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DC Empanadas

3.7 (174 reviews)
Closed 11:30 am - 2:30 pm

DC Empanadas Photos

DC EMPANADAS ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for groups
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - DC Empanadas

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Justin P.

"Em" trying to think of a "pan" to use, but couldn't find "nada." Corny I know. I bought 3 of their empanadas that they sell- pork, chicken, and beef. All three of em were delicious! Of course you can find cheaper ones but you are in a prime spot for eating food. The empanadas that I got were definitely really good! But, I think that the pork was a little dry or not as good as the chicken or beef. I would definitely give it another try. This can be a good order-on-the-go type of food since they are small and a handheld type of food.

Samantha C.

Omg!!! Of all the spots in union market this is by far my absolute fav! The change of the menu often but I have tried them all and haven't run across one flavor i didn't love. They are all packed with flavor, perfect temp and always the right kinda crispy!!! It's comes with a green dipping sauce that I LOVE!!!!! I had the Latin chicken and the cheese empanadas.... the best!!! The only reason I'm not giving them a 5 star is because of service. They are never rude but never nice or friendly. The cashier didn't offer suggestions or details on the flavor and honestly just didn't seem like she wanted to be there. It's a good thing the empanadas are amazing. The price is perfect and so many options in Union Market this is this is the best!

Bob S.

I had the Any Three Empanadas for $9 special. I chose one each of the El Toro (beef), Cubano (pork), and Latin Chicken. The Latin Chicken went first and was quite good but the other two were a little disappointing. Not sure if I would have liked the others more had I not tried the best first, but it seemed like they both should have been less liquidy.

chicken blue cheese and hot sauce empanada
Alyssa A.

I thought this place has great empanadas. I had the chicken one with blue cheese and hot sauce. In addition, I got the quinoa salad. The salad was refreshing and the empanada was a good component to balance out the flavor. I like how their empanadas have a really crunchy exterior. Great flavor!

Found a piece of plastic disguised as spinach in my el Greco empanada!!
Charlotte M.

I visited their food truck and was very excited about my el Greco empanada. Took my first bite and out came a large piece of plastic disguised as part of the spinach! Gross and unsafe! I cannot believe they mixed plastic into their empanadas!

a woman standing at the counter
Aarti B.

Delicious empanadas! I've had the Tio Shawn, Speedy Gonzalez, El Greco. Tio Shawn is the black bean and rice, Speedy Gonzalez is 4 different types of cheese, and El Greco is spinach and cheese. They are all very good - the El Greco is my favorite! Both the food truck and Union Market have awesome empanadas - they melt right into your mouth. Service is also very fast - the empanadas take 3 minutes to cook and only $3, not a bad deal!

Renita T.

Pretty good, I only got one to try while waiting on my bff. The Latin boy which is ground beef, corn, black beans and cilantro. Excuse the drinks in the pic, I was showing my bff the drinks I got, side note the flavored aloe Vera drinks are BOM.Com

Empanadas
Hannah H.

DC Empanadas is owned by a husband-and-wife team, Anna and Shawn Leis. They have both a food truck as well as a stall at the Union Market, and offers crispy empanadas filled with fillings such as beef, buffalo chicken, and pulled pork. I tried the 3-empanada deal: The Badass (filled with buffalo chicken and bleu cheese), El Greco (filled with spinach, feta cheese, and onions), and the Speedy Gonzalez (filled with queso blanco, mozzarella, and asadero cheese). While I enjoyed the thin crispy exterior of the empanada shell, the fillings were a hit-or-miss. The Badass, while it had great flavors of the all-white chicken cubes of chicken and the nice buffalo sauce, it was still slightly undercooked and the cheeses were not fully melted; the El Grego tasted a bit too herb-y, and I'd love to taste more of the spinach and the feta; the Speedy Gonzaelz, while cheesy, seemed more queso blanco-focused, than a blend of the three. I'd love to see these served at a super hot temperature and with a more of a variety of sauces, as only the green one was offered. Staff were super friendly, and empanadas are made-to-order and done in a few minutes. +crispy empanada shells +request for extra cooking time for temperature hot +friendly staff +located inside the Union Market

