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    Half Moon Empanadas

    3.6 (48 reviews)
    Open 4:00 am - 9:30 pm

    Half Moon Empanadas Photos

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    Tim T.

    Very nice empanada place with a wide variety of both sweet (guava and cream cheese) and savory (egg, bacon and cheese, spinach, ground beef, spicy chicken) flavors. Beverages also available like matcha iced tea. In the DCA / Reagan Airport and open very early before 5am! Cool surrounding environment with high arches. Excellent and prompt service as well. Was able to use my $12 meal voucher because I missed a flight.

    Bacon and egg empanadas with delicious sauce
    Alex F.

    We came to Reagan national Airport and an ungodly early hour and the colada shop was open! We enjoyed a delicious bacon and egg empanada and perfect espresso. Highly recommend them.

    Abegail A.

    If you're craving empanadas while at the airport, be sure to give Half Moon a try. Grabbed several empanadas for all of us to try and they didn't disappoint. Of the three flavors we tried, my favorite was surprisingly the ham and cheese, followed my spicy beef, and then plain beef. Service was quick and friendly. Great grab and go spot, especially when you're in a rush.

    Empanada stand
    shari c.

    Just let me roll in the cabinet!. Seriously! I usually don't eat " fried" foods but I tried empanadas one day traveling through the Miami airport they have a similar tiny stand ( except you have to stand in line for a long time) I've been searching ever since for the yummy taste of spicy beef, chicken, 3 cheese, Nutella, bacon & egg, guava and so many more! They are fresh, warm and delicious!!! However, don't take my word for it next time you're at Ronald Regan airport run to this stand!

    Savory & sweet empanada
    Mel J.

    My kid wanted a quick bite while waiting to board the plane and we saw this small kiosk on our way to the gate. They have savory and sweet empanadas. The service was quick but could be more friendly. We got the hazelnut cocoa empanada. The filling was very chocolaty, rich, and tasty. However, the crust was kinda bland. It was okay for a quick snack (3.5 stars).

    John P.

    Wanted to grab something for breakfast before my early morning flight and stumbled on this kiosk restaurant in Regan National Airport, Terminal 2. I grabbed a ham and cheese, and a bacon and egg empanada and we very happy with their size and taste. I was eyeballing the spicy beef and regret I didn't grab one to have as a snack on my flight. Service was fast and friendly, prices decent and my overall experience very good. I like how they mark the empanadas taking the guess work out of pick the ones you ordered or want to eat first.

    Guava and cream cheese
    Ruby B.

    Stopped by Half Moon Empanadas on my way to my terminal and had a great first experience. The lady at the counter was super helpful and recommended their most popular picks, so I went with the beef empanada and the guava & cream cheese empanada. Both were delicious, flavorful, fresh, and satisfying. Fair warning though: the guava & cream cheese is very sweet and can get a little messy, so be sure to grab a few napkins and maybe eat it over a counter or table. Totally worth it, though. Can't wait to come back and try the chicken and Nutella empanadas next time. Highly recommend if you're in the mood for a tasty, handheld bite.

    Manny M.

    Service was helpful, location is typical of an airport and cart stand, and the empanadas were good. Overall, definitely swinging by this place anytime I need a snack and in the mood for something delicious and hardy. Overall price is always a killer at an airport but nothing to be surprised by. The spicy beef was highly recommended along with the bacon and eggs which hit the spot. To my surprise, the spicy beef was delicious and had a hint of spice which I truly appreciated. Recommended to break up the norm amongst airport eateries.

    Mike V.

    While passing through the airport in DC I picked up a snack as I wondered. I'd never seen Half Moon Empanadas, other than earlier in the day at the Providence airport. So I stopped to see what they had and grabbed a classic chicken empanadas. The cashier was friendly and quickly got a warm one out of the case. Because they're kept in a heated case theirs no telling how fresh they are. It tasted OK, but nothing great, it kind of lacked any true flavor. If I tried them again, I may get a spicy beef or a spicy chicken

    Three Cheese Empanada & Spicy Beef Empanada
    Kevin C.

    Empanadas here were the perfect snack but nothing to rave about for the price. Ordered 2 and held me over for my 5 hour flight. Size was pretty average. Dough was soft, held the innards, but a bit bland. Three cheese - ate it upon ordering and was not melted cheese, but warm and soft. Flavor was sharp and salty. Cheese also had an herby taste. Spicey beef - moist and flavorful. Mild to moderate spiciness, nothing crazy. Would come here to try my flavors if I needed a snack, although would skip if I wanted something more filling for the money.

    Spicy Beef Empanada
    Jesse N.

