I really like the empanadas and love that they offer GF options. The customer service is friendly and helpful. I only wish they would stop using styrofoam for their packaging. Since most of their orders are to go, they is a lot of styrofoam added to our landfills. read more

I'll be honest, when I walked in and no one was in there I got kind of nervous about the food, but my assumption was wrong and business definitely picked up pretty quickly! So I was given a brief orientation to the menu upon walking in. I opted for a meal which gave me the chance to try 3 empanadas, a side, a drink and with check in, some chipa bread which was explained to me bc I was clueless! I ordered one beef, one pork, and once chicken empanada. All three were delicious and it's really tough for me to choose a favorite bc I enjoyed each of them! The chipa bread was delish too! I really enjoyed the dipping sauce that came with the meal. I ordered rice and beans as my side and it was the perfect amount of food! I will be back! Keep up the good work! read more

Makus Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Maybe it's because I'm of Hispanic heritage, I felt like the size and taste were not adequate for the price. A place with empanadas in the name should do that one thing Great but that was not my experience. I would rather have spent my money at Mcd's. Do not come here thinking that this is what empanadas are like and that this is a baseline. Empanadas are not typically the size of a wonton, they are typically those of two adult fists, similar to a hot pocket. What ever they use for a filling is not of good quality, it was mushy and had no flavor. I have had better empanadas from the frozen section of Wal-Mart. Seriously, go to Wal-Mart instead, they are bigger, cheaper and taste better. read more

If you asked my friends, they'd tell you that I had been wanting to try Makus Empanadas for months. Well, I finally got to a couple weeks ago. It was my third to last meal out in Durham before moving. I had two empanadas: the beef and the bacon and cheese. Unfortunately, I was pretty unimpressed with both. The beef empanada was bland and I didn't think the bacon and cheese worked as an empanada (at least not the way they made it). Price was okay for portion. read more

Makus Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I'm not saying these were bad empanadas. The four stars is because they were not what I expected. I'm used to a more flaky buttery crust. There was a good and varied selection of fillings. Service was prompt and attentive. The place was clean. Can't say I'd return, but I'm just going on my past experiences. read more

I had it delivered to me. Taste is just either too bland or too salty. I had the chicken, pepperoni and cheese, ham and cheese, pork, and bacon. I ordered 8 empanadas in total and they all threw them in 2 boxes so I had no idea which one is which. Either way, taste is not good for me personally. read more

Food is absolutely delicious every single time. You can't go wrong and they never mess up your door dash order either!

After apartment hunting in the area, we were looking for a place for lunch. I was very excited to find an empanada place nearby. I ordered the #1 combo on the recommendation of the staff member assisting us. Included are 3 empanadas, 1 side, and a drink. I chose bacon and cheese, pulled pork, and chicken with a side of rice and beans. You have 2 choices of sauce, chimichurri or red hot. The empanadas (baked) were hot, crispy, and delicious. The chimichurri sauce was nice, but I would stay away from the not so hot "red hot" sauce. It tasted like buffalo wing sauce and was overpowering. The rice and beans were simple, nothing exciting. Overall I didn't find the meal worth the price of around $10+ for the combo. Empanadas a la carte cost $2.50 each! The empandas tasted good but I left hungry. Oh and they have free samples of their cheesy bread. read more

Makus Empanadas - #1 Combo Meal - Empanadas Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Not great, not terrible, just so so. Empanadas are super small, so not a great value considering the price. Sampled the beef, chicken and the pork. Taste was good. Overall set out what I wanted to do which was to give it a shot. read more