2 Cubanitos, 1 Taj Mahal.
Ruth C.

My @DCEmpanadas options were WMD, Taj Mahal, Veggie Nirvana, and Cubanito. Anti-terrorist jokes aside, I opted for two Cubanitos (pork) and a Taj Mahal (chicken). Buying in sets of three makes more sense, even though two made me full. Service was efficient and friendly enough. Shell reminded me of a deep-fried eggroll crust. Pork was definitely the marginally better of the two, and equally enjoyed by my coworker. Cubanito wasn't too heavy on the onions and the guava sauce sweetened it in a good way. Chicken tikka in the Taj Mahal was drier and less flavorful. There are a decent number of other flavors in their rotation I'd go back to try: Ropanada, Il Paesano, El Matador, Luau, Jake, Irie Mon, Menage a Trois.

Art P.

Divine Swine is exactly that...DIVINE! You can't beat the price either...3 for $9.

El Greco with spinach and feta cheese
U. U.

Just average beef empanadas (Ropa Vieja), but they are definitely on to something with their El Greco empanada that contains feta cheese and spinach. That was pretty tasty although still nothing that really blew me away. I guess empanadas are a bit of a novelty in the DC area, so that might explain the long lines you will experience when you try to get your grub on here, but to me, they are not that spectacular. Also, I would not consider this a meal. It's more of a snack or something to supplement whatever else you are eating for lunch. I would never seek them out, but if I was in the mood for a tasty afternoon snack, I'd check them out if they are in my area. Also, mad props to them for collecting Christmas gift donations for My Sister's Place, a charity that supports children and women victims of domestic violence. That definitely earned them an additional star in my book.

Lily W.

Over priced, Bland, the people are rude, and the out of 3 Of the empanadas I got, I ate half of one because the rest were so awful

Menu 10/20
Hannah C.

This stall in Union Market offers a rotating selection of empanadas. I tried the El Toro, and found it a quick snack without much flavor. Admittedly, I tend to prefer baked empanadas to fried ones. But I was disappointed to find that my empanada tasted more like generic fried food than anything else. It really didn't have much flavor at all. With so many options in the market, I imagine they survive primarily by being the only one at their price point (a substantial but not terribly expensive snack) than any particular quality.

Don't forget the amazing cilantro sauce

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11 years ago

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15 years ago

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15 years ago

This is one of my favorite food trucks. You can always count on getting a good empanada or two or three, no matter what your tastes are.

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15 years ago

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15 years ago

One of the great mysteries of the universe is why these empanadas are so good. Diets be damned, I'm getting an empanada!

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Julia's Empanadas - Empanadas

Julia's Empanadas

3.9(313 reviews)
1.7 miAdams Morgan
$$

Food Have not come here in years (RIP to Dupont location),…read morebut these used to hit the spot. They have a wide variety of flavors and the dough is soft and the edges a bit on the crispy side. Their rotating vegetarian option is also vegan. I think the week I went was a miss, it was bean and something crunchy. Missing flavor, but the salsa really helped it. Everyone who got a meat option said it was really good. They loved everything that they got. Next time I would better check their vegan option, but it is nice that they always have one ready for you. Service Came here on a Thursday mid-day and needed to grab food for a customer. The woman working was so sweet and happy to assist with me getting nearly two dozen empanadas and giving a nice variety. She labeled each one and gave me salsas and napkins. Ambiance A hole in the wall for sure. There is nowhere for you to sit, but these are portable little triangles so easy to walk down 18th or Columbia. On a nice day I would take these to the park.

