I have learned that the places that look a little suspicious from the outside often end up being…read morethe biggest surprises when it comes to food. This place is definitely not located in a fancy area, and I have to admit, I had second thoughts the moment I pulled into the crowded and chaotic parking lot. Located in the heart of Latino Town in Spring Branch, the atmosphere immediately reminded me of back home (Venezuela). The vibe is different, authentic, and familiar in the best way. I trusted the process because this spot had been on my list for a while, and I'm so glad I gave it a chance. Once you make it through the parking adventure and walk inside, you are pleasantly surprised by a small, quaint, clean, and charming restaurant. The aroma coming from the kitchen was enough to convince me I had made the right choice. We were seated right away during a busy lunch hour. The staff works together as a team, and the service was efficient and attentive. But, of course, the star of the show was the food. I had a steak cooked to perfection with sweet plantains, and it was absolutely delicious. They offer an extensive menu featuring flavors from Argentina to Venezuela, with plenty of options to choose from. Everything came out fresh, flavorful, and in a timely manner. If you are in the Spring Branch area and craving grilled, savory, authentic food, this is definitely a place to check out. I will absolutely be coming back. A true hidden gem!

And we're off! Today we kicked off our "A to Z International Dining Adventure"! We're planning to…read moreeat our way around the world, choosing a different country for each letter of the alphabet at restaurants around town. Houston has an amazing international dining scene and we won't have any problem finding food to match all 26 countries. Today we started with "A is for Argentina" at Pampa Grill & Market in Houston on Hammerly. We were thrilled to start our journey with newlyweds our son and daughter‑in‑law. We all shared freshly baked bread with chimichura sauce and marinated vegetables salsa criolla, delicious empanadas of all sorts, the Argentina Grill parrillada platter, and flan and Nutella crepes for dessert. Pampa Grill & Market is a beloved family-owned neighborhood gem run by Argentine owners. Definitely a fabulous experience all around. Pampa serves wine, but they also allow BYOB, so we brought a delicious 2022 Decero Remelinos Malbec and John and Katherine brought a lovely white blend, also from Argentina. Weare going to have so much fun taking this food journey together! "B" takes us to Brazil in the next couple weeks. Stay tuned!

Growing up in Houston, I would always see Marini's whenever my family and I drove by the old…read morelocation. As I got older, I would pass by it myself and always wanted to stop in...but life kept being life and I just never seemed to have the free time. I was finally able to stop by yesterday! I absolutely loved how the decor starts from the outside...it immediately draws you into the experience. The inside is vibrant, full of life and just feels welcoming. I was warmly greeted as I walked in. I headed toward the register and on my left I saw something that immediately caught my eye: Alfajores. Now, Alfajores are these wonderful sandwich cookies that are especially popular in Argentina and Uruguay. They're unique because they're traditionally made with cornstarch rather than just flour, giving them that wonderfully tender texture. They're filled with dulce de leche and often coated in shredded coconut. Some are even perfumed with lemon zest, depending on the region. I knew immediately that I'd be getting some. I ordered the Gaucho and the Chicken Diablo. The service was cordial and sweet: big smiles and a genuinely warm demeanor. The young lady told me my order would be ready shortly. She gave me an exact number of minutes, but I honestly forgot how many she said! I then turned around and, lo and behold, it all clicked. It was called "Marini's" because of the owners. To my surprise, there was a painting of a face I recognized. Years ago, my family and I attended a church called Centro Familiar Cristiano. Marcelo Marini! He has the kind of face you don't forget--very recognizable and distinctive. I thought it was lovely to discover that he was one of the owners. I only wish I had known years ago that this was his family's business. I absolutely loved how the restaurant is decorated. The writing that guests have left on the walls gives the place so much heart and personality. I've never been to Argentina, but Marini's gives me the impression of being a little getaway...a small glimpse of what it might feel like to experience Argentine culture. The young lady who took my order brought everything out with another smile. The Gaucho was fabulous. It was well seasoned and I loved the added detail of the olives. The chicken was shredded, tender and well seasoned too. The crust was crispy without being greasy. I also really enjoyed the chimichurri and the red sauce, which had a pleasant little kick of heat. And the Alfajores were spot on: tender cookies, rich dulce de leche filling and that coating of coconut that gives them such a wonderful finishing touch. I really enjoyed my visit to Marini's. Next time, I need to eat inside so I can fully enjoy the atmosphere while I eat-maybe with a glass of Malbec.

This place has been on my radar for a long time and finally stopped today. That was best decision I…read moremade all day. The place was tucked off in plaza I had to get up in there and was so pleasantly surprised. So cozy and cute. They have a great selection of empanadas and all the ones I had were sooooooo good. The spinach was a little juicier than I anticipated but everything was made so fresh. The Tia Maria and eggplant were my favorites and the sauces were a great addition in flavor. The dessert empanada sweet potatoes was top tier. The filling was just sweet enough, definitely want to taste the others, especially since they make their own fruit fillings. I can see how they've been around for so long. New customer alert !

