Ryan B.

Looking for a spot to eat breakfast, my friend recommended that way dine here as he highly recommended the food. Initially stood out to me was that there was no place for free parking. I literally had to pay a meter, which although wasn't horrible, to me was still inconvenient for this area of Berkeley. This place has a small, indoor dining area and a decently sized outdoor area, which could see about 30+ customers. I could tell that the patrons inside were regulars I'm more than happy to be at home. The menu options are pretty diverse, but at the same time limiting. Plenty of empanadas, as well as some dessert and coffee options. We settled on two empanadas, two coffees, a hot chocolate and a lemon bar. Flavor wise, everything was good. I can't say that it was spectacular, but definitely better than other hole in the wall places. My hot chocolate was foam at the top, which was a nice touch, and both empanadas were very flavorful. The lemon bar two was decent. I also appreciated the excellent service. However, I feel that the place is just too expensive. For the two empanadas, our drinks and the lemon bar everything came out it's almost $40. Those empanadas were over six bucks each and to make it worse if you're looking to get a meal out of it, you need 3 to 4 hands down to get full. The drinks also while good, weren't that good for the rates they're charging. As much as I liked the environment and quality of food, given most Berkeley options have no flavor at all, I wouldn't go out of my way to come back here. It's not that I don't think it's a good place, I just don't think it's worth the amount and inconvenience to dine here. Taking everything into account, I rate Cafe Buenos Aires a 3/5.

Rachel A.

This cute coffee shop has such yummy coffee and also empanadas. The employees are so friendly and welcoming! This was my first time having the empanadas and the chimichurri sauce and they did not disappoint. I got the chicken empanada and the peach empanada. The chicken empanada had shredded chicken and some pieces of onion in it. And the peach empanada had whole sliced peaches, both paired with the chimichurri sauce. For coffee, I got one of the valentines specials (I forgot the name of it..) but it tasted a lot liked raspberry and it was super good and creamy!

Ted R.

I've been on an empanada kick lately. It's been really fun because the East Bay has a few places to choose from. So of course I had to return to the one that's in my own neighborhood. The funny thing is that I go to Café Buenos Aires most regularly for coffee because I enjoy their lattes. I like the empanadas too, so this time I dropped by for lunch. Enjoyed my chicken empanada and accompanying chimichurri sauce. They have a really large selection of fillings and I've enjoyed the beef empanadas as well. The service is always friendly here no matter who is behind the counter. I like their Wi-Fi and they're always seems to be enough seating with window bar stool and table and the row of assorted tables they have indoors. They usually have a few tables outside too. Often with the choice of sun or shade. The café is located on the busy corner of Shattuck and Ashby so it isn't exactly quiet outside. But it is a relatively short walk from the Ashby BART station. They have a number of locations, but I haven't checked out any of the others yet.

April L.

Chicken empanada is pretty good with shredded chicken inside that was lightly seasoned, although it could be a little dry, there was a little sauce container that comes with the empanada to help. The sauce is flavorful and a little spicy. The cafe is cozy and has seating area available. The staff are friendly.

Norma L.

I've driven by here several times on my way tonl work. This time I was working a middle of day with a 15 minute break. So wanted to bring something I could quickly heat up and eat. They have an assortment of empanadas in the display case of both sweet and savory. I settled on 6. 3 savory 3 sweet. Thr chicken one has fresh chunks of chicken and a little spice to it . I normally don't like pastry dough but this was light and fluffy. The zucchini one, I was pleasantly surprised. It has chickpeas in it. The Peach ones were gobbled up and was told they were good. I managed to have blueberry one and loved that not too sweet or with that cornstarch thickness. I will be back. Quick and healthy bites. Also good for bringing to parties or if you are hosting one.

Quynh M.

Stopped by this cafe as I was intrigued by their selection of empanadas. They all sounded SO tasty, but I opted to go for the beef empanada and the spinach/feta empanada. Both were really good but the spinach/feta was incredible -- everything tasted so fresh, and love that this empanada had such a thin flaky crust with a nice bite to it on the edges. The dipping sauce was a nice touch and spiced it up which was very addicting. The cafe itself has plenty of space for seating and the service was nice and friendly. I definitely think this will be my new go to spot for empanadas... I got to try them all eventually!

Nina M.

5/5 for the fact there is a place with so many options when it comes to empanadas! 3/5 for the price - a little over $5 depending on which kind you get. I do think for what it is it should not cost $5, but then again everything costs an arm and a leg. Parking - there is street parking Service - nice guy who assisted and heated up the empanadas Inside - there are a couple spots to sit inside. This is a very chill/calm environment inside. You have people on their computers working and people having casual conversations. Flavor - 3/5 wish it was higher. I have now tried a number of different empanadas and must say I have had better. Apple Empanada - was ok a little too sweet Chicken Empanada - not bad flavor just missing something Spinach and Feta - my favorite must have Fugazzatta - just ok Bottom line - if you want a variety of empanadas to pick from come here. BUT keep searching. They have a variety but the flavors still leave me looking for another place.

