I'm from Miami and I love real empanadas from Argentina and these are just that. I was so tired of going to places that fried empanadas with Mexican fillings because I grew up eating traditional baked ones. I'm so glad I found this place, which will be opening at Morgan Street Food Hall ONE DAY, I got 2 pork empanadas and they reminded me of a Cuban Christmas, all soft, very flavorful. I also ordered the ham and cheese and it was like biting a Tango dancer, soft and chewy. I wish they were bigger so they would last longer, but I also think that of men that I meet. The place is no frills and great service, Luis, the manager was all smiles. I say next party I'm ordering 50 plus, I'll get 20 for me and the rest for my guests. read more

These are the best Argentinian empanadas we have found in 40 years living in the US. Our favorites are ham and cheese, chicken, onion and cheese and spinach. Nice, clean place with very friendly staff. read more

Makus Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

See all

I thought Makus' empanadas were quite good. Their menu consists of a variety of empanadas along with sides that can be added onto the meal. I ordered the Ham and Cheese, Pepperoni, and Veggie. Their Ham and Cheese and Pepperoni resembled Hot Pockets. I love their dough! The dough was baked to perfection! It had the right crisp and chewiness that I found very appealing. However, I like my empanadas to have a saucier filling and found their fillings to be a little dry. They also have dipping sauces for the empanadas but for an additional charge (Chimichurri and Hot Sauce). Overall, Makus is a decent quick lunch/snack spot. read more

Decided to give this another shot. This time, I got Chicken, Spinach, and Onion/Cheese, plus Chipa Bread. The Chipa is nice and cheesy, but missing something ... needs more flavor, wouldn't get this again. The empanadas, though, were a whole lot better than the meat stuff I'd tried last time. The chicken, too, was tasty. I'm sure these would taste better fried than baked, but I suppose this is at least a bit healthier! The red hot sauce is just Texas Pete, and makes everything taste like Texas Pete -- should probably just stick with the chimichurri sauce instead! read more

They had the QSR formula down cold, but I found the empanadas themselves a little underwhelming - since they were small, they were mostly dough. The meal - 3 empanadas, plus a sauce, a side, and a drink, is $9 or $10 and is a really good deal. If I worked nearby, I would definitely make this part of my stable of lunch places. But it's not worth travelling to... read more

I've been to Makus Empanadas twice in the last 10 days. The place is nicely decorated and has a great/cool ambiance. The staff is very attentive and friendly. Food comes out fast. The empanadas are delicious. Loved the crust. Cheese and Spinach is my favorite being a vegetarian :). I've had plenty of empanadas in my life and these rank among the best. I have eaten empanadas both locally and in Spain, Argentina, Chile... I find the size perfectly normal. They're not calzones! Side options are rice, coleslaw or chips. While good, a little more variety would be nice. Maybe a salad??The rice with chimichurri was a great recommendation. Also try the cochitos (coconut and dulce de leche cookie). To die for. Overall, a great experience. Will be back! read more

Since my first review, I have ordered catering from Makus twice and have been just as pleased with their catering service as when we go there to dine in. At our most recent catering event, the parking attendants gave our caterer a hard time but he still showed up in great spirits with sufficient time to set everything up, and just provided excellent service overall. The empanadas were a great success and everyone was glad they had left some flyers, so people would know where to go to to get more. I have also recommended Makus to friends asking for catering suggestions and will be sure to order from them again in the future. The one thing I am hoping they might reconsider in the future is their use of Styrofoam products, I am sure there are viable alternatives out there. read more

Interesting place. I came for lunch and went with the 3 empanadas+side+drink for around10 bucks. The empanadas are small, but filling. I had the beef, chicken and bacon and cheese. I think I may have liked the bacon and cheese best. They bake the empanadas which probably makes them better for you than fried, but having had a fried empanada at Tacos Nacos recently, I will say there is a big flavor difference. (The empanadas at Tacos Nacos and the empanadas here are sooooo different). Makus Empanadas is a small place, not a chain, and a nice alternative to the burger and fries places. I would say not as an exciting foodie experience as an arepa at Quasaca (I know...comparing apples to oranges but both are a South of the Border type of thing). Rice and beans as a side were kind of bland. I really liked the chimichurri sauce. Overall a good first-time experience with Makus Empanadas. read more

If you like simple, delicious food, this place is for you. The empanadas are really good and give a good variety. The chipa bread is A MUST. Get a couple of orders. They are worth it! read more

Makus Empanadas - Great atmosphere! - Empanadas Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

See all

I've been wanting to try this place for a minute now. Pros: Great service, clean and lots of space. Cons: I tried the beef and the chicken empanada, but they both tasted gross to me. Too much onion and the filling needed more way more seasoning. I couldn't even finish them. Definitely would need to eat these with some sauce next time. I guess next time if I ever go back I will have to try the bacon one and just pray it has more flavor. read more

