Rodrigo S is very friendly and provided excellent service. He has great smile and very courteous…read more All the dishes are good portion. I will come again.

Pedro was the best. Delicious food and great service, nice…read moreplace for lunch and dinner with friends and family.

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!

This place is pretty authentic Argentine from someone who has been to Buenos Aires 5x…read more The food is made with love here and you can tell. The provoleta is VERY authentic and I've found that to be hard to find outside of Argentina. I've eaten here twice and once I had a steak and another I had pasta. Both were great. I love having Pasta in Argentina and I tend to enjoy the way they make it more that Italian restaurants, not totally sure why. So ordering pasta is always a move if you don't want a huge piece of meat. See pics Cant wait to go back.

The Bottom Line 3.5 stars: Recommended for a chill dining experience in a nice neighborhood. Good…read morevibes and service but you will need to navigate the menu a bit. Location 3.5 stars: On the North side of Riverside Drive in Toluca Lake, between Cahuenga Blvd and N. Pass Ave. No Valet or parking structures. The Yelp profile says they have a parking lot but we could not find it. Metered parking which is hard to come by given the many restaurants in this area. The streets are quite and nice and walkable though and you see many people strolling along or walking their dogs, even in the evening. Venue 4 stars: Nicely decorated rustic venue. Indoor and outdoor seating. The inside however was uncomfortably cold when we visited (while outdoors was probably 80-85 degrees). Service 4 stars: Staff were friendly, polite, courteous and attentive. Food 3.5 stars: Primarily Argentinean food, including soups, appetizers, steaks, fish, chicken and pasta. We had the Tuna Tartare (Tartar de Atun, very good), Chicken Milanesa Napolitana (unfortunately very dry and tough), Salmon Con Tapenade (it had potential but ours was dry and overcooked), and Lomo a la Gorgonzola (beef tenderloin with Gorgonzola sauce; this one was very good!). I would highly recommend the Tuna Tartare and the Lomo a la Gorgonzola, but the Milanesa Napolitana and the Salmon Con Tapenade fell far short of our expectations. Drinks 3.5 stars: Beer (bottle and draft), wine, soft drinks, coffee and tea. No cocktails.

We've been to Lala's Argentine Grill on/off over the years. This Studio City location is off of…read moreVentura Blvd. & Carpenter Ave. For parking there's valet unless you get lucky with street/metered parking. Service for us has always been good with attentive and friendly employees. We've had sandwiches, burgers, steak, etc. Wifey's go-to is the Pechuga De Polo (lemon-orange marinated chicken breast) while my go-to is the Costilla (8oz boneless ribeye steak). The food has been dependable as always. If you want to entertain guests/family/friends or have a nice date, Lala's Argentine Grill is a pretty good option. There's plenty of tables inside and on the covered patio. They also have lunch specials Mon-Fri from 11AM-4PM and happy hour Mon-Fri 3PM-6PM.

First and Last time coming here! I have had better…read moreArgentinian food. Actually Pasadena has some good ones. I ordered a ribeye that I saw, it was 14 ounces. And I said medium. My steak came well done looking like a flat steak tasting blah and a lot of fat. I had never seen a thin looking ribeye in my life. And she said oh I brought you the 8 ounce, which we didn't even discussed. Nasty steak, poor quality meat. She did apologize but irrelevant when I had to eat that disgusting steak. Been there done that!! Oh and I went to wash my hands and the bathroom said a lot right from the start. There's a sink and next to the sink is a hole to the floor. Weird...... I didn't waste my time taking pictures of this dump.

Lala's Argentine Grill on Melrose is always fabulous! There are only a few tables inside, but the…read morerestaurant has a huge covered dining patio with plenty of seating. I ordered my usual favorites: the entraña cooked medium rare with mashed potatoes, a Caesar salad, and a pitcher of Cleritco--their refreshing white-wine sangria made with fresh fruit. The steak was flavorful and cooked perfectly, and everything was delicious. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal, as always, and the customer service was very good. Lala's continues to be one of my favorite places for Argentine food!

I've ordered this steak countless times, so I know what the portions normally look like. I ordered…read moretwo of the same steak, and while I was completely happy with one of them, the other portion was honestly a rip-off for the price! One steak was a perfectly reasonable portion, while the other was this tiny sad piece of steak and I paid the exact same price for it. That's what really bothered me. I understand that steaks can vary slightly in size and shape, but this was not a slight difference. When I'm paying the same premium price, I expect reasonably comparable portions. Getting one good-sized steak and one significantly smaller piece for the exact same price just doesn't feel fair. I've been a repeat customer and have ordered this dish many times, which is why I was especially disappointed. I'm not asking for anything unreasonable, I just expect the portion to match what I'm paying for!