Julia's Empanadas was perfect for a quick lunch near Adams Morgan…read more This is a hole-in-the-wall spot, and I was craving something fairly small for lunch since we were going out to dinner later. After taking one look at the specials board, I knew the vegetarian empanada was the option for me. This empanada was vegan as well. Of course, plenty of meaty options or vegetarian with cheese options are also available. The lady who rang up my order was super nice, and I told her I was excited to get an empanada since we do not have that many empanada spots back home. My empanada was packaged really well. It would be perfect to eat on the go, and it was warm throughout. Even after walking 1/3 of a mile back to my hotel and getting to the room, it was still warm. The empanadas are a large portion for the price, and one was enough for me for lunch. They do have catering options and smaller empanadas that you can order in advance for a crowd.

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Julia's Empanadas - Empanadas

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The Empanada Lady - The street corn was the highlight of the visit.

The Empanada Lady

4.0(113 reviews)
32.6 miDowntown

This food is bomb!! I'm on the last hour of my time in Baltimore and I'm already planning my meals…read morefor the next visit. We split the "just enough" and it was more than enough for 2. The empanadas are large, flavorful, and mesh perfectly with the sauces. The chimichurri on the tostones was a big highlight for me. On top of all that, the cupcake that comes with it ain't no grocery store dessert! Lastly, the music was just perfect! I'll be back here every time I'm in Baltimore.

INSANE delicious, you must come try this! I came during…read morejury duty - for $20, it's one huge empanadas, a side, a drink, and a dessert. It was a ton of food. I think even without the jury discount it was only a few bucks more. The empanada was amazing - I got beef, it was huge and filling. I also loved the tostones but I want to try the fried sweet plantains too! Dessert was also BOMB, some kinda bread pudding. So delish. Everything came quick and was hot and fresh. I know they do catering, I would definitely consider it. The space is also very nicely decorated with nice furniture and decor. Unfortunately, the area is a bit odd, not much to do around there. Service was also a bit strange. My server may have been having an off day but he was quite impersonal, I wondered if he was okay. Also note that tip is included (they call it "love" on the bill." Overall, I would definitely recommend The Empanada Lady and really want to come back!

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SOKO Butcher Shop & Market - Bulgogi

SOKO Butcher Shop & Market

4.3(193 reviews)
2.7 mi
$$

I finally got around to visiting SOKO Butcher Shop & man was it worth it! WOW!…read more I got the Philly, and it was worth the hype. A top tier cheesesteak that rivals anything I've had in the area, Baltimore & Philadelphia. 10/10 The wife got The Butcher on Ciabatta w/ chimichurri, horseradish aioli, arugula roasted tomato. She devoured that thing --(not AI, I've always written like this lol) well, what she could bc our sandwiches were massive. 8/10 My daughter, Paris got the wings with fries and she loved her meal as well. All in all, this was a great experience. The lady at the cash register was very friendly and helpful when I purchased my cuts of meat to make burgers later at home, the space was clean, and food came out within 15 minutes. Funny story, it was my bday so I knew my Dad was coming by my house later in the evening so I saved him half of my cheesesteak bc I couldn't eat it all, and I really wanted him to try it. After initially refusing, he finally tasted it and said it was the best he's ever had, and this was hours later, after warming it up in the microwave. He asked me to send the address, and that this would be his new go to spot. Lol Definite 5 stars.

I ordered a sandwich with bacon on it but they didn't add the bacon. It's an up charge so if they…read moredidn't have it the charge should have been refunded. The service is always bad and the food is expensive so the least they can do is get the order right. When you walk in no one acknowledges you even if you're the only customer there. When they finally do they act as if they're doing you a favor by taking your order...no smile, no welcome in...nothing. One time I was there, several people were in the store and the workers were laughing and talking behind the counter. About three minutes went by before I asked if someone could hand me my order. Right after that a customer who had been there before me asked if they could order, so there's no telling how long they had been waiting before I spoke up. It's never a pleasant experience. It's a local neighborhood spot so I try to support but at this point they're playing in my face.

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DC Empanadas - empanadas - Updated May 2026

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