Loved their empanadas. I had the Beef, Ham & Cheese and Spinach. All delicious. Spinach probably my favorite. The crust is fabulous. Wide variety and several vegetarian/vegan options. Perfect size (Makus meal offers 3 empanadas, a side (I got the beans and rice), drink and sauce). Cochitos (coconut and dulce de leche cookies) are delicious. Friendly staff. Casual atmosphere. Kid friendly. We'll be back! read more

See all

I'm glad I've tried this place and most of the empanadas, but the food needs more oomph! I've had all of the vegetarian options as well as the chicken one and the chipa bread. While I appreciate the empanadas are baked and not fried (thank you!), I wish the fillings had more salt, spices, and flavor. The sauces are okay but not my favorite - the flavor profiles are a little off to me. Also, the Makus Meal option isn't enough to fill up a grown adult, as the empanadas are small. The chipa bread is buttery and cheesy and a great addition to the menu. The prices are right for what you get too. The seating area inside is clean and bright. When I visited most recently, the place was empty, and no one came in during the one hour that I was there which was nice actually because I had my pick of table. The service is friendly. Bottom line: the food here is only okay. read more

Makus is excellent. This is a family-owned restaurant and they put an amazing amount of care into everything. All the empanadas are amazing...the chimichurri sauce is addicting! There is something for everyone. Excellent place for dine-in, takeout, and really great for catering! Their online ordering works really well. I highly recommend! read more

Very tasty! The beef and chicken are very good. The ham and cheese and pepperoni are also good, but are too reminiscent of hot pockets to me. A meal is ~$10 and comes with 3 empanadas, a side (chips, white rice, or Coke slaw), a sauce (chimichurri or hot) and a fountain soda. Filled me up for lunch, but it seems a tad pricey. Staff was friendly, and decor was modern and fresh. read more

Makus Empanadas - Makus meal (soda not pictured) - Empanadas Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

We tried Makus Empanadas for the first time tonight, and it was delicious! Their empanadas are fantastic. It is a great value too - doing the meal offers a good amount of food at an affordable price. We did takeout, but it looked like an easy place to bring kids if you have a family. I can definitely see this becoming one of our go-to places in Durham. read more

I am so delighted to have discovered MakUs here in Durham, NC, especially after my first sampling of their empanadas ---! My first experience having Argentinean empanadas was years ago in Bogotá, Colombia, at a small shop owned by none other than an Argentine family. The empanadas were a favorite of our family, where we would go on weekends for a special treat. MakUs' empanandas with their fresh baked pastry filled with tender, juicy beef tasted just like the ones long ago in Bogotá, maybe even better! Tonight I returned to MakUs, where the friendly staff greeted and promptly took my order. I had the privilege of meeting one of the owners, Hernan, who told me about the family business, showing me photographs of himself with his brother and best friend when they were boys. Hernan is a gracious and generous host, and goes above and beyond to provide an excellent experience in MakUs. Thank you! read more

Makus Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

We had always seen the signs posted around the area for this place and we finally tried it. The decoration of the place is pretty cool and let's you know the love that the 3 of the guys put into their food. A great selection of empanadas but we were just a little disappointed in the size of them. But for the size of them they still carried a lot of flavor. I wouldn't eat here if I want to get a super full belly but I would eat here again. read more

This is a good little place, but I wouldn't rely on it to really fill you up, unless you're 10 years old or maybe don't eat much...ever. I ordered the Makus Meal which is 3 empanadas, 1 side (rice or beans), and a sauce. At $10 it's a little pricey for what amounts to more of a snack than a meal. I probably could have eaten 2... more like 3 since I'm pregnant.. but that's my own problem. The empanadas were really good though! They tasted like they were made fresh. They were a little smaller than the standard I've seen in the area. I tried the sweet corn, chicken, and ham & cheese. All very good. I would maybe pop in here for a bite if I was already stopping at Harris Teeter or someplace else in the shopping center but I don't know if I'd go out of my way to return. read more

We went to Makus not long after they opened and it was fine, but didn't really stand out so we didn't go back for a while. My husband wanted to give it another shot and I'm so glad - we've been twice in the past month and it has been really good. I like to get the Makus meal, which is 3 empanadas, a side and drink for $10. It's a good amount of food and is great for a quick dinner pick up. We have mostly gone with the veggie choices, and I especially like the onion and cheese empanada and the corn one. My husband likes the veggie and spinach. We both love the chimichurri sauce (it is a lightly spicy green oil/spice mix, while the red sauce is similar to frank's red hot). Definitely a great quick and affordable meal. read more