The Patagonia Grill & Cafe is a favorite local restaurant! The restaurant staff is fantastic, they…read moretreat all like family. My husband and I frequent often for lunch and dinner. We enjoy the booths, bar and private room. The Argentinian menu is wonderful and portions are generous. (Dishes are made fresh, and the chef has prepared meals accommodating food allergies) The house salad, Chimichurri sauce, asparagus soup and skirt steak are highly recommended.

Ok.... A bit pricey... but EXCELLENT!…read more Came here in. Whim... Beautiful restaurant with wine as far as the eye can see! Full bar, We each had the 4 course dining option, which included soup or salad, small meat course, large meat course, and dessert. Among the three of us we had excellent: - soup - salad - sausage - melted cheese - ceviche - steak - salmon - tres leches - churro And that was not even everything! Great experience ce and value for the money. Try it!

The old phrase "don't judge a book by its cover " fits Saldivia's…read more From the outside, it looks like a little mom n pop place. But from the inside.... I picked up a customer of mine and he said let's go to a small South American place just down the street. From the outside, didn't look like much. From the inside, much bigger and certainly a South American flair. World Cup is going on so all the TVs had that on. Tons of wines sitting out , mostly Malbecs, my fav. Just a great vibe. But on to the main course. We both had the steak picanha. Med Rare. On my. Good Lord. This was awesome. I generally don't eat steaks out as they are overpriced and not cooked to my liking. The chef did an awesome job. Med Rare - spot on. Perfecto. I've been to Argentina many times in business and eaten many great steaks, this can be included in that. I know, I know...people swear by Pappa's Steak or Taste of Texas, but this small, unassuming place tops them all. And a fantastic SA wine list. Please give them a try. Will not be disappointed.

Came here for lunch and got their Monday lunch menu special. While waiting for my soup, I was…read moreserved half of a warm baguette. Yummy! The lunch menu came with a choice of either soup or salad, which I got the lentil soup. The soup was thick and hearty. It was very good. My steak was cooked perfectly and well-seasoned. The sides were well-seasoned too. The size of the steak, to me, was sufficient and considered big for a lunch menu. I had a triple chocolate tres leches after my steak. It was the perfect ending. I received warm and excellent service throughout my lunch. The restaurant is big and suitable for all party sizes. There is plenty of free parking in front of the restaurant, so that is a plus point.

I attended a professional private dinner hosted here and was impressed by with the interior, the…read moreservice and and food. The restaurant was elegant, with darker shading and lower lights. The room we were in was large, with tables placed closely together. Navigating was a bit hard, but it was a large group. The servers were extremely efficient and always present when you needed them. I was surprised and happy with the number of menu items available in the predetermined menu. I had the poblano soup, the spinach and mushroom enchiladas and the tres leches and they were absolutely delicious! The soup was rich and flavorful with crunchy chip pieces on top as a garnish. The enchiladas were savory and crepe like and the tres leches was a perfect close to the meal!

This was my first visit to Churrascos and although it's pretty pricey, I think I'll be back once…read moremore to try something else on the menu. Food: I ordered the crab cakes for lunch but after the first bite, it failed to wow me. I then ordered the fried shrimps (6 on a stick) and they were so good! I paired them with the fried plantains and voila, chef's kiss!!! Service: My waitress Lency was professional, attentive, and her suggestions were on point. She checked on me but didn't overdo it which allowed me to enjoy my meal in peace. She was great! Ambiance: It was everything!!! I decided to sit outside on the patio since the interior of the restaurant was a bit cold for me. It was such a beautiful day, the music was perfect, and I had the entire patio to myself! I needed that time to myself and I couldn't have asked for more.

OMG! This was a wonderful find. The food was so amazingly delicious. Service was friendly and…read moreattentive. No complaints on anything. My husband and I ordered lamb lollipops, tortellini stuffed with Wagyu beef, and seared pork chops with fig chutney and buttery mashed potatoes. The pork chop was absolutely our favorite even though everything was really good. We will be back again!!!

I came for Houston Restaurant Week. We made a reservation…read morethrough their website for 9:15pm on a Friday. We arrived at 9:00pm and the person who greets you at the restaurant was extremely rude. "Oh you have a reservation?" "Well I know you don't have a reservation, I have nothing here and we close at 10." To which I proceeded to take out my confirmation, but also said hey if you can't seat us it's not a problem we can go. He said no no and proceeded to take us to a table. Maybe we were late? I'm not sure. The website offered reservations even later, and others walked in after us. Who knows... Besides that, the food was ok. The appetizer empanadas and calamari were ok. Nothing to want to have again, I've had better. The lamb ossobuco with polenta was tasty and a big portion. My husband's beef brochettes weren't cooked to his liking. The rice that came with it was delicious. Good wine pairing for both entrees. Figs and mascarpone dessert was not to my liking. The mascarpone was heavy on the lemon. It took over the whole palate. Chocolate ganache cake was good. Was the quality worth the price? Not for me.

