Calavera Empanada & Tequila Bar

I don’t drink but I love stopping by Calavera for an afternoon snack or dinner. Three empanadas is a nice big dinner and one is a good snack. They are always very flavorful. They are very affordable.

Came here on a random weekday and was overall a fan
Ambiance is cute, lively with good service.
Drinks were decently made… I had the cilantro jalapeño margarita and a sangria. Both flavorful. On the pricier side and unfortunately not as strong as I’d like, but tasty nonetheless.
Food: very reasonably priced. 3.50 an empanada. Elote was also very tasty. I was stuffed off 2 empanadas and elote. I’m not usually a huge fan of empanadas but liked these, not too bready. Next I wanna try the nachos!
Overall I had low expectations coming in (not being a huge fan of empanadas) but was overall impressed. Food is affordable and tasty!

Delicious and inexpensive. A winner. We had the Al Pastor, Chicken Tinga And Piccadillo empanadas. All good. Al Pastor was our favorite. The lime cilantro bacon salad was great. Jalapeño pineapple margarita and Mandarin cocktails also excellent.

The pork nachos had a nice queso with a good balance of the other ingredients.
We tried one of each and the wiggly piggly and the mushroom ones were our favorite. The empanada dough is nice and flaky and the filling has good flavor. The margaritas rounded out the meal nicely too.
Bottom Line: good place to grab a couple of drinks and share some above average nachos with

My friend and I came here before a show at Cat’s Cradle, for drinks and empanadas. We sat outside on a beautiful evening, and the ambiance and service were great. The drinks were tasty (but maybe not that strong), and you can tell all the juices are fresh-​squeezed. We had a strawberry-​lime margarita (not too sweet), a peach rum? drink with ginger beer that was super refreshing, a coconut caipirinha, a pisco sour (by special request — well done!), and a regular mojito that basically tasted like limeade, yum. The empanadas were delicious, flaky pastry, and I enjoyed all the flavors: al pastor (hint of spice and sweet), holy frijoles, and the champ. The champ! All the mushrooms, so good!!! Probably my favorite, but if you don’t like mushrooms, you won’t like the champ.
Just for a recent review comparison, I would choose the empanadas at Calavera over Luna any day… But I still really like the non-​empanadas at Luna :-)

Great empanadas and drinks!
I ordered two empanadas for myself, which I thought was a perfect portion. I was full without feeling overly stuffed at the end of the meal.
The sangria calavera was really good. It was fruity and had a spicy kick at the end of every sip.
The al pastor empanada was my favorite! It had a good balance of flavor between the pork and pineapple. It was sweet and savory.
Piggly wiggly was filled with Carolina style pulled pork. The meat was smokey and juicy.
Holy frijoles was very tasty too! I really enjoy the subtle cumin flavor in the empanada, although I wished that I can taste more of the sweet potato.
Chicken tinga was a little bland and was just ok compare to the rest of the food.
This location has fewer empanadas options than the Raleigh location. I would definitely check the one in Raleigh for more variety!

Excellent vegetarian empeñadas, colorful décor, friendly hostesses and servers. Good drinks. I like it

I feel like you know what to expect at Calavera’s, I actually think I might like this location more then the Raleigh location just because you can actually find a seat here. I don’t think it’s caught on or been hyped up quite as much as the Raleigh storefront and thus does not have that «over crowded» feel you get when in Oak City. At Calavera you can expect tasty $ 9 tequila cocktails and cheap empanadas. It’s a great spot for a first date or a group of friends. The cocktails are tasty albeit overpriced for the tequila ratio. Empanada’s at $ 3.50/piece and I highly recommended the Al Pastor and Picadillo. 1 – 2 empanada’s will fill you up, and definitely try the green salsa they serve with it, DELISH! Although, I do agree they they could have a better fillings to shell ratio and a dash more simple spices at times, they’re consistently good (although not consistently great).
The best thing to do when visiting the Carrboro Calavera is to sit at the bar and order a tequila tasting ($ 15/​flight of three on Sundays). The bartenders here know their tequila and I learned A LOT from them. They also serve the tequila with a shot of non-​alcoholic «bloody mary mix», although they have a specific name for it, it slips my mind momentarily. Service is superb at the bar and you will certainly get an education in tequila if desired. If you’re not up for tequila, really any of their cocktails are good, they’re also consistent no matter which bartender makes them. This definitely makes for a fun spot, and any day-​of-​the-​dead fan will love the decorations!

best pastor empanada of my life. I’m from los angeles and had them here +NYC and Calavera does it so well.
So flavorfully– pieces of devious pineapple.
Every bite is perfect. I had a few other ones and Pastor was my favorite.
the desert kong was good. elote was avg not that great.
Make sure you get the cilantro jalapeño margarita as well
décor in the inside is really nice.
service was not that good. the place was really empty when we dined.

