Javi’s Cooking, known for serving a “variety of authentic, Argentine empanadas made with fresh, local ingredients,” is opening a restaurant in Oakland. According to an on-sale beer and wine license application pending since November 28, co-owners Javier Sandes, Cintia Karpinskyj, and Carolina Abolio will open Javi’s Empanadas at 2300 Broadway.
The inline space was previously home to Wooden Table Cafe, another Argentinian restaurant, and eateries in the vicinity include The Melt, Low Bar, Hi Felicia, and Calavera.
On the menu are Argentinian empanadas, ranging from empanadas prepared as they are in the south of the country, to ones filled with meat and vegetables, as is traditional in Buenos Aires.
According to the restaurant’s website, Sandes, originally from Buenos Aires, previously ran a small food business in Argentina. In 2009, he co-founded the food truck Primo’s Parrilla, “the first-ever Argentine food truck,” which “quickly grew, serving the masses with slow grilled, Argentine asado.” Before finding a brick-and-mortar location, he was “catering and selling empanadas, chimichurri and alfajores, both direct and wholesale.”
What Now San Francisco briefly spoke with Carolina Abolio, who confirmed the new address and expressed excitement about opening the brick-and-mortar in Oakland.
