La Masa Empanada Bar

I would like to preface this by saying this would be a 4-​star review were it not for the service. I had lunch here today with a friend of mine. It was about 2 in the afternoon, and the dining room was basically empty so we were seated immediately. Our server took our drink order right away, but took forever to drop them off. Then she chilled at the bar while we waited to place our order. And waited, and waited. Long story short, for how busy it was, the service was painfully slow. She came back once to check on is after she dropped out food off. Which brings me to the food. We each got the sample platter, 3 each, 6 different filings all together. Fresh, flavorful. The dough was light, fluffy and sturdy. Came with jicama slaw. Not bad, pretty affordable. Would probably return during peak service, perhaps things move a little more urgently when it’s busy.

This restaurant is a great new surprise in the Brady street area! We sat outside so I cannot weigh in on the ambience well. My gentleman and I both got the 3 empanadas with a side.
I generally love shoestring fries and was underwhelmed by their lack of crispiness; However, the jicama slaw was fantastic! I genuinely would but it in bulk to eat at home.
Of the three empanadas, the blackened chicken and pineapple was easily my favorite. The chicken was perfectly offset by the flavor of the pico. I tried the Cuban, which was also good and had a delicious mustard inside. My third and least favorite of the bunch was cheese curd and bacon. I wanted to try it because it was a more not a traditional empanada filling and being from Wisconsin, can rarely turn down such a combination. It was exactly as stated and nothing more. Too heavy for a hot day.
The dough of the empanadas was light and crispy, and the chimichurri side sauce was obviously homemade and delicious. I liked the way they stamp them to identify each flavor of filling. You can order a couple as a snack or more and a side for a meal. I will definitely stop back again.

Came here with my family (wife and 2 kids) and got a platter of 12 different empanadas and a side of Jicama slaw. We left very full and quite satisfied.
Really fast service.
Fun atmosphere.
We found plenty we liked. We’d come again if we lived in town.

i was so very impressed by la masa on monday. their empanadas were awesome.
i tried their blackened chicken + pineapple pico, chicken tinga, 2 of a kimchi pulled pork one that was to die for (just noticed they removed it from their menu :’(maybe it will be a regular special?) and a ropa vieja (shredded beef). all were quite delectable.
their jicama slaw was also solid. while in general a slaw is not my type off thing to eat, it was definitely tasty! it comes free with an order of 3 empanadas.
i will be sure to be back, with fingers crossed that the kimchi pulled pork one will be there!

Pretty good empanada place if you’d looking for lunch alternative to your Chili’s, Applebee’s and Friday’s. Not the cheapest place around, but worth a try if you feel like trying bunch of different empanadas. We got there on Sunday at noon and the place was empty, so the service was very fast. It filled up nicely by the time we were leaving through. We had the $ 34 empanada platter (plate of 12 empanadas), most of them pretty good. The corn one (pleasantly) surprised me the most.

Not the most authentic empanadas, but that’s the Milwaukee spin for you. Creative and very delicious. I had the Pulled Pork & Kimchi, Black Bean & Chorizo, and Chicken Tinga empanadas. All very delicious. Including the jicama salad and chimichurri sauce. I’ll definitely be going back with more friends!

I honestly don’t know what an empanada is suppose to taste like. But, if they taste like these, I’m on board! The service is always friendly and fast!
Choose from a list of ~15 empanada flavors and a full bar menu to go along with it. My favorite is the Blackened Chicken Pineapple. I usually order three and I’m full. Order more if you are starving. Empanada entrees come with coleslaw or fries. I suggest the fries!
I’m waiting for even more Empanada options for a five star. However, I will be returning!

