I've never been a big fan of empanadas, but after reading the reviews, I figured I would try this place out. THEY ARE AMAZING. Stuffed full with ingredients. Great flakey crust. I tried 1 of each empanada on their menu and they were all incredible! Stop reading this review and go get some! Whyyyy are you still reading this... Go To Litos Empanadas! read more

Empanadas are delicious and they offer a lot of other things. Best empanadas I've had in Chicago and a great family business

Quaint little restaurant with empanadas full of taste. I got one chicken and one beef and both were packed with flavor. I also got some chips and guacamole and it was just as tasty. read more

I love Lito's! (Just not enough to walk there during winter in Chicago). Parking in that area can be a hassle, so walk there and explore the neighborhood! It was 68 degrees in mid-February and I seized the opportunity to stop by one of my favorite summer spots. I don't eat pork so I haven't tried over half of their empanadas, but based on how much I enjoy their others, I would recommend anything on the menu! The rice and beef is probably the most simple but also my favorite. The chimichurri and mayo sauce pairs perfectly with their flaky, perfectly fried shells. And for $2.99, you can try one of everything! read more

Lito's Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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AMAZING food and customer service! Perfect for a meal or afternoon snack. Vegetarian friendly options!

this place is amazing. I loved the both the beef and the chicken empanadas. the chips and guac are also fire i recommend getting a large if you're sharing that read more

This place is great! And a much better value than 5411 empanadas. We got the beef and rice, al pastor, chorizo cheese, and chicken champinon flavors. All were good but the standouts were 100% the beef and rice and the chorizo cheese. All of he empanadas have such a nice crispy crust. The beef and rice sounds like it would be average but the filling was so flavorful! The same for the chorizo cheese. I was a little confused by what it is at first but it's basically ground beef and cheese. It's so good! These are a great value for $3 as they are a good size and quite filling. I believe they bake them to order as the wait was around 15 minutes after we ordered. Check this place out, you won't regret it! read more

My manager and I went here for lunch and the customer service was not good at all. We went to the Revival Hall to grab lunch and the cashier was not a people person at all. I always say, if you are having a bad day, stay home, because this could potentially cause you business. read more

Plump, golden pockets of deep fried goodness. These Colombian empanadas feature a hot, thin crust and hot, delicious, fresh fillings. The empanada is generously stuffed. Their homemade hot sauce (like a green salsa) with lime, cilantro and chilies is fabulous. Empanadas are a steal at $2.09 - $2.49 each and they come in savory and sweet varieties (e.g., bbq chicken, vegetarian, choco-banana). The wait is about five minutes since they're fried to order. I was going to save some for later but since they were freshly fried, they seemed best eaten when still hot from the fryer. * Beef & rice empanada: a thin, slightly sweet and crunchy crust surrounds a densely packed center of ground beef and rice, seasoned with cumin, tomato, onion, simple and very good * Champinon chicken empanada: great crust, tons of stewed chicken (a little dry), sautéed mushrooms, tomatoes, onions and gooey warm mozzarella cheese, it seems to be one of their most popular flavors I was actually surprised that they were fried since I've only encountered the baked kind before with skimpy filling. The fried ones are better. They keep it simple in this small shop. Only empanadas and drinks are sold. read more

Lito's Empanadas - Champinon chicken empanada - Empanadas Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

You know the score. Three empanadas. One champ chicken. One cheezy chorizo. One... what's this? Apple cinnamon? Not banana nutella? Nope. Not today. Apple cinnamon. Need to keep the doctor away and what not. Chicken was a little plainer than last time. It was shredded expertly, but I didn't notice much beyond the meat and pastry. The chorizo was, again, the belle of the ball. How it's so good is a mystery to me. Seriously, with every bite I was, like, "how is this so good?" Rather than spend precious moments trying to figure it out, I spooned more hot sauce on every bite and kept it moving. The apple cinnamon was like warm applesauce in a pastry puff. Actually, it *was* warm applesauce in a pastry puff. This isn't a derisive comment. It was tasty and a nice end to the meal. But, next time, I would go for the banana nutella. Next time might be a little while, though. Between placing my order and giving it to me, the owner mashed the front trash can's contents with his bare hands, moved chairs with his bare hands, went into the fridge to grab a container of hot sauce with his bare hands. Took out two paper bags (one for savory, one for sweet) with his bare hands. Opened them by placing his bare hands inside them. Saw me side-eying him. Washed his hands. Took the empanadas out of the fryer. Placed them into the bags with tongs. Gave them to me. I thought about telling him I wanted new bags, but was too hungry/tired to get into it. I ate the food (drank liquor to kill any cooties) and I feel fine for now. I rationalized that worse stuff happens to my food outside of my line of view everyday. But, I didn't appreciate the experience. In fact, it sort of bummed me out. read more

