Empanada Express Grill

One of the best Venezuelan restaurants I’ve visited outside of Venezuela and Florida. Some of the best taste at some of the best prices.

Empanada Express Grill is as much a Venezuelan grill as it is a purveyor of empanadas. The empanadas are good, the arepas are even better, order a beef or chicken arepa with a «jugo de mora». Very casual, street parking hasn’t ever been a problem.

The empanada sampler was amazing, and those creamy pepper empanadas are crack. WANT MORE NOW.
My husband got the pabellon, it was legit. The only thing I feel I need to mention, is the plantanos maduros seem like they are deep fried, not pan fried. Which makes sense for a restaurant setting, but if you are used to making them at home in a fry pan, you’ll note they are dryer, and not as sweet, which perfectly cooked platano should be. They were good, and still a nice, sweet counterpoint to the rich mechada. It’s just not practical for someone to stand over a fry pan and slowly fry platano in a restaurant, so I can’t fault them for it. If you have made them yourself, you know it takes a lot of babysitting to get them perfectly caramelized.
That said, everything was perfectly on point.
Whole family loved it, we will absolutely be back. My husband was born and raised in Venezuela, and while I’ve gotten pretty good at pabellon, arepas, quesillo, and even hallacas, I’m reluctant to try empanadas. I won’t even bother now that we live in Denver, the ones here are perfect. The crust is perfect, they are stuffed to bulging perfection, and their fillings are beyond delicious.
Oh, and worth mentioning, reina pepiada is one of my absolute favorite arepas, but some places have that horrid, vinegary, cafeteria taste to them.
These taste like moist, tender chicken, perfectly ripe avocado, and mayonnaise. Nothing more, nothing less. On a hot day, an icy bottle of Malta and a reina pepiada arepa won’t steer you wrong. If you haven’t tried reina pepiada, you must. Chicken and avocado is the best combo ever.
They don’t have Malta Polar, which is so hard to find, but the kind they have is very good. And we were able to stock up on harina pan, yellow and white! Sweet! I ran out a few months ago.
Also, my boys raved about the smoothies. They tasted wonderful and fruity.
So good. Can’t wait to go back!

I used to make a trip to the Empanada grill when it was located in Golden. The owner is friendly and the Arepas are well made and a delicious meal. The fillings are delicious, on my last visit I had the chicken, chicken salad and eggs with avacado. All three were tasty. For an appetizer, I ordered the Yucca fries which was a great decision, they are prepared like french fries but they are much tastier. I also enjoyed the mango juice.
I fell in love with Arepas when I visited Venezuela. The arepas I had in Venezuela were thicker and had more corn filling. The empanda grill brings me back to Venezuela.

This small corner café just east of the Oriental theater is a must try if your in the area and want a great meal made with care at a great price.
The Arepas are amazing as well as the empanadas.
The house made salsa are also on point, the red and green have really well balanced flavors and just the right spice.
They also have some really good fruit shakes and other delicious drink options.
Do yourself a favor and support this small business.

Tiny little place near the Oriental Theatre .we were looking for a bite that we could take in to the show. took awhile for our order but was well worth the wait!!! The best empenadas I’ve ever had .melt in your mouth goodness .I will be back to try a full dinner !

Just moved around the corner from this spot and I’ve already been there twice in a week!!! The empanadas are super flavorful but the 2 salsas they give you to accompany it are really what make the food. I also got the Venezuelan traditional dinner plate and it was out of this world. And for 9 bucks?!? It comes with your choice of meat, an arepa, rice, beans, and sweet plantains. So so great. New favorite spot!

Delicious, authentic and affordable. We love the empanadas. They are addictive.

Best Venezuelan sandwiches! I love the arepas and Empanadas here. Made to order, large in size and 2 fab dipping sauces. You feel like you are in another country and I love it as a change from the brewpubs et al on Tennyson!

Do you like freshly fried hot empanadas? Have you been looking for good Venezuelan chow? Do you like fresh squeezed tropical juices and milkshakes? The food here is heartfelt home cooking. This is inexpensive food, and made to order, that ensures you Arepas, and empanadas, they are made hot and crispy, never soggy. They also have burritos for those looking for a more westernized dish. Did I mention they have gluten free options, not that I am into it, as well as vegetarian choices. Get the mango milkshake, wow! Burrito was also excellent, and it is smothered in green chile, that is actually green– Denver will you learn, green chile should never be pink or orange.
If you have never had an empanada, they are like a cornish pastry. These are both handheld sandwiches, that are also deep fried, and filled with wondrous vittles. The handheld glory, is served with a couple dipping sauces. If you are near Tennyson St, you should walk towards the Oriental theater, and you will find this close by. We have had food from here a couple times, and I love what they do. All meat choices, and the fried plantains are delicious.
Arepas are also good, but a little softer and chewier than empanadas, these are corn cakes fried, split and stuffed with goodies. I don’t think I have raved so much since I first ate at Guava Tree, Albuquerque, which is Cuban, not Venezuelan, but also a small family restaurant dishing up tropical glory. The 4 – 6 $ sandwich is so worth trying, they also have vegetarian options, though I have never tried them.