    The food was good. I think the meat was very seasoned, but it seemed to be ground to the point that it was like paste. It was ok, just a little weird. The service is standard; a kiosk at an airport. There is no ambiance, you are at an airport. But if you want empanadas, give these guys a go and let me k ow what you think.

    Spicy Chicken Empanada
    Allison L.

    Most expensive empanada I've gotten. But then again, I got to have a warm empanada for airport brekky, so maybe I'm the real winner. Spicy chicken is not very spicy, and it's shredded chicken, which is fine. Might try the spicy beef if i try it again. (Sorry, I was basically done with it when I remembered to take a picture)

    Inside the spicy Chicken Empanada
    J E.

    They replaced the Starbucks near Terminal D escalators with this Half Moon Empanadas a few months ago and I love empanadas, so I stopped in one morning for an empanada. They have a huge selection of savory and several sweet flavors to choose from. The young lady working the counter was very friendly, so I asked her which was better between spinach or spicy chicken and she said spicy chicken was her favorite, so I went with it. They're slightly pricey, at $7 each, but they're packed and a decent size. This spicy chicken empanada was great! Nice flavors and not too spicy, just a slight kick. The dough was very good and the whole thing stayed together nicely without falling apart. It also wasn't greasy at all. Really good empanadas here!

    Cortadito & Spicy Beef Empanada

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    1 year ago

    Save your money these things are dry tasteless and way overpriced they are basically gross

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    2 years ago

    Probably made by a big automated assembly rig. Stale tasteless pastry filled with dog food.

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    2 years ago

    Awesome and simple food, decent price, open super early. They also have coffee. I go every time I'm at DCA

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    Ask the Community - Half Moon Empanadas

    Review Highlights - Half Moon Empanadas

    Friendly staff suggested the spicy beef over the chicken and spicy chicken so I went with that and it was definitely the right move.

    Mentioned in 13 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Peruvian Brothers - Ceviche and big empanadas

    Peruvian Brothers

    3.9(72 reviews)
    0.8 miPentagon City
    $$

    We absolutely love the food at the Amazon HQ Peruvian Bros location but the last two times we've…read moregone the service has been so bad. We're writing this in hopes of the service improving because we still love the food and location. Staff is very nice once you get their attention but we've had multiple trips of sitting for over 30 minutes with servers passing by and us attempting to make eye contact or flag a server down to get an order taken. The second to last time during a week day around 6 we went and it took about 30 minutes for us to even be able to put an order in after the server brought us waters then he dropped the food off without utensils or sauces. This past time on a Friday early evening we waited at an outdoor table for about 30-40 minutes and the server would look at us, help the table he was already working with next to us and disappear. We finally went to the kiosk and just put the order in through there for the dine in family meal but they did not give any utensils or plates with the food. We heard the server tell the table next to us they were out of glasses so we figured we would just do bottled water. We recommend maybe scannable QR codes you can order through at the outdoor tables instead of waiting for the servers to come over. Two tables in front of us had the same issue with flagging the servers passing by. We should mention that the staff to include kitchen and servers always do look incredibly busy so it's not that anyone is just standing there but potentially more servers/ runners need to be hired.

    Nice location, parking could be crazy, we lucked out with spot right down the street. We met some…read morevisiting friends and decided to dine outside (beautiful afternoon). All the Staff was super and checked on us constantly, never felt abandoned outside (we were only ones). We went with Family meal and a side order of Pupusas (2 for $10). Your choice of spinach/cheese, beef or chicken. We stuck with water to drink. The chicken was delicious, we have our favorite in Alexandria, but this chicken was very good. The sides were good, fries, yucca and rice. The sauces complemented everything (green & white). We asked for ketchup, they did provide some packets (perfer an actuall ketchup bottle when dining in). The Papusas were not a big hit with the table. Overall, a good option if in the area. Especially for the price which was way better than expected for area.

    Photos
    Peruvian Brothers - Dining Room

    Dining Room

    Peruvian Brothers
    Peruvian Brothers - Ambiance

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    Ambiance

    Colada Shop - Nachos

    Colada Shop

    4.4(63 reviews)
    0.5 miCrystal City
    $$

    Ok so first of all, I have been here before but seemingly never got around to writing a review from…read morethe last time I was in the area, my sincere apologies. The first time we got coffee and food and it was legit. Five star rating. That was back in early fall so I'd be remiss to try and remember everything. So I'm just going to review today's visit. We stopped in after a day in Alexandria, and the metro was down in crystal city so we had to walk, bus, metro, shuttle hop and repeat. So a busy day. We just wanted a good solid coffee. And a good solid coffee is what we got. The place was low key, despite it being happy hour time (4-8 every day), and Valentine's Day. Which totally fine by me, I don't love crowds encroaching in my personal space. We got a cute little table by the door and helped ourselves to the coffee station area that had some water while waiting to order at the kiosk (you can order at the counter or the kiosk). He got a cafe con leché (hot) (espresso steamed milk and sweet cuban crema) and I got a cortadito (espresso steamed evaporated milk and sweet Cuban crema). Both were phenomenal and hit the spot after a long day. Would highly recommend. I'm eyeballing getting a couple bags of their fresh roasted coffee beans to go home when I leave.

