup.
“It was a definite bump in business,” Nguyen said. “I’ve never seen the restaurant so booked as with the games.”
The energy reached beyond the dining room. When a match was on, cooks came out from the back to join the crowd for stretches of play. Fans and staff watched together, celebrating big moments together as well. For Nguyen, that shared experience was more memorable than the extra business alone.
“I’ve seen a lot of friendships grow through these events,” she said.
That outcome reflects how Gardel sees itself. Nguyen said the restaurant is intended to be more than a place for a formal meal.
“One thing about Gardel—yes, we’re a restaurant, but our owner really wants it to be a third space,” she said. “Guests are welcome to get a drink or a snack and just enjoy the space.”
Gardel’s World Cup experience was part of a larger, if uneven, tournament moment for Providence. Other businesses, including the Hot Club and Narragansett Brewery, also embraced the games, Nguyen said. On Ives Street, Captain Seaweed’s showed some matches, and she noticed more people out in the neighborhood near Aleppo Sweets, Chomp and Kow Kow.
Pelaez, however, believes the city could have done more to help neighborhood businesses prepare. Providence organized the FanZone downtown and connected World Cup programming to WaterFire, but he noted that the FanZone also drew many potential customers into a centralized gathering place. The business boost Gardel received was strong on Argentina game days, he said, but it did not necessarily extend throughout the tournament.
Pelaez also said restaurant owners had too little advance notice about expanded hours for liquor licenses. State legislation allowed local licensing boards to extend business and alcohol-service hours during portions of the World Cup, but Pelaez said the timing of the city’s announcement left Gardel and other businesses without enough time to effectively promote changed schedules.
“It was a big waste of an opportunity,” Pelaez said.
Still, Gardel came away from the tournament encouraged. The games amplified its visibility, introduced new diners to its Argentine-influenced food and drinks, and reinforced the sort of community space Pelaez hoped to build.
The World Cup watch parties have also informed Gardel’s continuing programming. The restaurant now shows Argentine league and Champions League games, alongside wine dinners and art shows featuring Brown University and RISD students. In that sense, the tournament’s most lasting effect may not be the fully booked game days, but the people who discovered Gardel through soccer and choose to keep coming back.
