I've eaten at Mercado's sister restaurant in Northridge quite a few times, and I was stoked to…read morefinally get to the mother ship. While the West Valley location is small and hushed, with dark woods and muted lighting, the OG Mercado is the exact opposite: big and bright, with a bustling edge in the air as the staff navigates between eat-in diners, people ordering take-out, and still others buying items from their meat, pastry, and cheese displays. Yes, it's a real market and restaurant in one, and the energy is palpable as you browse the large menu, knowing everything is going to be very fresh and cooked to order. It's always difficult to decide between a Choripan or Steak Milanesa sandwich, but today I opted for the Choripan -- and while I deleted the lettuce & tomato that's usually on top, I added grilled onions. As I waited, I was brought fresh-baked Argentine baguette, which was crusty on the outside and pillowy on the inside, with just a touch of chew. The bread is served, of course, with Chimichurri, but also a tomato & olive oil salsa of sorts that had a light and veggie-forward flavor that offered a nice contrast to the earthy, herbaceousness of the chimi. I've learned the hard way to no overindulge on the bread and sauces, so I pulled back after one piece -- and luckily, my sandwich arrived soon after. This is a hefty Choripan, demonstrably larger than what I've had at the sister location. A very plump, butterflied and charred Argentine sausage resting on more of that bangin' baguette (the chewy center offering solid support for the fillings), and a generous helping of grilled onions. There was a patina of "grease" on the sandwich, but that's not a bad thing -- this slight oiliness was packed with flavor, adding tremendous Argentine Umami to the meal. The sausage was meaty and dense, with just a bit of fat and a very nice punch of herbs and spices, leading to an enjoyably potent flavor very specifically South American. The onions were excellently prepared: grilled to a medium firmness, the chef bringing out the natural sweetness while retaining just enough of the original, onion bite to add extra layers of taste. As if that wasn't enough, the onions were clearly cooked in a bit of spice, which gave them an extra kick of heat that blended very nicely with the spiciness of the chimichurri. This is just an excellent sandwich. Service is friendly, the entire restaurant is spic & span clean (including the restrooms), and the crowd seems genuinely happy to be where they are, eating what they're eating. The meats, cheeses, pastries, breads and empanadas on display in the market areas all look top notch and very appealing. I'll be shopping here for things to make at home, and I'll be coming back for another dine-in meal very soon. If you haven't been, you should stop by to try it for yourself. It's just so, so good!

If you are a Messi fan then his pictures are everywhere here. Argentinan restaurants are hard to…read morefind so thank you for serving the community. Story began with Paul Rodriguez serving meat at the small market. Business kept growing so they expanded to meat market/ bakery/sit down restaurant. Now there are 2 locations in the local area which is Van Nuys and Granda Hills. All I know is everything is good here and taste great. All made in house with so much love and made from scratch daily. They take the time to marinate and triple whip pasties. You can taste the difference. They must buy ingredients/ food from a high end distributor. You can do all your market shopping here, meats, spices, etc too. Market/restaurant (mercado) is your one stop shop for Argentina goods. Btw- there is vegan dishes/burger here too. Breakfast opens at 7:30am. They are a large kitchen inside. Pastries facturas are cute and deliciously fresh. I recommend 3 and coffee if you are on the run. If you have time choose some omelettes which are all under $15. I will need to try breakfast sandwiches one day. Lunch: Handmade empanadas if you are on the run. They are only $2.80 for baked or fried with meat inside. Chimichurri sauce with (crispy baked) bread is a must if you are dining in. Spices in the sauce is sooo amazing. Again I must try the lunch sandwiches one day. Dinner: I have tried spaghetti and steak which has all the right spices that does not resemble Italian. Sauce has a meaty beef stew thickness. I also like the steaks that are certified angus choice skirt steak, bone-in short rib flanks with homemade Argentine sausages. Buenos Aires burger is quite delish too unlike your normal American burger. It has chimichurri sauce inside. I must try the seafood soon because I see everyone else ordering it. Sugar time: Flan that is has vanilla custard with dulce de leche from Argentina. All desserts are good and I yes I have tried them all. Cakes super moist to flaky cakes and specials not on the menu. Improvements: alcoholic drinks would be so much more popular if they are perfect this department. It is def not my fav. I like a good mix from a bartender. The basic wine/beer is fine. Hidden gem with the friendliest staff. Muchas gracias Mercado Buenos Aires!

