Empanada Mama

Wow never heard of this restaurant until our friend who lives in NY introduced this to us. It’s crazy how they’re open ²⁴⁄₇! I could not stop raving about the empanadas and guac with plantain chips even when I came back to Cali.
Spicy chicken empanada — it’s actually spicy but soo flavorful. And it comes with a green sauce — I put a spoonful on every bite. SO good.
Guac with plantain chips is genius. The guac is chunky and you can choose spicy or non-​spicy.
When our friend mentioned ‘empanadas’ I was like ehh how good can those be. I am so glad we tried this place because it’s on my must go places next time I’m visiting NY.

Pretty good. Spicy chicken so far for me is the best. I feel like the majority of other flavors taste basically the same. Would love to see additional spicy/​sweet flavors.
–great prices
–open late, so you can always get a great fix.
–If ordering, make sure to speak clearly as there are a billion sounds in the background due to the hustle and bustle of nyc.
Definitely a good place in ny to try if you’re strapped for cash and want something yummy.

I’m so sad this restaurant is temporarily closed. It’s one of my favs!
Always fresh product, and fast and friendly service.
You really can’t choose a bad menu item.
Perfect for portion control. Not too pricey.
1 – 2 empanadas are great for a snack, 3 – 5 are great if you’re really hungry.
Love the plantain chips and guac. (also the yucas fritas are amazing)
One of my favorite Sangria’s in the city!
Open 24 hours, great drunk food, great pre broadway show meal. Great for vegetarians and Meat Eaters alike!
Usually the order accuracy is pretty good.

(12.10.15) What?! It’s closed? Please, no! I hope the new location is just as good. My first visit in July had me craving this when I returned to NYC in December. That oxtail soup is a rich bowl of pure magical joy. I dream about it!

I love this place. It’s seriously empanada heaven. This is a popular teeny, tiny hole in the wall place that was open ²⁴⁄₇. Unfortunately, they recently closed due to a fire in the building, and I just wanted to review them since they’re so awesome. I’ve been eating at this place for nearly 15 years, and their food never failed me.
Empanadas — Their traditional chicken and beef ones are a knockout, but I’m obsessed with their more un-​traditional flavors. My favorites are the Hawaiian and the Viagra (seafood). However, the reggaeton, Philly, cheeseburger, and Cuban are delicious too. Their dipping sauces are dope but the green one is my ABSOLUTE FAVE! (Like typing in caps love!!!) I usually order 3 for myself, while my husband orders 4 – 5 empanadas for himself.
Arepas — The shredded chicken and the corn and mozzarella are the bomb diggity (no doubt). These arepas are freshly made, not frozen. They’re also very filling, so much so that you might have to take your empanada to go.
Apps and drinks — Don’t sleep on the tostones with garlic purée dip! It’s so good, I could cry. The maduros is great if you want something a little sweet to go with your meal. I wish I could say that I’ve tried all their drinks but my go-​to is the mango batido with water, not milk. It’s thick and creamy, which is surprising since it contains no milk or dairy.
Dessert — If you still have room, get yourself a dessert empanada. They’re so crisp and delicious. The caramel, fig and cheese empanada is divine. It may sound strange but it’s my all-​time favorite from here. It’s sweet yet slightly savory. Be sure to order it as soon as you receive your entrée. Otherwise, you may have to wait a bit. I’m so impatient that I just order it with my entrée so i can have it in my selfish little hand asap… but that’s just me.
Fortunately, they have a LES location but I sincerely hope that they reopen the original Hell’s Kitchen spot for obsessives like me.

Omg so delicious can I have more?! I ordered 3 empanadas. My boyfriend was shocked since we recently ate dinner and he was still full! But it was so good! I wanted to try all of them!
Started off with plantain chips and dip. Plantain chips!!! I’ve never heard of such a thing! It was so yummy!!! The plantain chips were thin and crispy, not too oily, and so fresh! I like this better than regular chips and dip.
I ordered the…
Viagra — Shrimp, scallops, and crab meat! I’ve never had seafood empanada before but thank you Empanada Mama for popping my cherry! And this has to be the best place to try seafood empanada because it was so good. The seafood meats were blended so well together. A!
Cuban — This one is pork shoulder and cheese with sofrita sauce. Aaaammmaaaaaazziiinnnnggggg!!! A!
Figs, caramel, and cheese — Perfect way to end my meal. These 3 combined is perfection! Not too sweet and definitely delicious! A+!
This place burned down last week but I still wanted to write my review on how amazing it was, just in case they reopen it! I want the world to know that this place was definitely a must try!!!