New to the empanada realm. Needless to say this place was freaking dope. Each empanada was packed with fresh, flavorful ingredients that took me on an epic ride. I could eat here once a day no problem. Like Governor Arnold once said… I’ll be back!!! PS… try the desert empanadas!!!

My girlfriend and I were attracted to Calavera by the colorful, fun décor and the sign advertising ½ off tequila shots. Sadly, the tequila special was the only positive of the night. We came on a Tuesday night, which was somewhat busier than usual. We were seated outside right away, but quickly realized service was slow and disjointed due to them being understaffed. Our server was nice and tried to be attentive, but was obviously overwhelmed. It took 10 minutes for us to get waters from our server, at which time we were ready to order.
The chips with queso fundido was extremely disappointing. The chips tasted cheap and the queso fundido was processed cheese with some chives or chopped peppers in it. It reminded me more of bad nachos at a movie theatre or ballpark than a $ 5 appetizer at a sit-​down empanada bar. We asked for some salsa on the side, hoping to improve the dish. The salsa given to us looked like it was from a can and tasted more like plain tomato sauce than salsa. Very little flavor or «kick» to it.
The chicken tinga and al pastor empanadas were both very bland. First, the dough used for the empanadas tasted like and had the consistency of a hot pocket. It was overly soft and doughy. The inside of the chicken tinga empanada had some barely seasoned shredded chicken with a few chives and nothing else. The al pastor empanada was also bland, largely missing the critical spice flavor you expect when ordering this Mexican favorite. On top of all this, my girlfriend’s regular margarita was overpriced for the size, just so-​so in flavor, and a little light on the tequila.
During our meal, we watched the servers struggle to keep up with dining service. All seemed very young and not very experienced. The whole time servers were rushing around, the hostess just stood in her corner near the door and didn’t once offer to lend a hand, fill waters, or clear plates. Overall, the vibe was very novice and lacking in restaurant professionalism.
At the end of our meal I asked that the queso fundido be removed from our bill. Our waitress honored this request and apologized for the bad experience. I gave my honest feedback to her and asked that it be passed along to the manager, hoping that changes will allow this place to succeed. Perhaps they will be fine once students (who don’t know what Mexican food is supposed to taste like) return to town and eat at the restaurant, but I would feel bad serving sub-​par, under-​seasoned food if I worked there.
It was a big miss for us. We ended up not ordering anything else and heading across the street to finish our meal with a tostada and good salsa at Carrburritos.

Calavera Empanada & Tequila bar is one of my favorite new places in the Carrboro, North Carolina area. First off, the décor is incredible, especially in the evening hours. Decorated with Day of the Dead sugar skull art, framed pictures, and Mexican Veladora candles, with star and string lights draped from the ceilings, you immediately feel festive as you enter the restaurant. The tables are decorative as well, with Talavera style tiles, and each table has it’s own Veladora candle. Really stylish in a cool, kitschy way.
We were seated right away by the wait staff, and immediately waited on. They do not have traditional sodas like Diet Coke, Pepsi, etc., but they do offer Jarritos citrus style sodas, as well as bar items, and of course water, which is poured for you right away while you look over the menu.
We ordered the chips & guacamole and the queso as well. Both dips were delicious, and the chips were crunchy, and a bit overly salty but still very good.
The empanadas were really delicious. If you are very hungry, I would recommend ordering more than one. We were all full after having two each. We all ordered different types of the empanadas that they had available, and I really liked the jerk chicken with mango that I had. I will definitely order them again. The pastry shell was really delicious, light, and the crust was just on the right side of crunchy. We followed up our main order with the banana Nutella empanada that was served with a light dusting of powdered sugar. Heaven on the plate! Seriously, if you enjoy dessert, you really have to try them. They are absolutely amazing.
With a great atmosphere, friendly wait staff, and delicious empanadas of all types (even vegetarian options), we were very happy with what Calavera’s has to offer, and will definitely be back.
It is a small restaurant, so on busy evenings there might be a bit of a wait, but it is definitely worth it.
Located on the corner of East Main Street in Carrboro, parking is available in the new parking garage located behind the restaurant.

