empanadas There are many: from Salta, Mendoza, Tucumán, with different toppings, baked in a clay oven, fried…In this last category there is not much Buenos Aires offer, especially if we get demanding and look for the dough is light, dry and crispy. Howeverthe residents of the Caballito neighborhood and surrounding areas have been boasting of having the best for almost 30 years.
In 1996, almost without wanting to or thinking about it, the Quiiroles family created a business that made them change the course of their lives. The empanada house El Vasquito was a pioneer in the area and currently sells 10,000 empanadas per week. They specialize in Soufflé empanadas that are cooked first at a low temperature and then at a high temperature to achieve perfect frying and they should be very dry. Dry on the outside, because at El Vasquito they recommend that if you are going to eat a meat one “you should put a bucket under the legs”, referring to how juicy they are.
Although among the traditional flavors they offer are seafood empanadas, They refuse to upgrade to the new trend flavors like chicken cheddar or cheeseburger. “Our consumers choose us precisely because we are a classic establishment, with a traditional menu that does not change. Also because We appeal to the emotional memory of that palate that came 25 years ago and that comes today and finds exactly the same taste. “of empanadas,” says the owner, Florencia Quiiroles, highlighting that 70% of the suppliers they work with are the same ones from the beginning.
The story of El Vasquito empanadas
Florencia says that El Vasquito was born in February 1996, and almost “accidentally.” In the 90s, his parents, Raúl and Teresa, shared a friendship (and still have it) with a couple of auctioneers, who were dedicated to buying old houses, subdivided them and then selling them as apartments or premises.
At a dinner, the friend nicknamed “Vasco”, He offered one of the premises for Raúl to open a rotisserie Since although he was a sheet metal worker and had a workshop, his passion was cooking. As long as he accepted, he proposed that he not worry about the initial expenses, and that later they would see how he would pay it.
The owners of El Vasquito empanadas. Photo: Constanza Niscovolos
The Quiiroles hesitated a little but accepted the challenge with one caveat: the business was going to be fried empanadas since they had one part solved: one of the daughters was about to get married and the parents of the future son-in-law had a factory making empanada covers.
“In 1996, the boom in empanada house chains had not yet arrived. That only started to happen in the year 2000, when you went out on the street and there was one chain after another,” says Florencia.
This is how El Vasquito’s famous soufflé empanadas are made. Photo: Constanza Niscovolos.
Already with the premises and tapas of dough in their possession, Raúl and his family opened the empanada house which they named El Vasquito in honor of the hand and push that their friend gave them. Raúl was responsible for creating all the recipes, which were so popular that they remain popular to this day. “The tastes are the same, they have never changed at all since 1996,” Florencia says proudly and highlights: “My dad is the creator -although other brands later copied it- of the dulce de leche empanada”.
The only modification they made was to add the option of baked empanadas in 2000. “They are not our specialty, they represent 30% of our total sales. The strong point is the soufflé empanada”explains Florencia who just at that moment took the reins of the business.
Just as the Quiiroles family had never thought of opening an empanada house and were surprised by fate, Success also came without warning. Since they opened the doors, The place became an icon of the neighborhood. It started working so well that they closed the body and paint shop so that the whole family could work in the business.
The local El Vasquito empanadas. Photo: Constanza Niscovolos.
In 2020 they needed expand the production area to be able to fulfill orders since the place has a small kitchen. That’s how they opened a production kitchen twelve blocks from the premises that currently supplies the the only El Vasquito location, where they are responsible for cooking them in a soufflé or oven, at the time of purchase.
Florence considers that The immediate success was due to the fact that “it was the first place in the neighborhood that sold empanadas and began to generate a very strong core and a very high customer loyalty. So much so that today, on weekend nights, I can assure you that the 50% of our clients no longer live in the neighborhood and continue to come“, Explain.
When they tell her that they come from Lanús, from La Plata or from Puerto Madero, she asks them why they travel so far for an empanada and they always answer that they lived in the area and moved, but that They didn’t find an empanada to replace them.
What is it like and what flavors of empanadas does El Vasquito sell empanadas?
The seafood empanada from El Vasquito. Photo: Constanza Niscovolos
The premises are located in a typical Caballito house that was subdivided. In view of customers there is only a bar to wait for orders. Through this single outlet, they sell 10,000 empanadas a week. The price is always proportional, whether they are bought individually or by the dozen: each empanada costs $1,250.
The refrigerators have a capacity of 4,000 empanadas, so the rotation is daily. The empanadas are cooked at the time of the order. Since It does not have tables to eat in situto make the wait more pleasant, There are benches both inside and outside.
El Vasquito empanadas are distinguished by the good quality and classic size (neither small nor giant and exploited with filling). As for the flavors, they offer three versions of meat, three of chicken, two of fish, eight of cheese and two of vegetables. The most requested empanada is knife meat with onion, green onion, bell pepper and seasonings. Another flavor worth mentioning is one that Florencia says is no longer made anywhere because it is a “very eighties” taste and is oreganato cheese.
The cheese empanada with oreganato from El Vasquito. Photo: Constanza Niscovolos
Also on the podium are The Vasquito empanada (roasted chicken without skin and chopped, with white sauce and sautéed onion) and a so-called Q’Limporta based on bacon, mozzarella, green onion and bell pepper.
“We make an empanada, which people are also a little surprised to find on a menu from an empanada house, which is the one from seafood that are usually found in fishmongers,” comments the owner and continues: “it is made from squid tentacles and, like all the recipes, my dad made it, but he never tried it because he doesn’t eat fish! He invented the recipe, he taught it to those who cook it now, but he never ate it and yet it is very successful.”
All empanadas can be ordered soufflé, but not all can be baked. Cheese and onion, Provençal, Roquefort and celery and spring (mozzarella, tomato and basil) are the only ones that only come out as a soufflé since they explode in the oven.
Bacon, bell pepper, mozzarella and chives empanadas from El Vasquito. Photo: Constanza Niscovolos.
Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish what flavor each empanada is, to look at the repulgue, to try to find minimal differences that end up causing the empanadas to be cut in half to reveal the mystery. In El Vasquito They place separator papers with the name of the flavor, to avoid unnecessary handling when sealing or marking the empanadas.
The Vasquito. Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sundays only at night, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. The premises are closed on Mondays. Rio de Janeiro 310, Caballito. Telephones: 4982-2220/ 4981-7034/ 15-4445- 3623. Instagram: @elvasquitoempanadas.
