Cheap and reliabe, Empanadas Monumental is hard to beat, and I love that it's right on my block. I've had a bunch of their different fillings, from pizza to three cheese to beef. My all-time favorite is the chicken-cheese-corn filling. Each empanada is around $2 -don't expect a hefty amount of meat in each empanada for the price, but they're filling enough (or work well as a snack). And don't sleep on the yuca balls, which are delicious as well! Cash only. Quality of the empanadas (crispy vs soggy, sometimes the extent of salt/seasoning) varies a bit depending on when you come during the day or week. I wouldn't say they keep very well, and they're best enjoyed soon after they're made (occasionally, if you're unlucky, the empanadas you get have been sitting out for a while). read more

First time we ordered through uber eats, ordered two beef chimis and instead gave us two chicken chimis. Now we ordered to give them a second chance and ordered two beef chimis again. Well...we got what we ordered but slapping a distasteful burger meat between some lettuce and buns does not make this a chimi. The meat tastes bad so at this point, I'm eating the bread, lettuce and tomatoes only. This is not a chimi and will be our last time ordering from this place. I'll take my chances ordering from a fritura truck before ordering from this place again. read more

Empanadas Monumental - Patty slapped between lettuce tomatoes and bread....doesn't taste good. - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

Got a fresh yummy juice it was so good and a simple toasted bread with butter. The service was quick and lovely . The lady that made my drink was amazing. The space gives miami vibe loved it . read more

Empanadas Monumental - Bread - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

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I order mofonguitos mix 6 3 chicken 3 beef they gave me 6 of the same beef I order a chimi no tomato but with onions they didn't put either off The cashier was the hole time on her personal phone didn't pay attention to my order yesterday I guess that's why it got it all mess. Up.will never buy there again. Yhanka read more

I'm still salty about my initial experience here where I placed a pick up order on Seamless, they accepted it, and I turned up at the prescribed time only to find them closed and an employee essentially informing me I was out of luck, thus why I'm not rating them higher than 3 stars. I went back today and was actually able to try the food. You can't beat the 2 empanadas and a soda deal...and because I was pretty hungry I threw in a small yaroa too. Very tasty, although the chicken in the yaroa was pretty dry. Nothing a little more sauce didn't help though. I'll probably stick to the pork next time, since I've had it at the Empanadas Monumental by 157 on the 1 and the one at 142 and Broadway without complaint. read more

When I'm in the heights I always feel like I'm in DR! Therefore I must stop and get myself a beef quipe or an empanada doesn't matter what filling it has because they all good it just depends what I'm in the mood for‍ but I usually go for cheese,beef or pizza. These empanadas are basically the same from Santiago! Dominican Republic that's why I always come here! They also have fresh juices any kind you like. The pina colada tastes sooo good!!!!! Every drink is good there and fresh! read more

DOMINICAN FOOD CRAWL IN INWOOD/WASHINGTON HEIGHTS (Morir Soñando, Quipes, Pastelitos de Guayaba) A bit of a mixed bag with this spot, as our Dominican food crawl continued. The Morir Soñando (or "Die dreaming"), an orange creamsicle drink, was amazing at first, but way too sweet to be finished. Everyone liked the Quipes, with the cheese being the favorite, followed by chicken, followed by beef. The Pastelitos de Guayaba (guava pastries) were too dry. read more

Absolute worst quesadilla I've ever seen. Soggy tortilla, warm lettuce, sweet condiments -- why? I will never order anything from this place ever again. Absolute trash. read more

Tasty, fresh and inexpensive. At least a dozen different empanadas - the 4 we tried were all good. Fresh juices, too. Really good. Empanada Monumental is one of my new "must stops" when in the Heights. read more

I made a big order and they literally threw all my food into a brown bag nothing was separating each empanadas so there was no way to know which was which. They were also lazy and didn't give me each of the different empanadas I ordered instead they gave me several of the same nasty empanadas read more

I ate about 10 empanadas at this place. It was lively in there. They food was amazing and they even serve fresh fruit smoothie, which I had two off. The empanadas are about 2 dollars each which makes it a huge save when pockets are looking low. read more

