After visiting Argentina and enjoying their empanadas, I was happy to discover an Argentine style empanadas restaurant in McAllen. Solo Empanadas is located in the North cross Shopping Center a couple of doors down from the Barnes & Noble bookstore on 10th and Nolana Ave. When I walked in, I was greeted by the young ladies at the counter. They have a cozy and classy dining room which, at 4 PM, had people at two of their tables. O thought the interior was well designed and provides a pleasant atmosohere. It's small for large groups, but would be a great place for a business lunch, a small group, a family meal, and nice enough for a date night. Everything was very clean. The menu offers 14 different fillings for their empanadas, ranging from beef, chicken, cheese, ham, Caprese, bacon, mushrooms, shrimp, or a variety of combinations of those ingredients. They even have one that says "carne dulce" (sweet meat).. You can order them a la carte, in a combo, or by the dozen. To accompany the empanadas they have either a green (delicious) hot salsa or chimichurri. They also offer salads and drinks. Prices are reasonable... For three empanadas, I paid about the same as a burger combo at a fast food place, and this was much better and more filling. I found their empanadas to be authentic, with the same style and flavors I experienced in Argentina. That made my day! I will certainly be back! My empanadas were freshly baked after I ordered them, hut it only took between 10 and 15 minutes. That's not as fast as most "fast food" joints, but still quite fast. Each was literally branded with the name of the filling so I could tell them apart without opening it up, and they were presented in a nice box for take-out. I thoroughly enjoyed my order and look forward to trying the other flavors. read more

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Excellent food!! The salads are very good and the empanadas are delicious. We will return.

First time customer went during my work break and worth every penny.The empanadas are filling and delicious. The atmosphere inside is chill and relaxed and for an introvert I appreciate. 10/10 would recommend! read more

Fast and efficient order, staff were very friendly. Empanadas were very tasty and packed with lots of meat, had both chicken and beef.

Amazing empanadas! They are delicious, they have meat and veggie options available. Quaint little place that has been remodeled, appears clean. Also friendly staff. Definitely recommend! read more

Good empanadas Nice restaurant setting Bad customer service, often nasty and a bit rude read more

Not the traditional empanadas I'm used to. These empanadas have an extremely smooth crust. They were still good and the meat was tender.

Solo Empanadas restaurant isn't as relaxing for lunch as the place is warm inside. :( The empanadas are always filling! Love the Chimichurri sauce! I had a mix of the two Dulce and two Picante: two sweet and two spicy. Clean restaurant and friendly server. They had two televisions on. Both turned up, but on two different stations: music and sports. How you can watch one and pay attention is beyond me. The meal was tasty and I truly enjoyed it. I recommend an empanada to anyone who is bored with tacos! It truly is a treat. :) Just take them to go! read more

Great food and super affordable. Not to mention they offer a wide selection to choose from. You are welcome to dine in or take out, I usually take-out. I wouldn't say the staff is overly enthusiastic but the food makes up for that! read more

I was excited to hear the valley had some Argentinian empanadas. I ordered 6 different ones so that we could share and taste all the different flavors. I honestly was not that impressed! :( I think the chard empanadas needed more chard...they were mainly cheese...I mean, you could hardly see or taste the chard...it was like eating a thin crust pizza with no sauce...just plain cheese...nothing exciting to it. I think those frozen hot pockets they sell in the corner gas stations might have a bit more umph to them than these! The meat empanadas were tasty...they were ground beef picadillo...seasoned ground beef that is...the chicken ones were decent...semi-tasty chicken...but nothing to brag about. The corn and onion ones were mediocre. The empanadas were baked, which is a healthier alternative to anything fried...but the pastry was a more on the dry (bite-and-break-your-tooth) side. Some of the empanada fillings were very tasty...but it almost felt like the crust was so hard I might as well be eating chips and scooping up the filling. The thing is....making the dough for empanadas has a science to it, just like croissants, it has to have the perfect consistency... the dough is key to a phenomenal or just a "meh...waist of calories" experience. It is what can either make it or break it...empanadas should have a soft, yet crispy, buttery light crust with a yummy tasty filling. That's it! The prices are cheap! (Less than $3) I was full with half the small salad and 1 empanada!! The chimichurri sauce was excellent! Place was very clean. I'd give it 3.5 stars of I could. read more

