Oh My Godddddd ...soooooo good ! This morning I was saying "where can we go get brunch/bft & not pay $70 bucks for 3" Bingo Big E came up in a yelp search. I had the chorizo potato and egg empanada, my girlfriend had the Thai chicken empanada, My daughter had the ricotta cheese and spinach empanada. I had a nice big vanilla shake, My daughter & gf had a vanilla latte frappe. And we got a potato salad which was more than enough to feed three of us for two bucks. All this got $40 bucks. We are full & happy now ! Sorry I didn't put pictures cuz we are all so hungry We gobbled them down ! This is going to be our new weekend little brunch spot because there's so many different empanadas you can try here. read more

Without a doubt the best empanadas in nor cal...and the friendly employees So helpful in explaining the difference in all the delicious choices read more

Big E Cafe - Absolutely the best empanadas in nor cal. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

They have the best empanadas in San Jose! They are large and delicious and a great portion for a meal! I personally like to get the chicken and mushroom empanada and the spinach ricotta empanada with an iced mocha. Service: great! I ordered online so it makes it so much easier. If you go in person you have to wait about 10 minutes because it takes time to prepare. I Parking: a lot of parking! I'd recommend it to anyone in the area! I don't have any photos because they were all eaten before I could get the chance read more

Great service and great empanadas! Been coming here for years. The coffee isnt bad either.

Solid choice for empanadas. We live their selection. If you come in the morning there are a bunch of fresh ones. They will heat up empanadas for you. The price per is a bit hefty. $6 or so. But worth trying still. Service is courteous and nice. Nothing amazing but good. Coffee is fine. Would come again if nearby and craving empanadas. We had traditional beef, apple, guava, bacon, chorizo. read more

Called in a to go order and it was done within 10 minutes! That's fast service for sure. The place is tucked in inner Branham with lots of parking and a strip around it. Ordered 3 empanadas to go: Bacon, Egg, and Cheese was the best empanada. Filled with lots of protein and not salty scrambled eggs. Definite must order if you're trying this place out, it's a classic dish! Gyro was my second favorite with great pieces of meat blended with bits of corn and sun dried tomatoes. The tomatoes didn't have that much flavor impact into the empanada but seemed like decoration with the red and yellow. The chorizo was my least favorite... The chorizo was bland and not enough salt to it, for my personal tastes. Great place to try new empanadas. read more

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The worst service ever ! Literally placed my order over the phone for 2 chicken mushroom & 2 chicken cilantros since they didn't have any of the flavors I wanted. We came 10 minutes later and they lady said they miscounted the empanada and only had one left. TOTAL BS. I know for a fact they gave it to another customer which is ridiculous. Would never come back again. Empanada was okay . Nothing special . My last time coming here since service is garbage . They also didn't have any hot sauce either. Thumbs down. read more

Big E Cafe - Combo #2 2 empanadas ( Chicken with Mushrooms) artichoke antipasto & vanilla latte. You won't regret it . - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

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I've been coming here for years and their empanadas are as good as ever! I love that they have a huge variety of empanadas with sweet or savory fillings. I've never been disappointed by any of their empanadas, whether I got traditional Peruvian, chicken, beef, vegetarian, "breakfast," or fruit filling. They will toast up your empanada to order so you have to wait a couple of minutes before your order is ready (you could also ask for it as is but it'll be a little cold). They give you a few free hot sauce packets which go super well with the empanadas! I haven't tried some of their other 50¢ sauces (i.e. chimichurri) yet. The empanadas are around $4.50 before tax, perfect for a snack or light meal. I haven't tried many of their drinks or pastries because the empanadas always steal the show for me, but it's great that they're open very early in the morning if you want to grab coffee and breakfast. read more