Empanadas Monumental - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

They have a bad service by the phone, the never answer and if they do. You need to wait so long

This place is really Dominica, of course the service is typically Dominican really bad. when you call they never pick up the phone and if they answer sometimes hang out the phone. their products can be good but the services are the most worse you can imagine. read more

I made the mistake of going there when I was super hungry and ended buying waaay too much. They have bajillion empanada flavors (?) in two separate cases so make sure to explore both of them. I generally find that empanadas can be either too dry or too greasy. Empanadas Monumental makes neither of these mistakes. They're always fresh, because they're always running out. While their empanadas are really, really good, my personal favorite is the cassava balls, which are fried, divine deliciousness! Meat and cheese on the inside with cassava on the outside, fried for a delicately crispy exterior. With a little bit of hot sauce to add some acid, mmmmmmm. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. As for pricing, everything from the cases (i.e. empandas, cassava balls) are $1.95 per item. I was expecting it to be cash only but I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they do take card ($8 minimum, I think). This place is dangerously close to where I live, so will have to learn to restrain myself so I don't get CVD. Thank god there's also a hospital nearby. read more

You guys. What a gem to have stumbled upon. The meat of these beautifully seasoned empanadas are incredible. They are all good- we have tried basically every type and have never been disappointed. It was just so good. The shakes are on point as well! If they are out of a flavor- order earlier than! They do and deserve to sell out- especially of the Philly Cheesesteak and Chicken, Corn and Cheese. Don't forget the sauce! Have had both in store pick up and delivery- both a great experience! read more

Empanadas are not good. They put something similar to vinegar in the beef empanadas and they come with little bit of beef.

I just got my ordered 15 mins ago and it came before estimated time. I got some empanadas, Bole de yuca, Capricho and Strawberry shake. Shake is ok not too sweet. Spinach and cheese Empanada and Chicken Bole de yuca are good. Im so full after 2 pcs of them so save some for my breakfast tomorrow. Im sure I will order for them again!!! read more

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A humble gem in Washington Heights. I used to swing by here every other day before heading to midtown for work. From classic empanadas to more gimmicky varieties like the the pizza empanada, sandwiches and baked plantains, come hungry and leave satisfied. read more

Empanadas Monumental - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

Good, quick, cheap. Tons of varieties of empanada fillings. I tried the plantain + cheese and the spinach + cheese, plus they serve with a light sauce. Bigger than normal. read more

Empanadas Monumental - Plantain + cheese empanada - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

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I tried their pizza empanada out of curiosity since I have never heard of it. It is pretty good with tons of mozzarella cheese and pizza sauce. The crust is baked to crispy and chewy. I personally think the crust is a little too much. It is only $2 per empanada so it is pretty cheap. read more

YOoooOOooooOO I cannot sing praises of this place loud enough. First off, this place is cheap as heck and PERFECT for delivery. $1.75 for empanadas as big as your hand? Sign me up. They even do a special coupon where you can get two empanadas AND a drink for $3.50. Amazing bang for your buck. There's also a multitude of flavors. I've tried the 3 cheese, spinach and cheese, chicken and cheese. I hate spinach but these empanadas were tasty enough to beat out my disdain for the greens. The fry on the empanadas is so flaky. The chicken was dry and potentially from the cans I remember at Costco, but weirdly...it worked anyway? To get the delivery minimum, I ordered four empanadas plus the combo, so six empanadas in all for a total of $13. Pretty sweet deal for three meals. This round, I got two 3 cheese (can't give it up), 1 chicken + cheese + cream, 1 pizza, 1 shredded beef, and 1 chicken + cheese. I'll let you know how the rest work out. I've also had the tamarind juice and mango shake. They definitely make it fresh because the mango has bits of pulp in it, which I didn't like, but I appreciated the effort. The tamarind juice was exactly how I imagined it to be. Quite tasty, but it was so sweet that I ended up thirstier than when I started drinking it lol. Once, I got fries to make the delivery minimum, and honestly, that was my mistake. Should have just ordered more empanadas. Also, is a pizza empanada just a calzone? Try it and let me know your thoughts. read more