Let's start with the positives... 1. Food was hot. 2. Sauces were fully filled in the to-go ramekins. 3. Shop was clean, though points should be taken off for cross-contamination of gloves being worn by employees. You simply cannot have one glove on while holding the other and texting on your phone and then put the other glove back on as if you haven't just contaminated everything. I assume that glove wearing is new for them though, given the current pandemic. And for the negatives... 1. Everything about the taste of the food... 1a. There was a lingering gross taste from the crust. 1b. All the filling was under-seasoned and past lackluster into kinda being nasty. I didn't like any of them and I tried all of them except the spinach one. I couldn't even bear to eat them fully cause they were so bad. 1c. A poor choice of ingredients that did not meld. I honestly have no idea why these appeal to anyone. I was so disappointed. It was an absolute waste of time and money. 2. Real talk: Fast food tastes better than this and for that, they should be ashamed. 3. The staff was having a full-blown argument while I was in the store, which was entirely inappropriate. Would never return. No way to redeem the food, but if you're into bland/odd-to-bad tasting food then sure, stop on by. Ugh. I threw away everything when I got home. read more

Wont blow you away but will satisfy. we ordered 6 empanadas(2 pork, 1 bacon, 1 ham, 1 chicken, 1 sweet corn), 2 drinks, and got the yelp check-in chipa bread, total came out to around $25. which seems like a pretty fair price. all of the empenadas were good except for chicken, which wasnt bad, just wasnt as good as the rest. the standout would be the bacon and cheese and the ham. theyre not traditional "find in an empanada" ingredients, but they worked well. beans and rice were good, it looked like they made the rice in a rice cooker, which is interesting considering it had corn and such mixed in. If you order a sauce, be aware the red sauce is either a random hot sauce, or tastes exactly like one, if youre unsure of which to choose, id say get that. chipa bread was kind of meh, tasted like cheez-it's in bread form. It was free so i cant really complain, my wife liked it though. at the end of the day, makus was good and i would return again. read more

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Decided to try because Sarah's empanadas was closed. Was only going to get 1 beef empanada but after the guy behind the counter told me he small size I opted to get two. I also got the chimicurri sauce he suggested which was delicious. They were good. I only say good because I've never had a great empanada I don't think. This part is my updated review. Have gone back to Makus several times and have been satisfied every time. The Makus meal is a good deal in my opinion. I would suggest trying here. Good food, good service, nice people. read more

Unless you eat like a baby bird, you are going to want more than one of the empanadas at Makus. Holy crap, they're good! I should've gotten three; maybe then I wouldn't have coveted my friend's third one. Her chicken was so spicy, I wanted another one of those instantly. The beef is tasty. The pork chimichurri is to die for; I'm actually considering trying to make that one myself but I'm just not sure I could pull it off. I wonder if the owner is married...hmmm. It's good; that's all I'm saying! Delicious! Great place for lunch! read more

This was my first time visiting and it was a wonderful treat. I tried the chicken, beef, and spinach empanadas. The spinach empanada was by far the best one followed by the chicken empanada. I got the Makus combo and opted for the spinach salad as my side. It was delicious with its sweet dressing and pecans. I can't wait to go back to Makus Empanadas and try some of their other dishes soon! Don't forget to sign up for their rewards program. read more

Makus Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Flavor was good but, Empanadas were a little crunchy and under filled for my preference.

Makus Empanadas is a great lunch spot in Durham. We have been to Calavera which can be a little gimmicky, resulting in awkward flavors, but Makus does simple DELICIOUS empanadas. The place is casual, super clean and has a great look to it. The gentleman who took our order was beyond friendly and patiently explained everything to us. Another thing that I loved about Makus is that they have FOUR possible vegetarian empanadas, one of which is vegan! The two I tried were absolutely delicious, I definitely recommend the spinach--it was the best vegetarian one. I also tried their Chipa bread! I heard about Argentinian Chipa bread and have always wanted to try it. I am so happy I tried it here--it was delicious (Can you go wrong with melted cheese and bread, though??) I would definitely make the drive out to durham to support this local business, and for empanadas this good, and affordable. They have a really good meal combo, and they also do a Duke and UNC student discount but unfortunately no NCSU discount :( However, they may be opening a location in Raleigh, I hope they do. read more

Makus Empanadas - Inside of the cheese and onion - Empanadas Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Mmmmm this place is awesome! It's up to my Argentinian standards, relatively inexpensive and delicious to boot. Location is great and there's tons of parking. If you're hungry, I'd get a decent amount of food. They've got a good meal deal for lunch, I believe it's $9 for 3 plus a side? Or something equally reasonable. read more