Late night eating! Loved what we got! If your looking for a great place that’s open ²⁴⁄₇ this is your spot. Wish there was one here in Orange County, Ca. If I’m ever back in NYC I’ll definitely come back. Super busy at 3am! Limits seating, I’d get delivered or to go

I am so happy that this place is open 24 hours, unfortunately it got burned down this morning. So I have no idea if there will be a reopening or not. Any case, lets begin with the review.
One word, «Small.» This establishment is so tiny, but it is always packing with a lot of customers and hot empanadas. I highly recommend to just have a takeout and enjoy it walking on the streets. I personally like the Viagra Empanadas… very subjective… smh. They wheat flour and it’s filled with scallops, shrimps, and faux crabmeat. The salsa verde sauce is refreshing and less spicy compare to the red hot sauce, but the empanada itself was full with flavor.

This is the first place that I’ve tried that make empanadas that are served with different flavors, fun and out of the ordinary. Hence, its located in the Hell’s Kitchen district of the Empire State.
We started with the amazing sides of Plantain Chips with Guacamole dip. The Chips were thin cut, crisp and its texture is starchy. Chippy, indeed! I find these better than other banana chips I’ve tried because its not too sweet. Dipping the chips in Guacamole immediately I was at «Awe», first thing came to mind, it was made fresh. They were a good pairing and a great joy to eat.
Here’s what I like to call «fun empanadas» that were tried.
Viagra — At first, I thought this contained Viagra ingredients. But it’s Mama’s seafood stew with shrimps, scallops, and crap meat. I don’t eat seafood of any kind, so I was not able to try it myself. So, the wife says it was savory and it was like a seafood combo rolled into one.
Reggaeton — I selected this one and I thought I’d get «stoned» from it, Just kidding. It’s Caribbean roast pork sofrito seasoned yellow rice and gandules. You can taste the Caribbean jerk marinade, the roasted meats along with some peas and rice had a mild flavor but, it was like having a mini bit of an entrée pouched in a baked hot flour, yum.
Cheeseburger — Its ground beef cooked in Latin spices with cheddar cheese. This choice of was hot flavorful and mouth watering, the chaser was that melt of cheese inside.
With the cold New York weather I wanted to have a cup of their bold Café Con Leche, and it added to an already awesome experience.
This place has small seating inside, their known for many different flavors of empanadas (up to 40 flavors) they have a Colombian influence and they serve Latin dishes as well.
To sum it up, awesome munches, savory fun then turn cozy experience. Thanks to our friend who introduced us to this place which was the first stop of our east-​coast trip, before many more mouth poppin’ experience to come.

We have never had Empanadas before so we decided to try them after seeing Jimmy Fallon. This location is in Hell’s Kitchen which is a neat neighborhood.
When we walked in they were packed inside and said it would be a wait, but we were 2^nd or 3^rd in line so we decided to wait.
A spot opened up in about 10 minutes on the wall so we grabbed that so we could get some good food.
We ordered some drinks and guacamole. We went with the spicy guac that was loaded with jalopenos everywhere but it was great. The key though was the plaintain chips they used instead of tortilla — this was a very nice mix up that was tasty.
There are quite a few different types of Empanadas so we each decided to pick 3 each. Not knowing how big everything was we thought this would be a good amount.
I ordered the Brazil, V-​gra, and another interesting one. Shelly ordered 3 different ones specifically the Cuban.
Each empanada was amazing and would be great by itself, but with a green and red sauce to dip or pour on top made it even better.
For more information and pictures check out our site:

i’ve always wanted to go here and I will definitely come back again. I had three empanadas the reggeton was okay. The Jamaican and in me decided to order this. to me it could use more seasoning and it was a little bit dry. The Hawaiian was amazing!!! I would DEFINITELY order this if you love pineapples. it’s heavenly. I also ordered the Viagra which was my favorite one out of the three that I tried. I love seafood and I love shrimp so this empanada was very delicious from my perspective. well from my pallet.
Oh and happy hour is only Mon-​Thurs. My girlfriend came with me to this restaurant that’s on a Friday at the drink that would normally be on happy hour was $ 10.50. But they do have special drinks that are very delicious for example this Coco Loco.(see pic)

