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Golden Tuzo Brings New Flavor to Belmont Cragin

By Alex Nitkin | June 17, 2015 5:39am
 Owner David Martinez said his empanadas are the perfect snack food.
Owner David Martinez said his empanadas are the perfect snack food.
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DNAinfo/Alex Nitkin

BELMONT CRAGIN — A main artery of Chicago's Latino community, Diversey Avenue in Belmont Cragin is home to all stripes of Mexican cuisine. But David Martinez said his is different.

Golden Tuzo, which opened earlier this month at 5648 W. Diversey, is a three-table eatery that specializes in what Martinez, its owner, calls "snack food." Instead of sticking to Mexican staples like tacos, tortas and gorditas, his menu revolves around another Mexican delicacy: the empanada.

Golden Tuzo boasts more than a dozen varieties of the palm-sized pastries, flaky pockets of fried dough stuffed with combinations of meat, beans and cheese. Martinez says it's the perfect on-the-go snack for those in a hurry.

"It's like a little appetizer, and so far we've gotten a lot of people coming from all different parts of the city just to reconnect with a traditional food they've been missing," Martinez said. "I've been living here a while, and I don't think I've ever seen a place that just sells empanadas like we do."

Originally from the small state of Hidalgo in southwestern Mexico, Martinez spent six years selling empanadas at other local businesses around Belmont Cragin before saving enough money to open his own permanent location.

Martinez said not knowing English was a "real barrier" for the process of opening Golden Tuzo, but he had help from a tight-knit community.

 Golden Tuzo's chicken mole empanada.
Golden Tuzo's chicken mole empanada.
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DNAinfo/Alex Nitkin

"There's a large community of Latinos here, and it's really helped me connect with people and tell them about what I'm doing," said Martinez, who created a Facebook page to advertise his opening. "People have really been responding online, and so I've been seeing people coming in from Cicero, Palatine, Aurora ... because they know that what I'm selling is something they won't find at most other places."

Though it's still "too early to tell" the success of Golden Tuzo, Martinez said he feels good about the amount of traffic he's already attracted. He's already identified a few "regulars" who come in two or three times a week.

"I've loved this neighborhood ever since I moved here 10 years ago, the people are all so friendly and welcoming," Martinez said. "I really think my restaurant is going to be a good fit here."

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