This place is mediocre at best. The food looks great, but it's severely lacking in flavor. The cost is a little bit much for what you actually get, too. I live just a couple miles away and want to like it, but I just can't. I visited once when they first opened and figured I'd give it another shot a few weeks ago in hopes that it would have improved. Sadly, it hadn't. The restaurant itself is clean and inviting and the staff are friendly. I just wish the food tasted better. read more

It took almost 30 minutes for them to make my order and they were not even busy. And other people that came in after us were getting their food before us. Finally after 20 minutes I had to ask what way taking so long. They informed me that they had to make more empanadas, which is all fine and good. I just should have been made aware of that when I placed my order. Then to add insult to injury no none offered to do anything to remedy the matter after I chose to spend my hard earned money at your establishment. No customer service whatsoever. Additonal information: So I received this after posting my review: Delois, Unfortunately what you say it's not true. Both Karina and Lucky told you that there would be a 15 minute wait because we were a at a slow time and we were missing one of your flavors. Not only that, after 15 minutes, the owner, Ricky approached you and informed you thet it would be an extra 2 minutes. When you received your empanadas, you dropped the ticket on the floor, and left. Other people got their empanadas first because they ordered flavors that were available and ready to go. When we make a mistake, we like to compensate our customers with some free empanadas or a gift certificate. That's one of the many reasons most everyone loves our empanadas and customer service. You, on the other hand, were just looking for free stuff. It's sad that you have nothing better to do than to attack a small business with people that work very hard to make customers happy. Fortunately, most people are smart and will know your review is hateful, resentful and biased. Regards Hernan Makus Empanadas So now the owner resorts to calling me a liar on Yelp. Sir no one came into your establishment for anything free. Neither of your employees said anything until I approached them about how long it was taking.Then Ricky did not approach me. Matter of fact he walked right by me the 1st time. I stopped him the 2nd time he walked by. The only person who apologized was the young girl I asked about my order. You should be ashamed of yourself for your response to me. Had you had been more courteous or had better customer service then I never would have posted a review. When I spent my money at your establishment that gave me every right to critique your business. And if you work so hard to make people happy you would have made sure that I was a happy customer. As I can see from other reviews, I'n not the only person who has rubbed you the wrong way as you have a track record of lashing out at people who give you bad reviews. Grow up sir!!! And if people are as smart as you say they are they will stay away from Makus. Had you responded more professionally and attempted to make things right I would have revised my review. But you sir took the low road. We will see where you are in 10 years. read more

I was curious to try this place, but unfortunately it didn't offer anything special. The empanadas are good but didn't "wow". Also I found them to be pretty pricey -- $2.50 each for small empanadas. One cool thing as others have mentioned is the empanadas are stamped with flavors. Props to them for doing that! read more

Makus Empanadas - Makus meal with rice and beans - Empanadas Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

My family and I had the pleasure of eating today at the new restaurant Makus Empanadas - I cannot say enough for the VERY AUTHENTIC empanadas right here in the Triangle. They were delicious - the ham and cheese superb but I want to try them all. The decor and service was excellent - great location!!!! I would definitely give Makus Empanadas 5 Stars read more

Nah, I'm sorry but I really agree with another Argentine who commented that this place doesn't taste legit, I can attest to that as I am Argentine and have tasted real ones down in Miami where people actually compete on having good Latin food. This place seems to be another restaurant that take advantage that people may not know how the authentic food should taste and you end up eating something that's nothing close to the real thing. My family tried it and they said it tasted like someone put floor cleaner in it. Maybe it's just the location I went to get them...hopefully. Was a let down . Was clean environment, and staff was alright. read more

Brought 6 teenage boys here for dinner tonight. We all left very satisfied! There are many options for fillings to please both the omnivores and the vegetarians in our group. The sweet corn empanadas were unique and delightful. The service was fast and friendly. Can't wait to go back! read more

I saw the sign for Makus while I was at Mattie Bs one evening and decided to stop for lunch while out on errands the next day. I walked in and was greeted by a very friendly woman at the register. she told me about their menu and their meal deal. I opted for two empanadas and a sauce instead of the meal, knowing that two empanadas at Sarah's is more than enough to fill me up, however, these were the tiniest empanadas I have ever been served. I was disappointed with the portion size and the fact that I had to pay extra for sauce, even though the chimichurri sauce was very good. the flavor on everything was very good, but I left feeling hungry, and went directly to Sarah's Empanada to sate my empanada craving. I tend to agree with a lot of the other 3 star reviews about this particular reataurant: taste was good customer service was great restaurant was clean and inviting they really need to work on their prices or portion sizes to really compete with other restaurants. three, two bite empanadas, a side, and a drink isn't going to compete with a lot of other $10 meals that you can get in the area. read more