Unlike another Brazilian steakhouse which will be unnamed for personal reasons, this place hooks…read moreyou up with food. Our server (Isad) was amazing. He gave us exceptional service and made sure we had a bunch of sides. They did not skim this day for sure, meat wise too. I had some experience in another steakhouse where they just don't listen to requests, but if you ask nicely they bring the meat 2 minutes later. They start off strong, and they made sure to not bring chicken, ain't nobody come here for some chicken and they knew. Very good service again, would come back.

came to fogo on a tuesday weekday so it wasn't so packed…read more we were greeted right away by the salad bar pretty good variety, but u gotta wait for the meat meat we started w cheese breads & ordered the Brazillian lemonade chimmichuri & malagueta hot sauce were also served on the side, along with grilled plantain & crispy yuca fries topped with grated parmesan and malagueta aioli for the meats: we especially love the picanha, filet mignon, ribeye and lamb. These good cuts were served last, so one should wait or ask for it. Variety of dessert options to choose from, but we ordered to-go plenty of parking in the back of the building & there's also valet.

First time popping by - was torn between this one and the "original" empanada place…read more Little Patagonia is a cute little place, seating for a few dozen. Menu is limited. I believe the owners were on site (very nice). Food items are served on s cutting board. Chose the chicken, pork and spinach. I would not pick the spinach again - too much packed in the crust. Pastry is very light and crispy - all had a great taste. The chimichurri was very mild. Bonus - each has a fire brand indicating flavor.

Amazing find! Empanadas were not something I ordered until I stopped by here after an appointment…read more Man, they were so flaky buttery and soft!!! I opted for the egg and cheese for breakfast. They are cute and small so two were more than enough for me. I also ordered a small pistachio latte. The service was great and fast. There is plenty of parking. I definitely want to return and try other flavors.

This is one of my favorite restaurants in town, specially because I'm from South America and the…read moretaste is splendid and delicious, super tasty. The people that worked there are always super nice, I recommend you to go with no doubt. The whole place is always clean, shining with I love.

Ordered lomo saltado with maracuyá. Both delicious and authentic flavors. Friendly and quick…read moreservice. Welcoming ambiance. I'll definitely come back!

Super delicious and wide variety of sweet and savory empanadas with a lot of protein options…read more They also have great choripan sandwiches and Argentinian desserts. Service was good and quick. Only critique was the choripan needed some kind of kick like hot sauce or spicy chimichurri.

I was here several weeks ago with a friend who introduced me to the business. If you follow me you…read moremay have read my post. Specifically about the pineapple cream cheese dessert empanada! I came today to get a dozen, 13 actually, to share with friends on the 4th! I arrived while the counter person was offloading supplies. He said they opened at 11am. I placed an order for 1 dozen pineapple, cream cheese empanadas. I got there at 10:20am. Diego said he would work on it and they would be ready when they opened @11am. Unfortunately, Diego did not have my order ready when they opened. I clearly told him when he was bringing in product for the day that I need a dozen pineapple cream cheese empanadas when they opened. He said OK and continue bringing in product. At 11 AM when they opened, I went in and to my surprise Diego had not placed my order and it definitely wasn't ready. I was a bit annoyed and a tad bit confused. I said to him why didn't you place the order like I asked you to when you were bringing in supplies it went on to say that look if you need payment prior to getting the order that would not have been a problem, but you let me believe you were going to start making empanadas so they'd be ready when you opened. Diego counted with "no that's not what I said, I told you that you could place your order when we opened". To say I was more than annoyed would be a colossal understatement! I was so impressed with this product that I ordered a dozen to share three each with people that I consider special. Unfortunately, for Diego and the business owner, his unprofessionalism and outright deception cost him a potentially long-term customer. Like all of you I earned my money and I want to spend it supporting businesses that appreciate those people who support them. I was so disrespected that I choose not to get over it, but rather spend my money at a restaurant that has good product and values. It's customers more than this establishment! Does this restaurant make it quality product absolutely! Does this restaurant value customer is coming early in placing orders with them directly and honoring what they say? Absolutely not, at least not in my case! This restaurant goes from 5 to 2 stars because of this awful interaction. I am so disappointed, but that is life and with so many awesome businesses out there vying for customers this behavior could send them into a death spiral. GN3