Grumpy Gaucho

We have had The Grumpy Gaucho’s Empanadas many times over the last 2 years and they are the best you can find! We discovered them at the Historic Plainfield Farmers Market in 2013 and missed them when they were gone in 2014. This summer they returned and the Empanadas are as good as ever! They have many different flavors, something for everyone! My favorites are apple and creamed corn. My husband likes the traditional and chorizo and egg. They had a corned beef filled for «half way to St Patrick’s Day». We also get the beef, ham and cheese, spinach and ricotta, chicken pesto… they are all fantastic. As for their sauces, we have only purchased the chimichurri. We have tried store bought chimichurri and have attempted to make our own. Nothing has come close to the great flavor of the Grumpy Gaucho’s. They are a great asset to the area and I know that anyone who tried them will like them! One last comment is the owners are so kind and friendly. They always remember us when we see them and always have a kind word.

In search for saltenas I came across Grumpy Gaucho. Saltenas they do not have but great empanadas they do. I found them at Plainfield farmers market (Lockport & 59, Sat 8am-​1pm). They don’t have a store but run a commercial kitchen.
Empanadas are basically stuffed pastries, and they have quite a few variety here. Cost $ 2, they are not large. Favorites were spinach n ricotta and traditional beef. Beef empanada I think had ground beef, olives, and potato, very good. Others in the family also liked the BBQ pork. Chicken pesto was ok, not as flavorful as others, never been a fan of shredded chicken.
They sell sauces too, $ 7 frozen. The price seemed too steep, but still ended up buying the chimichurri sauce. Sucker for that stuff! Chimichurri did not live up to my expectations, it was ok, prefer it less coarse. From the samples there, the Provencel and lime cilantro jalapeño were the best. Provencel was very tangy and lime cilantro had a great kick to it.
Search still continues for Saltenas in Chicagoland!

I picked up their Chimichurri sauce at a farm stand and I love it. I started putting it on my sandwiches and it adds a great flavor and a little bit of spice to an otherwise boring sandwich.