My go to! I grew up in this area and when I visit I will not leave without having a Yaroa and Chimi. I usually just get a chicken and potatoes yaroa and recently discovered they also sell chimis. This spot is great to go during the day or at 3am after you've had a decent amount of drinks. Don't forget the chinola juice either! read more

I didn't really know what to expect when I came, but I saw good reviews. The Store: Very small interior. Good for a grab and go unless alone or with one other person. The Food: Flakey crust, cheesy interior. This was my first empanada and was so good. The Ordering Experience: I had never been here before, so like most times I'm new, I ask what they'd recommend. The employee said he didn't speak English! I made sure to throw on a smile so he didn't think I was upset and threw out a shy "...empanada?" He handed it just fine! Pro Tip: Someone inside had some pink sauce on their empanada and I wanted some. IM SO GLAD I DID! I have no idea what it was or really how to describe what it tasted like, but it was good. It's more expensive than it says here. read more

Sigh. I used to love this place but I think I just got blinded by other people's hype. I feel like every time I go there either I'm ignored, they don't have what I want or they speak to me in the fastest Spanish I've ever heard in my life. Last time I was there someone came in asking every customer for money and they said nothing. Another time I went with a friend and the empanadas were so greasy they fell out the paper bag on to the street (let's just say we were pissed). I think I prefer the pastelitos from the cart down the street. I wouldn't mind trying the shakes from here but I will not be a regular customer. read more

If you are vegetarian, try their spinach and cheese ones...if you are a meat lover...try their ropa vieja. If you are on a diet, try their fruit shakes with no dairy. If you need a pick me up, try their coffee with nutmeg and cinnamon. If you are gluten free, try their huge, amazing cassava (YUCCA) ballz stuffed with gooey heavenly cheese. --- I posted this as a TIP instead of a review back in Summer of 2012. Sorry, Unfortunately, this place is now CLOSED (the 188th location,,,it's still open in other locations though.) . It's replaced by another empanada place that is not at all that good. Boo Hoo. read more

Two words are all I need for this amazing hole-in-the wall that was introduced to me by my German & Brazilian couple friends who live in the Heights: YUCA BALLS (get your mind outta the gutter). Yuca, known as cassava to y'all Americans, is a delicious starchy rooty tuber kind of vegetable. FAR better tasting than those bland Idaho things that you make french fries from. So what this place does is they make mash from the yuca, put some cheese or meat in the middle, shape into balls, and deep fry them so the outside is golden crispy and crunchy. Kinda like a knish. But BETTER, and only $1.50 a ball. Damn, my mouth is watering just writing this review. All their other deep-friend stuff is pretty good, too. In summary (not that there is much to summarize): every time I go near that place, gotta munch on a pair of balls (ok, I don't blame you for having your mind in the gutter on that one). read more

Best empanadas I've had in the states. US empanadas tend to be more like calzones than empanadas, but these ones were much more similar to the ones I like! We got various types of empanadas, mofonguitos, and jugos de banana. Everything was great. 100% recommend read more

I will say that I hate my neighborhood, but this is one of the places that keeps me sane. The guy I'm dating loves empanadas, so one day I decided to try it out. The first time we got basic empanadas such as chicken and cheese. They were pretty good, so I thought why not branch out. I am in love with the eggplant and cheese empanada. I don't eat meat during the week, so the vegetarian options are awesome!! The spinach and cheese is god too. They serve the empanadas with this mayo sauce that is pretty great. One of the more interesting ones that I have had was the pizza empanada, I enjoyed it, but steer clear of the pepperoni one (not my fave). Awesome service. The staff is really friendly. One night we had to wait a bit because there were no empanadas in the hot containers, so they just made some for us right there. Incredibly fresh! read more

