Great empanadas and great service! I had the beef and potato and the chorizo and queso... both divine! Friendly gal from Mexico City on the register! read more

This spot is tucked under an apartment complex (?) with one-way windows that make it blend in a little with the rest of the street facades. There is street parking & garage parking nearby, but it is a bit difficult to find a good, free, public parking spot close by. The shop itself wasn't too busy, with plenty of seating both inside and outside. Their menu is mostly empanadas, paletas, and an assortment of drinks. I'm impressed at the variety of empanadas they offer--there are many vegetarian options and sweet options, which I haven't encountered before. They are displayed by the counter and reheated for you in one of those rapid-cook ovens you see in coffee shops. The service was quite good; the cashier was patient with me as I decided what to order, and the food and drink comes out quickly after ordering. I took my order to-go; they didn't provide a bag, but they did stash the empanada in one of those little thin wax-paper sleeves. The empanada itself was pretty good. The reheating did leave the crust a little soggy from the moisture of the filling, but the flakiness of the pastry was still detectable, and it still had a bit of crisp to it. The flavors were great, and they were pretty generous with the cheese. The horchata latte was okay--ultimately, I don't think the coffee was strong enough, and I'd rather have just a latte or just a horchata. Overall, I think it's a pretty decent place if you're looking for a quick bite. I frequent the area for other events, and the empanada makes for a good on-the-go snack. I intend to try more of their vegetarian (and maybe their sweet) empanadas in the future! read more

I found the savory empanadas to be good, but not great. We ordered one beef and one spinach & potato last weekend. They needed salt and a sauce, especially the beef. A real sauce, not the packaged junk they have at the condiments bar (it might have been Tapatio, but I'm not positive). They heated the empanadas up in the microwave and then put them in the toaster oven; the beef could have used a minute or two more microwave time since it was lukewarm in the center. The pineapple dessert empanada was the best thing we ate there. Service was adequate, though I got no warm fuzzies or smiles from either of the two people working. read more

Casa Guzmania - Spinach & potato (left side) and beef (right side). - Empanadas Near Me - San Jose, California

Small place, easily missed, across from the convention center and Marriott. Festive decor. Order at the counter while perusing the goodness of empanadas in the display case. Average price is $7 an empanada. Reasonably priced. Went with the chicken mole and a sausage with cheese. Based solely on taste, would order the chicken mole again but not the sausage with cheese. Other options that sounded good so next time I'd choose a different one. read more

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Absolutely loved the empanadas from Casa Guzmania! We ordered a beef and potato, choriqueso, rajas with cream, & pineapple. Each empanada was delicious & warm, my favorite ones were the choriqueso & pineapple! They're rich in flavor & filled to the brim! read more

Casa Guzmania - Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - San Jose, California

This didn't hit as hard for me as I hear it does for others. Maybe it's because we got there late but the empanadas weren't as flaky or substantial as I was expecting. The have the pre-made and heat them up for you upon order. I really like how they split theirenu between meats, vegetarian, and sweet. The place is very themed. It's not worth trying to find a parking spot if there's not one immediately available. But none of the empanadas were too memorable, for me at least. read more

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Was working from home and didn't want to leave for lunch, so I had empanadas delivered. I'd never tried Casa Guzmania before but really liked their Yelp reviews. I ordered two savory empanadas, sausage with cheese and beef with potato, and two sweet ones, rice pudding and apple cinnamon. It was too much to eat at one time, so I tried the savory ones first and the sweet ones a couple hours later. The empanadas were still warm when they arrived. I started with the sausage with cheese and thought it was overly cheesy and bland. The empanadas came with a couple of small containers of sauce, but I'd read that it was very spicy so I stayed away from it. The beef with potato was good. I liked the subtle seasoning of the ground beef and the small chunks of potato. The rice pudding empanada was okay. I ordered it because several people raved about it in the reviews, but I didn't find it to be spectacular. It was cold by the time I got to it and might taste better warm. The apple cinnamon was my favorite. The apples were sweet (but not too sweet) with a touch of tartness and the perfect amount of cinnamon spice. I could have eaten a couple more. The outside of the empanadas is a flaky pastry shell. I prefer it to other empanadas I've had that were deep fried. I'd like to try some of their other empanadas and get more of the apple cinnamon. read more

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Super fast and great service and they have an amazing variety of vegetarian and vegan empanadas including some savory ones . I loved the mushroom and Raja's empanadas and will definitely have them again. read more