The atmosphere is cozy, the prices are good, there are plenty of choices and they serve tasty chimichurri sauce. However, I just didn't think the empanadas were all that great. We tried the meat and cheese and the shrimp and cheese. The meat and cheese was a little better, but the shrimp empanada was pretty much flavorless. Honestly, had I not found the one teeny, tiny, little shrimp hidden among the cheese I would have thought that they messed up my order. I certainly couldn't identify it as shrimp based on the taste, because there wasn't much taste. The crust reminded me more of crackers than pastry. It wasn't really crunchy, but it wasn't flaky either. I guess it was kind of like stale water biscuits. I've never had Argentinian empanadas from any place but here so my basis of comparison is limited, but I would imagine that there are probably better examples to be found. read more

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I want to give one disclaimer up front....I do not give this a 5 star review based on the customer service, because most times, although she is not rude, the cashier is not all that friendly or concerned with you being there. That being said, I absolutely love their empanadas. They are always hot, fresh, and super tasty. I also really enjoy their house made chimichurri sauce. It adds a great tang to my favorite Carne Dulce empanadas. If you don't go in there looking for great customer service, but looking for exceptional empanadas, it's definitely the place for a quick, delicious meal. read more

Nice salads and a great variety of empenadas. Great chimichurri sauce and salsa. Good value for the money. A great place to go for a change of pace. read more

Solo Empanadas - A nice little salad with chimichurri sauce and salsa and couple of empanadas makes for a pleasant change of pace. - Empanadas Near Me - McAllen, Texas

This place always hit the spot after enjoying happy hour drinks at El Divino. The empanadas are small but always fresh, hot, and filling. At about 2 bucks each, you can buy a few and not waste a lot money trying to soak up all that whiskey. I also really love the green sauce that comes with it! read more

Solo Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - McAllen, Texas

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I love this place. One of my favorite for just a snack or a full on meal with the family. The salad is fresh and delicious, the empanadas are always amazing. I recommend you try one of each to see which is your favorite. You will not be disappointed. read more

First time to try empanadas. I tried the Carne con queso, the spicy carne and the pollo chipotle. The chicken was the best and I would come back for it. read more

The empanadas are really good. I like the beef ones the best (my favorites are traditional meat and spicy meat). I've tried the one with shrimp too. The shrimp is good but I think the best are still the beef based ones. I recommend going by and trying it out! read more

Solo Empanadas - Spicy meet and traditional meat empanadas and alfajor - Empanadas Near Me - McAllen, Texas

AMAZING ARGENTINE EMPANADAS!! Definitely the place to go for the best quality food. Great service and quick cooking times too!

The empanadas are really good! The best ones in my opinion are meat and cheese. The chicken is also good. The empanadas are baked with a perfect crust. They are really stuffed with the meat so it's not all bread. Good service. The place is a little small but has never been packed when I go. read more

Solo Empanadas - Meat and cheese - Empanadas Near Me - McAllen, Texas

I'm sorry to say this but these are not empanadas argentinas, these are cheap empanadas made in a factory. Poor quality. The girl at the cashier is not friendly. I guess this place is ok for a quick lunch if there's no other place to go. read more

This place is fast becoming my favorite restaurant for a quick meal. They have about a dozen different kinds of empanadas and a great salad with chimichurri sauce. I love trying the different varieties and cannot pick a favorite. Be sure to check them out. The setting is small and simple, but don't be misled. They know empanadas! read more