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!

Julio is the star performer! He tended to multiple tables with 23 guests and it was like we had our…read moreown personal waiter. Two other women in the area did not offer any help out on the floor. I am amazed. He works hard and has a fast pace. The food was good too. Had a few delicacies from the land down south.

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!

This place surpassed my expectations. I've been to Malbec in Pasadena and was not impressed. I came…read morehere because our son craved steak and we were in the area. We were the only customers during lunch. We ordered the parillada and a few appetizers. The parillada was amazing. All the meats were perfectly cooked (although under-seasoned - but nothing a little salt can't fix). The sides were great and their beer was good too. Would come back and try more things.

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!

Came to Malbec Argentinean Cuisine in Pasadena with friends this past Wednesday for dinner. We…read morearrived early enough to catch happy hour before our 5:45 p.m. reservation. We started at the bar with Ernesto, who was wonderful. He recommended the Moscow Mule because they make their ginger syrup in-house, and it was delicious. The red sangria was also a hit. For happy hour food, we tried the spicy beef empanadas, 5 oz skirt steak (entraña) with peppercorn sauce, and cebiche mixto. Everything was great. Our only mistake was not ordering fries to dip into that peppercorn sauce! After happy hour, we moved to our table and met our server Eder. He was sweet, attentive, and very knowledgeable about the menu and wine. He made an excellent wine recommendation to pair with our dinner and started us off with complimentary warm baguette and classic chimichurri. For dinner, we ordered the Tabla Mixta with ribeye and short ribs. The meats arrived sizzling on cast iron and were cooked perfectly medium-rare. It came with three chimichurri sauces, with the garlic chimichurri being my favorite. Honestly, the meats were seasoned so well they didn't even need sauce. We also tried the Arroz con Mariscos and added Argentinean chorizo. The octopus, mussels, clams, shrimp, and scallops were all cooked perfectly. The rice was a little too wet for my preference since I enjoy the crispy, scorched bottom of a Spanish-style paella, but the seafood itself was excellent. The ambiance is lively and can get pretty loud, so we had to speak a little louder than normal. My only real complaint was the temperature in the main dining room. It was extremely warm throughout our visit, even with the AC supposedly running at full power. Interestingly, the area near the restrooms was noticeably cooler. This was really the only thing keeping our experience from being 5 stars. Parking around Green Street can be challenging, but street parking is free. We got lucky and found a spot down the block. There's also a paid public lot near Green and Mentor. Overall, Malbec delivered excellent food and even better service. Ernesto and Eder were both fantastic and really elevated our experience. We'll definitely be back for happy hour and dinner with friends and family.

Stumbled into El Morfi Grill for a late lunch, and honestly, it was a great decision. This place is…read morethe definition of a hidden gem. It's small, quiet, clean. We ordered the Chicken Alfredo, a Pechuga ala parrilla, and a Choripan sandwich. All were delicious but the real superstars of the afternoon were the empanadas. The pastry was soft, fluffy, and held together a filling so well-seasoned and generous that I'm still thinking about it. It's fresh, tasty Argentinian comfort food that hits exactly where it's supposed to. ​This is a small, family-run place with just a handful of staff, you have to be prepared for the service to move at a slightly more relaxed pace. But in a world where everything is rushed and impersonal, there's something genuinely charming about a place that takes its time to get the food right. Our server was incredibly friendly and attentive, checking in on us frequently. It's the kind of local business that actually deserves your support, so if you're in the area, stop by and give them some love. Just be prepared to relax, soak in the quiet vibe, and leave significantly heavier than when you arrived.

It has been some time since we were last here, though my wife has notes about her visit to this…read moreplace from the 1990s! Our meal started with the bread and chimichirri. It was great! I ordered the Chicken Marsala with Marsala Sauce on the pasta (instead of Marinara). It was good, though the Marsala Sauce was a touch sweet for my taste, but I still enjoyed it. They are very generous with the mushrooms! My wife got the Entraña. (Skirt steak). The steak was very tasty. That, with the rice and sauce, made her day! We also ordered a Chicken Caesar salad. I liked the grilled chicken in the salad. The service was good. The atmosphere was pleasant. I enjoyed the Argentine music. We'll be back.