After hearing several people rave about Maxi Artisanal Empanadas, I decided to give them a try. The…read morefood truck is conveniently located outside Ferg's on Central Avenue, making it an easy stop if you're already in the area. Being a food truck, there isn't much in terms of ambiance, but the location is hard to miss and surrounded by plenty of activity.
What immediately caught my attention was the branding. They market themselves as "artisanal" empanadas, but after trying them, I'm not entirely convinced they're doing anything significantly different from many other empanada spots around town. They offer a good variety of flavors, but that's hardly unique these days. What does stand out is the price: $6 per empanada.
Yes, $6 each.
I ordered 3 empanadas: Chicken & Potato, Beef & Potato, and Buffalo Chicken & Bacon. The gentleman working the truck was friendly, took my order, asked for my name, and accurately quoted about an 8 minute wait. The empanadas came out piping hot, and I was given both of their house sauces, one green and one red.
The green sauce reminded me of a Peruvian style aji verde with creamy garlic and cilantro flavors. It was enjoyable but surprisingly sweet and lacked the heat I was expecting. The red sauce tasted more like a vinegar based hot sauce with scallions. Again, it wasn't bad, but it leaned heavily on vinegar and didn't bring much spice to the table.
As for the empanadas themselves, the best thing about them was the shell. They were fried perfectly with a crispy cornmeal exterior that provided a great crunch and texture.
The Chicken & Potato empanada had good flavor, but there simply wasn't enough chicken. The filling was dominated by potato, which felt disappointing considering the price point. For the price, I'd expect a more generous portion of meat rather than relying on starch to fill the space.
The Beef & Potato had a similar issue. It was a little more acidic than I expected and once again seemed heavy on potato and light on beef.
The Buffalo Chicken & Bacon was my least favorite of the 3. The buffalo sauce overpowered everything else, masking the bacon flavor almost entirely. It mostly tasted like buffalo sauce and cheese with a little chicken mixed in.
Overall, the empanadas weren't bad, but they also didn't justify their premium price tag. By the time I ordered 3 empanadas and left a tip, I was $24 into what was essentially a light meal. At that price point, expectations naturally go up, and unfortunately the food didn't deliver enough value for me.
St. Petersburg has plenty of excellent empanada spots, many of which offer comparable or better quality without leaning so heavily into the "artisanal" branding and premium pricing. While Maxi isn't terrible by any means, I don't see myself returning. The empanadas simply aren't punching in the same weight class as their price suggests.