I definitely can't complain about the quality of the empanadas- they are delicious, have some of the best crust I've ever had (light, flaky, flavorful) and the flavors that I tried were awesome (beef, spinach, onion and cheese). I think a lot of places bomb on the crust (some have thick, bland crusts that overwhelm the contents). The only problem was I could probably eat about a dozen of them (a good and a bad thing?), so ditto to the other reviewers about the portion size. I would also like to see a larger variety of side options. The service was very fast and friendly, though, and you can tell that the owners have their hearts behind their business (they've been there working every single time I've stopped by). read more

I've been on an empanadas-reviewing kick, so I had to check out Makus. It's a small but bright store front near Harris Teeter, with a simple menu of various empanadas, an empanada hot dog, Chipa bread (think cheesy bread a la pan de queijo), some basic sides, and two sauces. I ordered 7 empanadas and Chipa bread to go, with the chimichurri sauce -- which ended up being a decent amount of food for two people. The food was ready super quickly, and I actually reheated everything in the oven after running errands and getting home, and the texture seemed good still. The empanadas ($2.50) were really good! Small and filled with simple flavors, but the empanada dough is buttery and light and addictive. My favorite was the sweet corn, though the beef and chicken were very hearty and flavorful. The others were more cheesy (in a good way, think pizza roll), and my least favorite was the veggie one that just tasted like onions. The Chipa bread was less interesting -- too dry on the outside, not as chewy/light on the inside as I wanted, so not worth $3 for 5 little pieces. I'd come back for a fast and simple meal, or take out. I can see this being good for a casual catered affair too, though would need more side options. read more

This place is new and the food is really good. I like the atmosphere in there. The food is good, but the empanadas are kind of small. After having three of them, I still can have three more. If you ever go there don't have the "red hot" sauce, it will just spoil the flavor of the empanadas. Just go with "chimichurri" sauce. Staff is very friendly and they will explain the menu and options for you if you are a first timer. read more

One of my favorite places in Durham. It's convenient and always a solid meal. The owner is incredibly friendly and the food is phenomenal. It's not the largest portion you'll find, but it definitely fills you up. The only thing is that it may be a bit pricey for the amount of food, but it's delicious food, so I don't regret paying that much for it. The Pork Chimichurri empanadas are my go to! read more

These were just ok for me. My favorite was the Spinach & Cheese empanada. I also ordered the chicken, beef, and pork chimichurri empanadas to try as well. read more

If you've had empanadas literally anywhere else you'll know this place doesn't do them justice. Not to mention the lady taking orders was fairly rude. I really miss Calavera in Raleigh. I've heard they are reopening in a new location. It can't be too soon for me. This place is a no go. read more

First time trying them out. One word.....WONDERFUL!!! Small, clean, quiet, and friendly! Just how I like it. Immediate service, great prices, and the food was EXCELLENT! I will refer them to everyone. Must try if you haven't. read more

Good, but too expensive to make it a regular option. I am a vegetarian and they have 3 vegetarian and 1 vegan option; I ordered one of each. Despite the simple ingredients, each was delicious with its own unique flavor. I also loved that the flavor is stamped into the outside dough so you know what you're biting into. I have lived in Argentina and eaten my share of authentic empanadas, and these meet the grade. I also loved the simplistic industrial decor. Without any sides or drink, $10 for 4 empanadas is steep for how small they are. I had a friend who went with his wife and they ordered all 9 flavors to split, along with sides and the Chipa Bread. They were still hungry when they left and had to get pizza at Mattie B's next door. Worth a try, but if you want to binge on empanadas without breaking the bank, this is not the place. read more

Makus' beef empanadas takes me back to my grandmas kitchen in Buenos Aires. Staff is friendly and the empanadas are delicious!

Very good stopped here for breakfast. This proves good Empanadas are a great choice any time

I had lunch here today and really enjoyed it! I wish the empanadas had a bit higher filling to crust ratio but the flavors were delicious, the staff was super friendly, and the markings on the outside are super clever! read more

Cool spot and good empanadas. I'd put them just a little bit below luna and calavera. But to be fair I don't think that's what they're trying to be. This place seems more about a smaller simpler menu of good empanadas -- and that's what they have. The side of cheesy bread is also really good. I'll definitely be back here. Well worth it. read more

Great ambiance and food. The staff is great and cute little place to hang. Free wifi.

I'm a huge fan of Makus personally and professionally. I've ordered catering for business meetings and they always do a great job, they were punctual, prepared, and tuned into the fine details. A fantastic experience from start (easy online ordering) to finish (perfect delivery experience). I always love getting Makus empanadas at the Durham Bulls games too! read more