I visited Makus with some work friends for lunch today and we were all very impressed. The man at the register was friendly and advised us on the menu items. We all got the meal deal (3 empanadas, 1 side, 1 drink, 1 sauce for $9.95). Out of the cheese and onion, chicken, and beef empanadas, my favorite was the cheese and onion. Next time I'll try 2 new empanadas but the cheese and onion is definitely my favorite. The coleslaw side was a little heavy on the mayo, but still refreshing. They also brought over complimentary samples of the chipa bread (little dough balls filled with cheese). The chipa bread would go perfectly with a frosty beer. Overall it was an excellent meal for the price and I will definitely be back for lunch! read more

Makus Empanadas - Makus meal with cheese and onion, chicken, and beef empanadas. - Empanadas Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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A little pricey but okay for something quick. The flavors are okay and it's a variety.

Stumbled across this empanada place while I was grocery shopping next door. Their signage was what caught my eye. The restaurant must be new because you can still smell the residue of fresh paint. There is plenty of seating and simple, yet captivating, decor. The woman at the register was quite friendly and sociable. She explained the different types of empanada fillings and that they were baked instead of fried. We ordered to go: two beef, two chicken, 2 corn, and 1 veggie. Each empanada is $2.50, or you can do a combo "Makus Meal" for $9.95: 3 empanadas, 1 side, 1 drink, and 1 sauce. We waited for literally 2min and someone from the kitchen came out to give us our order and explained that each one is specially branded for the type of filling it contained aka GENIUS. I really liked the beef and corn empanadas. The empanada was completely stuffed, the filling wasn't dry, and the corn was sweet. The veggie empanada was a bit sour and bland. This place is great if you need a quick bite! read more

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Very disappointing... had high expectations but these pastries have nothing to do with Argentinian empanadas. Side of rice was dry. Definitely not worth the price. read more

If you're in the mood for a clean, quick, delicious bite to eat, then this is the place. Stopped in for lunch after seeing an ad on Facebook. Food was hot and fresh and presented before we'd even filled our drinks. We will definitely be coming back when in the area. Awesome job, guys! Finally a great little empanadas spot that isn't Sarah's empanadas (re: dirty old restaurant). This is anything but! read more

Makus Empanadas - I wonder who's job it is to cut the letters to stamp the empanadas! yum all around! - Empanadas Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Makus' service was great, but the food was aight. Nothing mindblowing-ly delicious, but it was a good casual meal. My friends and I ordered two Family Meals (10 empanadas, 4 sides, 2 sauces) and one Makus Meal (3 empanadas, 1 side, 1 sauce, 1 drink). We pretty much ordered all the empanadas on the menu and I would have to say that the Pepperoni and the Bacon & Cheese were my favorites. The outside breading was delicious - flaky, buttery, with the perfect amount of crunch. However, the flavor on the fillings were lacking a bit overall and I found myself using the dipping sauces a lot. Speaking of sauces, they have two options: Chimichurri and Red Hot Sauce. I definitely preferred the Red Hot Sauce because I love all things spicy. For sides, they offer Cole Slaw, Rice, Beans, Beans & Rice, Chips, and a Spinach Salad. The Beans & Rice were pretty bland - literally just beans and rice. However they were both cooked very well! Ultimately, the food will definitely fix any empanada craving that you might have. The restaurant and staff itself are great, I just wish the food had more flavor. I'd also like to mention that with our party of 7, Makus was able to handle our large and confusing order very well. The food came out quickly and the owner kindly explained to us how to identify the empanada fillings. read more

Makus Empanadas - 23 empanadas lol - Empanadas Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Wow! Really, really good empanadas! Can't wait for them to come to Raleigh. If you've never had an empanada don't be shy. The owner will be happy to give you a quick tutorial. I had a chicken empanada, ham and cheese empanada and a sweet corn empanada. The sweet corn blew my mind. I also had some Chirpa Cheese Bread and it is delicious. read more

