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Empanada Mama

3.9 (29 reviews)
Open • 9:00 am - 12:30 AM (Next day)

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EMPANADA MAMA ATMOSPHERE

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Melissa G.

Tonight was my first time ever trying Empenada Mama. I was getting home late and this was on my way back. I took my food to go. I got home, plated my food, and was genuinely impressed. They gave me a red hot sauce and a green. I loved both but green was my favorite. The shredded chicken empenadas were soooooo good.

Anthony P.

Empanada mama is a classic. A classic! I had them from time to time growing up. There is a wide variety of empanadas you can get, from classic and authentic to more modern/fusion/experimental. It's hard for me to choose because I always want to pick like 7 different kinds. Their brazilian is one of my favorites, and whichever one has oxtail and another with olives - SO GOOD! if you're in the mood for a whole entree you won't go wrong with their pollo guisado - the chicken is SO freaking tender and those potatoes are so savory and soak up all that flavor. WOW. Like, lowkey a sleeper hit! They're also open late. A really really welcome to the Upper East Side, a dose of authentic culture and delicious food in an otherwise relative food-desert neighborhood. Thank you Empanada mama!!

Miss B.

Stopped here after a party in Bk travelling back to the Bx. These empanadas never fail. Ordered 2 bourbon chicken melt, 1 buffalo chicken & a ginger ale. Customer service was good. They definitely fill these empanadas to the maximum. I was only able to eat one & a quarter that night. Saved the other one for lunch a few days later. These are sooo good.

Christina H.

At first taste, the empanadas are super tasty and warm. However, they are super deep fried and hurt my stomach shortly afterwards. I'd recommend this establishment if you're fine with the repercussions of deep fried food. I had the hamburger, guava and cheese, and the pizza empanadas. They were all explosions of flavor. This restaurant is more of a carry out location. There's a couple of high top indoor seating available. I received food efficiently. Service was fine. Restaurant is overall casual. Overall, I wouldn't return unless I wanted to eat some fast food after an evening of drinking to be quite honest.

Menu
Dee B.

I stumbled upon this gem going home from work. Looked very clean and I use to go all the way in queens by the mall to get em. So this was convenient to say the least. I ordered 4 empanada reggaeton which is Pernil, rice and beans it was seasoned so well and full of meat. Top that green sauce and baby my taste buds were doing the Bachata lol. As you can see it didn't make it home. I also got the pernil, pepperoni, cheeseburger and the Viagra okay I got 5 lol. All seasoned well and full well worth the $4.80 . My two favorite Reggaeton and the Viagra which is crabmeat imitation but good and shrimp. I would definitely come back for those two definitely. If you're a cheeseburger fan I would recommend also but it's very cheesy so just a food for thought. "Pun intended " lol

El Jefe
Lulu T.

Idk, Empanada Mama is great no matter the location. This is a cute little spot just to get in and out. Love this idea. And El Jefe was amazing...as usual!!! The cherry lemonade was so damn good couldn't even be bothered to take a pic of it! They were so nice here as well. Loved the the service I'll be back!

El Jefe and Shredded Chicken Corn Flour
Ivy W.

My partner and I are obsessed with this place. They have so many different flavors to choose from and all of them are so good. Recently, I've started trying the corn empanadas, which are super crispy and delicious -- especially the shredded chicken corn flour one. I also really like the Bombay and the El Jefe. Truly though, you cannot go wrong with a flavor, they're all great. The service is quick and $4-5 for an empanada is very fair. There are a few seats against the wall inside so you can eat there if you'd like, but it's not the cleanest.

Ruby F.

Empanada Mama finally opened up on the Upper East Side! They have a wide variety of empanadas to choose from and my goal is to try them all. Each empanada is packed with flavorful filling and the outer shell is baked and crispy. Service was quick and prices were reasonable. There is also an ordering kiosk which helps speed up the ordering process.

El Jefe

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2 months ago

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11 months ago

This place hands down as one of the best empanada spots. I always get the shredded chicken, El jefe, and shredded beef.

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7 months ago

i thought how good could an empanada be but omg it was rly good thank you mama empanada

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2 years ago

Good: delivery was quick; food left a lot to be desired. Very bland. I ended up throwing a portion of it out bc it wasn't worth eating

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Don Coqui - Coconut Shrimp appetizer

Don Coqui

3.4(200 reviews)
3.2 mi
•$$$

What an excellent spot!…read more I've been here a few times - both for just drinks and most recently for dinner. The vibes here are excellent - the space is beautifully decorated, clean, and the outdoor patio is gorgeous, especially in the summertime. The cocktails are all extremely creative and delicious (although I do think a little on the weak side). The last time I was here was for a birthday dinner. We were a large party of 8 women, and all the staff was very accommodating towards us. The food/drinks came out quickly, and they even gave my friend a big ol' birthday celebration complete with a firework candle and a light-up sign. The food is pretty decent - Spanish and Hispanic mostly, with a Caribbean flair. Standouts were the coconut shrimp (which came on a clothes hanger), the steak and tostones, and the ropa vieja. The only real downside of Don Coqui is the price of everything. The bill (with a 20% tip added for a large party) was just shy of 600 dollars, and this was for a table of appetizers and cocktails. Also, the valet parking for 15 dollars is wild, especially when there is a free lot available mere steps away. if you're feeling a little bougie, this is a great spot to grab a drink and get some great photos!

Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly regarding Don Conqui. First, the location is spectacular…read morewith stunning views of upper Manhattan and the Hudson River. While there is valet parking at $15, we opted to park right outside the entrance in the Target parking lot. The location is truly special In the distance you can see the George Washington bridge and one feels like on vacation. When making reservations you can request an outdoor seat which is highly recommended if the weather is good. The only downside were the occasional jet skis buzzing close by. Also, the music outside was not as loud as inside and one can have a conversation without yelling. Enzo our server was very polite and attentive. Jay the manager came around to check on us a couple of times. The food ranged from ok to vey good. The rice in both entrees was a little dry and in need of a bit of seasoning. The dessert (coconut flan) was awesome in terms of presentation and taste. Despite the awesome location, good service, and generally good food, the bill was a little pricey for what we had. I would have given it another star. Even though it's located poor of the way, we will be back and recommend it.

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Don Coqui - Interior

Interior

Don Coqui
Don Coqui - Beautiful view

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Beautiful view

Chica & The Don - Quesadilla Short Rib

Chica & The Don

4.4(98 reviews)
2.7 mi•Flatiron
•$$$

Need a good vibe, well here's a great spot. From the time you walk in the door you want to just…read moredance. Bar service is get the bartender gave off of few recommendations. We tried The Don and PAPAYA EN LA PLAYA. The Don is on the sweet side and the papaya en la playa is on the less sweet side but still that fruity taste. For the starters we did the ceviche and the blue crab tostada. Both 10/10. The tostada is a tad on the lemony side For the main dish we had the carne Asada and catch of the day. The steak was perfect great flavor but the salt added on at the top was a bit too much. The catch of the day was branzino it was really good the skin had a nice crunch to it the coconut sauce was good but more was needed. The fish comes by its self so ordered a side of rice and pink beans. Most of there dishes don't come with and side and to spend $42-$50 on a plate I should at least get some kind of side.

Camden was doing her thing running the whole restaurant including seating customers, taking orders,…read morechecking in and even doing the birthday shoutouts. She was very sweet, attentive and kept the wheels running on this thing. Brahim also made the experience super elegant with the presentation and concoction of the drinks. I wouldn't even say they were drinks but more so libations prepared by mixologists. They were pretty impressive especially the drink with the fermented milk. Food was also quite delicious. I noticed the menu was slightly different from a while ago. The shrimp with the tostones was amazing. The flavor of the juice was out of this world and paired perfectly together. The ambiance is also 'chic' and cute so very nice for dates, a night out with the girls, celebrating an event or birthday of course.

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Chica & The Don - Bathroom

Bathroom

Chica & The Don
Chica & The Don - Watermelon Margarita

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Watermelon Margarita

Inca Paisa - Bandeja Paisa

Inca Paisa

3.8(75 reviews)
1.3 mi•Astoria
•$$

This is a Colombian restaurant that is walking distance from The Noguchi Museum. You get to view…read morebeautiful works of art then dine on some delicious Colombian food and good music which does get quite loud especially on weekends since there is a DJ set. Their menu offers an array of dishes ranging from small bites to feast for the eyes and your belly. One dish or rather protein that is a focal point in their menu is chicken since they serve a lean cut of chicken breast or rotisserie chicken paired with rice and other sides. Do prepare your stomach to feast at this restaurant and your ears to listen to some lively music while dining. The servers are very sweet, attentive, and patient for first timer such as myself visiting this restaurant especially in this NYC heat. But I do speak Spanish and part of my family is from Colombia so it was a plus and flex for me since I got to connect more with them. Overall, this restaurant is ideal spot to dine at after visiting The Noguchi Museum. That's my personal recommendation since you get to feed the mind with art history then feed yourself with some delicious Colombian food.

I've been to Inca Paisa before, and unfortunately it has never been my first choice. The only…read morereason I return is because it's my grandmother's preferred restaurant since she lives nearby. We arrived around 6:20-6:30 p.m. There were plenty of open tables, but we weren't seated until much later. During that time, the male waiter seemed more concerned with other tasks. He was seating a woman whose party of six hadn't yet arrived, going back and forth to the kitchen, handing out receipts, and collecting menus. After all of that, he finally approached us--not to seat us--but to ask, "How long are you going to take?" I replied, "Sir, we're here to eat." He responded that the side tables were for people watching the game. I explained that we were there to dine, as this is a restaurant. Even after we were seated, he avoided our table completely. He took the order of a table that had been seated after us while we continued waiting. About 20 minutes later, a female waitress noticed we had not been helped and took over our table. She was attentive, professional, and the only reason we received service. After placing our order, we waited about an hour for our entrées. The food was also underwhelming. The Papa a la Huancaína came with an excessive amount of sauce and very few potatoes. The Ceviche Mixto lacked the bright citrus flavor that ceviche should have. My grandmother, who is very familiar with Peruvian cuisine, found it bland, and even after taking it home we couldn't improve it. The Bistec Encebollado was slightly too salty for our taste. The beans simply weren't to my liking, though that's a matter of personal preference. Another issue is the dining room layout. The seating is extremely tight, to the point where it feels like you're almost elbow-to-elbow with the tables next to you, making the experience feel cramped. Overall, this visit was disappointing. Between the slow and inattentive service, the long wait for food, the cramped seating, and several disappointing dishes, the experience did not justify the visit. The female waitress deserves recognition for stepping in when we had been overlooked, but unfortunately she couldn't make up for the rest of the experience.

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Inca Paisa - Happy Customers

Happy Customers

Inca Paisa - Badeja paisa

Badeja paisa

Inca Paisa - Nice atmosphere and good decor. Music is varied.

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Nice atmosphere and good decor. Music is varied.

Empanada Mama - empanadas - Updated October 2026

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