What bothers me is that the person who takes the orders has seems like she doesn't want you there, it makes me wish that I hadn't come in. So I won't, although usually I love supporting smaller places like this. Also, the vegetable empanadas are not filled generously at all with vegetables, but with 90% cheese, so you're getting mostly that weak tasting cheese and white bread of the empanadas. I've always spent close to $7.00 here and never felt full. With that, plus the resentful cashier, makes me think that this space could be better utilized for a restaurant that adds more value to it's patrons. I rarely see more than one other diner here while the restaurant two doors down is always very full, there is a reason for that. read more

Um this place has to have 5 stars. Empanadas are so bomb. Salad is bomb too. My favorite are the tradicional, sweet meat, the ham and cheese, but really I've like every single one I've tried and they taste great when reheated too. Never disappoints! read more

We discovered this a couple of months ago, in the same area as Barnes & Noble and Breadsmith. It's specialty is Argentinian empanadas, in fact, that's all they sell. About a dozen different fillings, served with a tasty, garlicky chimichurri. They're really inexpensive, and a great way to try something very different. One or two can make a meal, and they do have combos that include a drink. Don't worry about not being able to tell the fillings apart--each empanada is "branded" with a stamp showing the filling. These little pies are like "Hot Pockets" on steroids! read more

I personally love fried empanadas, theirs are baked. they have a clean presentation, combos available. Each empanada is marked so you know which type it is. They have a wide variety of fillings. Personal favorites are acelga and traditional. Nicely packed inside, warm and with chimichurri sauce .can't really go wrong with this delicious snack. read more

Empanadas are good, customer service is bad. Cashier has no personality. Food is a bit over priced.

I love these empanadas but last night I came to get a large order for a family gathering but when I got home no chimichurri or salsa was included. That bothered me a lot, owners should pay attention on these things employees seem not to care read more

Yummy empanadas. Good selections available, even a few vegetarian options. Salad is yummy. Few locations in the RGV.

I've had some Argentinian empanadas before so I was hoping there was a place in McAllen that made some and I found it. All they sell is empanadas and salads but they do have about a dozen different flavors so my wife and I tried an few of them and I'm delighted to say they were, good except for the shrimp empananda I say skip that one. Humita was the one that really hit the spot definetly recommend that one. Chicken in chipotle was really good and the meat ones were excellent. On this visit the young lady at the counter was very friendly and offered great customer service and her recommendations were right on. read more

The empanadas are excellent! They are baked, and have a just perfect crust. I have not tried all of the varieties they offer but would recommend the cheese with jalapeño filling and the ground meat (salteno). The gaucho salad is a must with your empanadas. read more

The food here is great but the girl who works there is very rude and never smiles. We eat there because we love the food but the service could be a lot better. That girl needs to be trained in customer service. She looks like she hates her job. And when you ask for something, she appears to get frustrated. The empanadas are very good and so is the salad. They don't give you enough sauce though, so you will need to ask for extra. read more

First time here and the empanadas were delicious! The pollo con chipotle and carne dulce were a total hit, the carne tradicional was also very good. read more

i enjoyed these empanadas, they werent the best i've ever had but still good. great price and enough for a quick lunch. it was a little hard to find but once i found it i was so happy. i tried 3 different flavors and the traditional beef was my favorite. next time i'll try a few more because the best thing about this place is they have a lot of flavors to choose from! read more

Delicious - I want more chimichurri! The food here is well served and the service is great. Most of the combos come with a salad.

I agree with one reviewer's reference to a commercial pastry pocket, because that is exactly what they are. Solo Empanadas' tasteless commercially made fast food may be acceptable to generations brought up on commercial toaster pastries (the smooth, shiny surface is a dead give away), but they are a far cry from what they could be, or should be. read more

Had one of their combos which came with a bottled drink, two empanadas; and a chimichurri sauce for the table. I had chicken chipotle and some cheese stuffed empanadas. The aroma was very inviting, and two empanadas were sufficient to serve as a meal (but depending on the appetite, a third one may be appropriate). However, as for the taste of the two empanadas I had, I didn't think it was special. I don't mind trying the restaurant again but I will be okay if I don't go back. read more