Good Things Come in Small Packages at Rincon Argentino -- Which Is Getting Bigger

Empanadas may be small pockets of dough, but they've turned into big business for Christian Saber, the native of Buenos Aires who opened an empanada shop in Boulder nearly two years ago. When construction is completed by the end of the month, Rincon Argentino will have taken over an adjacent...

By Gretchen Kurtz

October 10, 2014

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Empanadas may be small pockets of dough, but they've turned into big business for Christian Saber, the native of Buenos Aires who opened an empanada shop in Boulder nearly two years ago. When construction is completed by the end of the month, Rincon Argentino will have taken over an adjacent space, doubling the number of seats and giving people a more comfortable place to wait for to-go orders.

Saber also plans to fence in the patio, so that he'll be able to sell beer and wine for outdoor consumption. What won't be expanding, at least not for the time being, is the menu. "I don't want to fix where it's not broke," he says.

And when I reviewed Rincon Argentino last fall, things were definitely not broken.

Saber was working in Breckenridge when he realized he'd fallen in love with more than Colorado powder: He met his future wife on the slopes, and when he later moved with her to her home town of Boulder, he realized there was a dearth of Argentine food there. And so in 2012, he opened a fast-casual spot that specializes in empanadas -- very good empanadas. "I came up with the empanadas because they're simple to take out and carry around, to go hiking with," he told me then. "I believe in my business and the concept, but honestly I didn't think Boulder was going to love it so much."

Oh, but Boulder does -- and soon there will be much more to love.

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Gretchen Kurtz has worked as a writer for 25 years; during that time she's stomped grapes in Napa, eaten b'stilla in Fez, and baked with Buddy Valastro, aka the Cake Boss. Her work has appeared in publications including Boulevard (Paris), Diversion, the New York Times and Westword. Our restaurant critic since 2012, she loves helping you decide where to eat and drink tonight.

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