I had the pleasure of dining here with my Argentinian friend a while ago. It was during a DineLA…read moreweek. It was the best afternoon we had! The ambience was very jovial yet elegant, I felt like it should become my Argentinian getaway! We chose the special options offered and they were well thought out. I opted for the branzino lunch including a starter of an empanada, a side of rice and broccoli My friend opted for the steak with a caper sauce and with same sides. They were gracious enough to let me take my friend's empanada to go. The food was excellent as were their wine selections, my white wine was crisp, it paired nicely with the meal. My friend's Malbec was perfect with the beef. As we lingered, our server offered to "top off" our wines, I was blown away by this gesture, it alone should garner great acclaim! The dessert was excellent! I thank them for this gem!

Dined at Bodega Malbec last week for dinner. It was a 6p reservation and there was plenty of…read moreseating inside. Outside on the street there were not a lot of options since it was a beautiful valley night. I can say this was my first time trying Argentinian food and it won't be my last. They did not have cocktails which was a disappointment for me but they had a very affordable wine selection filled with, you guessed it, Malbec. They also serve beer if that is your thing. Getting to the meat of the review, I had the ribeye that was cooked to perfection. It came with three dipping sauces and I tasted one of the three and opted to forgo any sauce. It just wasn't my flavor. For the side we got the mashed potatoes and Brussel sprouts with bacon. Both good neither great. Jumping to the desserts. We got the crème brûlée a trio of sorbet and a chocolate mousse. I don't eat chocolate but it was devoured by the rest of the table. The sorbets were refreshing and the brûlée was tasty. Now to what I loved. The tapas aka appetizers. Beets and burrata salad 10/10 Empanadas three ways Spinach and cheese 9/10 Beef 9/10 Chicken 9/10 Garlic shrimp 10/10 Each appetizer I thought was better than the next with the burrata probably being my favorite. A nice Toluca lake gem at a good price with many options.

A-Lala-lalalonglong oh yeah! and still the best Argentine Food in LA-la's! Excellent service with…read morea smile with our Stanley Tucci look-alike server and friendly staff! Took a gamble and tried the Costilla (Ribeye) instead of my usual Pollo la Brasa and was super stoked with the fatty flavor! Also tried the Creamed Corn Empanadas which is my new fav! Wifey said the Pechuga Napolitana was eeeeelite! The fries too tho! Better than McDees haha!

We had such a great dinner at Lala's in Studio City! The atmosphere is lively and welcoming, and…read morethe service was friendly, attentive, and made the whole experience even better. The mushroom appetizer was one of the best we've ever had--absolutely incredible. We're already trying to recreate it at home because it was that good! The mashed potatoes were another standout: rich, creamy, and packed with flavor. Everything we had was delicious, and we'll definitely be back to try more of the menu. If you're looking for great food, excellent service, and a fun atmosphere, Lala's is well worth a visit!

Nice first visit for me and an old friend of mine Sheri. Sheri is a meat and potatoes, kind of gal…read moreand so this place fit the bill. We both had the ribeye steak, Sheri had to Costillo and I had the Gaucho. We both loved our steak as they were both tender and flavorful. For the Gaucho, I really enjoyed the Anaheim pepper and other accoutrements and we'll get this the next time as well. The meal includes two sides. We both had mashed potatoes and I had a salad and she had asparagus. We had a server in training who was very attentive as well as the supervising server. We sat in the patio, which was nice. There was plenty of room very nice ambience. Relatively easy street parking. It was a nice visit for both of us. We will be back for sure.