My husband and I just picked up our bibs for the rock n roll run tomorrow and we were hungry. We saw this spot had good reviews so we stopped by. I was not going to stop since I wanted to use a restroom but did not see one. Luckily a customer who was already eating told me they did have restrooms you just have to ask and get a code. He also said the empanadas are a must try. He was right. The empanadas are the bomb!!! The cashier spoke in English and Spanish and recommended that beef and potato empanadas. They were the so delicious! The restaurant was clean and really colorful. There is more than enough seating available with bar height and regular tables. read more

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Casa Guzmania is such a small but super cute spot--easy to miss but absolutely worth finding. The empanadas here are on another level: the crust is perfectly flaky and golden, and you can taste the freshness in every bite. I went with the Tinga empanada, and wow--juicy, well-seasoned chicken with just the right amount of spice and flavor. Comfort food at its finest. For dessert, the Nutella empanada stole the show--warm, gooey, and rich, wrapped in that same crisp, buttery crust. It's indulgent in the best way possible. Casa Guzmania totally hit the mark! read more

Over 2 years of coming here and I still enjoy it! The family does a great job running the place. I have brought friends and family and they have all enjoyed it. Empanadas I tend to go back to is the Rojas with cream, Mole, pumpkin, and apple but they are all delicious. And they always decorate for the holidays which is fun! Also they do open mic comedy on the first Wednesday of every month which is fun! Recommend checking out l if you are interested in an adventure. read more

A friend brought me here for lunch, swearing these were the best empanadas she's had outside of Argentina - and honestly think she's right. At least in SJ! I tried the beef with potato and was impressed. Meat and potatoes were well-seasoned with just the right amount of filling and a real nice flaky crust. Empanadas aren't huge and an ideal size for a light snack. If I'd been hungrier, I definitely would've ordered 2. Kicking myself for not trying the cochinita pibil.... ordering next time for sure. We got ours to-go, but there's plenty of indoor and outdoor seating + quick and friendly service. read more

I ordered the pibil and molé empanadas i loved them both! i added their hot sauce to the pibil and the mole was my fave so far. I'm going back for the potato one! Also don't miss their Iced Horchata Coffee its BOMB!! The spot is super clean, cute, smells good from a block away, great place to grab a bite and support a niche local business! Park on 1st St in front of Guildhouse and up that block and walk from there. Trust me. read more

Cute little cafe in San Jose Downtown selling savory and sweet empanadas. We tried Choriqueso (Chorizo with Cheese), Tinga and Mushroom Cheese variations. Our favorite was the Choriqueso. The red spicy sauce served with the empanadas elevates the taste to another level. Paired the spicy food with iced Horchata which was delicious in itself. The owner is friendly and explained the popular options. Definitely coming back here next time I'm in SJ Downtown. Guava with Cheese empanada is exciting! read more

Casa Guzmania - Interior - Empanadas Near Me - San Jose, California

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One of my favorite places in downtown San Jose!! Absolutely love the owners Cecilia and Rafael!! My favorite empanada is the mushroom with cheese and apple cinnamon. First Wednesday there's free comedy night paired with the best empanadas in town!! Check out Comedians and Empanadas on Eventbrite for free tickets!! read more

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Overall 3.5/5, but I'll round up for this review. Small shop in a recently renovated area of gentrified downtown. Service is friendly and fast; was not at all bustling at 11:30 AM on a Saturday. I got 2 savory empanadas. Each one was $6.99. Pretty good: Choriqueso empanada - a layer of chorizo topped with a blanket of cheese. What's not to love? There was a significant air pocket at the top which I didn't expect considering the photos I've seen on Yelp have them looking pretty stuffed. Alright: Chicken tinga empanada - the chicken itself was tender and the filling wasn't too dry as sometimes stewed white meat can be, which was pleasant. I will say it could use more salt or spices because it was relatively bland for such a red mixture. This one was also not particularly filled up in my opinion. Overall for $7 per empanada, I feel like they should be a little more substantial. Flavors were pretty on point but I think there is some room for improvement. read more

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food was straight nasty. Costumer services wasn't there either. lady was on her phone the whole time while I was ordering . Smoothie and empanadas were nasty had better at the grocery store frozen. Never coming back again read more

Wow, I had a chicken mole and a hot dog and cheese empanada both were fresh and delicious. Cute little place with very nice people working there. Food was truly worth the stop. Glad I decided to stop for lunch during a show at the convention center across the street. read more

