Overall subpar flavors and absolutely not worth the long wait. I came across this vendor through a festival unfortunately they are not equipped to meet the demands of event goers. Hopefully their catering is better. Waited over an hour for empanadas, rice and plantains. The food was sadly overcooked, skimpy and not worth the cost. I do think with some operational improvements they may be able to overcome their current obstacles. read more

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I tried empanadas from Dona Aida's at the Latin Food Festival in San Jose. My personal opinion is that it provides the best experience when you use them for catering and a reasonable experience when you try them at an event like a festival. I ordered both the crab and Cuban empanadas when I visited them at the San Jose Latin Food Festival. Their empanadas are made-to-order, which is great in theory as you know they are fresh but also resulted in waiting almost 30-45 minutes. The empanadas were definitely tasty but not necessarily worth the long wait. Now I should mention that the festival itself was a complete flop (if I could write a review, it would be two stars)... besides this place, there was literally one other taco truck and a Puerto Rican food stall. There were quite a few people in attendance at this festival that were literally all split in terms of waiting in line between these three places. I'll give Dona Aida's the benefit of the doubt and that they may have just been overwhelmed with the crowd hence the long wait time. However, I should note that I also caught a glimpse of this place at the Latin Food Festival in Oakland (much more successfully put together than the festival in San Jose) and they seemed to be backed up there as well. Once again, the empanadas from here were delicious and had I picked up my order immediately, I would have given a five star review, but it does seem like they are best used for pre-orders/catering rather than made-to-order at an event. read more

Didn't know that deep fried empanadas are a thing -- well they are and boy are they good! No dipping sauce needed. A friend brought these over last weekend - veggie, chicken and beef. They were gone within an hour! Texture- as expected- moist and very flavorful. I suppose a little chimichurri dip could be nice, but not necessary. Looking forward to ordering again. Go Dona Aida! read more

Doña Aida's Empanadas - a hand holding a bag of empanadas - Empanadas Near Me

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This was the best empanada in The Bay I've had thus far. Being Puerto Rican it's hard to find good food that reminds me of home. This brought back memories. Thank you. read more

Doña Aida's Empanadas - a box of empanadas and dips - Empanadas Near Me

Soooo yummy and she is sooo nice!!!! They were devoured and everyone loved them! We will be getting more sometime!

I contacted Doña Aida to see if I could get some empanadillas for my daughter's graduation party. There are very few places to get authentic Puertorriqueño comida here in The bay. She assured me that her empanadillas were good so I ordered 4 dozen (cooked) and arranged to pick them up at 11:30 on a Saturday. I arrived on time the day of the party and Doña Aida answered the door with a smile and two hot trays of empanadillas. I have to say that you can tell she has a passion for making people smile and sharing her gift with people. My daughter's party started at 1:00 and there were about 20 people there. (Most if them had never had authentic Puerto Rican food before). The empanadillas only lasted an hour and it's all people were taking about. The Piccadillo (we ordered beef) was perfect and every one was golden brown and crispy. If you are considering ordering from Doña Aida, you should just go ahead and call now. My review does not even begin to do her food justice. I cannot get her warm smile and passion for her cooking out of my head. Doña Aida is a true gift to all Puerto Ricans (and anyone else who lives our culture) in the Bay. I will be calling her every chance I get to grab more. I'll be back soon. read more

Doña Aida's Empanadas - Beef (picadillo) empanadillas are the best I have found in the Bay. Soooooooo good! - Empanadas Near Me

First time ordering beef and chicken empanadas from here. Boy, it didnt disappoint! They're so good! read more

Doña Aida's Empanadas - Beef empanadas - Empanadas Near Me

I love empanadas, so when I passed by their booth at a Hayward pop-up market, I had to try it! The person taking orders was so kind and generous! And these empanadas didn't disappoint! Perfectly crisp and flaky on the outside, and the fillings were flavorful and moist. I tried the veggie and the crab and wish I had bought more. Plus, the sauce that came with my order was the perfect complement. I was intending to split them so that my husband could try it, but they were so good that I finished them before he even knew I brought them home! I look forward to ordering some for a future gathering, and I hope to see them at another pop-up market soon! read more

Excellent empanadas! Beautiful to look at and SO DELICIOUS!!! We ordered 10 dozen fried empanadas (chicken, beef, veg) for an event at the non-profit theater where I work. The empanadas were easily the hit of the party! I was lucky enough to sample one of the fresh crab empanadas when I picked up my order...can't wait to order those next time! Thank you, Aida!!! read more

I got a dozen of Aidas Empanadas (Chicken and Veggie) and both of them were really good! The fillings were really tasty, and the skin was not thick. Would totally recommend trying read more

We ordered three dozen empanadas for a retirement party just last week. They were delicious and truly wowed the party guests! The chicken, beef and veggie empanadas are all delicious and unique in their flavors. The veggie empanadas especially were exceptional because they were full-bodied and the lack of meat was not a detriment! The spices and flavor in all of the empanadas showed both a fine skill in cooking as well as a love of this special hand-held treat. The salt and spices were well balanced and the meats and vegetable were of great quality. Dona Aida was great at communicating with me when I checked in about placing an order. We spoke over the phone as well as text, with efficiency and ease. She provided fair and easy to understand pricing. She was prompt in completing the order and the empanadas were well packaged in trays that could go right on the table. They were still hot when we set them out, one hour after picking them up! I highly recommend Dona Aida for a party or family dinner. She will fry or provide to you un-fried. What an amazing opportunity to try a delicious and expertly crafted food. Thank you, Dona Aida! read more