Big E Cafe - Thai chicken - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

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The sign is a bit aged so you'll need to pay careful attention or you'll miss it, but Big E serves up some pretty good empanadas and some nice strong coffee. Great as a place for something to-go as everything came individually wrapped in a paper bag, but were also lightly toasted right before serving. Parking is easily accessible being in the middle of a strip mall, though seating is limited (mostly some outside tables). No table-side service, but the folks behind the counter polite and prompt with everything. Ordering up front followed by a brief wait while your number is called up and off you go to munch on tasty empandas. The menu has a nice spread of savory and sweet empanadas, but my brother and I were in the mood for their savory flair. That said, the empanadas had a nice texture with just a hint of butter, albeit mild in their spiciness for the filling. The Peruvian beef was the most flavorful of the bunch, but the other two we got were also good (Spicy Thai Chicken and Chorizo Egg). They also slipped in some hot sauce that had some more kick, though it appears to not be what they normally source and they're working on getting something better (as indicated by a posted sign). Each one was about $5 for each empanada, which is pretty good value given their size. Definitely interested in giving their sweet empanadas a try next... We also had a caramel latte frappe which, unlike a certain popular coffee franchise, actually has a good strong amount of coffee to its creamy goodness without being overly sweet. Definitely a plus as a complement to your snack or meal. read more

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Cute little cafe with flavorful, flakey and delicious empanadas. The staff are are very friendly and prompt. The Mexican mocha is coffee and chocolate with a little spicy kick. All hits no misses at Big E Cafe. read more

Great service! fresh made empanadas! personally love the chicken cilantro and the caramel fraps! read more

Big E Cafe - Great service! fresh made empanadas! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

My husband put me on to this place and it's AMAZING. It's hard to find authentic good empanadas but this place is spot on! I tried their lomo saltado and their chicken cilantro. The lomo is a 9/10 but their chicken cilantro is a 10/10! Definitely coming back to try more flavors. See pictures for reference:) read more

Big E Cafe - Lomo saltado 9/10 - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

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I've noticed this place seems pretty busy every morning, so we finally checked it out for ourselves. There's a decent variety of empanadas here: some traditional, some Americanized, most savory, but a few sweet as well. The bacon egg and cheese filling was mostly eggs, but it did still have good bacon flavor. I liked how thin the crust was. I'm looking forward to trying other fillings. read more

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The baristas here are so nice! The empanadas and coffee are amazing!! The mango chutney is also so yummy on everything. Definitely recommend! read more

Very generously portioned, but heavy-heavy on the bread component. The crust is not flaky like Michelada's nearby, so it is more like a turnover. NO SEATING, or rather there are three small tables, but they were all occupied by three large men with a true sense of entitlement. This seems like a basic grab-and-go place, which is implied by their sign that says COFFEE in huge letters and empanadas as an afterthought, which is unfortunate. Our to-go empanadas also had some scribbles, but it was impossible to tell what was which by the writing. Try the other empanada place less than a mile away. read more

Hands down the best empanadas place I have tried. It's one of our go-to places and we love the thai chicken and the Mediterranean one the most. Their peach and Apple empanadas are pretty amazing too. I wish they would open through out the day since they close at 2pm. read more

A neighborhood staple that has been around for many years . I was at the plaza getting eyeglasses next door and decided to grab one empanada. To my surprise, prices have gone up significantly. I remember it costing $4 then increased to $5 and change . But today I payed nearly $9 for a Thai chicken empanada. I understand inflation but that is steep for one little pastry. Good taste but I prolly wont be going again because of the high price. read more

This place has great empanadas. Service is friendly and good. Coffee drinks are good, but bottled drinks are limited. There is nice outside seating if you enjoy getting outside. Inside is not too congested. read more

Great empanadas and coffee! Even better service every time. They are so friendly and personable, making this a treasure in our community!