Came here during fanime for a quick dinner since this place was conveniently located across the street from the convention center. There were several tables indoors and outdoors, and it wasn't too hard to get a table to sit after ordering our empanadas. I got the cheese & mushroom empanada for $7. It was kinda pricy for an empanada, but not too surprising given that this restaurant was in downtown Sj. The empanda definitely had a lot of cheese, but the dough was kinda soft and dense and wasn't flaky like other empanadas that I've had in the past. However, my friend's mole empanda was a lot more flaky and savory, and the chocolate mole chicken was very flavorful unlike anything else I've had before. Since the vegetarian empanada was the same price as the meat one, I highly recommend getting the meat ones (if you can) since it's a lot more filling and worth it. read more

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I love this place!!! The mole empanada was heavenly. It was equal parts spicy and sweet. I had the beef/potato empanada alongside it to balance spicyness. My partner ordered the cochinita pibil one and that's his favorite. Will be there again. read more

Casa Guzmania - Mole empanada, beef/potato empanada, and cochinita pibil empanada - Empanadas Near Me - San Jose, California

they need to open EARLIER! why offer breakfast option, if you only open at 9am??? come on guys, your missing out on a whole segment of early morning customers read more

The empanadas are the best! Nice size and fair price. Tinga, ground beef with potato, and tuna are my current favs (in that order). Their horchata coffee is also really good! Service is above average. Staff is very kind and welcoming. Highly recommend :) read more

Casa Guzmania - a display of baked goods - Empanadas Near Me - San Jose, California

I only had the horchata coffee, so I feel my review may change during the next visit, if I decide to visit again. The coffee was good, it was strong as well. Very good flavor, also a very big amount of ice but that's just how it is nowadays. So I walked into the business, and wasn't greeted. Just the cashier standing at the register. I ordered my coffee and she maybe said like 2 words. I spoke in both English and Spanish, trying to get at least some small talk. Then the cashier walked to the back, and started making my order. The empanadas that they sell are just sitting there under the heating lamps. I know these take a bit to make, but how do I know if they're fresh? It turned me away from ordering one. The place is more for takeout, since seating is limited. I'm giving it a 4 star because I enjoyed the coffee, but please work on your service. I understand some days are hard and sometimes you don't want to say much, but this could've been an amazing experience if it wasn't for that. If you're in the area, give it a shot. Coffee was good and inexpensive. read more

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The empanadas that I tried were just okay. The beef and potato filling in one of them was a bit greasy and bland. The shell of the pineapple empanada had too much of a lard taste to it clashing with the sweetness of the pineapple filling. The horchata was refreshing though and had a good amount of cinnamon. Overall I suppose it's not a bad spot if you need some food in a pinch in the area (pretty quick service), but I wouldn't say that it's a must try. read more

Casa Guzmania - Beef with potato empanada, pineapple empanada, and horchata - Empanadas Near Me - San Jose, California

I have no idea how long this has been here. Was stopping by Voltaire for some emergency coffee when I saw there sign. I figured I'd rather have a warm empanada for breakfast with my coffee so I stopped in. They were sold out of the sausage with cheese so I ended up getting the chicken mole empanada and an ice coffee for about 10 bucks. The coffee was served black with cream and sugar off to the side. As for the empanada. My family is from Oaxaca, so ordering mole is always a risk, but it was solid. Overall would definitely recommend trying read more

Update: I love how this small business gets foot traffic! Their horchata coffee is delicious and one of a kind in the area. I went with a sweet empanada, Nutella specifically, and my taste buds were in heaven! Winter will make this spot my go to for pockets of warm sunshine. read more

Casa Guzmania - Indoor - Empanadas Near Me - San Jose, California

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The tacos and salsa were honestly some of the best I have had in San Jose. service was quick and the team was super friendly

Love the empanadas here. They are huge, flaky, buttery and very filling. I ordered a spinach and cheese one and a mushroom and cheese one. 2 empanadas are pretty much enough for a meal and at 6.99 per piece they are reasonably priced. Perfect before/after going to the convention center or san jose civic nearby! read more

Casa Guzmania - Empanadas Near Me - San Jose, California

It's a cute little place, it's small but there is seating. The service was quick, I asked what the popular options were. The empanadas were good. I had the Cochinita Pibil, and the Beef with Potato. The crust was so good, it literally melt in my mouth. I'll be back... read more

