Local Eats

TANGO Argentina Food

By Mabel Suen

TANGO Argentina Food, the metro area’s oldest purveyor of traditional Argentinian empanadas, opened its first dine-in storefront, in St. Charles, last September.

Previously, beyond being a fixture on the local festival circuit for decades, TANGO operated as a smaller carryout-only location at 2012 Campus Drive, also in St. Charles, from 2016 to the end of last July.

The restaurant comes from husband-and-wife duo Hector and Stella Aberastury. The Buenos Aires, Argentina, natives established TANGO in 2000 when they began selling their flaky empanadas de carne – an empanada with ground beef, green and red peppers, onion, olive and Argentinian spices – at local festivals.

Over the years, from a booth proudly outfitted with the blue-and-white colors of the Argentinian flag, Hector Aberastury became known as the “Empanada Man,” selling savory hand pies fried to perfection. The couple gradually introduced new filling options at their stand, such as a creamy empanada de espinaca with spinach, egg, white sauce and Swiss, mozzarella, Parmesan and Romano cheeses.

“Over the past couple of years, we’ve missed seeing people at events,” Stella Aberastury says. “It’s great to have a place for them to come in and have our empanadas now. We love being able to show them the food of our country and offer them a unique Argentinian experience.” TANGO’s roughly 1,500 square feet can seat about 50 guests. From the menu, customers can choose from 14 fried-to-order empanadas created with imported ingredients according to traditional family recipes, each shaped differently to indicate the filling. According to Stella Aberastury, the pastries get their distinct flavor from a blend of spices that includes Argentinian oregano, parsley and pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika).

A popular option is the spicy empanada de pollo (chicken and onion with green, red and yellow peppers), while a newer offering is the empanada de queso y pancetta (provolone, mozzarella and bacon). Behind the counter, individually packaged treats such as alfajores (sandwich cookies) are available, as well as jars of dulce de leche spread and chimichurri. ln TANGO Argentina Food, 2418b W. Clay St., St. Charles, 636-757-3076, tangoargentinafood.com