Tacoma’s only Argentinian bakery expands into full-service cafe with sandwiches, beer
The golden-brown crust of the pebete, a few inches tall, cracked like an eggshell under the pressure of my fingers, preparing for a bite of ham and cheese melted just enough to remind me it was warm. A lather of mayonnaise on the interior bottom completes this simple but alluring Argentine sandwich, available at the newly expanded Sur Bakery in Lakewood.
Since 2019, owner Osvaldo Lahoz has positioned his humble outfit at 10518 South Tacoma Way as a destination for Argentinian expats, but it’s worthy of all of our attention.
On the original retail side of the business, he stocks imported goods like mate, coffee and wafers alongside bottles of wine, Quilmes beer and Real cider. A pastry case is filled daily with facturas, a common tea or coffee accompaniment; alfajores, the powder-soft sandwich cookie filled with dulce de leche and rolled in coconut; traditional smiling cookies with quince jam.
Lahoz promised the cafe two years ago. Now guests can find a seat at one of a handful of tables and order an espresso and a canoncito, that “little cannon” of puffed pastry, the bore packed with thick dulce de leche, one of Argentina’s favorite ingredients.
The bakery has been serving fresh empanadas with beef, onion, pimento olives and red pepper, along with select sandwiches, but the bigger space allows Lahoz to offer more things between more styles of bread.
A party-tray mainstay or afternoon snack, the sandwich de miga here arrives on Lahoz’s housemade white bread, baked like a Pullman loaf but crustless and thinly-sliced, layered like a club between slices of ham and provolone. Take home an extra loaf because this dry-crumb makes for a mean sandwich at home, too.
“It looks like white bread, but it’s hard to make,” said Lahoz.
For a heartier meal, the colorful milanesa boasts breaded pork wrapped inside French bread, joined by ham, cheese, roasted red peppers, green olives and zesty chimichurri.
No Argentinian (or Uruguyan) cafe would be complete without choripán: the go-to street snack of imported sausage split down the middle, served also on sturdy French bread with more chimichurri. Request an extra cup on the side.
Empanadas, their soft dough and crimped edges toasted to order, regularly include spiced ground beef or ham and cheese, plus seasonal specials.
Lahoz has sourced adorable — and reusable — mate cups in pastel shades, along with purple metal straws equipped with rings on the bottom to keep the loose leaves out. Order this natural-energy tea to refill your cup in the traditional way: pouring hot water from the bright-yellow Playadito carafe again and again until you run out of steam.
There is often soccer on the large television hanging on the wall, with images of Buenos Aires and a scarf in the baby blue and white colors of the Argentinian flag. On any given visit, you’re likely to see regulars popping by for a sandwich and friendly Spanish conversation. Lahoz’s grandson might be behind the counter, while his mother lends a hand in the bakery sometimes.
Having the cafe also translates to later hours. I asked Lahoz if the cafe has attracted a dinner crowd. He laughed and said, “No, no — we closed at 8.”
In Argentina, dinner doesn’t happen by then. Here in Lakewood, he hopes to stay open later to satisfy not just fellow expats but anyone seeking a very good sandwich for any meal of the day.
SUR ARGENTINE BAKERY
▪ 10518 South Tacoma Way, Suite. A/B, Lakewood, 253-267-2771, surargentinebakery.com
▪ Tuesday-Saturday 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
▪ Details: bakery and sit-down cafe with Argentinian pastries, empanadas ($3.50), sandwiches ($7.50-$15), plus beer, wine, coffee and tea
▪ Geographic note: located in the same plaza as Mazatlan and Cham Garden Korean BBQ
This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 5:00 AM.