The leaves have begun their fall from the trees, and the air has gotten chillier. 

In LA, that can only mean one thing: fall is finally here. As you ponder where to go for your next meal, a particular cafe should come to mind: Mercado Buenos Aires. The cozy cafe atmosphere and the warm, hearty comfort food you find are classics filled with new flavor twists. This spot is a long-running cafe chain with a unique taste of Argentine cuisine with traditional flavors, leaving a long-lasting impression. 

Mercado Buenos Aires has been open in the San Fernando Valley since 1989. However, in 2009, Chef Paul Rodriguez took over the restaurant. His goal was to expand the unique taste of Argentine cuisine, culture and goods. 

The Buenos Aires Cafe offers a variety of foods coming from the city itself, such as empanadas, facturas, tostaditos and a variety of omelet dishes combined with several side dishes. You can also buy meat products to cook for yourself inside the restaurant. 

If you’re vegan, I don’t recommend dining at this restaurant because Argentine cuisine in general involves various meat-heavy dishes. If you do choose to visit, the only vegan option I recommend are the plant-based beef and chicken empanadas. 

The venue of the restaurant is sensationally beautiful; paintings and tokens of famous Argentinian icons are displayed along the walls, including signed jerseys of famous soccer players such as Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos.

After trying this restaurant, the dishes I would recommend are their beef and chicken empanadas, facturas, choripan argentino and tostaditos. These dishes all had incredible flavors that were unlike anything I had ever tasted. The foods themselves weren’t new to me, but they each had a slightly new taste, which was due to the Argentinian food which I had never had before.

While I did enjoy the beef and chicken empanadas, I did not enjoy the spinach empanadas. The taste didn’t sit right with me, and the flavors didn’t stick out. 

I also loved their authentic facturas, a sweet pastry that usually has a creamy filling. My favorite factura was their powdered croissant with caramel on the inside.

Overall I rate this cafe a 7/10 because they offer real, authentic Argentinian food, which is rare in the San Fernando Valley, and because the overall aesthetic of the restaurant is beautiful. 

Mercado Buenos Aires is located at 7540 Sepulveda Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91405 and open from 7:30 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. daily.