It's hard to compare Makus to other empanada places in town (namely Luna) because it is a totally different concept, but I will try. The space is inviting and when I stopped in my friends and I were the only people there. The staff was very welcoming-- they told us all about the empanadas, how they stamp them and the owner even told us about the photos of his family on the wall and the history of the business. I was definitely impressed with the customer service. The food is also extremely fast and comes out right away. The empanadas are good-- slightly smaller than Luna's and with simple flavors, but delicious. They have almost an almost identical special with 3 empanadas, a side, a drink and a sauce for $9.95. I was not impressed with the diversity in sides (it's only cole slaw, rice or chips-- they could add black beans or plantains) nor was I impressed with the dry chipa bread or boring empadog (a hot dog wrapped in empanada dough...I had to try it). It is much more of a fast-food empanada place (in a good way) and I would definitely come back here if I was in the area looking for a quick lunch that wouldn't fill me up too much. read more

This is the second time I have ordered these and I was fully impressed. The pork one is amazon, beef is ok and the hot sauce is more like franks red hot. The coleslaw is a a sweeter version vs savory. Overall I've always been impressed with this place as the empanadas are usually stuffed full and are always hot/fresh. Wish they had more dessert ones but this is what you can get in NC for empanadas. Overall I would return! read more

Makus Empanadas - Pork Chimichurri Empanada - Empanadas Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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YUM! Healthy, baked empanadas! None of the grease from being deep fried. Flavorful and delicious. Always welcoming and helpful staff. Chipi (cheese bread) is amazing! I got one of each kind to try with my husband and we finished them all! My son loves the ham & cheese one. My favorite was the spinach one. Sides were decent. read more

Makus Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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I stumbled in to Makus while I was in the shopping center headed to another restaurant; they were new and my friends and I decided to try them out. I tried the beef, pork chimichurri, and bacon+cheese empanadas. Overall, the empanadas weren't bad; I liked the bacon+cheese the best which is probably owed to the cheese. It was my first time visiting this restaurant and the service I received was very pleasant and helpful. I love that they bake little letters on the side of the empanadas so that you know which is which...GENIUS! I look forward to coming back and trying more menu items. read more

Crispy and delicious! The spinach cheese was favorite! Not a fan of the chicken empanada but overall I think its a great snack to add to the table! read more

Not bad...not awesome Not expensive...not cheap Not fast...not slow Not unique...not common Not near...not far In summary it' middle of the road Exceptions: It's clean and friendly It doesn't serve green eggs and ham! read more

Let's start with the helpful, friendly staff. Loved it! Very clean. But...I agree with all the other reviews that the food is just OK. And I feel a little bad saying that for an otherwise great evening. I had the Makus Meal which I feel is an OK deal...not a steal, but not a rip off either. I got the beef, bacon and cheese, and veggie (because it said it had zucchini and leeks and I'm a freak for leeks! LOL) I chose beans and rice for my side and shared an order of the chipa bread. The beef was uninspired (and not mostly beef), the bacon & cheese was good (but really, you'd have to be talented to mess up that one!), and the veggie was just OK (mostly rice.) I feel like a broken record with the OK thing already. The beans and rice were bland but cooked perfectly...and the chipa bread? I was excited because I love bread and I love cheese and I saw someone say they loved these more than Red Lobster biscuits so I was so excited to try them..........no. Just no. They weren't bad, but they weren't amazing. I was hoping for more flavor, spice, etc. All in all, it was A-OK (as my rating suggests ;)) If you're in the area, hungry for empanadas, this will fix that craving. read more

Makus Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I love ordering from here! The empanadas are delicious and so are the sides. Whenever we see friends outside, we get a big order of these and it's delicious! If you're vegan, definitely go here! Veggie empanadas are super yummy. read more

Vegetarian/Vegan review: Tried all four of the vegetarian empanadas. Favorite was the spinach and cheese, good classic combo. Second was the sweet corn which was unique but good. The vegan veggie and cheese and onion tied for third. Both were still good. Onion and cheese tasted more of a Germanic profile and the vegan was good but a bit bland, needs a little more Umph. 4 was a good size meal but a big eater may need another one. Definitely get the chimicurri to go with. I've had better empanadas but these were good read more

