It's always busy here at Cafe Tola! The line moves pretty quick though. You can find empanadas (so many flavors!) and also coffee! The empanadas are around $6.90 with tax each and i think you'll be content with 2 of them with a coffee. There's some tables and chairs outside but it seemed pretty full when we can by. They do have a ingredients list to the left of the cashier posted so you know what goes into the empanadas in case you are allergic or have a sensitivity to something! read more

I went to the location today and there was a sign that said "Be right back." I waited for 30 minutes, and no one showed up. I drove all the way from the burbs, for nothing. I even tried to call the number twice and no one picked up. I've had their food in the past, and it's fantastic, so it was very disappointing that I couldn't have my empanada. Hopefully they get this sorted out. read more

Haven't tried the empanadas yet (have heard good things), but the horchata latte is one of my favorite coffee in the city. The pumpkin spice horchata was good as well, but I prefer the original. Service is quick and super friendly! Would def come back to try the food. read more

Cafe Tola - Horchata Latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Quick, easy, and delicious! Grabbed an assortment of empanadas and a horchata latte before the Southport Art Fest and it was the perfect late morning snack. Loved the lechon, best bang for your buck! read more

Cafe Tola - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

One of my go to spots in the city. I sat outside and enjoyed my empanadas. Try the banana Nutella empanada! read more

Cafe Tola - Pollo verde empanada - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The horchata latte here is delicious! It's perfectly sweet and so refreshing on a hot day. They're super friendly and the outdoor seating area is so cute. Would definitely go back to try the empanadas! read more

Cafe Tola - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Definitely try the quesa birria empanada! It is so good. Somehow the filling is juicy and yet the empanada itself is still crispy/flaky on the outside! Don't know how they do it but it's brilliant. I also got the guava cheese empanada which was good but I would've preferred a sweeter quava paste and creamier/softer cheese. The inside of the restaurant is tiny and there's no indoor seating but they do have tables outside and a tiny counter inside to eat on in a pinch. Cafe Tola is located conveniently near the brown line, and there's usually quite a bit of metered parking outside along Southport. Service was friendly and I'm thankful they recommended the quesa birria empanada! read more

Whenever I'm in town, this is my go to empanada spot. I drive in to get my hair done and then swing by for the perfect road trip snack. The traffic is so bad in Chicago that I can finish THREE empanadas before I get on the highway. I probably could eat four or five, honestly. My favorite empanada is probably the lechon. I do love them all, but my go to's are meat-filled. Service is relatively fast. If there is only one person working, you might have to wait a bit and stare longingly at the case of empanadas. (Not that I have ever done that!) This place is tiny, so sitting outside is only an option during nice weather. I will definitely be back the next time I'm in town. Thinking that I need to order ahead to make sure they have more than one of my faves available! Until next time... read more

Owner is rude, abusive and condescending. I don't understand how people like this get into the service industry and then feel entitled to crap on customers. Don't waste your hard-earned money at this dump. read more

Always a line here, but it moves quick and is totally worth it. The breakfast veggie empanadas are good - super tasty and filling. Love the colorful artsy vibe of the place and the little outdoor seating area. Perfect quick bite spot! read more

See all

This colorful cafe really caught my eye after a long cold day shopping. I was planning to just get a basic oat milk latte but quickly changed my mind when I saw that they had an horchata latte! Although I'm not a big fan of sweet drinks, this one was just so good and I would definitely order again. Will have to come back to try some of their food items. read more

Cafe Tola - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Our friends reintroduced us to Cafe Tola, and since then, we've had their empanadas twice. Compared to a few other empanada places we've tried this year, Cafe Tola makes my favorite empanadas. Satisfying and fun variety. Well-sized and not mini. Their red salsa is too spicy for me, but I like their green salsa. Looking forward to eating there again next time we're in the area :) read more

See all

06/07/24 - it's been awhile since I've been here but these are too good to not return. I found out they have 7 locations in Chicago. Excellent empanadas w/a nice variety of different empanadas like beef, spicy green pork, spicy red pork, chicken tinga, banana Nutella.... The line is long on this beautiful spring day 77 degrees & sunny. The last time we was here they were very hot right out of the fryer. This time because of the line they weren't piping hot but they were still delicious. This time I deducted a star cause they weren't super hot SORRY read more

See all

Very small and cute shop! You basically just walk in and you're right at the register ready to order. The guava and cheese empanada is my absolute favorite! We have also tried a few other types of empanadas in the past and all have been great! I always get an iced horchata latte as well. Horchata latte and a nice fresh empanada is the perfect combination! read more