YES!!! This place is fantastic!!!
I was fortunate enough to visit La Masa during happy hour (3pm-​6pm M-​F), where select empanadas are $ 2 and $ 2 off taps (including wine and the specialty cocktails).
I had the Chicken Tinga, Spicy Potato and Peanut, and Ropa Viejia (Cuban beef) with a side of Chimichurri sauce… and if you get 3 empanadas you also can get a side of the House Jicama Slaw or fries. I chose the Slaw.
I have loved empanadas since 2006, when I first experienced these heavenly pockets stuffed with deliciousness in Costa Rica. La Masa brought back these wonderful memories. Their dough is made fresh and from scratch. The meat in the chicken tinga and ropa viejia empanads is so tender and delicious. The vegetarian Potato and Peanut was so unique — and I did not feel it was spicy as in hot but it had wonderful flavor. And the chimichurri sauce… oh that wonderful chimichurri sauce!!! They should bottle and sell this (if they don’t already).
The Jicama Slaw was so amazing, and again it reminded me of something similar I had while in Latin America.
Our waitress was efficient and friendly, and gave great recommendations. There are other menu items such as sandwiches and salads. The menu itself it on a clipboard (funny!) and is on the smaller side. I’m hoping they add additional items after La Masa become the hit that should be. The menu is also available on their website.
La Masa occupies the former World Of Beer space on Brady Street, and they have made some wonderful renovations. I love the wood work that fills the space that was previously occupied with beer coolers. The atmosphere is overall inviting and relaxed.
My goal is to try all the empanadas, and I am very much looking forward to my next visit to La Masa! :D

I will admit that trying this place was not at the top of my list, empanadas are good but not my «go to» kind of food. However, since most places in milwaukee are CLOSED on Monday, we wandered in. We each had a cocktail and shared 3 empanadas with the slaw. The cocktails were both pretty good. The bartender, Ben, was super welcoming and quick to offer his recommendations. The empanadas were all great. Flaky crusts, good filling-​to-​crust ratio, and juicy cheesy fillings. The jicama slaw was a pleasant surprise, not mayo-​ridden blandness, but instead a bit crunchy and complex flavors. The ambience was pleasant. Music not too loud, dark interior with enough natural light to make it feel warm. I will likely come back, hopefully next time for happy hour!
Update: their happy hour is great, with rotating $ 2 empanada choices and discounted drinks. I have now tried all the empanandas and they have all been delicious. They label them for you so you know which is which on your plate. If you get 3 they give you free slaw, and it’s $ 5 off a platter of 12. If you’re really hungry, 2 people could share the platter and have a few leftovers. Note, they get really busy on weekends!

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get to La Masa, because I love empanadas. After a great first visit, I know we’ll be back soon.
We each ordered the plate of 3 which comes with a side. I opted for their fries which were super skinny and delicious when dipped in their smoky Bleu sauce (.50 extra, totally worth it). The Mister went with a salad because he’s a better person than I am, and he was happy with it.
We each ordered different empanadas so I had the chance to try 6 — all were at least «good» and some were absolutely great. We both thought the meatball one was pretty boring — nit bad, just like a Hot Pocket. The ham/​cheese one was good too but needed a little chimichurri to spice things up. The other 4 I loved — Argentine beef, black bean & chorizo (just a little spicy) and the special Reuben (they used high quality corned beef) and the special Ropa Vieja. The last one was packed with flavor and I’m hoping they add it to the regular menu because I’d order it for sure.
They’ve got a nice drink list, an interesting beer menu and a very nice wine list with good value Chilean and Argentine varietals. Service was great for us — fun, friendly and happy to answer questions. We chatted for a minute with the owner/​manager and she said they make very small batches so nothing sits.
After one visit, I was impressed. Definitely want to make this our next «date night» destination.

This is a pretty sweet set up! Bummed that it opened right after I moved off Brady.
I did the empanada trio of black bean & chorizo, cheese curd & bacon, and Argentine beef, with the jimaca slaw. They came out quickly and each one was stamped with an abbreviation of its filling, which was super cute. I enjoyed every bite! I don’t think I’ve ever had an empanada before, and definitely didn’t try to stick within the realm of authenticity (lol cheese curds), so I don’t really have anything to compare it to. Regardless, this is one of my new favorite meal spots in the area.
Our server was fantastic! She was extremely attentive, personable, and fun. The atmosphere was very inviting as well. The bar is beautiful!
I have to come back and try the fries and the mushroom truffle parmesan empanada.

I’m a big fan of the location. I’ve never been a big empanada eater but when I’m in the mood for specialized eats, this is a good place to stop in and grab one of their on tap cocktails (re: Elderflower Mojito) of the «La Caipirinha.» It’s made for community eating so they have platters available with $ 5 discounts. The jicama slaw is definitely not a throw away item like many traditional slaws and I love the shoestring fries.
They offer many fun options, including an empanada with Clock Shadow cheese curds and bacon or Thai pork and basil. I always get one of the special empanadas, they’re always interesting. The food comes out quickly and the service is pretty good. I recommend sitting at the bar. They’re pretty friendly there.
Tasty empanada crust, usually tasty fillings, sometimes so so, but typically tasty. Give it a go.

