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    Empanada Kitchen

    4.7 (514 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 6:00 pm

    Order Empanada Kitchen Takeout or Delivery

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    EMPANADA KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Casual
    Trendy
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Empanada Kitchen

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    Michael B.

    It's most certainly a bright spot. The staff there this Sunday morning when I visited was cheerful. Lovely. And super warm. She / They made the visit pleasant. I thought the food was above average. I think it's great for a quick snack. I think it's great if you're just passing by. But I wouldn't go out my way. I got two this morning. One lamb. One mushroom and cheese. Torn on which one is better. I think without the chimichurri sauce, the lamb was better. It was savory and rich. It felt well put together. But I added the sauce and it switched the flavor profile of it a bit too much. The mushroom and cheese one was the opposite. It didn't need the sauce but the sauce enhanced it quite a bit. The sauce was okay. I got the spicy one and it was more mild. I can only imagine what the mild version tasted like. Plenty of seats. Can fit maybe 30ish people inside and outside. It's a warm atmosphere / ambiance with it being yellow and white.

    Chicken, mushroom & goat cheese empanadas with salad.
    Robert C.

    The chicken and mushroom with goat cheese empanadas were light and great quality. The pastry wasn't too salty and had a soft crispy texture. The salad was good quality too and even its walnuts and cashews were roasted. The attendant was very friendly and the ambience was chilled and quiet.

    Anna S.

    An excellent lunch place. We stopped by this location for a late lunch while downtown and were not disappointed. I got their two empanadas + salad special and I was stuffed afterwards. You definitely get a lot of food for what you pay for (relative to SD prices, of course). The food is also prepared extremely quickly so it was perfect because we were very hungry.

    Lilian Z.

    Fast service and tasty food. Empanadas were solid -- nothing too special but definitely fulfilled the craving I had. Great place for lunch because the food is prepared so quickly. Prices are fair and the interior is clean!

    Irene D.

    Grab and go empanadas made with love and flavor. These bite sized delights are small but mighty! Cute ambiance on the corner when you enter the food hall and service was wonderful! Empanada Kitchen hand makes their empanadas and their own chimichurri sauce fresh using a traditional-gaucho homemade recipe. Featured: The Special of the day Argentina pork sausage,provolone, & chimichurri Mushroom & Goat Cheese Sautéed onions & mushrooms, goat cheese, mozzarella Caprese Basil, tomato, mozzarella Beef The most tradional filling- beef, onion, red bell pepper, green onion, olives Chicken Chicken with home made sofrito Ratatouille (vegan) Roasted veggies, onion, red bell pepper, eggplant, zucchini, tomato, garlic Alfajores cookies classic Argentinian cookie filled with dulce de leche Havanna chocolate cookies Two sweet cookies with creamy Dulce de Leche between the cookies, all covered in chocolate Come visit soon and grab a table outside and enjoy Italy vibes!

    Everything was delicious!
    Kristelle B.

    This place easily caught my eye when we passed by it once because of its yellow facade. Decided to finally try it out one and morning and it did not disappoint! They have a variety of rotating flavors of Argentine-style empanadas to choose from and we got the following: Spicy Italian sausage - arguably the best we got among the trio. The mushroom and goat cheese one would be the runner up. Our least favorite was the bacon and egg as it is pretty basic but overall, all three have really good outer dough and internal flavors. We will be returning customers from here on!

    Beef Empanada Chicken Empanada
    Zaid N.

    Nice spot in downtown San Diego. Came here for lunch and picked up 3 empanadas. Empanadas were pretty good overall and I would come back.

    Empanada kitchen
    Gamini G.

    This is my second review. I usually don't give second reviews unless my opinion flips 180 degrees. I have always liked this place. They have had the best variety of empanadas and chimichurri. Unfortunately, the quality has gone down incredibly. I recently tried their corn and basil empanadas with both the regular and spicy chimichurri sauces and I was super disappointed. The empanadas were overcooked (almost burnt) and the filling was half as much as it used to be. The chimichurri was just watered down vinegar. The overall taste of the empanadas with the sauce was so bad. It was disappointing to see such a great place with amazing empanadas go down to this level. I have always introduced my friends to this place but unfortunately, going forward I won't be. It is not worth the money and the empanadas are not fresh and filled fully.

    Shapes of empanadas
    Annabelle R.