I visited Makus today for lunch. I decided to go around 11:30 to hopefully beat a potential lunch crowd. It was only myself and one other customer so that worked. They have 10 different empanadas, 4 are vegetarian including one vegan. I tried the beef, spinach, and corn. I could not pick a favorite, they were all tasty and fresh. I've enjoyed the empanadas in the past at the UNC MBB home games but this was my first time dining in. I have also had the chicken previously which was my least favorite but I would eat it again. As expected dining is a better experience taste wise than those at the Dean Smith Center. I was also able to try the chipa bread today, it was a combination of chewy, crispy(outside) and cheesy. I enjoyed them but didn't love them. The flavor and texture were very unique, a bit hard to explain but worth trying them out. The beans and rice as a side were okay, nothing fancy. Overall I enjoy the empanadas and will return. I will try more sides in the future. PROS: Quick, fresh, baked not fried, decent variety, affordable CONS: Although minor, I was disappointed with the drink options. I'm not a soda drinker and the only non carbonated beverages were the pink lemonade (HFCS for sure) and tea. However, the tea is not freshly brewed, it's Gold Peak and tasted like a concentrate. A bottled water is the same cost at $1.75 so although my meal came with a drink I could have passed on that. TIPS: They have an app and when downloaded you can get 15% off your first order. You can also accumulate points towards future discounts. Check in on yelp (that's how I got the free chipa bread coupon). They offer online ordering via their website and app. read more

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Boy did I wanna love this place. I ordered the pork, chicken, and corn empanadas. Rice and beans and cole slaw on the side. Everything is beautifully prepared...there's no doubt that great care goes into making this food. I appreciate that care. The food looks wonderful. The crust on the empanadas is wonderful as well. Light and crisp. The problem is, I found it criminally bland...especially the rice and beans, which tasted almost entirely of nothing. It was all so close to being great. It all just lacked...... something. Ah well. I may try it again sometime. It deserves another try, just on presentation alone. read more

Makus Empanadas - A beautiful, but surprisingly bland lunch combo. - Empanadas Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Inside "Makus Emapnadas", it is clean, a nice atmosphere to sit and watch traffic out the window. Good lighting and free Wi_Fi. I tasted a sample of both the pork and spinach empanadas. There were quite yummy. So why only 3-star review??! Simple. The are S-M-A-L-L. Ridiculously so. In fact, you could easily put a toothpick in one, and call it a cocktail hors d'oeuvres. I am 6'1" and have a healthy appetite... it took FOUR to satiate me. No Joke. I movde from Valdosta GA.; which had an empanada restaurant which gave you 2, with a side salad for $5.95 Their's were more like meat pasties. Large In any event, there are far more places where you can get more quality food for $10.00. Forewarned. read more

Delicious empanadas! Perfect size, perfect crust, ..... and I love the initials in the corners so you know exactly what you're biting into! I noticed Makus while driving by a few weeks ago and decided to try them today. We split five different flavors and they were all really good. My favorite was the chicken with just a splash of their red hot sauce. I can't wait to try their other flavors as well as some of the desserts! I think the prices are very fair. For approximately the same cost, they provide a much better option to typical fast food. Will definitely return! read more

Makus Empanadas - Yum! - Empanadas Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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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

Not Authentic, too expensive for what you get. A regular meal is 10 dollars for only 3 small empanadas a baked chips bag. Flavor is mediocre and lacking. My oldest received his meal after ours, we bought him the regular meal, the pepperoni flavor. How could you go wrong? The cheese wasn't even melted. I can buy a whole pepperoni pizza for less with more flavor. The chimichurri sauce was good, I'd buy that by itself. Good atmosphere and clean restaurant. read more

Baked empanadas, outdoor seating and a good price on the Makus Meal (three empanadas, one side, one sauce and a drink for $9.95) means you can't go wrong with this place. Makus is an order-at-the-counter restaurant, and the service was friendly and fast. The empanadas were crisp and hot, and we appreciated the letter stamps on the edge of the crust ("V" for veggie, "S" for spinach, etc.) that told us which was which. A great place for a nice lunch or casual dinner! read more