See all

Great selection of empanadas. Very tasty! Although a bit pricey... Still worth the stop. read more

Just WOW! I ordered the chicken tinga which tasted somewhat spoiled. The male owner yelled at me and asked if I was "Mexican" because we're like dogs compared to his culture. Just wow I was shocked to say the least. I also had my autistic son with me which he asked if he was the "R" word. I am embarrassed and shocked at this companies behavior. read more

I LOVED this place. I had a ropa vieja empanada and a guava con queso empanada and both were 10/10. I also had an horchata latte and it tasted exactly like an horchata. The place itself was small but we didn't have an issue at all since there are two doors to enter and exit and plenty of tables for seating. The only thing I was not a big fan of was the customer service. The two men here were both unwelcoming, not sure what the reason was but was caught off guard by their responses. Will definitely be going back but maybe to another location!! read more

Cafe Tola - Guava & Cheese Empanada, Nutella & Banana Empanada, Horchata Latte. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great empanadas! Super friendly service. Their stock was almost completely full. The vibes are high at this spot. read more

See all

Empanadas are always amazing. The drinks are so interesting and yummy too. Limited seating outside but the interior is so fun. Perfect stop if you're doing an empanada crawl down Southport. read more

Cafe Tola - Inside - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Hey Yelpers! This is the place to go for empanadas! Our daughter brought us here for the first time back in October. While flying out this month (December), this was the first place we wanted to eat. My fave is the chicken tinga. They are all good though. They have meat options and some without. I hesitate to call them vegetarian or vegan because I don't know what exactly they put in the dough or the oil. You could ask, though. The service here is great. I will tel you that they only have outdoor seating, so wintertime eating can be chilly. Maybe eat them in the car or take them home. Either way, we'll be back, maybe even on this trip! Enjoy!!! read more

See all

Still absolutely love Cafe Tola! I was back in the neighborhood this weekend running errands and decided to stop by for an afternoon pick me up. The staff member working greeted me with a smile and was quick to take my order. I went with a tried and true - the iced horchata latte. If you prefer your coffee creamy and slightly sweet, this is the perfect drink for you. The cinnamon perfectly compliments the espresso and rounds out the drink. Iced on a hot summer day is truly perfectly. Not only is this drink delicious...it's only $5!! Custom lattes like this at most coffee shops in the city are closer to $7, so I was super thrilled to see this, and it made me even more inclined to give a nice tip! Thanks for staying consistently delicious, Cafe Tola!!! read more

Love that they have vegan empanadas! They're so delicious and indulgent. The chorizo egg empanada and red spicy pork empanada are my favorites. The service is always quick (regardless of how large the line looks outside) and the staff is so friendly! The overall vibe is super cute. The outside has all this art and some seating. The actual place itself is meant for grab and go. read more

Cafe Tola - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My spot. The coconut iced coffee is my go to. I recommend drinking with a straw, I don't know why but it tastes better that way lol. The staff is always in a great mood. And their empanadas are AMAZING. Get the green pork, you won't regret it. Don't forget to get the hot sauce on the side!!! I could drink that stuff read more

Cafe Tola - Green Spicy Pork Empanada & Coconut Iced Coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Such a cute and vibrant little cafe that sells a variety of empanadas! They also sell coffee items too. The place is small and meant for carry-out but they have an outdoor patio where you can sit and relax. Empanadas I ordered were: guava & cheese, chicken tinga, and steak & potato. The steak and potato would have to be my fav! These empanadas are hefty and full of flavor. They offer a side of hot sauce with them. The horchata latte was just ok - nothing special. The horchata flavor was also lacking. The latte did a good job in waking me up and helping me be productive for the day. This place makes me want to try all their empanadas! read more

See all

My food was old, the "owner"(so he says) was rude. Tried to negotiate for fresh food and was told I was not welcome to stay!