My bud and I stopped into Lito's Empanadas yesterday after having dinner at a nearby establishment. I wanted a sweet treat, and though I've not been to Lito's I read they had some dessert empanadas. We each ordered a chocolate-banana, which came out piping hot with creamy Nutella and a bit of banana as the yummy filling. I also tried the champinon chicken, filled with chicken, mushroom and cheese. This savory choice was good but not great, though I did like the cheesy quality of this empanada. My bud waxed nostalgically about having Lito's as a catered food item at his office by his work colleague. The interior of Lito's is tiny, with a handful of stools and a ledge countertop along their front window. I don't know about eating a full meal of empanadas here (you probably will need to eat 3-4 to make a meal of it) but an empanada snack time here is a good idea. read more

Lito's Empanadas - Lito's Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I'm not even sure if I like empanadas, but I do like the Yelp reviews I've been reading. After my dentist appointment across the street I just had to see what everyone's yelping about at Litos. And really...there's nothing like a good empanada after getting your teeth cleaned. I placed my order for a spinach and cheese empanada, as well as a vegetarian empanada and was told it would be about a 5 minute wait. And 5 minutes later...I was on my way home with hot empanadas in my hand. The vegetarian one was just ok, but the spinach and cheese empanada was really special! After a few tasty bites of this spinach cheesy goodness I was sold too! And next on my list to try...the chocolate banana empanada! read more

Cheap and delicious, a fantastic combination. And thank heavens for finally getting an empanada stand around here. Now I don't have to go to New York for these little delights. For a great, inexpensive lunch, you just can't beat two tasty empanadas and a soda for six bucks. And the folks are friendly here too. Chicken champinon is my favorite, but all the rest are great too. I won't eat the beef or the Hawaiian because they have raisins and pineapple respectively, but barbecue chicken, chicken/rice and beef/rice are very tasty. The vegetarian is packed full of way more flavor than you would expect, and the spinach has a lot of cheese but still tastes good. Want dessert? How about an apple empanada? It's like the apple pie from McDonald's that we grew up on, only 150 times better. It's closer to a puree than chunked or sliced apples, but there are real skins in there! read more

Blink and you just might miss this place when you walk by. Really, it's that tiny, but as they say good things come in small packages. Indeed they do, at Lito's good things come in small, half-moon shaped, deep-fried empanada packages. The place is very basic, really ideal for carryout; but there is a small counter with 4 or 5 stools if you wanted to eat in. The interior is very bright and clean with a few pictures adorning the walls. The empanadas are reasonable - around $2/per. I got 2 empanadas, one Spinach and one Vegetarian. I probably could've put away 3, but then I'd just be stuffing myself. I didn't try the homemade hot sauce, which was probably best since other reviewers say it's not spicy. The Spinach empanada was perfection, when I was done I was craving more. I probably should've eaten that one second because the Vegetarian was a bit of a disappointment. It was heavy on the potatoes and not as flavorful as I would've expected given the ingredients. It wasn't bad, it just didn't leave me with that giddy food high I got with the Spinach one. As others have said they fry the empanadas to order so expect to wait a good 5 minutes after you've ordered for them. Bottom line: I'll definitely be back for more of those yummy Spinach empanadas. I also want to try their dessert empanadas - they have chocolate banana and an apple/caramel one on special. read more

No Frills place. Just good a** empanadas. A very small place with some counter style seating made me a bit weary of this place but I convinced the hubs to let me get some empanadas to go since we were in the area for like 20 mins. He agreed so I wasnt about to waste my victory in convincing him. We came in and ordered some Chorizo chicken, Beef with w rice, bbq chicken, and the apple cinnamon. To keep things simple. All of it was good. Seriously, ALL OF IT. I think favorite was the chorizo chicken. Came with some sauce and that was tasty dipping them in that. The dessert empanadas were just as good heated up the next day. Perfect for on the go snacks! Each empanada was about 2.50 and I would say it was a little expensive but look at the area you are in. Come in for some empanada treats. Take them home, they will be just as good heated up. read more

