Northland restaurant transforms into hub for Argentina fans in KC: ‘Like a dream’
Standing in the back patio of her Argentine restaurant watching as the FIFA World Cup officially kicked off Thursday afternoon, Isolina de la Vega was surrounded by family.
It was unlike the last time she watched Argentina play in a World Cup four years ago, when she and her husband were still new to the U.S., thousands of miles from their family.
Back then, despite excitedly cheering on Argentina as they won the cup, de la Vega recalls feeling lonely, missing her two brothers, parents and the rush of an entire country rooting for the same team.
This time, however, she brought Argentina to Kansas City, transforming her restaurant, Los Hornos in Kansas City’s Northland, into a place both local fans and those who have traveled across continents alike can celebrate, chant and sing together while rooting for her home country.
And this World Cup will be particularly special for de la Vega — and not just because Argentina’s national team is headquartered only 15 miles from their restaurant.
She’ll be enjoying the international event with her parents and two brothers, who traveled nearly 5,000 miles from their homes in northern Argentina to Kansas City earlier this week.
“Now I have my family here,” she told The Star. “So that’s all I need.”
De la Vega and her husband, Dario Jerez Leavy, moved to Missouri from Argentina four years ago, originally torn between living in Miami, Chicago and Kansas City. After visiting the metro, however, the couple fell in love with the City of Fountains.
“It’s beautiful. I think it’s the best city to live in,” she said.
And the fact that Kansas City was in the running to host the 2026 World Cup at the time didn’t hurt either, de la Vega added.
Shortly after settling in, the couple opened Los Hornos, 10004 NW Executive Hills Blvd., to share their culture and food with their new community.
But they never expected to cheer on Argentina as they played at Arrowhead Stadium, let alone become a hub for Argentine fans who have traveled thousands of miles to be there.
‘It’s like a dream’
Now, de la Vega and Jerez Leavy are going all out for the occasion.
From the large decal of global superstar forward Lionel Messi stuck to their pickup door to the jerseys, flags and lifesize photos of players displayed throughout the restaurant.
They even installed a large screen in the back patio for optimal viewing and created a tournament-themed menu featuring traditional Argentine cuisine, including empanadas and milanesa.
Plus, they plan to host multiple parties celebrating their favorite team.
On Sunday, Los Hornos will host a big celebration in honor of the World Cup with music, drinks, food and lots of Argentina gear as part of an Argentine tradition to throw parties a couple days before big matches, known as Banderazo.
“The idea of this is to say to the player, ‘We are here, you’re not alone, and we are going to do this because we want you to give 100% of what you have,’” she said.
Los Hornos also has big plans for a watch party Tuesday evening, when Argentina faces Algeria in Kansas City at 8 p.m.
Even the days leading up to Argentina’s match have been full of excitement for de la Vega.
Earlier this week, the wife of an Argentine player stopped in for food.
And, she and her husband had the opportunity to deliver meat to the team’s hotel, where she was able to meet two players, even catching a quick picture with Nicolás Tagliafico, who plays left back on the team.
A day later, de la Vega was still giddy over the experience.
“When my husband was driving home, he said, ‘Oh my god, oh my god,’ she said, chuckling. “It was crazy.”
So far, de la Vega said Los Hornos has had quite a few fans in Argentina jerseys — especially those with Messi’s last name on the back — stop in to grab a bite to eat.
And as excitement over the World Cup continues to ramp up and fans arrive in Kansas City, de la Vega expects Los Hornos will become even busier.
“When you work for three and a half years with this, we have a lot of very difficult moments in these years, and you see this, and it’s like a dream, really,” she said.
The only thing that could make it better? A visit from Messi himself, she said with a laugh.
‘An unforgettable experience with family’
While de la Vega is excited to watch Argentina play next week, having her family in Kansas City has been a highlight of the experience — a sentiment shared by her family.
“It’s going to be an unforgettable experience with family, in the United States, in the site of the World Cup, in the site of the Argentinian team,” de la Vega’s mother, Maria, said.
But it’s not her first time cheering on Argentina in the U.S. For the Copa America, Maria and her husband traveled to New York with de la Vega and Jerez Leavy to watch Argentina.
“All of us Argentenians were jumping, singing, screaming,” Maria recalled. “Other people would stand up to stare at us, at what was the noise of the Argentinians, since it was very noticeable.”
Now, the family is excited to see what Kansas City’s soccer culture will look like. De la Vega’s brothers, Pablo and Ebaristo, are particularly interested to see how soccer resonates in the U.S., having always seen the World Cup as an enormously important event in Argentina.
“It’s very important that people that come from outside, the Latin Americans, show Americans how to live soccer,” Ebaristo said.
While they’re excited to be in Kansas City for the World Cup, the family is disappointed with how high ticket prices have been for each match. And they’re not the only ones.
This year’s tickets have been priced higher than any other World Cup. Many visitors are even traveling without tickets to celebrate outside of the stadium.
Pablo said Los Hornos is one of the largest spots for locals to celebrate Argentina, and they expect Sunday’s Banderazo and Tuesday’s match to attract dozens of fans to the restaurant.
“It’s going to be the epicenter for Argentinians. So everyone is going to come here, to be a community, to see the match and soccer,” he said.
The family hopes to see the community come together to connect, celebrate and “take home the cup.”
“And for those who don’t have tickets, we’ll wait for you here,” Maria said.