    I've never had an authentic café con leche in Cuba or Puerto Rico, since I haven't visited these…read morecountries before. And the last time I had a café con leche was at a Dunkin' Donuts near Palm Beach around a decade ago. I'm not kidding. I was so amused that they offered these at a drive-thru window and my commercialized DD version wasn't bad. But, as I've traveled, my best option for a getting something close to a café con leche is just to request one, know that it won't be exact but/and keep your fingers crossed. Or - at least - order a café au lait. I'm no coffee snob so feel free to comment here. Wiki taught me that café con leches are made with scalded milk vs. steamed. And sugar cane is used in the grounds or the brew. This actual café con leche - at Crystal City's Colada Shop - is somehow the most authentic café con leche which I could reference drinking, in awhile now. I mean, I have had a few around Florida cafes, awhile back. At the Colada Shop register, you can order a regular café con leche or a 'sweeter' version. Hmmm ... how blessedly simple vs. and the mounds of adjectives I myself use when at a Starby's. I was assured that the sweeter version she offered was more gentle than it sounded, and she was correct. My steaming Cuban coffee was strong and not overpoweringly sweet. Like, I was relieved that I had ordered it sweet because otherwise I might have not been woman enough to drink it. The flavors of this beverage were complex. Rich and deeply smoky. This coffee was not like a Vietnamese coffee with a strong French roast and sweet cream. These flavors were more like - I don't have the culinary knowledge to say - like a deep, strong Cuban brew. I know that probably doesn't help. I enjoyed the beautiful, bright colors, the music and sips of my lovely and seriously respectable coffee, to go, here. The service was excellent. Each of the three team members I spoke with were all friendly and helpful. I liked my coffee and especially appreciated being able to find an establishment which markets and serves café con leches, Cuban-style. When I asked the Colada Shop employee what the most popular hot drinks were here, she said - obviously - its namesake Café con Leche, and secondly, the Carrot Cake con Leche coffee drink. Yes, please. She said the Dulce de Leche coffee is the third most popular drink here and her description of it as fabulous with the caramel and steamed milk. Well, there are at least two reasons to go back to the Colada Shop at Crystal City!

    Photos
    Colada Shop - Inside

    Inside

    Colada Shop - Platanachos (plantain chip nachos) - $9 at happy hour

    Platanachos (plantain chip nachos) - $9 at happy hour

    Colada Shop

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    Empanadisimas - In building ordering system

    Empanadisimas

    3.5(2 reviews)
    1.8 mi

    Ordered again via UE. Empanadas arrived hot and were delicious. I also ordered dessert, Marquesa,…read morelayers of cookies, creamy white and milk chocolate, crowned with a swirl of chantilly cream. The ground beef and mushroom empanadas are still my favs and solid choices.

    I was very excited to find this place! I love a good, authentic empanada - my family is from South…read moreAmerica and I have eaten my share of great empanadas! Argentine empanadas are a favorite and this shop makes plenty! I ordered chicken, chicken cilantro, ground beef and steak & I ordered Chimichurri & Garlic Sauces on the side. The empanadas were hot when they arrived and there were two of us for lunch. These empanadas are cocktail sized empanadas - really between a normal sized pie and one you would serve as an hor d'oeuvre. Generally, Argentine empanadas are filled with carne cortada a cuchillo (hand-cut, not ground beef), combined with onions, hard-boiled eggs, paprika, cumin, and olives. The flavor is not wimpy! And all of that is in a delicious crust that is baked. Fried was not an option. The crust is flakey and warm and improves with a sauce. The pie crust was the star! Of the four ordered, the two beef empanadas were the best. Lots of flavor, but no onions, egg, olives or enough spices, etc. The chicken were disappointing. Not enough flavor. Very pedestrian. There is talent in this kitchen, as the fillings lack the flavor one usually finds in authentic Argentine empanadas, but the crusts were exceptionally good! Value: The price for one empanada is $5 - for a very small empanada. About 1/2 the size of a traditional Argentine Empanada. If Empanadisimas works on the filling - these could be terrific. Right now, not so much. Also, sauces come with all empanadas, but the website does not mention that - so if you order delivery don't order additional sauces. They are included. Sides: . Popular sides in Argentina traditionally include a simple salad, yuca fries, or arroz con gandules. I would have liked a nice side salad - maybe tomato - to accompany these pies. The savory sides at Empanadisimas are lacking. An avocado salad would have been welcomed. We passed on ordering desserts because they were all very expensive. I wish this place well, because if they tweak a few things (fillings & pricing), it could be a good product. When they update their website and work on reasonable pricing, I will give it a try again, but for now - I am staying away! And we are still hungry - on our way to get lunch!