This was my go-​to spot up until a few weeks ago. I’ve since made a New Year’s resolution to be more healthy and stay from all things good like fried dough with yummy high calorie filling. I can’t wait until I bail on my resolution so I can resume my weekly visits to this gem. I promise to go harder in the gym when I start up again. Oh wait, I can’t since I don’t even have a gym membership.
I mostly get take-​out and I’ve tried a number of the empenada offerings but my absolute favorites listed in order are Brasil, Viagra, and the Reggaeton. The pernil one is also good. Brasil is the traditional empanada with ground beef. Sometimes, the classics are always the best. Viagra is just filled with chunky seafood. The Reggaeton is my favorite spice combined with my favorite meat: jerk pork (heaven). Besides the amazing flavors of their empanadas, the best part is that this place does not skimp on the meat.
I came for a sit-​down lunch just once. It’s a small place. Like very small and cramped. You have to suck everything in to squeeze into the inside seats. I think they can sit no more than 12 but somehow manage to squeeze in twice that amount. I did not mind much. I was just glad I got a seat.
For that particular lunch, I had my favorite empanada and the chicharone. The chicharone came with gigantic plantains. My husband had about three empanadas. It was his first time so I told him to get my favorites. Turns out he loved the viagra so much that he had to get another to go.
The empanadas are on the small side so you I have to order about 3 to be full. I can probably do four but that’s just being greedy. Three empenadas will run you about $ 11 which is average for a midtown lunch.
Service is always great. Every time I pick up, the same guy is there to greet me (he always has on a black with a brim). Super friendly and always has something nice to say. Our dine-​in experience was no different. I find that busy places tend to be less friendly but not here.

This week I was hit with a strong craving for Latin food. First was Los Tacos #1 inside the Chelsea Market, and today I went to Empanada Mama.
Empanada Mama has an extensive menu of different empanadas, as well as arepas and other tapas. I ordered pretty much everything under the sun (whatever I couldn’t finish I took home :)). First I ordered three empanadas. One with shredded chicken, and two with beef and cheese. The one with chicken was spicy but not overwhelming. I still preferred the two with beef & cheese however. The beef was soooo juicy, and the cheese was the perfect warm gooey compliment.
Next up I ordered the fried yucca. It came in a huge bowl with big chucks of freshly chopped yucca that was just taken out of the fryer. Served with a small side of guacamole, it was like a softer, fluffier version of potatoes. They were so rich tasting that I couldn’t even finish half of it, so this I had doggie bagged.
I also wanted to try the yellow rice here. It was nicely seasoned and fluffy. It was very pleasant, but there was too much of it, so I had this doggie bagged too.
I was pretty much already full, but I just had to try one more thing on the menu. I ordered the beef & cheese arepa. This took a little more time to whip up in the kitchen than the empanadas, so I’m assuming that the empanadas are already pre-​made while the lesser ordered items are freshly made when they’re ordered. It was a huge beast, with two slabs of corn griddle cakes loaded with beef and melted cheese oozing out over it.
I can only add to the strong positive reviews for this place. If you haven’t already been here, you need to.

I’m in EMPANADA heaven!
This joint has a HUGE selection of empanadas– ranging from your traditional beef and veggie empanadas, to less-​traditional flavors, such as cheeseburger, Hawaiian, and philly cheesesteak empanadas.
The girls and I came here for dinner and we waited about 30 minutes for a table to open up (the restaurant is pretty cozy). I tried a few empanadas: BRASIL, CUBAN, and VIAGRA. The Brasil and Cuban empanadas were more traditional– ground beef and pork. Both were tasty, but my tastebuds didn’t go too crazy. The Viagra empanda was the most memorable and was my favorite! This was made with mama’s seafood stew with shrimp, scallops, and crab meat. I loved the savory seafood flavors, and they use a generous amount of seafood! I’d probably order 3 of these next time.
We all shared the plantain chips with spicy guacamole for an appetizer. The plantain chips were light, thin, and crispy– fried too perfection! The guacamole was super fresh– no complaints here.
I tried some of my friend’s oxtail soup– the meat was fall-​off-​the-​bone tender, and you can tell that this was simmered slowly to perfection. The soup definitely tasted homemade, by someone’s grandmother. Perfect for a rainy day, a cold, or a hangover.

One of my go to places for late night food post some Hell’s Kitchen bar hopping. Menu has great variety and everything is so tasty. The food comes out piping hot. Usually I ended up getting my food to go because it’s super small inside and literally the tables are always full! Some highlights–
Spicy guac with fresh chopped jalapeños and plantain chips
Rice and beans
Philly cheesesteak empanada with green sauce
Arepa cakes with shredded beef
Seriously make sure to pop in here if you are looking for a good authentic Cuban snack or meal in Hell’s Kitchen

A couple of years ago, Anthony C. made empanadas for me and ever since, I’ve been on a quest to find the best empanadas.
I heard about Empanada Mama from a coworker, who told me that I had to try it out and given that I was in the neighborhood one Sunday morning, it was go time!
I loved the waiter. He was so funny! He recommended the Viagra and after seeing that it had tons of seafood, it was like yes, please!
I also tried out the pernil and overall, I will say that the roast pork was a little dry. However, add their green sauce and oh baby, I could eat these bad boys any day every day!