Having recently returned from Chile, where empanadas are a thing — and popular street food, I was craving empanadas.
My friend and I tried six empanadas between the two of us, so we got to try the skinny fries and jicama slaw too. The 6: Chicken Tinga, Argentine Beef, Vietnamese Beef, Mushroom Truffle Parm, Cheese Curd & Bacon and one with chorizo I can’t recall the name of. My friend really liked the chorizo one. I loved the cheese curd and bacon (made with Clock Shadow curds!) and mushroom truffle parmesan.
At the end of the meal, we split the Nutella and banana sweet empanada… very good. It had chocolate oozing out of it! Definitely order the dulce de leche ice cream as it was amazing!
The space is clean and trendy. They really didn’t have to make too many adjustments in the layout from when it was World of Beer. I’ll definitely be back to try more or the menu! They have a special empanada each day so that’s nice.

PICK UP YOUR DAMN CHAIRS if you need to rearrange the dining room while you’re open. Worse than nails on a chalkboard– I almost got up and went over to the three staff members to show them how not to drag a chair across concrete.
Empanadas were good, not great. I would have enjoyed less truffle and more onion in the mushroom; more flavor in the assortment of others I tried. I was a bit surprised by the metal sheetpan plates. Had I gotten mine earlier i might have banged it around while they were resetting the dining room…

I LOVE La Masa. I already loved empanadas, and La Masa does a great job with thers. I have now been twice and gotten takeaway once (they have takeaway and a separate little area to make it really easy!) and my favorites are the Jamon y Queso and the Mushroom truffle parmesan. I generally do the trio which is three empanadas and a free side which is a good amount, a good portion to feel satisfied. The chimichurri and aoli sauces are an absolute must, especially if you go with the shoe string fries as a side.
Prices are pretty fair, empanadas are $ 3 – 4 each and you can order a la carte, they also have a happy hour from 3 – 6 that offers select $ 2 empanadas and $ 2 off taps (including the tap cocktails!).
It’s dangerous how close La Masa is to my apartment… and how good it is… yum.

The thing about empanadas — they’re easy. The thing about empanadas plus a full bar — the combo makes for a perfectly easy date night. You and your date can each get different kinds and can taste test /​mix and match super easily. They even come with a cute little branding so you know which is which. Grab a cocktail and you’ve got yourself a swell time. Being located on Brady, you’ve got ample choices for post-​dinner activities as well (even if parking in the area can be a bit difficult, especially in the winter time).
Overall — the concept is a total win. Having only tried this place once (when it was still fairly new), I’m sad to say they didn’t wow me with the execution. The place was pretty empty, which luckily meant no wait. Our service was just okay (they seemed a bit confused). The empanadas and sides were pretty good, but not outstanding and didn’t pack a lot of flavor.
Looking forward to going back and giving the place another try — hoping some of the start-​up kinks have been worked out!

Given the ambiance, the location, and the premise of the restaurant, this spot had so much potential. It unfortunately could not live up to the hype.
As the empanada craze is sweeping the nation, a spot specializing in empanadas was bound to arise in MKE.
I ordered the spinach and cheese + wisco corn + spicy potato and peanut.
Unexpectedly, these all were a fail. This was shocking because how can anything filled with cheese be a failure. My food buddy and I agreed that all the empanadas were lacking a critical ingredient, which we can’t quite place our finger on. This lack prevented the empanada-​filling flavor profile from meshing harmoniously.
While the empanadas had the option of being served with the house jicama slaw, we opted for the thin’ n crispy fries. Although I love fries, it does not make sense as to why this is a menu item here. A more sensible substitute would be the spanish corn nuts.
The chimichurri sauce comes standard with the empanadas; we tried the aji amarillo aioli, which was probably the best part of the meal.
When I discussed my experience with a group of friends afterwards, one friend best summarized the empanadas as: «mildly fancier than hot pockets».

