Really flavorful empanadas, and really large and filling. We ordered for delivery, so didn't experience in restaurant but the order was quick and easy. read more

OMGG!!! HOW IS THIS PLACE NOT YELP PAGE!!?? I have been following The Empanada Lady on IG for quite some time and was finally in the area when they were open. I decided to order through Uber eats but they also take orders through Doordash and over the phone/via text. When walking in I was immediately greeted with smiling faces and an open/airy setting! I take customer service seriously and the woman behind the counter was ready and willing to help answer all the questions I had surrounding what they offer, even though I was just there to pick up. Now onto the food, its " The Empanada Lady" so I had to get the Chicken, Salmon (see people rave about this on IG, everything really), and the Shrimp empanadas. I also added Beef and Apple empanada because why not!? She has a platter that includes 3 empanadas and 2 small sides, so I opted for rice & beans and veggies as my sides. As soon as I got home I took a bite of the chicken empanada, and WOAHHH, the flavors the crunch just everythinggg was amazinggg - the Nada sauce had a slight kick but not overpowering! As my Fiancé and I continued to eat we were just amazed at how EEVRYTHINGGG was delicious!!!! Needless to say I will be a regular as long as she keeps cranking out food this good!! Thank you Empanada Lady!! read more

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I stopped by their new location, which is a vibe. Music was playing, but it wasn't too loud. I was greeted by several of the staff there, who were friendly. The empanadas themselves were great. I tried beef and chicken and preferred the beef. I got some rice and plantain as sides to go along with it. The sides were okay, nothing special. But I got their bread pudding, which I really liked. I definitely have to come back, as I heard they made their own pop (I'm from the Midwest; we don't say soda). It was a good experience, and I would definitely come back. read more

Food quality- empanadas over fried and burnt . Crab did not taste like jumbo crab and WAY overpriced. Service- excellent Ambiance - beautiful cozy environment Unfortunately will not go back. read more

I checked this place out for dinner last night after seeing all the hype about it on social media and was not disappointed! I made a same-day reservation through OpenTable, and even though I was more than 20 minutes late, they were still willing to accommodate me which was awesome. The hostess was extremely friendly and seated us in the bar/lounge area so the bartender was our server. I ordered 3 empanadas (beef, crab (because it's Maryland, duh), and pork), a side of street corn, a side of rice with beans, and the bread pudding for dessert. The empanadas were tasty, and the portion sizes were huge! I ended up having to take 2 of my 3 empanadas home. The beef was amazing and my favorite, so If you only get one, I'd go for that one. The rice was pretty standard. The street corn and bread pudding missed the mark a bit for me texture-wise, but the flavors were great. All in all, i would absolutely be back! I loved the overall decor and vibe of the place. They even have fun games that you can play while you wait for your food. Note that they do add a 20% service fee on all bills. read more

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When I walked into the TEL to meet a friend for lunch during the workweek, I expected, based on its location, to cater, at least somewhat, to the workaday lunch crowd. (I was actually scouting locations for my next jury duty.) How wrong I was. The music, at lunchtime, IS LOUD. In fact, we asked the bartender if there was a quiet place to sit, and we were told to just walk around and test things out. We settled on a place, which may or may not have been any quieter, and just raised our voices to speak with each other. Things go a bit downhill from there, when neither of our phones can quite pick up the QR code with our data and there's no wifi, and our waiter tells us, no, there is no printed menu. (Lo and behold, we see the bartender handing one to a customer as we were leaving.) Luckily, my friend had remembered the menu, and we spit the three empanadas, two sides, and a cupcake meal. I ordered the beef and while a tad overcooked, it was really, really delicious. Friend gets the veggie, cooked perfectly, which she enjoyed. We both adored the nada sauce, and would happily slather that on everything. We spit the apple empanada, and were both disappointed in how lackluster it was, and how easily it could be improved. (Using far less vanilla, and the addition of, for example, raisins, nuts, cinnamon, lemon juice, etc.) The sides weren't exciting, but they weren't bad. The cupcake was lovely. Right after we ordered, our waiter asked for a credit card, in order to open a "food tab." A food tab? We were both aghast. And, we were both drinking water. We exclaimed, yes, we've heard of a "bar tab" (who hasn't?) but a tab for food?! We did as we were told, and continued to look puzzled. When we did ask for our check, we noticed the suggested tip section on the bottom of the printout. When we looked at the check more closely, we noticed a section called "love," which added an additional 20%. We called the waiter over, so "love," is the 20% tip? Yes, he tells us. No one was ever transparent about the automatic tip, and since we never saw a menu, we couldn't see any of the fine print that would alert us to that. (We both eaten at places with an automatic 20% tip, and we've always been informed of it BEFORE WE'VE ORDERED.) At this point, we sort of couldn't wait to leave. And, although the food is good, we definitely won't be returning. read more