THE EMPANADAS. They’re worth it. The Brazil is truly incredible, plus that homemade hot sauce and green magic unicorn salsa? To die for.
Get take out, eat, and walk. Empanadas are perfect street food and this place is packed as hell.

Great late-​night spot.
Recommendations:
Appetizers — fried plantain chips with house guacamole, yum!
Entrée– oxtail soup is so flavorful and delicious. The skirt steak and chicken are also very good. I would recommend getting the yellow rice instead of white, it compliments the flavors much better.
…and of course, the empanadas!

To be honest I was not expecting too much from this place… Ive eaten at some empanada places here and I was always left feeling. meh about it.
But I’ve heard good things about this place and decided to stop by here for some late night eats after the bar. I love that this place is open 24 hours!
Service was very quick and efficient. I tried:
–Plantain chips and guac: so good we got 2 orders; love the plantain chips!
–Spicy chicken empanada
–Cheeseburger
–A lot of green sauce
I loved everything I got! My friends loved it too. I wish I made a second trip here before I left

This place is great. They have 45 plus empanadas, many traditional Colombian and Latin dishes, drinks, juices, and desserts.
Had the Viagra (yes Viagra) and Brasil empanada. Both were recommended by the waiter and both were really great.
VIAGRA — mama’s seafood stew with shrimp, scallops and crab meat
BRASIL — traditional Brazilian style empanada with ground beef, olives, sautéed onions and potatoes
Will be back to try more empanadas.

Empanada lovers, this is a must try! They have a extensive list of empanadas for all tastebuds. The best part is how they offer wheat flour, corn flour and even oven baked.
I loved all the ones that I tried! My favorite was the spicy chicken which was so rich in flavor! I also recommend trying their corn flour empanadas! It was so crispy and paired perfectly with their green salsa!

Loved how this place is ²⁴⁄₇!!! When we were in New York, I literally came here almost everyday of my stay in the city!
The SPICY CHICKEN EMPANADA is the best with the green sauce. And the GUACAMOLE is so addicting and made perfectly! I literally ordered some to take back with me to San Diego haha: D
Definitely be back when I come back to the city! The space is like a hallway and very little walking space but every restaurant is like this in New York so I guess it’s normal? Lol

Great empanadas.
Theres not too much to say about this place except that the empanadas are mouth watering good. Come here during lunch hours and this place will be filled up. Seating is indeed limited so you may not want to come during peak hours (ie. Lunch or Dinner) if you really want to sit down. My favorite empanada is the «cuban» ham, cheese and pork. The empanadas are always fresh and ready in a timely fashion. Pricing on the empanadas is great ranging from $ 3.25-$ 3.75. They do have entrees but I’ve never tried anything else and honestly have no intention to do so. I’ll just stick with the specialty, thanks empanada mama!

OK so this ones a little tricky. So where do I start. Hmmmm… Ummm…well they hit it right out of the ball park with their food. We had the rice, beans, chicken & steak. A side of sweet plantains and plantain chips with a green sauce that was unbelievably delicious. We also ordered a beef empanada which I dipped in that delicious green sauce for that extra deliciousness.
We drove in to go see an off Broadway show «Matters of the Heart». Afterwards we walked several blocks looking at restaurants hoping to get a bite. It seemed like everyone’s wait time was closer to an hour. Being a party of 4 it was a bit challenging to find a happy medium for everyone. Upon looking to my trusty UnilocalERS reviews we became interested in Empanada Mama. My only concern was that I had been nursing a bad knee and after walking around searching for the right place to eat my knee had enough entertainment for the night. So we called EMama to see what their waiting time was like. The person who picked up couldn’t or wouldn’t tell us. After several minutes we called back hoping someone would be kind enough to tell us considering my bad knee and wondering if the walk there would be worth it. Again they couldn’t tell us and worst the person truly hung up on us.
I tell you this place seems to have a knack for picking real winners to work for them. Reading others reviews it seems that is a lot of peoples same gripe. Now yes they had a waiting time and the place is small to the point of discomfort. Despite the rudeness and size they make up for it with their food. Would I recommend it or even dare to go back??? The answer is an undoubtedly «ABSOLUTELY»!!! now if they could only work on their customer service this place would make the list of legends!!!

