Mercado Buenos Aires: The Famous Argentinean Spot in Van Nuys

Mercado Buenos Aires started as El Mercadito — a place where people bought authentic Argentinean foods.

If you are looking for an intimate place where various ethnic groups come together to share news about Van Nuys and enjoy eating great food then Mercado Buenos Aires deli-meat market is the place for you.

Located at 7542 Sepulveda Boulevard in the heart of the city of Van Nuys "The 'Mercado Buenos Aires' alias 'El Mercadito', started as a deli-meat market," according to restaurant General Manager Eduardo Rodríguez.

Argentinean empanadas (with meat or vegetables) are a staple of Argentinean cuisine.

Some of the pastries available

"My mother used to make the 'empanadas' and my aunts would help out as well. It was only carry out food. Later on, we put a table for people to eat Argentinean sandwiches with coffee. Little by little...it became a restaurant," Rodriguez recalled.

"This community restaurant opened in 1989 as a deli-meat market in a small shopping center in Van Nuys," Rodriquez continued. "Through the years it became known for its traditionalism and for making them feel right in the heart of Buenos Aires," the restaurant's General Manager said.

Long time restaurant customer, Luis Campos, has been coming to Mercado Buenos Aires since it opened 20 years ago. "Throughout the years, I have introduced the place to other friends, who also became regulars."

Campos confessed that he usually dines at the deli-meat market five or more times a month depending on the season. "You come here, and you will always find somebody that you know, or a friend. It became part of my routine and part of our lives, like a part of Argentina is in the San Fernando Valley. It's not one thing or another, but everything in the restaurant that makes you feel that way," Campos explained.

"What also makes Mercado Buenos Aires so special is its simplicity," Rodriguez said, the idea is not to make it luxurious but to make people feel right at home." Customers also get together on Sundays to watch and discuss soccer games. "A lot of television networks come here during soccer season to interview our customers," Rodríguez noted. Another important reason why the restaurant has been so successful over the years is the loyalty of their customers who spread the good news about the great food. "My friend Jesse Corona has told me a lot about this place and brought me here," Stacey Fewtrel said, "and today, I'm going to order Jesse's favorite Suprema sandwich."

Mecado Buenos' down-to-earth atmosphere makes customers feel at home.

A long time friend of the original owner Manuel, alias 'Manolo.' Carlos Gonzales Maciel, 67, remembered when the mini-market was first opened. "I use to host an Argentinean radio show here in Los Angeles, which represented Argentina's famous 'radio Rivadavia," recalled Gonzales. "We use to hang huge speakers on the walls, so people could listen to the radio while eating. Many of them would cry remembering Argentina and the friends or family left behind. It was very nostalgic."

Another very popular order at the restaurant is 'morcilla and chorizo' (blood and pork sausages) with the unique and authentic taste that many meat eaters love. Vegetarians also have a chance to try an authentic Argentinean cuisine. There's pizza, salads, and the tastiest spinach empanadas.

"Argentinean celebrities such as Andrea del Boca, Diego Torres, Alejandro Lerner, and Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias have come here to try our food. It's just amazing to think how far we have gone," Rodríguez commented. "You can also buy Argentinean imports at their mini market. The prices at the restaurant and import products are very reasonable," he concluded.

Mercado Buenos Aires is one place with the magic of making customers from different backgrounds, feel at home, wherever they feel that home is either in Argentina or in Van Nuys.

More info:
* Mercado Buenos Aires photostream on flickr.com
* Google Map: Mercado Buenos Aires, 7542 Sepulveda Boulevard, Van Nuys

Natalia Zelaya and Amanda Montgomery are contributors to El Nuevo Sol.

This multimedia series results from a partnership between LA Beez and El Nuevo Sol, a bilingual (Spanish-English) multimedia website of the interdisciplinary program in Spanish-language journalism at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). Students in courses taught by journalism professors Jéssica Retis and José Luis Benavides worked with LA Beez editors Ronald Ellerbe and Julian Do on hyperlocal stories about Van Nuys, one of the most diverse and vibrant neighborhoods in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley, and about youth culture and the impact of the economic crisis on young people.