It is an excellent place for empanadas, with immaculate vibes (if the music is a bit too loud), exceptional service, and delicious food. It can be a bit pricey, but everything you'll eat will be tasty, savory, creamy, and handled perfectly. It's worth the extra cost to support a black-owned, independent business doing their craft this well. read more

Made reservations over the phone for brunch and the process was seamless. The restaurant is cozy and warm with fun decor. Our waitress Jazz was amazing and made our experience top tier. Very attentive and fun. Sangria was really good and I really enjoyed the French toast. read more

Empanada Lady - French toast and Salmon with potatoes and eggs. - Empanadas Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Just left the restaurant infuriated. I placed a "to-go" order for the "just enough for you" O.G. Platter and wings. All the food was decent but seemed a bit overpriced which I thought was okay since it looked as though everything was made fresh. I had to wait at least 30 minutes for my order with the restaurant being mostly empty at around 9pm and the few patrons who came after me receiving similar meals ahead of mine. The absolute worse part was when the bill came with a 15% gratuity charge that was written as "LOVE"! First, I asked the very nice bartender what the charge meant to which he replied, "I'm not sure what that is. I've only been working here a couple of days." He asked a manager (who I imagine was the owner) and came back explaining this was for gratuity. I asked to have the charge removed as this was a take-out order and should not be required. He came back and said his manager explained this is a required charge, to which I replied, "This is very misleading and should also not be called LOVE." The Empanada Lady absolutely stood her ground at charging gratuity for a take-out order so buyer beware. The place otherwise has a great vibe and decorum. I wish management's pricing descriptions and charges could match the vibe. I noticed other responses on Yelp by the owner regarding gratuity at a 20% charge for large parties which supposedly is on their website? I looked and saw no such reference and certainly not anything about a 15% mandatory charge on a take-out order. I mean, really, this food is supposed to be classic, Puerto Rican comfort food and does not merit such a charge. I'm sure someone will respond with some justification about the gratuity, which I could live with, but for the LOVE of God, don't call it LOVE. read more

Empanada Lady - Bill - Empanadas Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

I really enjoyed these empanadas but must say that the quality is hit or miss! They empanadas as delicious but when I've ordered delivery many times my empanadas are overcooked; I'm missing the sauce I ordered and paid for. I tried to introduce co workers and so we ordered and of unfortunately their was no labels on the boxes or any way to determine which empanadas we had other than breaking them open. The lack of consistency is the reason for the 3 stars read more

We are in town visiting and stopped by for an early dinner. To our pleasant surprise, we got there during happy hour! Two empanadas each are more than enough because you've got to save room for the bread pudding. It is fantastic. The service is great and the ambience / vibe of the place is swanky, relaxed, and just the right side of conversation starter. I loved that they had jenga and other games for guests. It kept the kids occupied. read more

Been wanting to try this new location. It didn't disappoint! Yum! Thank you! And be sure to try a cupcake! read more

My empanada came out cold and nasty, I had to chase down my waitress "Athena" TWICE for a drink, I didnt like my food, the manager came over and told me she would take it off my bill and DID NOT and then argued with when I asked for it too be taken off the bill, the waitress tried arguing with me when i TOLD HER MY FOOD WAS COLD, the cooks were taking shots while making food and they didn't wear gloves at all. I was reading other reviews after I left and I literally read a review where the owner of this place responded to the review and told the lady too "pull up" EXTREMELY UNPROFESSIONAL. You can check that review out for yourself and her response to it on google. ALL AROUND TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. EAT AT YPUR OWN RICK. read more

Empanadas are very good. Drinks are pricey. Decorations are super! Good music, too. I would need to try more food, but it is not available on Sundays, only a limited menu available. There is no parking on site but close to inner harbor. read more

Empanada Lady - Bar area and seating. Nice decor!! - Empanadas Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