Not the fastest service but not the worst by any means. They have a variety of flavors, both traditional and non-traditional. There are vegetarian options such as eggplant and spinach. Got a few different empanadas. They were on the greasy side and there could have been more filling, but they weren't bad by any means. The yaroa was great - mashed plantain and chicken topped with a more than generous slather of melted mozzarella cheese. Three empanadas, a yaroa, and a shake for my friend cost just under $10. Would go back for the yaroa but prefer the empanadas from the ladies on the street. read more

Very inconsistent and disappointing empanadas. We had three. Only one of them was close to decent and the other two were basically trash we paid for because they were old and hard. Disappointed because I want good neighborhood options. This isn't one of them read more

Not sure if this is the same chain as the one on 207th, but I'm going to assume it is. I gotta say, they make a mean empanada. I will never understand why anyone in their right mind would spend FOUR DOLLARS for an empanada at Ruben's downtown when you can get these tasty buggers for $1.50! The pollo y queso (chicken and cheese) empanada was delicious! Only complaint is that the crust to filling ratio could be improved, but I'm not going to complain for such a low price. The chicken and cheese complimented each other nicely, and the crust was tasty in itself (pretty rare for empanadas, sadly enough). I will definitely return for a cheap and hearty snack! Brotip: I didn't see any menus in English at the 207th street one. Fortunately, I can read Spanish. However, I'm really shy about speaking it, but it turns out they understand English. Don't let the language barrier scare you! read more

A cheap local gem. The empanadas are a bit oily compared to other places I've tried but still delish! I always come here for the ham and cheese sandwiches. Buttery flat pressed hero with ham, lettuce, cheese, ketchup, mayo Since I'm not Dominican and one worker here does have a bit of difficulty with English but seriously, cheap yummy food is a universal yes! (Lol) read more

The empanadas were OK though the meat was dry. The mango, coconut and pineapple shake was yummy, but I should have said no/less sugar because it was very sweet. Unfortunately the place was grungy and uncomfortable. read more

Need an empanada on the go? This is your spot. Cheap empanandas and they're bigger than your normal empanada. In my opinion, you pay for what you get. Cheap eats. Don't forget the sauce either. Pretty good. read more

I saw the meat being delivered...it turned me off...it came in containers..it did not looked to clean...i used to eat there a lot...no more.... read more

The taste and quality of the food is very unstable. One day, the food and juice taste really good. Next day, it can be totally the opposite. They have a good variety of things to eat, even veggie pastelitos. The lady that works there (at least during the weekends) can be really bad at preparing juices. I have gone there about 5 time just because I'm hard headed. read more

Not bad. Cheap and a decent variety.

I give them three stars and that's being generous. The price is right, they made an excellent delivery, and the chicken club sandwich was good. I don't know what happened with the empanadas....The chicken was just salt and pepper; no sazón. The plantains tasted like straight bananas. I expected fried plantains. The cheese seems to be cheap; not the true queso blanco I expected. I'm sorry Empanadas Monumental but the food needs work because I can find better empanadas for a $1.50. No thanks. read more

It looks scratchy from the outside and the inside is also kind of small and dirty, but the food is AMAZING!! Ive tried their three cheese empanadas a few times and loved it. read more

These empanadas are pretty tasty! I shared a couple of empanadas and other delicacies with some companions. We had an eggplant and cheese, veggies and cheese, a cheese quipe (kibbeh), and some sort of cheesy potato ball whose name I cannot recall. Filling in the empanadas was good. Cheese had the appropriate consistency and was slightly stringy (in a good way). The eggplant was smoky and good. Veggies consisted of onions and diced red bell peppers and maybe tomato. Crust was flaky and greasy, not bready like empanada places downtown. The empanada shells here are somewhat thin. Good though! What I was really impressed with were the non-empanada fried goods! Now, I have seen quipes at parties, but have never been able to partake because I don't eat meat. EM was kind enough to create a cheese-filled quipe! This thing was really good, with a crispy, crunchy outside and a nice little ball of cheese on the inside! The crunchy shell is made with bulgur and deliciously crispy and grainy. Texture was slightly crumbly and amazing. The potato cheese ball thing was also quite good and ooey. Empanadas Monumental is a tasty place and good if you need a nice, filling, greasy snack. I will return. read more