We went to this place for lunch (I think it’s a relatively new thing here; it’s not even listed as being open on Unilocal). There is a free parking garage behind the hotel, if you want to take a walk-​about after and see all of the new shops opening up.
The empanadas were, as most have stated, very reasonably priced. I enjoyed my pork one a little more than my vegetarian one, but both were stuffed to the gills. The pastries were really tasty.
I had the Key Lime empanada, and… oh my gosh… it was SO INCREDIBLE. Sweet, but not too sweet. Unlike any desert I’ve had in the Chapel Hill area. Worth the trip alone.
Service was great. I wish they had had some more soda options, but you know, tequila bar, so I can’t really fault them.

After a visit here, I’m thinking it’s more a bar stop than a primary food source. Had the chicken tinga empanada and it was just OK. Very bready and the filling was fine, but could have had richer flavor. Came with two salsas on the side, and they were both good and added flavor. At $ 3.50 per, you can’t go too far wrong and two would make a decent meal, so it’s student-​friendly. Tried two drinks and they were both quite good. The mango margarita had rich mango flavor and came with a slice of the fruit as garnish. Same with the pineapple mojito, which had a nice kick and a good balance of mint and pineapple. So, ** food and **** drinks average out to ***. The staff was very attentive and seemed invested in our impressions and in building their business, so I’ll definitely do a return trip at some point to see how things are progressing.

All I had was a shot of tequila … but it was from a really extensive menu; and the bartender gave me a glass of sangrita on the side; and the vibe was cool.

This place has awesome guacamole. There are a wide variety of drinks, and the empanadas are amazing. There are a number of different traditional and modern flavors and fillings for the empanadas. The service is outstanding and if you don’t want anything to drink they have great virgin drinks at a reduced price. They also have a North Carolina spin on an empanada. I would have to disagree with some of the reviews here, and I would say that this location is just as good or better than the location in Raleigh. The green sauce is so good.

Having never eaten an empanada before coming to Cala Vela, I don’t have much to compare it to. The atmosphere here is awesome. Small place with red walls and killer lights and decorations. Would be great for a date night. We went late on a Saturday night, but the bartenders provided excellent and friendly service. I ordered a jalepeno cilantro margarita and it was excellent. The chips and queso were very good but standard. I was really surprised at how large the empanadas were for the price. Both I ordered tasted good, but as many other reviewers stated, not that memorable. I will definitely be back for cocktails and lighter fare though.

I have to agree with Unilocaler Tara C. on this-​decidedly average.
I had seen the menu online and wasn’t exactly wowed but there were a few empanadas I wanted to try and one margarita that sounded good. I had the two vegetarian options and the mushroom one was pretty good but the chile relleno was funky-​it was slimy. I loved how they were served though with the two salsas but I only managed to finish one due to the taste.
The margaritas are pricy and small. They have very esoteric combinations that are interesting but not suitable if you like more traditional fare. They do put a slice of sugar cane in one of their selections which was interesting and the lime with strawberries was very good. You can chose the type of tequila you want in your drink.
I found the atmosphere beautiful inside. The lights and stars hanging from the ceiling set the mood and felt festive yet homey. It was incredibly hot in there though. I noticed when I walked back to the bathroom the thermostat was set on 74. For a small, crowded area this was unacceptable.
I’m not in a hurry to get back. But I might stop by for a drink just to look at the décor though.

OK. I have updated this to say, while the food is underwhelming, the drinks here are fantastic! Perhaps the Raleigh location has way better food!

Overwhelmingly average.
I came here with my husband on a Thursday night. I had high hopes because he has been to the Raleigh location and thoroughly enjoyed it. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, with multicolored lights hanging from the ceiling and our server was great. However, the food was just okay.
We ordered the mexican corn, the chips and queso, and 3 empanadas. The corn tasted like it had doritos on it and if you didn’t know any better you would have thought their queso was the same that you get at Hickory Tavern next door – not the type you’d expect to find at a Mexican restaurant. The empanadas were large and the pastry was delicious, but the fillings were all pretty bland and unmemorable. We also had two tequila cocktails and those drinks alone contributed to the majority of our $ 60 tab.
For me, although the atmosphere is nice, the average food and drinks at Cala Vela do not justify the above average price.
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