I've been following The Empanada Lady on IG for close to 2 years now, and I was (am) excited for this brick & mortar to open! The shrimp empanadas were the best. They were filled with a great sauce in the inside that was delicious. My partner and I thought the crab and pork empanadas needed the same level of sauce in the inside as the shrimp. The bartender, Kelechi was awesome too. Her service was great. However, our over all experience quickly dampened by the lack of transparency in the menu pricing. When we received our bill (please see attached picture), we did not expect to walk out having paid nearly $200.00 for empanadas and 2 drinks for a lunch meal. We ordered essentially the 6-pack of "The O.G. Platters" empanadas (4 crab, 1 shrimp, and 1 pork). The bartender shared that the total price was due to the crab and shrimp empanadas having an up-charge because they are "specialty" empanadas. But the menu does not show that there is an up-charge for any of "The O.G. Platters" empanadas. So, we paid nearly $40.00 in up-charges for the specialty empanadas. All there needed to be is an asterisk beside this platter indicating for the customer to be aware that the price of the platter will change if they order any specialty empanadas. I am huge supporter of small business and particularly small businesses owned by historically underrepresented individuals. I want to see us win. I am also big on price transparency. I am disappointed that we were SO excited about visiting for the first time, and we left away feeling a little powerless about the amount that we were not expecting to pay. read more

Empanada Lady - Receipt - Empanadas Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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OMG! the food was amazing. I totally enjoyed the atmosphere and vibe. The hostess gretted us and gave a little history about the owner and the tour of the establishment. The afro and Puerto Rican is felt the moment you enter! I will ne back read more

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I came here earlier today at lunch time. The service was good and the ambience was good but I really wish the food was better. I Ordered the beef and pork empanadas. I seen reviews about the empanadas being over cooked so I ask for them not to overcook but mine still came out too hard and I feel like they both needed a little more seasoning as well. I had to break off the edges of the crust. The only thing that kinda saved my experience sort of is the sauce. The sauce is good. I also ordered a drink at the bar. Can't remember the name but it had elderflower in it and it was way too sweet so I asked to exchange for a ginger beer mule. Unfortunately that wasn't that great either. Not sure if I'd return to give them a second chance. Side note parking on South street is 3.75 for a hour. read more

Empanada Lady - Pork and beef empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Been seeing this place on instagram for a minute and had to finally take the time to visit. The beef and chicken empanadas were crazy good!!! They are not made and sat under a heat lamp like other places, they are made to order which is great! One of the best that I've ever had. The staff was friendly and service was also great! The space itself is a nice chill spot to hang out with a couple friends, and there's also a bar set up in the space to the left and tons of beautiful murals and other great artwork. This place is definitely a vibe and I would recommend going!! Just sad I missed meeting the owner, she seems really cool and would loved to have told her how great her spot was in person! Hopefully next time I can meet her!! read more

Empanada Lady - Beef empanada (left) and chicken empanada (right). Crazy good and worth the drive from Columbia!! - Empanadas Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Visiting for a scientific conference. Had to stop here and try their food. Such a cute place. Great atmosphere and empanadas...yum!

Finally stopped by and I was not disappointed. The empanada's remind me of NY and my son agreed. This was the only place I could get authentic empanada's. The gentleman was very helpful and friendly with helping us and answering questions. We had chicken and beef empanada's, they were so good and fresh. The only thing was that while eating we were running into cold pockets of met but that us not going to stop us from visiting again. The decor was cute reminded me of a bodega with a bar. read more

So, i have ordered a couple of times from the Empanada Lady i believe, first i ordered her Coquito that may be seasonal not sure, i housed that down expeditiously. I have ordered a bunch of empanadas as well, a little pricey but very good, the sauce was fantastic. She is located in the Motorhouse on North Ave, kindly check her out for sure. The owner herself, and the ladies i have encountered on my other visits were all nice. read more

This is so good, I don't have a picture of the shrimp one cause I ate it on the way home. ! The restaurant was very beautiful and the staff was super friendly and helpful. The lady at the front help me place my order cause my brother was paying a different way then me and they don't take cards so she showed me how to use Zelle to pay for his order and I brought cash for mine. So being from NY and of Panamanian background I am no stranger to a Empanada, Baby These are Top 2 and they aren't # 2. My Grandma use to make Empanadas also but hers where more of a Beef Patty crust while these are more of a Wonton crust . These lady's have some talent cause even with the drive to pick up my kids and get home about 30 mins they where still warm and flaky with a sweet warm comforting taste to the filling. You just have to try it to understand, I'm so happy I found you on IG this was worth the stress of driving to the city. read more

Empanada Lady - Apple Empanada - Empanadas Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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I love empanadas so I was super excited to find an empanada spot right in Baltimore. the food was amazing as well as the staff. Athina was especially welcoming and informative about the background and culture of the establishment. She helped make our experience memorable by bringing games and just being warm and welcoming! definitely coming back :) Love, Satisfied Customer! read more

Great weekend treat. The empanadas are amazing. The owner greeted us personally. Perfect spot after a Baltimore festival day.

