LaChona Empanadas y Vinos Argentinos — Restaurant in Beaverton

My visit to LaChona was unfortunately marred by several issues that I feel need to be addressed. Firstly, upon ordering drinks, our experience took an unexpected turn when our server doubted the legitimacy of our IDs. Despite being well above the legal drinking age (31), the server persisted in questioning our ages and even threatened to discard our IDs, citing they looked "not right." This led to a confusing exchange where, even after clarifying we were indeed over 21, she decided not to serve us our drinks.

In addition to the unsettling service experience, the value and quality of the food offered did not meet our expectations. For instance, the salad, priced at $12, seemed to be no different than what one might find pre-packaged at a grocery store. Considering the ambiance and the promise of an authentic Argentinean experience, the food did not live up to the hype or the price point.

While I understand that ensuring customers are of legal drinking age is crucial, the manner in which it was handled was both uncomfortable and unwarranted. It overshadowed our dining experience and left us feeling unwelcome. I hope this feedback can be used constructively to improve staff training on handling such matters more professionally to better reflect the dining experience patrons expect at LaChona.

Update: After my initial review, which was meant to provide honest feedback based on my disappointing visit to the restaurant, I was met with a response from the owner that was not only dismissive but openly rude. It’s important to clarify a few things in light of this interaction:

The issue was never about being carded. It’s perfectly reasonable for establishments to verify the age of their patrons. Our complaint stemmed from the manner in which our IDs were scrutinized and doubted, creating an unwelcoming and uncomfortable atmosphere right from the start.

As a customer, I am fully entitled to review my dining experience. This includes the food, service, and overall atmosphere of the restaurant. My initial feedback was based on what I felt was a lackluster experience, characterized by overpriced and underwhelming food, and a service encounter that left much to be desired.

The responsibility for addressing and rectifying any issues falls on the restaurant, not the customer. Suggesting that I should have reached out directly to avoid a public review overlooks the purpose of reviews themselves: to share experiences, both positive and negative, with both the establishment and potential future customers. The aggressive tone taken not only in response to my review but also to my partner’s separate feedback underscores a concerning trend in how customer concerns are handled.

Given the response from the owner, it’s clear that any hope for constructive dialogue or understanding is unlikely. It's disappointing to see that instead of taking the opportunity to reflect on and possibly improve from the feedback provided, the choice was made to double down and continue with a dismissive and disrespectful approach.

Therefore, I feel compelled to lower my rating from 2 stars to 1 star. A dining experience encompasses not just the meal, but also how customers are treated both during their visit and in any follow-up interactions. Regrettably, LaChona has shown a disregard for this aspect of customer service. I had hoped to see a willingness to engage with and learn from customer feedback, but it appears that is not the case. As such, I cannot recommend this establishment and will ensure to share my experiences...

My husband planned a special Valentine's Day dinner for us as a surprise, particularly because of the set menu. A little before our reservation, the restaurant reached out to ask if we could push our time back by 30 minutes due to overbooking, with the assurance that we would be seated in the Mezzanine area. That was completely fine with us, so we decided to visit a nearby brewery to pass the time between our original 7:30 reservation and the new 8:00 PM time.

We arrived around 7:55 to check in and were informed that there would be an additional 20-30 minute wait. Since we were already quite hungry, we opted to grab a quick bite at a sushi restaurant nearby to tide us over. When we returned at 8:30, we were seated, though not in the promised area, but rather near the kitchen. Despite this, we remained excited to try the food based on the great reviews and kept an open mind, understanding that it was a busy holiday evening.

Throughout the night, the host—who we later learned was also the owner—seemed overwhelmed and did not engage in a particularly welcoming or customer service-oriented manner. He appeared frustrated, was wearing AirPods, and didn’t convey much empathy regarding the delays.

We waited another 15-20 minutes before receiving our first wine pairing, which arrived without food. At that point, my husband decided to speak with the owner, Tony, to request a refund, as the experience so far had not been enjoyable. Instead of trying to address the situation, the conversation became tense, and Tony was quite combative. Eventually, he agreed to a refund but did so in a way that felt dismissive, pointing vaguely to the host stand when we asked how to follow up. As we were leaving around 9:15, we noticed that our first course had just been served, appearing as if it had been sitting under a heating lamp for some time. Since we didn’t actually get to try any of the food, we felt it was fair to leave a one-star review based on the overall experience.

The next day, my husband spoke with the other owner, Amy, who was incredibly kind, understanding, and offered insight into what had happened. She provided her personal number and invited us back, offering to recreate the meal for us. Because of her professionalism, we removed our initial reviews.

However, after several weeks of trying to reach her with no response, it seemed like we had been ghosted. My husband posted an updated review on Yelp, and while Tony initially responded publicly citing “bad reception” in the kitchen, he later privately admitted that he had blocked our number.

As much as we wanted to give the restaurant another chance, this experience left us feeling uncertain about their approach to customer service. We appreciate Amy’s willingness to resolve things, but unfortunately, Tony’s handling of the situation has made it difficult to feel confident in returning.

Below are the Yelp screenshots we received this morning. While we’re glad that others have had great experiences here, unfortunately, ours...

I took one bite of the empanadas from this place and my mind immediately rewinded back to my childhood in South America. Everyone in South America knows Argentina has the best empanadas, even if you don’t live in Argentina. Around the southern continent you’ll find Argentinian Empanada places sprinkled across all the countries, run by ex-pat Argentinians with pride; they are simply the best. I have lived in many cities across the US, not in New York, but visited there once and found a real Argentinian empanada place there. That was the only place I knew had them, until today. There is no doubt this place is a gem in terms of food and service. If you’ve never had Argentinian empanadas with a little wine, then you don’t know what you’re missing. This place has them and they are as authentic as they can get this far north in the world. The chorizo and chicken empanadas are my favorites. But all of them are well stuffed with delicious fillings guaranteed to delight.

I still have to experience the atmosphere inside the restaurant. For now I was only able to be delighted with a special delivery of them at home. Delighted twice, I should say. The owner upon seeing that my wife and I had seen our date plans cancelled due to unforeseen cancellations at the restaurant, was kind and generous enough to hand deliver a set of 6 empanadas and a bottle of wine to us at home. I wasn’t expecting that at all. I am super impressed! Anyone who cares so much about their customers will care about the food they serve and how they serve it. And they deserve a “pick me up”. Opening has been challenging, but I raise my glass of wine to only successes for them from here on. I hope you visit them and see for yourself how great the food and the family ownership of this place really is. Go on, give them a try :)

• Below is my original pre-review: *

“Super excited to see this place open!!! I live nearby and been anxiously watching this place get built out. I’m signed up to attend their Tasting Room Preview on May 16th and look forward to updating my review then. I am already impressed by the menu slated for the event and their carefully planned opening so I’m giving them 5 stars until my update. As a person born and raised in South America this is one of the most exciting openings for me...