El Patio, Argentinian Cafe and Bakery in Rockville - Relocated to Loehmann's Plaza

[DanielK]

Every once in a while, driving around Rockville doing errands, I pass by a place and think "now, why haven't I been there in ages? Did I have a bad meal there, or just forget about it?"

After lunch today, the answer is that El Patio is still serving up homey Argentinian meals, and I will have to remember to get back more often than every few years.

I was solo, so I can only comment on what I ate today. Pique-a-lo-macho (Sautéed Flank Steak and sausage with jalapeños, french fries, eggs, olives and onions, $9.95) was an absolute monster of a plate, and I took half home. The flank steak was a little chewy (as South American cuts frequently are), but very flavorful, and there was easily 12 oz. of steak on this platter. Also, an entire spicy chorizo sliced up, barely grilled thinly sliced onions, a hardboiled egg, a handful of green olives, meat gravy, all piled on a HUGE mound of crisp (frozen) fries. I love the South American dishes where they pile the juicy hot meat on the crispy fries, where right down to the end of the plate you're still getting fries that are a touch soggy on one end but still crisp.

I know in the past I've had some really good empanadas here, as well as the Milanesa sandwich. Pastries looked very good, but I can't remember if I've gotten them in the past. The menu is actually pretty extensive.

This is a counter-service place, decent number of tables with a cute outside patio (for when it's not approaching 100 degrees like it was today,) but not a lot of parking. The back of the joint is lined with shelves of hard-to-find South American grocery products, a cooler with sodas and such (Mexican coke in the bottle!), and a reasonable wine selection. Couldn't tell you whether the wines they carry are any good or fairly priced, but they're stored right there in the dining room, which (at least today) was a little above room temperature, so I'd worry about them being cooked.

Definitely should be on your list if you find yourself in the Rockville area.

[JeffC]

So good to see a post about El Patio. One of the owners was my colleague at the MoCo Crisis Center, so we would get carryout from time to time when we were on the evening shift. When I retired, he brought me a bag of empanadas on my last night, as he knew how much I loved them. Nice to see them get a good mention here....as DanielK noted, the fare is tasty and quite substantial.

[DC Deb]

They moved to Loehmann's Plaza (Randolph Rd & Parklawn Dr) a while back. Has anyone been to the new location?

I am curious because I liked the food at the old location but service was poor after they switched to table service and crammed more tables in.

[DanielK]

Yes - I've been a few times. Service is much much improved. The new location holds many more tables than the old location, and they staffed up accordingly. It's all table service now. Food is just as good as before.

[Lori Gardner]

I was just thinking about this place and couldn't remember where they moved. Thanks for jogging the memory. It was in an odd location before. I was there once and enjoyed it. I'll definitely try it out in the new location.