We heard that the empanadas were good & they are awesome! They are large and filled with delicious fillings. I catered by daughter's senior concert wtih these and I had to heat them in an oven in Stockton near UOP. They knew exactly how to give them to me so that they wouldn't come out overdone. We got great feedback. Mil gracias! read more

Tasty empanadas! Our friends introduced us to the magic of Big E Cafe after suggesting we get their empanadas for brunch. Each empanada is ~$5 and is actually quite size-able. Two empanadas would be perfect for a very filling meal. I tried the Lomo and Traditional Peruvian Beef empanadas. Lomo Empanada comes with beef, potatoes, sun dried tomatoes, sautéd onions, garlic, salt, pepper and spices. Really enjoyed this combination - the flavors meshed perfectly. Traditional Peruvian Beef Empanada comes with beef, sautéd onions, olives, raisins, garlic, salt, pepper and spices. I personally am not a big fan of raisins, but the raisins in this pie were actually not bad and paired well with the rest of the ingredients. Overall I would highly recommend trying out the empanadas here as a snack or meal. They are delicious! read more

When I discovered Big E i knew i was gonna be in trouble! The empanadas here are sooo good! The outside is a buttery, flakey shell. My favorite ones are the breakfast ones. I've also tried the thai chicken which is also very good but just something about the breakfast ones keep me coming back. You can order ahead to pick up online and i do suggest this if you're ordering the more popular empanada flavors. read more

Everything we ordered was really good: we had the lomo saltado, chorizo and eggs, and chicken cilantro empanadas. Caramel frap is also good as it was not as sweet as other places. Great service! read more

Comfort food in empanada form! Some of them even give off nostalgic vibes. For instance, the Black Forest ham, eggs & cheese empanada and the panzerotto (pizza-like) empanada are like better (less salty, less greasy, much tastier) versions of their Hot Pocket counterparts lol. My favorite empanada that I tried here though is the lomo saltado one; very beefy and love the spicy smoked chipotle pepper sauce in it. Super delicious. Least favorite? The traditional Peruvian one mainly because the raisins in it are a bit too sweet for my liking.....like the sweet raisin taste overpowers the whole thing lol. About 4-5 bucks per empanada, which isn't too shabby since the empanadas here are hefty; having two made me satisfyingly pretty full. Takeout online ordering is really convenient; takes about 15 min for the order to be processed and upon arrival the freshly heated empanadas in the order are ready to be picked up! read more

CHEAP EATS IN SAN JOSE!! A mainstay in San Jose for over 17 years, Peruvian-born owner Ernie serves up savory Peruvian empanadas, pastries, and coffee. My favs: Spicy Thai Chicken Empanada (5/5) A solid interpretation of a spicy thai chicken in empanada form. Spinach & Feta Empanada (5/5) STUFFED with spinach and feta! Gyro Empanada (4.5/5) Bacon Ham & Cheese Empanada (4/5) A decent breakfast empanada, made better with ketchup. Caramel Latte (5/5) They use Ghiradelli caramel which they steam into the latte rather than add it to the cup. read more

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always enjoy visiting big E coffee. love the food and coffee is good too. Great service and location

Go grab the 15% off 12 empanadas with Yelp checkin! Definitely worth it! We tried a few of the empanadas but the ones which stood out were the Chicken Cilantro Empanada and the Chicken Mushroom Empanada. Incase you want to skip the meat, they have good options for vegetarians and some sweeter dessert ones too. The chicken cilantro is a tad spicy with the Spanish paprika but just right! And the chicken mushroom empanada with that Philadelphia creamy cheese is straight out of heaven! Good portion size. Great customer service too! Must try! read more

This review is solely for the empanadas! My friend recommended this place to me and I really thank her for this awesome place. I only got two: the beef empanada and the spinach and cheese! These are pretty big and you can eat one for a meal. all the types of empanadas they have are in a case and the worker at the register can heat them up for you. The beef empanada was savory and delicious! the meat was perfectly spiced and the DOUGHH is so flaky! I got it everywhere on my car since I couldn't wait to eat it on the way home hahah the spinach and cheese is also great. if you love spinach and cheese heartiness, you'll love this. The cheese isn't too overwhelming at all! I know some spinach/cheese combos can be very heavy, but this wasn't like that. I like that they have a combo deal for lunch! They also have an empanada box! if you buy 12, you get 15% off nice parking lot in the plaza read more