This is definately a hole in the wall shop. Very tiny with very limited sitting and great food. The empanadas are delicious, if that's what ur looking for. For me it's more novelty and it's nice to get know different culture. We tried the veggie, chicken and nutella empadas ... Awesome is the word .. And for 3$ a piece you can share/try many of them. Regardless, I recommend everyone trying this spot for themselves! But its more of a quick grab/ carry out place .. read more

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NOMZ I'm a fan! The empanadas come out super hot and the crust is amazingly crispy/buttery/flaky. They throw in 3 different types of sauces: a chipotle one which I didn't care for too much, a sriracha/mayo based one, and a green sauce that was bomb! I tried: #4 Champinon chicken - Super delish, will get again! #6 Chorizo cheese - good #12 Al Pastor - also super delish, will get again! Will be back, IMO they are way better than 5411 Empanadas (size, taste, price)! read more

Never judge a book by its cover. Lito's has a 4 star rating for a reason. I've been here a few times and I think it's earned its rating. There's a variety of flavors. Veggie, meaty, cheesy, and sweet. The Hawaiian, Chori Cheese, and Spinach are my faves. There are dessert empanadas that I haven't tried. The empanadas may be deep fried (they take about 5 mins from order) but the crust is still flaky and buttery (think pot pie). There are also two sauces: a green relish type of sauce and a tangy red sauce. Both are unique and hard to describe. I paid $11 for the 3 empanadas listed above. There isn't much seating on the inside of the store but the empanadas are hot enough to carry home. During the day you can usually snag a seat though. The staff is super nice and almost always offers a cup of water while your waiting or dining in. This is a solid spot I plan to go back to and recommend to others! read more

Lito's Empanadas - Left to right these are the Chori Cheese, Hawaiian, and Spinach empanadas. Delish! - Empanadas Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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ONE SENTENCE QUICKIE: Two fantastic empanadas in the bag provide a satisfying hit of savory meats contained in a lightly wrapped and evenly fried Latin turnover. Well aligned a row of hole-in-the-wall shops and restaurants, Lito's makes a great contribution to the diversity of cuisines. If you've never had an empanada before, it's basically like a giant dumpling/pierogi/turnover with your choice of filling, deep fried to give a nice crispy exterior. Lito's restaurant provides bar like seating but on nice days, empanadas are great hand-held sandwiches to walk & chomp with (...just don't eat with your mouth full, right Mom?). The menu is filled with a great variety from meat chunky to veggie to sweet goodness. My faves thus far are the Champion Chicken and Spinach. The Champ Chix stays well moist and that mix of 'shrooms & tomato always do chicken right. The Spinach I would say is more cheese friendly, which I'm totally friendly back to! It's sort of like a meatless spinach calzone without the marinara on the side. The "hot sauce" is really like a salsa and yes, does add the right amount of kick without it being too hot to handle. There's a bit of a wait cause they prepare it right on the spot, but patience should pay off. However, a line can form on nice weather weekends. So keep that in mind if you're in a hurry.... For the price of about $2 / empanada - getting two is a good fill and that's a great $5 hit before you walk it off to another awesome hidden restaurant in Lincoln Park. read more

Lito's Empanadas - Champ Chix & Spinach with hot sauce sayin hello in the middle. - Empanadas Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

If I could eat these every day, I would. The chorizo and cheese is and I don't even like chorizo. The sweet sauce is super yummy too! read more

Lito's Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

If you are ever in NYC, go to Empanada Momma. When in Chicago, you need to go to Lito's. This place rocks. The dough is perfectly thick, flaky and delicious. The filling is a perfect blend (minus the veggie empanada - all potato, unless you're into that). 5 stars for the mozzarella & spinach and also the champion chicken (I know it's not exactly called the champion but I'm in a food coma now and too lazy to look it up). The chorizo & cheese is yummy as well, but not as good as the chicken and spinach. The green hot sauce is a must!!!! Pour it all over everything!!! I didn't try the ham, chz and pineapple but the little girl behind me threw back three herself so I imagine they are pretty good. For $2.95 a piece, I'll be back, many many times. read more

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I love empanadas. I think they are easy to eat and you can eat them while walking around the streets of Chicago. It's a great on-the-go food. I got the beef which had raisins, ground beef, onions. It was okay. There wasn't anything special to it. There wasn't any flavor. I felt like I was eating something bland. I tried their empanadas with pineapple and it was more on the sweet side. I was disappointed that they didn't put a lot of stuffing inside the empanada. read more

