From the minds behind Puerto511 - Chef Jose Victorio has finally opened his Peruvian empanada concept in fells point at the former Sofi's crêpe location. I do have to write a disclaimer - I am writing the article for Baltimore magazine about this place but the food and service that I received was phenomenal. The space is much larger than I originally imagined because when I used to go to Sofi's, it was during Covid and I would only order from the window, but if you turn the corner, there's a whole main entrance with inside seating, a huge outdoor seating and they have restrooms and water stations.
What shocked me the most about this empanada place is their commitment to the environment traditionally to go places waste a lot of plastic and to go containers, but this hand food revolution as the chef says is to reduce 90% of waste. Only the chimichurri sauce because of the oils comes in plastic. Everything else is in a compostable container.
The Peruvian empanada dough is a little sweeter than the other empanadas and it is filled with what feels like a full meal. At first glance, the "oriental" might seem a little strange, and not PC, but in Spanish it's not a bad word for Asian cultural items. This had the Chinese Peruvian fusion fried rice and it is so delicious and there's a hint of smokiness and it feels like you're eating this fried rice inside of an empanada dough.
This is still in their soft opening phase, but as of this weekend, they are going to be fully operational from 11 AM to 8 PM Tuesdays through Sundays. We love supporting local businesses, and honestly the quality of the empanadas here - they're baked and none of the meats that they use is ground - they cut them.
The price point is really fair considering how much work goes into their empanadas considering also that their dough is handmade. It's not pre-bought and the quality of the ingredients are really excellent - I think other places are selling their empanadas for a little more. $5 is a steal - you do pay .50 for their sauces.
Oh, do not skip on their Chica Morada it's absolutely fantastic! read more