    The empanadas here are pretty good, not the best I've had, but still satisfying. I got the Ham and Cheese, and Bacon and Egg. There were no other customers in sight, so I received instant service, and my order was ready as soon as I paid (pre-made, but kept warm with fresh-tasting ingredients). The empanada shells were buttery and flaky enough, though they don't compare with a lot of the empanada spots I frequent in the bay area where I'm from. The Bacon and Egg was bursting with fluffy creamy scrambled eggs, but was lacking in the bacon (maybe I saw/tasted 1-2 tiny pieces total, or maybe it was finely minced and sprinkled in there with the eggs, I'm not so sure). The Ham and Cheese was filled with ham and gooey melted cheese, but somehow it was a bit lacking in flavor. Not sure if they just had a bad day, or if this is how it always is, but for me, I wasn't too impressed. It was good, but I wouldn't feel I'd be missing out on anything if I didn't return. Good news is, they have delicious chimichurri sauce on the side, spiced well, with options for both spicy and non-spicy, and these made up for the shortcomings on flavor and ingredients in those empanadas. I took my order to-go, but saw that they had seating options both inside and outside, it's a pretty cute restaurant. However just 1-2 blocks away there are homeless encampments, unpleasant odors, and dirty streets, and that's probably the only area you'll find parking nearby too. I only came to this C Street location because the other location on El Cajon was not open before 11am on a Tuesday. But I don't know if the other location is any better anyway, since I'm not from around here. Even though my experience here wasn't perfect, it's still a decent empanada spot.

    Alan S.

    Definitely the best Argentine style empanadas I've had stateside. I had a Caprese and fugazetta special, and they both took me back to my favorite shop I used to stop at in Palermo on the walk from the Plaza Italia subte. Their chimichurri sauce was very nicely tart.

    Kushal D.

    Overall solid spot, got a chicken and a breakfast empanada. Flavors were good, the shell was buttery and flaky, the spicy chimi was ok but lacked spice. Overall solid, location felt a little sketchy walking from our hotel. But I'm not as familiar with the area

    Chicken empanada on the outside
    Ivy E.

    I was looking for a bite to eat that was small and inexpensive since I had food at home and didn't want to overspend or overindulge. As I perused Google Maps to find out what was in the area, I came across Empanada Kitchen and after reviewing the menu and determining they were in budget, I walked around the corner to their downtown location on C Street. The place is hard to miss with bright yellow painting color blocked against a white wall with black lettering. The venue is very clean and the menu is simple and easy to navigate. This was my second time coming here and both times service was great. (Shoutout to Chris and Dan!) The second time around I ordered one instead of two empanadas and settled on the pollo (chicken) with the chimichurri. I LOVE that the empanadas are baked versus fried for those that care about how their food is prepared. It was flaky and not too crispy on the outside and then succulent on the inside. The chimichurri is heavily seasoned (which I like) so if too many flavors simultaneously in your mouth isn't your kind of party, don't ask for it! Will definitely make this a local go to spot. If you like supporting local and small businesses, put your money where your mouth is!

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    7 years ago

    Great empanadas. Fresh and friendly. Glad I made the trip special to their location. A must stop in San Diego.

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    7 years ago

    Very good, authentic, Argentinian empanadas. Creative combos of flavors and spices as well. Would order again.

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    4 years ago

    Update. These aren't as good as the first time I had them. They were extremely salty and had to get through. Disappointed.

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    7 years ago

    LOVE the empanadas here! Every single flavor is amazing, you will not be disappointed. Very clean & super friendly staff as well!

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    7 years ago

    Just moved to SD and searching for great places to eat. My wife and I loved it! Cute location, friendly service and GREAT empanadas.

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    5 years ago

    Just yes! (Okay, not just yes because I'd be doing you a disservice if I didn't tell you to try the chimichurri sauce.) But so much yes.

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    7 years ago

    10/10 service. Every flavor is a win for the price but the sweet corn and basil is outta this world.

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    Page 8 of 13

    Empanada Kitchen Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Empanada Kitchen

    Hello. Do you offer frozen empanadas to prepare at home?

    Absolutely, we sell quite a few frozen empanadas at each restaurant everyday. You can place an order by phone, through our website, or in person. Thank you.

    Are there vegetarian options?

    Yes, we have quite a few vegetarian options that are on the regular menu as well as daily specials. For more information you can check out our menu empanada-kitchen.com/menu

    Are u open for carryout and do you have fried empanadas?

    We are open now for carryout, delivery, and dine-in. We only do baked empanadas. Thank you for your questions.

    What are the gluten free options?

    Our salads are gluten free.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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