Lito's Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was looking for a restaurant that sells Enpanadas and came across this one and I decided to give it a try because of the high ratings on different review websites. When I got there the place was empty and they only had two tables for dine in and the place looks like it needs to undergo major renovation because i imaged it to be a nice dine in place but it's not lol but we still went ahead and ordered four empanadas. I had Chicken with cheese and spinach with Cheese and My husband had Beef with vegetables and chicken with vegetables. He was not a fan of his because he said they were bland and were made of puffy dough and were deep fried. I thought mine were decent but I would prefer if they were baked rather than fried. read more

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I'm a fan of empanadas. A big fan. Filipino empanadas are some of my favorite snack foods (shout-out to Mom's Bake Shop in Rogers Park). The Aregentinan empanadas of 5411 rank near the top of my favorite food trucks. Yet...I hadn't tried Litos until this past weekend. Not like I haven't had the chance. I've always said I could never live in this area of the city because I would get positively enormous off of eating Aloha Eats, Del Seoul, and Molly's every day of my life. Well, now I can add Litos into that mix. I definitely definitely definitely could never live here. If I'm not mistaken, these are Colombian empanadas. What I do know for sure - they're freaking huge. What I ordered: Champiñón chicken - super cheesy and full of flavor (and mushrooms). Definitely my favorite of the ones I ordered. Hawaiian - 5411's best is their ham and cheese. Litos' version is great too, made sweeter with pineapple and paired great with their house sauce. Chori-cheese - Kind of missed the spiciness that I expect from chorizo. I actually think the chicken was cheesier. No complaints, but not my favorite either. Nutella banana - Loads of Nutella and a decent amount of banana. I think I would've liked this better had I ordered it separately later. That and...well, Molly's is so close. This feels like one of those places where I could make it my mission to try everything on the menu. Which is, again, a great reason I don't live in the area. But it's also a great reason to come visit. read more

Heavenly! I had a beef and a chicken. So delicious! Fast and friendly service and cheapppppp prices. So worth it. Lots of flavor and they're not greasy. Yum!!! read more

Lito's Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Im not an empanadas expert but this place is really good. Fresh, variety of flavors from sweet to savory. My favorite is the hawaiian and the spinach mozzarella. Definitely coming back. Cozy little spot, clean and friendly staff. Rec! And still recommend! Friendly great tasting empanadas that cant be beaten! read more

Savory or sweet, veggie or meaty, Lito's has got your empanada cravings covered, and at $2.99 a pop you can't go wrong. I ordered one vegetarian (green pepper, cilantro, onion, potato, tomato, chipotle pepper) and one choco-banana (nutella and banana), and holy hell were they delicious! (and filling.) Perfectly flaky exterior, piping hot goodness within. We took our order to go, but there are a few benches lining the window if you just need a quick fix on the go. Staff was super friendly. I wish I had a Lito's back home, I would eat there every day. read more

There are times I find myself in a restaurant where the menu is loaded with too many choices and as a result all the dishes suffer and end up just being "OK". Sometimes, it's best to stick to making ONE thing, and making the BEST - that is what Lito's does. The make some GREAT empanadas. I will admit I've been coming here for a loooong time and did not want to reveal my hidden gem, but the word is out so I'll add my two cents and beg the owners to expand to my neck of the woods (BUCKTOWN/WICKER PARK) so I can indulge in them more often. My favorites are definitely the Beef and Rice and the Cheese and Spinach, and the Choco-Banana is a MUST - even if I am stuffed!! My boyfriend swears by the BBQ chicken. We have not yet tried the Chorizo empanadas, so we are due to make a trip very soon! It is a very small location, walk up, order, seat yourself at a stool and look out the window while you eat, type of place. So please don't expect to go in with a group of 10 people and expect to be seated at a table by a host(ess) - it's not going to happen - but don't let that stop you - be adventurous and stop in with your group of ten, flip a coin for any available seats and the rest of you can stand and enjoy the best empanadas in the City! read more

The empanadas were very good and filled with meat and the service was good. I would recommend

Yum!!!!! We normally get our empanadas from Chilango. So I was thrilled when I found out that Lito's was opening up in the Thompson Center. Oh my goodness, these are the best empanadas ever. I normally get the beef with rice or the chicken. I have never been disappointed. They are always hot, fresh and seasoned to perfection. I have been trying my best to stay away from carbs, so Lito's is definitely a guilty pleasure. read more