LALAs had us fooled at first bite and the service quickly followed…read more.. The very first thing our server asked wasn't what we wanted to drink or if we'd ever been there before--it was, "Are you guys here to watch the game?" We immediately told him, "No, we're here for the food." Looking back, that should've been the first warning sign. They brought out fresh bread with chimichurri, and honestly, it was delicious. It got us excited because we thought- maybe this place really did deserve the hype. That excitement lasted about five minutes. We asked our server what everyone comes here for, and without hesitation he said the skirt steak. Since we wanted to try their specialty- meats, we ordered the Plato Mixto, one of their premium platters. It came with skirt steak, New York steak, Argentine "Italian" sausage, half a chicken, and sweetbreads. It's already one of the most expensive items on the menu, yet they still upcharge an extra $4 per side, if you want one of the "premium" sides. At that price, you'd expect everything to be included and quality to be exceptional. For the sides, we chose the grilled veggies, which the server said included eggplant, zucchini, tomato, onions, mushrooms - basic veggie mix and LALAs Potatoes, described as "Mashed Potatoes & Carrots." We figured that meant mashed potatoes served with carrots, or maybe mashed potatoes with pieces of carrot mixed in. Instead, it was one orange puree--mashed potatoes blended together with carrots. No flavor. If that's what you're serving, just describe it that way. The menu there was very misleading. Then came the sweetbreads. We had to ask our server twice what they actually were because he couldn't explain it clearly. Eventually he described them as "lymph nodes." Whether that's technically accurate or not, that's probably not what anyone expects to hear after taking a bite. Then we actually started eating. The Argentine sausage had a strange, almost spoiled flavor. When we mentioned it, instead of acknowledging our concern, our server doubled down and told us it was supposed to taste "rancid." I've eaten authentic Argentine food before. This wasn't it. It tasted like bad meat. The steaks were no better. We ordered medium rare, but the skirt steak was practically purple raw in the middle. Beyond that, both steaks were unbelievably tough. Every bite was a workout. For a restaurant that's supposed to specialize in grilled meats, that's inexcusable. Very low quality red meat. The chicken didn't save the meal either. I've had incredible pollo a la brasa and grilled chicken from plenty of places. This wasn't even close. It was bland, dry, and completely forgettable. When our server came back and asked how everything was, we were honest. We told him we really weren't enjoying the food. Instead of apologizing, offering another option, or trying to make things right, he doubled down again. "That's my favorite thing on the menu." Okay...and? Then he told us to squeeze a bunch of lemon over everything and brought us what felt like half a bottle of Tabasco. Think about that for a second. If the solution to your signature meats is to drown them in lemon and hot sauce just to make them edible, that's not a customer problem--that's a kitchen problem. By that point, it all clicked. The first thing he cared about was whether we were there to watch the game. We told him we came for the food, but the entire experience felt like the food was an afterthought. The service wasn't interested in listening to our concerns, only defending them. This place may be great if you're looking for drinks, sports on TV, and somewhere to hang out. But if you're coming because you've heard this is the place for authentic Argentine meats, prepare to be disappointed. The meats were tough. The sausage tasted off. The menu descriptions were misleading. The service felt more like a used car salesman trying to convince us our experience was wrong than someone who genuinely cared whether we enjoyed our meal. I don't write reviews to tear places down. I write them to help other people spend their money wisely. In this case...save yours. There's far better places to try authentic Argentine cuisine, this is not it, would not return.

This was my first time trying World Empanadas in Burbank, and I'll definitely be back…read more The gentleman working at the window was super friendly and made the whole experience really easy. I wasn't expecting there to be so many different empanadas to choose from, so I took a while deciding. He was really patient, answered all my questions, explained the different options, and gave me some great recommendations. I ended up getting the Beef, Chili Carne, Chicken, Spicy Potato, Santa Fe Chicken, and Spinach & Cheese empanadas. They were all really good, and I liked that they let me choose from three different sauces/salsas to go with them. Everything came out quickly and was packaged really well. They even included a list showing which empanada was which, which I really appreciated since they all looked pretty similar once they were in the box. I actually came for the empanadas, but they also had fresh pasta and decided to give it a try. I'm really glad I did because it was excellent. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente, the sauce was delicious, and honestly I'd come back just for the pasta. There are still a bunch of things on the menu I want to try, especially the sweet empanadas, so I'm already looking forward to my next visit. Great food, friendly people, and a really welcoming experience. I'd definitely recommend checking them out!