Stopped by here for the 2nd time getting off work to grab the cheese n potatoe empanada, and it was equally as good as the first time. I must say it was smaller just like the interior of the store but flavorful/unique things come in small sizes. Very beautifully decorated with cute outdoor seating, you have to stop by. read more

See all

It's fine. Like, you're not going to come here and think "I can't wait to go back." But you won't be regretting your choice, either. I got an apple empanada. It was simply that. Cut up apple, with no spices or juices or anything. Just apple, in an empanada, which had been sitting in a warmer so the crust was no longer crispy. Meh. read more

Fast service, amazing fresh empanadas, strong coffee! Went on Labor Day weekend Monday and had a bit of a line, but waited less than 5 minutes! The chorizo empanada was amazing , same with the guava queso and ham and cheese. Spots to sit outside read more

Cafe Tola - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Found this gem on Yelp and I'm glad I decided to go. Their empanadas are delicious and very filling. They range from eggs, shredded beef to cheese ones. Had their Dulce de leche and it was also delicious a bit on the sweeter side but definitely worth every sip. read more

See all

HORCHATA LATTES. Literally always on the lookout for these and Cafe Tola has the best one so far! A small storefront, be prepared to wait outside. The service is quick though and any wait you might have is worth it. My husband had an apple empanada; he definitely enjoyed it. read more

Cafe Tola - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We ordered delivery and the food arrived very hot. The tacos were much larger than expected. Definitely a winning place. We had an order of guacamole and chips. Nice amount of onion and cilantro on the top. We also tried the pork belly tacos. The pork belly was very nice, tender but crispy on the outside. The taco itself was huge with lots of beans. I had to remove some of the beans to pick up the taco. We also had the steak tacos. Very tender, as well. read more

Cafe Tola - Steak tacos - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great place!! We got the horchata iced latte and the dulce de leche and both were very good. We also had a chorizo egg empanada and a birria empanada. The birria was delicioussss I highly recommend and the chorizo one was very good too. Small place but I would make my way back for the yummy empanadas. read more

Food - all the empanadas were very tasty (they are $6 each) Service - the guy helping me out was super friendly! No indoor space but there was outdoor seating that was OK. Ambiance - very authentic and neighborly. I would go again for a snack :) read more

Good selection for vegetarians. The guava and cheese and coconut curry were so good. Two of them are decently filling.

My best friend took me to her favorite coffee shop and I am so glad she did because this place was AMAZING! It's a tiny shop that is currently only allowing 2 customers inside at a time. The decor is adorable, cool, trendy and nostalgic. Very Instagram worthy place. The guy working the counter was very friendly and personable! She ordered her favorite which was the Horchata latte and I ordered the coconut iced coffee. Mine was not very sweet and so refreshing. The horchata latte was SO good and better, but a bit too sweet for me in the morning. We ordered 3 empanadas to share (ranked in preference). #1 Chorizo & Egg Empanada. #2 Black Bean, Plantain & Goat Cheese Empanada. #3 Spinach, Ricotta & Mozzarella Empanada. Make sure you get the salsa, which has a nice kick. I can't wait to return and try more flavors and reorder the coconut coffee! 10/10 read more

See all

In a mood for empanadas? Tola has a variety of them fresh every day. My favorite is the spinach cheese. Grab one or two to enjoy on the patio or take home. read more

The best empanadas!! This is the greatest neighborhood spot. I hadn't been in a while but stopped in with a friend today-- the line was long, which is always a good sign for the food! The one employee worked through the line quickly and was very helpful. I got the Buffalo empanada and the Ropa Vieja -- both were DELICIOUS. The outside of both were flaky and crispy and buttery. The decor and exterior are so fun and appealing. I seriously cannot wait to stop by for lunch again soon, especially when it's warm enough to sit outside. read more

See all

I wish they had more sitting space inside, but Cafe Tola is always delish! Fast service too

Such a great little spot for empanadas and coffee! I am so glad I was able to visit this place twice while in the area last weekend! I did look at the menu ahead of time, but then I was told that each day they switch out which empanadas they offer so I basically needed to decide what to order when I arrived. Both times I went, there was a line out the door. It's a small spot and they can really only fit 2-3 people inside at any given time. They do not have seating inside, but they do have a cute little patio with 3 tables outside. When it was time for me to order, I saw that they had a black bean, plantain and gouda empanada and a spinach and ricotta empanada that I wanted to try. Those were the 2 I ordered on my first visit. I also ordered a horchata iced coffee which was made quickly with an extra shot of espresso. The 2nd visit, I ordered a guava and cheese empanada for me and chorizo and egg for the hubby. I like how they switch out their flavors each day so you can try different items each time. The pastry was so flaky and flavorful; I wish I could make a pastry shell like that. And the fillings were just 'chefs kiss'. Yummy! It was nice to sit outside on the patio and I noticed that they had a constant line which was nice to see. This is a cute little spot with bright colors and fun inside decor. It's definitely a spot I would recommend for anyone to visit at least once. I am still talking about these empanadas a week later and trying to figure out how I can get some shipped back to STL. read more

See all

Whenever in the area stop by. Love their empanadas. The roja and verde side sauce are great.