Let me first say I don't normally do reviews because I just don't. Lol but I gotta give this server ATHINA her pros! She was the BOMB dot com. She was friendly, attentive, accommodating and just all around a vibe. she really do our party of 9 the best service. The food! Jesus lord, those EMPANADAS was OUTSTANDING!! I give them a 9/10 only cause they was a little too fried for me but the flavor was there. The chicken and salmon is a must try. The rice and beans was delicious. I can't describe the taste but it was astonishing. Drinks 9/10. Loved the live potion margaritas! The atmosphere was a 10/10. If you looking for something different, definitely give them a try. read more

My daughter is home from boarding school and lives trying different cultures of food. I bought the "just enough for you" platter and gave her the beef empanada. Now everytime I order she's on my back trying a different one lol. Thank you for taking this as far as you have and don't stop we love it! I don't know which is my favorite but u are definitely my empanada chef read more

Empanada Lady - Empanadas Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Visited Baltimore and loved this place! Had the lunch special with platanos and a shrimp empanada. It was delicious! The empanadas that I and my friends ate were juicy, flavorful, not overly filled with big hunks of veg but well balanced with a good portion of whatever protein we each chose and the rest of the filling. Not too salty, just truly delicious! The fried empanada pastry held up and didn't fall apart, was not too dry either. We were all very happy. And we saw this joint do fresh squeeze citrus juice for cocktails so one of us had a margarita and she enjoyed it. One Boricua and two Chicanas give this place a thumbs up. Wish this place was in my town. Service was excellent with a server who gave honest and helpful suggestions. Space was cute and had a friendly vibe. read more

We were visiting from out of town and decided to give this place a try. I'm so glad that we did! The restaurant has a comfortable, chic vibe. And, the food and service were amazing. We loved the empanadas (especially the pork) and 'nada sauce. The arroz con gandules side dish was a delightful standout. And, the bread pudding was a decadent and delicious dessert. Everything about our experience was perfect: Attentive, friendly service. Great food. Nice atmosphere. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Had an intimate and wonderful Valentine's Day feast of the best Empanada's in town! Great vibe! read more

The food was mostly excellent! However, it took hours for the server to actually bring the food to the table! We visited on a Saturday for brunch. First, it took 30 minutes for the server to finally recognize that a table of 5 people had been sitting there waiting patiently. She came over to offer us water. It then took 10 more minutes for them to take our orders. It kept getting worse y'all. Took them an hour and thirty minutes for my fiancée and I to get the majority of our food. We were the lucky people in our party. I'll get to what my friends had to experience in a minute. Me and my fiancée ordered 2 French toast meals, a beef empanada, and a salmon empanada. The beef empanada was the first item that came out 1 hour and 30 minutes after we received water. Twenty minutes later our french toast meals came. We planned to share the empanadas, but never received the salmon empanada. We drove 1 hour and 30 minutes from Alexandria to experience this horrible service. The occasion was to celebrate my friend's 36th birthday. Now let's talk about the service my friends received. One friend in our party only ordered the potato hash brown type of side because he was not that hungry, but they brought it out 1 hour and thirty minutes late and it was cold. He then waited another 30 minutes and finally told them to keep it. He ended up going to the American Fish takeout place around the corner. Another friend ordered the French toast and did not get his meal for an hour after we got our French toast. The service was awful. The crazy thing is people around us, who came after us, were all getting their meals before us. Our server explained that other servers were taking our food as it was being prepared. Like I said earlier the food was mostly excellent; however, does it matter how good the food is if it takes hours to actually get a chance to eat it? I will also like to add that the server gave us two sides of fruit 20 minutes after we ate our food. We were like what is this and she said it came with the meal. I wish she would have kept that mess. It consisted of watermelon and grapes. The watermelon literally look like it was two weeks old and the grapes had seeds in them. I'm not even sure why they would mess up the food experience by even offering us that mess. Anyway, I would go back if they could get their service together, because that French toast and the one beef empanada I was able to try were excellent. read more

