Elena's Argentinian Cafe

Description: A downtown Gastonia café and bakery serving Argentine-inspired pastries, handmade pastas, empanadas, sandwiches, coffee, teas, smoothies, desserts, and comfort food in a casual, welcoming setting. The menu features scratch-made items such as beef and chicken empanadas, milanesa sandwiches, lomito Argentino, Argentine-style pizza, fresh-baked pastries, flan, milhojas, tiramisu, mate cocido, espresso drinks, and pasta dishes, making it a useful stop for breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, dessert, or a relaxed meal.

Comments: Authentic. Everything here is authentic. The owners, the staff, the patrons. I pride myself in being able to tell during a visit that the accent of Spanish I was hearing was Argentinian (just like English, Spanish speakers don’t all sound the same to each other. We can tell a British accent from an American one, they can tell an Argentinian from a Venezuelan, Mexican, etc).

They have so many kinds of Argentinian pastries I’ve never heard of that I want to try. All sorts of foods, including incredible empanadas. You can come here to hang out and relax but I come here to eat. There’s a good amount of space, a section near the front with flowery walls that’s good for snapping pictures, and portraits of Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi above the register. There are also coffee and tea, both Argentina-style, and even some small gift items you can buy. This is worth a drive to Gastonia if you’re in need of some culture.