We tried 6 different savory empanadas from their menu (not all in one sitting, as they're fairly large). We loved them all, such great flavors, it's hard to pick a favorite. I really liked the beef with potato, mushroom with cheese, spinach with cheese, and even the sausage with cheese (even though it tasted like cut up hot dog). My bf liked the mole with chicken, and cochinita pibil (pork). The cheese and fillings were plentiful, well-seasoned, simple ingredients. The empanada crust was light and buttery, on the softer side (perhaps just a tad undercooked), but still really good. I baked the leftovers more at home, and it was perfect for my taste... so delicious! I didn't like any of the sauces, mostly spicy, with a combination of flavors we couldn't really identify. But the empanadas were tasty enough that no sauce was necessary. The restaurant was clean and casual, with both indoor and outdoor seating available. And the workers were really sweet. Overall, a great experience and great value. read more

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So glad we stumbled upon this place! On a Tuesday (late) morning, we were the only ones in the restaurant. The interior had brightly colored walls, plenty of seating, and a casual ambiance. We each ordered two empanadas, and I chose the Mole and Mushroom with Cheese, although so many of them sounded great. Service was friendly and fast, and we ended up eating outside. Both my empanadas were fantastic! They were so filling, I was barely able to finish the two. The texture of the dough was absolutely perfect and the filling was so flavorful. The Mole was probably my favorite, but it was a close call. I also loved the green dipping sauce they came with. Will happily return to try more! read more

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Pretty good empanada I was working at the SJ convention center and decided to stop by. Got the number 3 meat and cheese and number 9 chorizo with scrambled eggs. Both came out fast and efficient. Taste was nice wasn't too salty. I will definitely come back read more

Sweet and Savory Empanadas. I appreciate the flavorful Mole and Nutella Empanadas. I hope to see this place continue to thrive and become a San Jose Juggernaut in the empanada scene. Muy Deliciosa! read more

Delicious!! Very friendly small business, love coming here, empanadas are stuffed full and flavorful

It's nice to have options. Casa Guzmania has savory, sweet, and vegetarian empanadas. I tried two savory empanadas and they were both good. If I had to select my favorite, I would have to say the mole. I'll have to try some vegetarian and sweet ones next time. The empanadas were so flaky and I loved how they stayed hot even after a 7 minute walk. I'll be back soon. read more

Casa Guzmania - Top: Beef with Potato Bottom: Mole - Empanadas Near Me - San Jose, California

Service is great and the place is super cute inside but I could not eat some of them due to the ridiculous amount of pepper in the filling. Most of them were also underbaked from the bottom. The only one I wad able to enjoy was the chicken mole. The meat/potato, cochinita pibil, and tinga all had way too much black pepper. If they can make that one edit and bake a few min longer they are onto something! read more

Everything moved smoothly. No errors, no delays. Only issue was the table was too close to the next one over. Felt a little cramped. Still, service was fast and polite. Left feeling satisfied. Would recommend casually. read more

I saw online this restaurant was opening up in downtown and I just had to go try it out! I went on their grand opening day and tried their Tinga (chicken and onions) and Cochinita Pibil (pork) empanadas. I really wanted to try their Nutella empanada as well, but they were all sold out. I need to come back another day and try that one! Both empanadas are super tasty!! The dough on the outside is the best I've had. I love empanadas but usually the dough on the outside is what I'm not a fan of and ends up ruining it for me. The dough is flaking and light which I love! The Cochinita Pibil one was a bit drier than the Tinga because there wasn't anything besides the meat inside, but regardless still packed with flavor. My favorite is the Tinga and would love to try the beef and potato ones next time I stop by. I highly recommend trying out their empanadas and supporting a local family business!! They have great tasting and great quality food and I will definitely be back for more! read more

Casa Guzmania - Inside of the Cochinita Pibil - Empanadas Near Me - San Jose, California

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Came to try their empanadas before watching a matinee show at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. The lady behind the counter was really nice. There were a few pieces of each kind of empanada on display which suggests that they are not mass produced. The empanadas were served warm and the Jamaica agua Fresca went well with the Tinga Empanada which is made of chicken with tomato, onion and chipotle pepper which gives it a little kick, and the Mushroom and Cheese Empanada which was a delicious vegetarian option tasted like comfort food with tomato, garlic and cheese. Would love to try some sweet empanadas with coffee next time. read more

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I was looking for something quick and easy for lunch. If you like empanadas they you should give this place a try. I got four different types. The chicken tinga, spinach and cheese, mushroom and cheese, and a Nutella empanada. My favorite was the chicken. I could eat one of those every week! My next favorite was the mushroom one. This does not mean the spinach and cheese was not good but if I can only have two then I would choose the other two first. The Nutella was great as a finisher. I will be going back to try the other flavors. Sorry for no picture of the chicken legs be. I was too hungry to wait to take the picture. Maybe I can take a photo of it next time. read more

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