Empanada Lady - Empanadas Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

If I could give this restaurant 0 stars I would! Came here with high expectations, no one welcomed us and once we placed our order, we waited for almost an hour and never received our order. We ultimately ended up leaving after seeing another customer who came 15-20 minutes after us getting their order first. When we asked why they got their order before us, the server said," they ordered a vegetable empanada". I wish we could've of at least had the opportunity to try the food but the horrible service really did it for us. read more

Love the service. Our waiter Jazz was very pleasant, greeted us with a smile, and very attentive to us at the table. The food I would give 6/10 over all. Although not terrible, the empanadas was not seasoned as well as I would like. However, with the sauce it came with, it tasted better, hot/spicy wings I would rate 7/10. Ambience, is cool. Love the music that was played. Overall ambience rating 7/10 not bad/not terrible. read more

Fun atmosphere with music. The best Emapanadas! Amazing food and friendly service. They also offer unlimited mimosas and have an amazing Wisher Vodka cocktail! Must try! Would be a great place to host a small to medium event. read more

The salmon empanada was very tasty. Friendly service and nice atmosphere. Will be returning to try more empanadas

Great,Food, service, & ambiance. I highly recommend. I stumbled across this restaurant on Instagram. I was planning a trip to Baltimore & put it on my foodie list. I'm so glad I came. It did not disappoint. read more

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The vibe is next level, the food is outstanding. The service is on point. I enjoyed everything about this restaurant and I want to see it flourish because it deserves to. They had a booth at a festival I worked and they just started giving out full meal samples to the children who needed it. No other vendor did that. Stupid delicious, great people. Can't wait to visit again. read more

The food was amazing and the place is beautiful!!!! The server was so sweet and had great recommendations! Kelly is amazing and makes great drinks!! I will definitely be back! read more

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Today was simply amazing with service by Kelechi!!! She came 2 seconds after we sat, provided us water, and when asked, provided several favorites!! We ate everything except the plate!!! Hats off Empanada Lady!! I saw you WJZ-13 a few weeks ago and, told my daughter we must come today. We will be back!!! The service waa hands down A+++!!! Thank you!!! read more

Service, food, ambiance...EXCEPTIONAL!!! Kelechi serviced our table and she was such a pleasure, making the perfect recommendations!! Please open more locations, Baltimore is so lucky to have an establishment this heavenly!! read more

I'm very excited for this restaurant and cant wait to see how they grow in this new space. A group of us went in for lunch to check out the spot and to support them. I am confident this is going to be a go-to for lunch. As with any new restaurant- you want to be patient. They are still working out a lot of the wrinkles that come with a new restaurant. We had a salad, an empanada and a bowl. The empanada was delicious- if maybe overcooked- as if maybe they are made ahead of time and fried again before cooking. I don't blame them for this- it has to be easier to manage the rushes they get this way. It was a really delicious empanada- I cant wait to try all of them. The empanada was $ 9.00 and was made into a "meal" for $10.00 more. We misunderstood what this meant and in hindsight wont take advantage of this again, it was definitely not worth it. The empanada was $9.00 on its own and the drink offered with it was a soda (menu price $1.50) and the side (menu price $5.00) was never delivered, so for an additional $10.00 on the bill we received a... $1.50 soda. Even if we got the side it was a $6.50 value being sold to us for $10.00... Nada a particularly good deal for the consumer. I am looking forward to trying more of the empanadas- they were great!! The salad was $22.00 and was interesting. An empty avocado half was used to hold a scoop of diced onion, mango and fish. The menus described this a bit differently - with a pan seared cod on top, this was small pieces of chopped fish in the onion & mango mix. The salad did not contain tomatoes or avocado. It sat on about a half cup of chopped greens. It was similar to a scoop of ceviche without the tomatoes. It came with 4 large pieces of fried chips to use to eat it. It was tasty and refreshing but left us hungry. I didnt feel like there was $22.00 worth of value to it- despite being tasty, it was similar in size to an appetizer- not a $22.00 entrée salad. That said- it was a tasty app but I'd probably skip this next time. The bowl was also good- and a good price. It was a bowl of rice, steamed broccoli and a LOT of cheese, along with the protein of your choice and their sauce. It was filling and flavorful and we will try this one again for sure, maybe leaving some of the cheese off. The staff is lovely and was definitely feeling the struggles of keeping up with a lunch time rush- that will work itself out over time and would not prevent us from coming back. Anytime a new place opens- they need time to work things through, I am so excited to see how this restaurant grows and refines their menu. While they do, give yourself a lot of extra time (this isn't a fast lunch spot- expect to spend more than an hour here for lunch) and be patient- they are doing something awesome here. read more