A weekend and looking for an food adventure. We select La Masa. I must admit I was apprehensive. I had never had an empanada before. Yes I know… Never before. Well anyway It was a wonderful day so the sun was out and people were walking about Brady Street. We were met at the door with the option to sit outside or take it inside. We elected to go inside.
The interior is sleek with a dark finish and modern tall pub style seating. The bar is a focal point with the blue mosaic on the outside. They also have an impressive liquor selection. There were two drinks ordered that normally cost any where from 8 to 10 bucks. The price here was 5. The waiter met us at the table and explained us the menu and the specials.
We chose to select the 3 empanadas with fries on the side. We chose 12 empanada’s I wont list them all. I will say that the best were the Chicken Tinga #1 and the Jamon Y Queso (ham and cheese). The worst had to be the corn empanada. The meal came with what i believe to be chimmichurri sauce. I didn’t try it so no idea how it tasted. The fries were on point besides they were salty as sh*t. Hopefully they aren’t like that all of the time. The empanadas were baked and not deep fried which was acceptable. They stamp the empanadas so you can tell which is which on the outside.
We ordered a couple of desert empanadas. The kids liked them. I dont eat chocolate so I wouldn’t know. I’ll take their word for it for sure. The experience was great. I would go back. honestly if we weren’t so full we would have ordered 12 more empanadas to go. The prices were acceptable and the food was good.

Stopped by last night while we were waiting to pick up prescriptions from Walgreens — and since it wouldn’t take long and boyfriend had a football draft to attend to soon, we decided to opt for take out.
The menu is very simple, as it is an empanada bar, so you’ve got the empanadas on one side, small sides and sauces on the other. You have the option to make any order of three+ empanadas a meal with a side (fries or salad). I’m a little sick at the moment, and I’m having trouble tasting things for what they are, so I decided to pass on the salad and stuck with the fries (which were AH-​EFFING-​MAZING.) The fries were perfectly cut a thin cut, with salt and pepper seasoning — just perfect. I also ordered two spinach and cheese, and one ham and cheese empanada. Both flavors were excellent and savory, ones that I would recommend to anyone on the less risky side of flavors, but still looking for something delicious.
We sat at the bar and our bartender, Will, was great. He was prompt with our water, and gave us space to figure out what we wanted. At the same time, he was present enough to answer our questions and concerns (what if I don’t get enough?, etc.). Made my favorite drink pretty quickly and had a great sense of humor. The other bartender, Joe (I think?), was concocting a cocktail with tamarind in it (YUM!), which I felt was pretty creative.
Overall a positive experience, and I do plan on coming back!

4.5 stars… I really liked the empanada place! I like to think of it as more of a Latin American restaurant with an emphasis on empanadas! Its on a lively corner on Brady and Arlington with Hi-​hat, Jack’s, Rochambo, Balzac, and Jo-​cats all right there in the area to form a lively little scene while eating outside. The interior looks nice too, but with the brown and white umbrellas on the sidewalk, it’s inviting to sit outside while it’s still warm out.
So the food… there’s lots of empanadas, of course. Most are $ 3 or $ 4 and there’s rotating special ones available. You can get three of your choice (including the yummy dessert banana nutella or chocolate ricotta ones) with jicama slaw or skinny fries for maybe $ 9? The slaw one of my fellow diner’s got, and it looked really good. However, the super skinny fries I loved– so skinny I used a fork! You can get sauces to go with them too.
Of the savory empanadas, I loved the corn one — the spicy potato and peanut was OK but sounded better on paper and lacked a bit of spice IMO. I will agree, the idea of putting letters on the empanadas is a nice idea, but I couldn’t really read the markings.
In addition to empanadas, they offer some interesting sandwiches, appetizers and salads. You can also get your dessert empanadas with ice cream.
Our service was friendly and very well timed, and our server had our checks separated for us no problem.
Although they have a full bar and lively drink list, I chose their coconut soda (imported from Puerto Rico). I was worried it would be super sweet but it was just right (160 calories and about 40 grams of carbs if you’re keeping count.) They also had a «yerba mate» soda that sounded interesting too.
Overall I thought this place was reasonably priced and a nice fit for the neighborhood. They also offer carryout.
**Random blast from the past fact: the whole area that now holds the building-​outdoor courtyard on Brady Street known as «the passegio» (you’ll see a green sign), once in the not too distant past (maybe up til the early 90s I think?) housed a washing machine factory that employed alot of locals. Every time I pass this fashionable little corner now I’m thrown when I try to imagine a giant washing machine factory there instead!