This was my first time trying this place out. We got the Chori-chicken, Campinon Chicken, and the Banana Nutella. Crispy yet chewy, chock-full of yummy filling. The outer bread reminds me of a Chalupa in texture though crispier, and taste-wise, it seemed to have a slight sweetness to the dough that was a welcome contrast to the flavorful filling. Of the two chicken empanadas I tried, I liked the Chori-chicken better in flavor and taste. Later, I reheated them in the microwave and they were still darn good, tried some salsa paired with them, but it seemed to overpower the empanadas. The Banana Nutella was awesome. There were no leftovers for that one lol. A must-try for Nutella lovers! There is very little seating area btw so it's not the best if you have a large group of people wanting to dine out. They offer delivery/pick-up though ;) EDIT May '14 - empanadas are $2.99 each read more

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First time going and was very happy with my decision. Went with a bunch of people and tried 6 different types. Spinach and cheese was the consensus favorite while the banana nutella was heaven in a pastry. Definitely would recommend it. For the price you cant beat it. Empanadas are perfectly cooked and crispy on outside yet warm and delicious on the outside. When in the mood for empanadas, stop here! read more

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The empanadas were amazing, especially the beef empanadas. Definitely pick a couple up if you're in the area

Chocolate banana! WHOA! As I said in my review of My Pie, this empanda is possibly as good as sex! For a quick, cheap, carryout meal, this place can't be beat Stopped in here with my BF and now all I can think about are these damn chocolate banana empanadas and I live 135 miles away! I'm two weeks away from another fix! Lito's -- please consider adding peanut butter banana to your repetoire! read more

I checked out this place as another referral from a friend. I already had an idea of what I wanted to order before I got there. The cashier was really nice. The restaurant is REALLY small, with just about 4 stools to sit on by the window. I think one thing people need to know is that this place is more of a "snack" joint than a place to get a fulfilling meal. They only serve empanadas. Nothing more. The cashier was really nice. The food was really cheap (at about $2.30 each). We ordered six different ones: beef, beef & rice, chicken, bbq chicken, choco-banana and apple cinnamon. The salsa was ok too, tastes like any other green salsa at other Mexican restaurants to me. I wish they would have been more generous with it though. The beef, and beef & rice was really good, as was the chicken. I wasn't too big of a fan of the bbq chicken however. I can attest that the chocolate-banana I had was made with nutella (as I've read otherwise), and the apple cinnamon was alright but not my favorite. It may sound like a lot, but $16 later I was still hungry. But I'll probably come back to try the spinach one as well as the champinon chicken one. read more

I'm no empanada expert but it doesn't seem like they're really all that. I ordered the chorizo/cheese one and a chicken empanada but it really wasn't anything that blew me away. They're fried dumplings really, and the fillings weren't that impressive. I honestly couldn't tell the difference between the chicken or the chori-cheese empanada. My buddy ended up ordering one and I asked him to order a side of their homemade hot sauce but it only came with one tub. I realize that it was a quarter but still I paid money for it and feel like I should have it. It's cheap food but I'd be willing to pay a little more for something more distinctive. read more

Lito's Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is so fantastic and satisfies my craving for fried and hearty food that's not fried chicken. They have a variety of options of both savory and sweet empanadas that are fried freshly when you order. My favorites are their chorizo special (with cilantro and onions) and their chicken champignon. They also have an amazing creamy hot sauce that I love dipping every tasty bite of my empanada in. The service is fast and friendly. The food delicious. And price are great. At a mere $2.99 for each empanada and getting pretty full after 3 of them, I'd say this is one of the most satisfying and least expensive meals in Lincoln Park. It is just a tiny shop so don't expect a romantic ambiance but it's clean and comfortable if you want a quick meal! read more

As a vegetarian I love that they have options! My favorite is the veggie one but the spinach is quite good too! They fry them upon order so it's hot and oily but a great ratio of dough to stuffing! read more

MOLD ON MY TACO!!! Blue/green mold on the tortilla of my chicken taco 3/19 at this location. Was so gross will not be coming back

These were delicious. Beef and Rice, Chorizo n Cheese and Chicken - all moist and full of flavor. The sauces are just enough, I got med hot and I don't eat hot stuff. I barely put any on but it was a good jolt of spice in each bite. The dough was sturdy but not heavy in your belly. I would go back, like in a minute. Yum. read more