Argentina players visit Kansas City's Los Hornos restaurant during World Cup

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Grain Valley. Share your story idea with Claire.

—

Los Hornos, an Argentine restaurant in Kansas City's Northland, has been welcoming players from Team Argentina during the World Cup, and the buzz has spread throughout the entire squad.

Owner Isolina de la Vega and her husband take pride in their restaurant and their fútbol team. The World Cup run has been a busy one for Los Hornos, with diners filling seats and Team Argentina players joining them inside.

De la Vega says they have been more than happy to accommodate and close their restaurant to feed the players.

CLAIRE BRADSHAW/KSHB

"We start receiving the player's wife first, so they try the food and say, 'Okay, I'm going to tell my husband,'" she said. "And the first player talk to the other and the other and the other... It's amazing because all the team know about Los Hornos."

The restaurant has become so popular during the tournament that it even had to close for a day after running out of ingredients.

Lionel Messi has not yet visited, but the restaurant is hoping he will come in soon.

Charlie Riedel/AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Los Hornos is not new to the Messi craze. A couple of years ago, when Messi first came to town, they had a massive banner on the outside to attract him to their restaurant. While it didn't work then, they are becoming known by other players.

Three World Cup base camp teams remain in Kansas City. England plays the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wednesday, Algeria plays Switzerland on Thursday, and Argentina plays Cabo Verde on Friday.

Morocco knocked out the Netherlands Monday in a penalty shootout.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

—