    Photos
    Empanadisimas - Ordering kiosk

    Ordering kiosk

    Empanadisimas - Pickup locker

    Pickup locker

    Empanadisimas - Four Argentine Empanadas. Great crusts! Disappointing filling.

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    Four Argentine Empanadas. Great crusts! Disappointing filling.

    Que Rico - The pincho de carne (grilled marinated beef kabob)

    Que Rico

    4.4(69 reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $$
    Family-owned & operated
    Locally owned & operated

    This place is just like Wonder. You order either online or via a kiosk for the restaurant you're…read moreinterested in. They have 7 pages of restaurants. A nice variety of different foods and cultures. I went with Que Rico, with Puerto Rican inspired cuisine. I ordered grandmas favorite or Abuelas Favorito which was rice with ham and grilled chicken. You get 2 options. I opted for red beans and fried plantains. The rice was very tasty and the smoked ham was plentiful. The grilled chicken tasted great and has many pieces. The beans were flavorful with some potatoes. The plantains were crispy and great. The sweet bread or pan sobao, was soft, large, and reminded me of food in Puerto Rico. All the ingredients and food tasted fresh and so good. Would definitely go back and try a different restaurant choice but this one was A-One.

    Pretty good food if you have a craving for Puerto Rican food…read more The Pastelillos were delish. I ordered a ground beef and a chicken with cheese. They were crispy, good amount of filling and nice flavor overall. Fantastic. I think they should serve the meal with a bit more rice. The Pernil, pulled pork was sort of dry and unfortunately the large side of garilc mojo sauce (garlic oil) was sideways in the bag and by time I got it home, the oil had all leaked out into the paper bag and onto the floor mat inside my car. The mofongo bites listed as 5 bites, however I only received 4. They were on the sweet side. The masa from the plantain taste too ripe for my liking. I prefer more green plantains in my mofongo. The tostones were pretty good. The pictures made them look a bit larger, but oh well. This was my first time ordering from a ghost kitchen, and the concept is a brilliant idea because you can order from so many cuisines! You can try so many restaurants in one place. Quite amazing.

    Photos
    Que Rico - The pick up entrance.

    The pick up entrance.

    Que Rico - Burnt balls of not mofongo.

    Burnt balls of not mofongo.

    Que Rico - Chicken Kabob (Pincho de Pollo)

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    Chicken Kabob (Pincho de Pollo)

    Water Bar

    Water Bar

    4.0(105 reviews)
    0.5 miPentagon City
    Happy hour specials
    Full bar

    Hey there, fellow foodies and sports fanatics!…read more So, I know this is a bit of a late-night (or early-morning, depending on your vibe) rave, but I had to spill the beans about Water Bar! I popped in during the Final Four, and let me tell you, the service was absolutely phenomenal, the ambiance was electric (perfect for all those nail-biting moments!), and the food? Oh. My. Goodness. The food was so delicious, it deserves its own championship trophy! My server, Maria C, was an absolute superstar! She was super attentive, kept the good times rolling while I was glued to the game, and her food recommendations? Chef's kiss! I devoured a burger with sweet potato fries that was so good, it almost made me forget about the score. HIGHLY, highly recommend that combo! And the drinks - both cocktails and mocktails - were just divine. Overall, it was an absolutely AWESOME experience! I've already spread the gospel to my team and supervisor, and guess what? We're making a return on April 16th!

    Such a cool spot but THE WORST hostess and bartender service - and the default tip to 25%... you…read moredon't deserve $.02. The hostess is never at the stand- so you walk to grab a drink and after passing by you 8-10 times are finally acknowledged.. only to be asked if you checked in with the hostess. Nope/ there isn't one and I only want a drink- I'm waiting on a friend. After an audible ughhhh and a distinct eye roll I'm reluctantly served. There's better spots around here- I wouldn't waste my time or money here again.

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    Water Bar
    Water Bar
    Water Bar - Tuna Poke Bowl

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    Tuna Poke Bowl

    Half Moon Empanadas - empanadas - Updated May 2026

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