Big E Cafe - Beef empanada Spinach and Ricotta - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

The empanadas are delicious Ernie brought back his salads too. The staff is great every single one of them. Been going there 20 years or so and this is the best crew yet. Did I mention the coffee? Sooooooo good. Give it a try read more

Sometimes you crave something good in the morning. Nice and warm and filling but not greasy. Empanadas did the job this morning. If you have one in your area. Stop by and try some. They make breakfast, vegetarian and sweet ones too. The place is clean. Free WIFI and great parking and they have seats and tables outside too. Right off highway 85. They open at 6am. read more

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Best empanadas in the South Bay... and I ever had!! I have always came here for their chicken and mushroom empanadas for over 6 years now... the taste hits every time and I would 100% recommend this place for ur empanada cravings! I had their Thai chicken, spinach and the breakfast ones which is also very delicious!! Chicken and mushroom is my personal favorite. It is in the same plaza as Safeway so there is plenty of parking and plus it is around $5 or prob less per empanada! Cheap eats and it fulfills your stomach? Hell yeah!!! read more

Best Empanadas West of the Mississippi River. Excellent mobile app and response time. You're treated like family here. read more

Big E Cafe - Kids can't wait another second for their Ham Empanadas and mixed fruit smoothies - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

I honestly never heard of this place until my son brought back a bacon and egg empanada. I was blown away! The empanada was great! Perfectly baked and seasoned to perfection! I will definitely be coming back! read more

Came here with a group of my coworkers for lunch. We like to try out different places locally and the Big E Café has been on my list, so I was interested in joining. I ordered the Two Empanada Lunch Combo with a side of the artichoke salad and a hibiscus iced tea to drink. For the empanadas I got the lomo and the chicken and mushroom. Both were kinda dry inside and needed hot sauce. I wasn't impressed with either filling, but the chicken and mushroom was better than the lomo. My artichoke salad was swimming in oil and vinegar, so I used my fork to strain out most of the liquid so that I could eat it. I wish I would have just had something else because the salad gave me a horrible acid reflux and stomachache all afternoon into the night. I felt awful and even skipped dinner. While it seemed that some of others did enjoy their empanadas, no one liked the potato salad which was filled with mayo. We all like a little mayo, but this was too much and deemed inedible. I hate to see wasted food, but it did not look appetizing. While I really wanted to like this place, I didn't enjoy my meal or the way I felt after. Not for me... read more

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Great place. Friendly staff and great empanadas. My favorite three are: chicken cilantro, egg and ham, bacon and egg... Also want to recommend you try the ice vanilla latte made by Maria! read more

It wasn't bad. I think the spinach and cheese empanada was better of the 2. It had more filling & tasted as expected. The crust was crispy but the inside wasn't as hot as I hoped. The Philly cheesesteak tasted was ok. read more

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Enjoyed the chicken cilantro, bacon and egg and lomo saltoda. The breading part was a bit dry. Paid about $7-8 each.

This place doesn't look like an empanada place because the sign outside says "COFFEE". The empanadas sign is small and we almost missed the place. However, it is a cute little cafe. Perfect for working and the empanadas are amazing! I would say that the flavors are there but the limo saltado and traditional Peruvian were a little dry. The best was the spicy thai chicken. I would recommend that one. We wanted to try the granny cranberries apple but they ran out! :( definitely need to come early for the popular menu items. Service was quick and I would come back for more. The pricing was also very affordable. About $5 for an empanada. read more

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Service and staff were spectacular here, and I ended up getting 4 empanadas to take down for a short road trip. Our favorites were the traditional beef and the chorizo egg & cheese. The sausage egg & cheese was nothing special and the chicken in the Spicy Thai chicken was really dry! There wasn't much spicy or Thai about it either. The empanada itself was crispy and delicious for all 4 though! Perfectly baked. read more

Delicious empanadas & tasty drinks! A must try if you're in San Jose. Food bloggers need to get in on this.