I really wish I knew about World Empanadas sooner because I just found out about it and I have been…read moremissing out on some amazing empanadas! I ordered a dozen empanadas for the take and bake option. I love the take and bake option because it is like having freshly baked empanadas in my own kitchen! I baked them per the directions on the website and it worked perfectly. The take out window was very convenient and online ordering was easy. World Empanadas has so many empanadas flavors to choose from. I tried a bunch of flavors and I liked all of them! My favorites were the Santa Fe chicken, breakfast, spinach, and the chile con carne. They all had amazing flavor. The order came with a big serving of chimichurri and that was a nice addition to the empanadas. World Empanadas also has breakfast burritos that I am interested in trying next time. Since I don't live close, this is my new stop when I'm going to Burbank airport. World of Empanadas is amazing and I highly recommend getting their empanadas!

Wow! If I lived in the area this would be my 'Go to' place for a 'meat' dinner!…read moreVery tasty! Atmosphere is inviting! Staff is very accommodating! This was a great place for our cousins get together. I definately will be back!

Went with my family to get a meat parrillada! We used to come to this restaurant years ago (maybe…read more10 years ago). So I was excited since I remember the meat being really good. Sadly, it was no where near as good as I remembered. Food 2/5: the food was so underwhelming. We asked for medium rare for the meat, they gave us well done. The pizza we ordered the bread was tough and almost stale like. The rice, mashed potatoes and salad were ok. But the main entrees were not good at all. Ambiance 3/5: it's both a market and restaurant. Very casual. Nothing special to be honest. Service 2/5: our waitress was dry and I had to ask for my water to get filled up every time. They also shouldn't have served such well done meat, esp when someone asked for medium rare. I wanted to send it back, but my parents are too nice and said it's ok.

A hidden gem in Eagle Rock. This cozy restaurant restaurant…read moreis elegantly decorated and the servers are amazing! I can't remember our server's name, but he was so helpful deciding on a wine and entree dishes. The portions are generous and the options are many. We ordered some wine, calamari appetizer, and shared the entraña al Malbec. For dessert we had some Gelato and coffee. Everything was delicious and the service was amazing. We will definitely be back to try the milanesa!

My wife gave it 1 star I give it 3 but 2 stars is accurate for value. The we got the assortment of…read moremeats on a hot dish. Flavor was ok, but the meat was tough to eat. The restaurant was 20% full and it took 27 min. to get served. For $120 w/ tip, terrible value, will not return. A much better option is Mercado Buenos Aires is a long-standing (since 1989) Argentine restaurant, bakery, and market with locations in Van Nuys and Granada Hills, CA. It specializes in authentic cuisine, including grass-fed Angus beef, empanadas, and chimichurri, alongside a market offering imported groceries. Good price, great food!

DineLA started tonight and did we make the perfect selection to kick off the two weeks!…read more Service was 5-star! Gilberto was excellent...offering suggestions and explaining options as we were first time patrons of Malbec! So on to the food! Course 1: both the Cebiche Aji Amarillo albacore tuna and yucca chips and the Vieras Gratinadas scallop crab were beautifully presented. Tuna was packed with flavor and great texture layers. Scallop was more delicate and mild flavors. Second course: the out of this world Ojo de Bife Al Malbec rib eye ... would 100% order again and the excellent as well Pollo à la Granja. Sauces on both dishes were super star! Argentinian cuisine obviously treats us to incredible culinary herbs and spices (fresh dill on the scallops and rosemary on the chicken) Third course: dessert for days! Crepe De Durzano .. light crepes and gelato... and the too die for Pastelito de Membrillo. Fruity summary crispy tart like dessert with gelato and fresh berries! Lovely wine pairings suggested by Gilberto made it all a 5-star experience! We will be back!

Had a good dinner on Saturday. Haven't been here in a while. Started the dinner with Empanadas duo…read more(beef and chicken) Followed by their fish of the day, which was Branzino. And for meats went with Tabla por Dos. Lamb and Ribs. Both meats were tender and flavorful. For sides, ordered their Potato and Grilled Veggies. The server was friendly and we had a great time here.