Love this place! This is authentic food, their menu is basic and delicious. Their juices are very tasty, especially the lulo. The empanadas are a favorite along with the sweet and salty plantain sides. You can’t go wrong as far as ethnic South American (Venezuelan, Colombian) eats and treats go.

Nom nom nom, good empanadas, a little oilier than I’m used to but very good. Their fruit juices are yummy too. It’s a cute little place, definitely coming back.

Really good! Quaint little place. I had a $ 4 empanadas for lunch. It was plenty and delicious! They have traditional Venezuelan and Columbian food.

This place hits the empanada spot. Everything is fresh and true to culture. The yucca is delicious, and so are the sweet plantains. It’s also extremely affordable for the amount of food and the quality!

Awesomeness!!! GF! Texture amazing. Made to order. Be patient, great food takes time. You want fast go to Taco Bell. Try the yuca. By far best empanadas I have ever had. Wish I lived closer.

Awesome food. I’ve tried a lot of different things and liked it all. Great prices. Cant say enough good things!

This Empanada Express Grill is simple, yet dilectible. The menu is on the small side, but is packed full of thoughtful recipes that make for a tasty representation of Venezuelan cuisine in the Highlands of Denver. I ordered the Pork Pabellon Criollo Empanada and will have a hard time not ordering it again next time. I will be recommending this place to anyone and everyone that will listen.

I love this place! Their empanadas are amazing and we always come here when we drive to Denver.

The pabellon criollo good, however the arepa accompanying it was on the large side (but flatter than expected). The meat and beans were tasty. They would have been great with a cold beer, but the site does not have an alcohol license. The appetizer plate is a meal itself.

Yum yum. This place is run by one woman who works very hard and churns out amazing empanadas. Ditto on their plantains and their black beans and rice are off the great. I’ve been several times and tried nearly every Empanada on the menu, not a bad one in the lot. We take out with the kids often! Give them a try!

The food is great, and per some South American friends pretty authentic. Ambiance holds true to the culture, suits the restaurant well. Sometimes language barriers make it a little hard to communicate, just be patient though, the food is worth it. It’s worth the venture off Tennyson.

Took my parents here as an alternative to Mexican food. Which if you are tired of the over cheesy/​greasy-​ness of Mexican food, I highly suggest branching out to other Latin foods, this being a great place to start!
We ordered different empanadas and all of them were phenomenal. For normal people the plates would be just the right amount of food. I have a big apatite and needed an extra empanada to fill me up. This being said, the prices are more than fair, so I had no qualms with what I paid. Will definitely go back and will definitely take others.

WOW WOW WOW WOW. The food here is absolutely INCREDIBLE. I got an empanada that had cheese and a green pepper that was fantastic. And the Seafood Arepa… I can’t even use words to explain. Such a cute little place. Friendly service and cheap prices. I don’t even want to tell you about it about it because I never want it to get too busy but yum yum yum.

The best empanadas in Denver. Authentic, full of flavor and great sides. A must if you’re visiting, a must if you know emapanadas.

This find was so Good. Real Venezuelan style. The «ripe plantain» was soooo good. The shredded meat tasted amazing. They have all tropical natural fruit smoothies, If you ask, they would prepare them with out sugar.

Wonderful little spot, one of those I kept driving by and meaning to go into and then would forget. Glad I finally stopped in today! I got takeout so I can’t comment on the service but the woman who helped me was very sweet.
The empanadas are huge! 2 completely stuffed my garbage disposal of a boyfriend and at $ 4 a pop, $ 8 total is a really cheap meal to fill him up! He loved the carnitas empanada.
I’m a vegetarian so I got a domino empanada and a sweet domino arepa and they were both superb (note: I ate about half of each and was full).
We will definitely make this a regular lazy night take out spot.

This place is so good it should be illegal! Lol
I got the carnitas empanada. It is filled with perfectly seasoned shredded pork and cheese. The crust is fried thoroughly, leaving it with a crunchy bite. So glad I work very close to it!

I’ve seen this place to the right of the Oriental Theater for as many time’s as i’ve been there!
It is small and cozy, the gal was very nice, let me order to-​go (not a ton of places to hover while waiting, luckily i was the only one, so i sat at their prep table by the cash register!)
I got the fried plantains — delicious, although they added some cheese which i didn’t think was necessary and would probably request they not to that.
I also got a chili relleno empanada and their «typical» one which i can’t remember the name of!
The empanadas are huge — luckily the hubby shared with me, i really only needed one, but i couldn’t decide!
I’ll definitley be back and try some more flavors!