Nadav M.

Service is nice. I seemed to be the only one and the only staff member there but he seemed to be very efficient. I went for the beef and chicken empanadas. Very warm and crispy when I got them. I ordered the chai latter, cold. The drink did take a while but was fresh and nice with the empanadas. The atmosphere is a little odd. Not many tables were out and a lot of boxes but that's fine. Place seems nice to study or any computer work. There's images of tango, political movements images, art, the calligraphy of the exterior is fascinating. AC Transit 18 stops on shattuck also not too far there's the 6 on Telegraph with a good walk enough to digest some yum Argentinian snacks.

Jessica G.

Been on a real empanada kick lately and one day my fiancé and I decided to go on a little East Bay empanada tour. Cafe Buenos Aires was stop #1. The cafe is located on the corner and there's some metered street parking available nearby. Super easy to find parking on a Saturday afternoon. It's not a huge cafe but it's got seating inside if you plan to stay awhile. They have a lot of different empanada options to choose from. We had to take a couple of minutes to look over the menu and decide. We ordered at the counter and there was some confusion about the Yelp check in offer but not a big deal. We went for a chicken empanada ($6) and a carne picada ($7). They're hefty empanadas so it feels like a fair price. Both were pretty good. I liked the flavor of the chicken one better especially with the chimichurri sauce. Along with empanadas, they also offer a full coffee/tea/drinks menu and pastries. Seems like a great place to meet up with a friend over a cup of coffee. Excited to try more flavors next time!

Emma C.

Wanted to try a new cafe in Berkeley and settled on Cafe Buenos Aires. Parking was relatively easy, but we may have gotten lucky because street parking is super limited. Plenty of seating and not crowded as many spots in Berkeley are on a Friday morning. Service was fast and the person who helped us was very friendly! Tried the iced latte and a drip coffee (not pictured). The drip coffee was really good and strong! The iced coffee was just ok, didn't have a very strong coffee flavor. The menu has a lot of different options for empanadas, both sweet and savory. I tried the ham and cheese which was pretty good. Plenty of filling and the chimmichurri sauce that came on the side was delicious!

Joe V.

The coffee was delicious and so were the empanadas! I definitely recommend the feta and spinach but the chicken and beef aren't that bad too! Not the best place to sit and eat due to the amount of flies that accumulate inside with the door open but I'd still go back to this place just for the empanadas.

Lee D.

Our favorite empanadas are still from Empanash from South Lake Tahoe. Quality/Quantity - We got the following Empanadas: 2 Beef - Wife's favorite. 2 Chicken - Good but not that much flavor. 2 Mushroom - My favorite. Filled with mushrooms. 2 Chorizo - Did not taste the sausage at all... Had a lot of beans. Vegan - Roasted Eggplant & Tomatoes - Good. Vegan - Kale Butternut - My daughter's favorite. She says the flavor was good and the crust was flaky. Peach Cobbler - Sorry, it did not taste fresh. Or maybe it is just not peach season. Sorry, all the empanadas (with the exception of the mushroom) were bean forward. I had a hard time tasting the difference between all the different empanadas. I am sure it did not help that I used the one and only chimichurri sauce for all. I did like the labeling/branding of the empanadas, see picture. It was helpful to know all the different fillings we got. All empanadas were a good size. Also offer catering. Also known for their coffee. Atmosphere - Small local business. Indoor/outdoor seating. NO restrooms, they asked us to go to Chevron across the street... They should at least offer wipes??? Since they offer dining in, there should at least be a hand washing station. Open 7 days a week until 4:30pm. Service - Counter service. Good, cleaned and sanitized our table before we sat. Price - $62.89 + tip. Owner Comment - Congrats on all your success since 2018 and your new location in Emeryville.

Emmeline W.

Some of the best empanadas we've had. We literally... Could not stop ordering. We would finish an order of two empanadas, look at each other, then sheepishly walk back up to the register. Repeat x4. They're that good. (as of March 2022) For COVID safety purposes, masks are required, hand sanitizer is provided, and tables are cleaned thoroughly. We parked in a nearby residential street and walked 5~ mins. The walls are decorated with local art and activist phrases. Display case also features other small biz. We saw the owner, Diana, chatting away with regulars and welcoming newcomers in. Really just a lovely environment she's curated here. Coffee was great! Our favorite empanadas were: - Chicken (as buttery and light as the dough) - Mushroom (very umami, super flavorful) We've driven past this colorful corner so many times and finally made a point to stop in-- undeniably worth it.