If you want to find the best empanadas in Oakland look no further. I ordered a dozen of crab empanadas, I never had that flavor they were delicious!! They had enough dough and enough meat just the perfect amount of everything... read more

It's such a special treat to enjoy her empanadas! I ordered 3 dozen...no occasion necessary. I ordered chicken, veggie and crab. She packages them so nicely. They are ready to freeze and fry whenever I like . I have been making them as after school snacks for my kids. They love the veggie...rare. The crab empanadas are lumps of fresh deliciousness wrapped in the most amazing crust. The crab is my favorite...I'm drooling from the thought of them! I highly recommend you order every filling and find your favorite...please treat yourself. Plus she is the sweetest lady so it's a win win! read more

Doña Aida's Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me

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The best empanadas ever.....this lady is the bomb.com ......every flavor is delicious chicken, crab ,and beef are my favorite....check them out ... read more

Doña Aida makes the best empanadas in the Bay Area! I found her here on Yelp and despite her few reviews, decided to give her a call (she does custom homemade orders by the dozen). I sure was not disappointed; her empanadas are incredibly delicious, and are sure to be a hit at any office party, wedding, or any other event requiring catering. Furthermore, Doña Aida is incredibly friendly and clearly takes pride in her delicious empanadas. And she should; they're damn delicious! Give her a call today! read more

It is so hard to find Puerto Rican food in the Bay Area, so I decided to give Doña Aida's a try. I order a dozen beef empanadas and was blown away. Freshly made with plenty of flavorful beef inside. Absolutely delicious! Highly recommended! read more

She was so nice with our last minute order. It's so hard to find empanadas in the east bay. We ordered 2 dozen for a class (cheese and beef). I liked them and the kids wanted more. I'll definitely be ordering again. read more

I was looking for a delicious empanada after having had a mediocre one. I came across Doña Aida's empanadas on Yelp and decided to give her a call. She made delicious Puerto Rican style empanadas, we ordered a dozen beef and a dozen cheese. The beef were delicious, I was transported to the last time we were in Puerto Rico. The cheese were delicious too but I'd stick to the beef as the marriage of sofrito and beef is unparalleled. She packaged them nicely and instructed me on how to fry them (super easy.) These definitely make up for the lack of good Caribbean food that's missing in the bay area. Aida is a sweet lady and I enjoyed interacting with her while picking up our treats! read more

The chicken, veggie and cheese empanadas we bought from Dona Aida's were delicious. She is customer oriented, was punctual and her empanadas tasted as fabulous as they looked. For an extra charge she fried them and we served them immediately. Try her out read more

Wow! I'm truly impressed on how authentic these empanadas are... so delicious and mouth watering . I've been trying to find Puerto Rican food here in Northern California for the longest & now I've found my favorite appetizers Don Aida's empanadas right in the heart of San Leandro,ca All I can say is that they are by far the best empanadas I have ever tasted in my life. She deserves my than Five stars if you ask me . read more

Dona Aida's empanadas were great! We ordered over 200 empanadas for our wedding last weekend. She doesn't usually deliver, but we negotiated a delivery price and Dona Aida delivered fried and ready to eat empanadas to the event. She was super responsive via text and phone calls. The veggie, chicken, and beef empanadas were all delicious and went super fast, no leftovers. The event site was a little hard to find, so she was a little late, but I would have no problem using her services again. Delicious! read more

We were so happy to find Doña Aida's! We tried the crab and thought they were delicious.They also got the thumbs up from my in-laws who were visiting from Puerto Rico. Will definitely go back to try the others. read more

I had the pleasure of tasting Dona delicious empanadas today and I must say they are soooooo delicious!! Dona is a really sweet lady, I came 30 minutes late to pick up my order and was sort of expecting her to be a bit annoyed with me but instead I was greet with a warm and friendliest smile.. communication was soo easy. I text her my order and she had it ready to go on the day I requested. The empanadas were so warm and crispy! Flavor was right on point! I promise you wouldn't regret ordering Dona empanadas! I will definitely be coming back for more! I got to meet her daughter also and she was sooo sweet.. Dona offers a variety of flavors.. I had the pleasure of trying out her beef empanadas and I can't wait to try out the other flavors! Dona also fried the empanadas for you if you like for a small fee.. it taste as if she baked them! Not greasy or oily at all. Crispy fluffy goodness!!! Get you some empanadas, you won't regret it! read more

I met Dona Aida through another parent of my son school. I am so glad I did! I was born and raised in Puerto Rico and I've been living in the Bay area for 2 years now. I tried having empanadas shipped from Puerto Rico but after having Dona Aida empanadas I have no reason to miss back home. These emapanadillas are the best!!! I tell some people that I made them so that they think I'm an amazing cook. Hahahaha! I consider myself a good cook but emapanadillas are hard to make and time consuming. Trust me when I say these empanadas are the best! Order a dozen, you will not be disappointed. The empanadas are medium size and come filled with plenty of filling. I love the chicken empanadas, they are very tasty and I just can't eat one. They are too good. I have also ordered the beef and the crab empanadas. My guest love these as well. Thank you Aida for giving me a small piece of home while I'm here in California. You and your empanadas are priceless. Gracias!!! read more