This was my first time trying empanadas and I was not disappointed!
I tried the cheesesteak as well as the spicy chicken empanada. Both fillings were delightful, but be aware that the spicy chicken is seriously spicy… we also tried some guac and plantain chips. Also very good, but a little pricy compared to the rest of the menu ($ 8.25 for a bowl).
The green sauce they serve with the food was spectacular. We couldn’t figure out what they put in it besides cilantro, but wow!!! I wish they sold bottles of it.
Service is their main flaw. Our server was disinterested and filled our cups with warm… almost hot… water on a hot August day.

Ugh, this place is probably one of the best eateries in the area. Unfortunately, it also appears to be one of the smallest ones, but trust me — if you could get a seat (or to go is fine as well!), do it!
Empanada Mama is the type of place worth going cross-​town for (come on over, East Side!). However, it is not the place to bring your whole family and their friends. So, please do not do this. But I swear, people will wait hours for a seat here because of how good it is. Being a party of two, I was seated immediately. Unfortunately got seated outside on a table that was resting pretty much on the iron cover that you see all over Manhattan sidewalks that lead into a basement/​storage. Also, too close to all the people waiting, but I guess if you’re this popular, you gotta have as many tables as you can.
Anyhow, once you’ve stepped in and put your name in and struggled and eventually ushered out of the tiny hallway, you wait. Then you sit and order the Cubana. Please, order the Cubana — you will thank me. It’s pulled pork with black beans and all that mozzy goodness. It’s heavily fried, but probably one of the best arepas I’ve ever had. It is also very, very oily, but trust me it’s worth it. I also had the pernil empanada, which is also made of pulled pork — also absolutely delicious. Seems like Empanada Mama knows how to do pulled pork justice.

Me gusta el lugar, buena comida, buen ambiente, servicio es bueno, eh regresado varias veces y seguiré viniendo, me gusta.

I really have no complaints here. The food was cheap, reasonably priced (especially for what you’re getting), and not to mention DELICIOUS.
I came here around 1 pm and it was a full house. To my surprise, we were able to get seated right away (lucky us). It was a whopping 91 degrees outside so thank da lawd for AC. They had a huge selection of empanadas and a variety of other dishes. We decided on 6 different empanadas, which I’m definitely NOT going to go into detail because for I’m lazy and that’s a lot of detail to get into. Everything we chose was great except for the chorizo. Chorizo is usually super fatty and juicy but the empanada was actually really dry. It wasn’t bad, but no what I expected. Also! You absolutely HAVE to get the Colombian oxtail soup. You get a lot of oxtail and it was so flavorful. I ate all of it, despite the weather ;)

This food is so good. A++!!
Fast delivery service, the empanadas are so good, everything we ordered we ate, good service. We would eat here when we’re back to New York!!! Thanks !!!
Excelente servicio, rápido y excelente comida.
Bueno precio y variedad de comida. Definitivamente puedo recomendar este lugar. Gracias!!!

Hier on n’a pas pu avoir de place. Aujourd’hui on y est allé vers 18:30. On a eu du mal à avoir 4 places. Mais on les a eues.
On a commencé avec des chips de bananes plantain avec guacamole. Super bon et très convivial. Surtout avec une bonne white sangria bien fraîche et une watermelon lemonade.
Puis deux à trois empenadas pour chacun: very tasty avec les sauces rouge et verte.
Et en dessert un fruitshake à la mangue.
Tout ça pour 74 $ tips included à 4.
L’accueil est correct. L’ambiance est chaleureuse et détendue.
Seul bémol: le bruit. Il faut hurler pour que la serveuse puisse noter la commande et il né faut pas trop compter discuter durant le repas. En fait ça tombe bien puisqu’on né parle pas la bouche pleine !!
Dommage aussi que la musique né soit pas plus couleur locale. La techno et les empenadas c’est pas trop ça.

Acabamos de cenar ahí después de la Drop Ball, un lugar increíble
, económico y con un toque latino especial, muy recomendable.

J’ai testé celle de Houston street mais même déco à priori (par rapport aux photos)
Service rapide et souriant
Empenada un peu gras mais bon
Plutôt bon marché
J’y retournerai

Este lugar es simplemente increbile, si estas saliendo de un Club o simplemente tienes antojo de algo sabroso con sason latino este es el lugar indicado, todas las empanadas son riquisimas yo siempre pido la de carne (ground beef) y los tamales son geniales, las bebidas como la limonada es la favorite de todas, los precios son muy accesibles y a pesar de que es un espacio pequenio puedes pedir tus antojos para llevar.

tout petit resto coloré, clean et acceuil sympathique. cuisine simple et relevée, les empanadas sont delicieux. On y mange jusqu’à tard dans la nuit, attention, souvent plein le weekend (même tard) !! A essayer !