Lovely spot for a quick snack and coffee!! I mostly come to El Porteño for the coffee because the location is super convenient for a morning pick-me-up, and it's often my favorite part of the morning. The coffee is rich and nutty, and it pairs well with all of their milk options (they have oat and almond for my fellow lactose intolerant folks). I have yet to try one of the empanadas, but they smell and look divine -- I'm always super tempted. Depending on when you come by, sometimes you can catch the staff working on the next batch, which is always fun to watch. The team is friendly, and the space is quite large. It's usually pretty quiet -- even though they have a decent flow of foot traffic, most folks don't stop for long. If you need a relatively quiet place to work for a bit, they do have a good number of tables and outlets, although there, tragically, isn't WiFi. read more

What a pleasant snack to grab! Our family started our day SF trip here right after landing at the Caltrain station nearby. We grabbed a light snack with the jamon y queso (ham and cheese). The cheese was creamy and delicious, wish there was more ham. The pastry itself was excellent. Good consistency, good profile, and very tasty; just the right amount of flakiness. Would come back again and try the other flavors next time we're out and about in the city. read more

El Porteño - Empanadas Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Super disappointing experience here. First, I waited for more than five minutes at the cashier's stand before anyone even showed up. At 1:45pm, it's a ghost town inside?! When someone finally showed up behind the counter, it was a chef who didn't seem to know much about the POS system. Seems they are severely understaffed. I ordered an empanada which he said would take 15 minutes to get ready, sure no problem. I ask to pay with Blackbird as I've already scanned the puck and checked in during the five-minute waiting period. He then says I can't pay for the $7+tax empanada with Blackbird for some reason. Okay...? All of a sudden, he doubles the total that I "owe" (for food that I have not received and was told would be ready in 15 minutes). I say I only came here because I could pay with Blackbird, and I don't have another form of payment. He says sure, you want a coffee instead, pointing to a coffee station with no barista. Wtf is going on at this place? I left, still with an empty stomach and a puzzled mind about how this place is still in business. read more

Stopped here on a whim for a quick lunch. I got the jamon y queso. For the price and size of the empanada I was expecting a very filling empanada but this is more of a small snack. Barely any ham inside and it was mostly empty. Flavor wise it was delicious, flaky dough, and the cheese was great but it felt expensive for not having much weight to it. The empanada was warm and I got it right away. Also for some reason the ink on the paper bag bled onto my empanada and made the outside blue. They might want to consider changing that so it doesn't get on the food. read more

El Porteño - Empanadas Near Me - San Francisco, California

El Porteno opened where Cafe Lambretta was. Seating similiar. New decor. E.P. here goes beyond Argentine Empanadas.. Offerings: Empanadas, salads, sauces, drinks, covfefe, alfajores (cookies), daily specials... A fam member picked up an edible here for me.. Carne Empanada (7) -certainly pricey. Size nearly as big as my hand so it's worthy. -traveled well. Kept overnight in fridge, warmed in convection oven 10 minutes- as good as fresh.. -definitely better than lst impression. This version better than other country's. -savory notes from tender ground beef, onions, raisins, cinnamon, boiled eggs, cinnamon, broth, brown sugar & salt. -fluffy crispy outer texture creates comfort food vibes. oilyness & salty aftertaste only negatives 4ish stars. Great as an appetizer or dessert, not as a main...wide variety of fillings read more

El Porteño - Carne Empanada (7) - Empanadas Near Me - San Francisco, California

I was visiting the city and walking in the area on a weekday morning from the CalTrain station when we passed by El Porteño just a block away from Oracle Park. The empanadas caught my friend's attention and drew us into the shop. Server behind the counter was quick in taking our order and less than a minute we had such warm empanadas Argentinas in our hands! We chose empanadas de carne. The meat was plentiful, savory, and juicy. The empanada dough is so flaky and buttery! At the end of the day, we were ready to buy more to bring home for our families to try but this location had already closed by 3:30PM. It was a quick spontaneous stop I'll always remember :). read more

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I'm a big fan of El Porteno Empanadas, but this was my first time visiting the location in south beach. Got the camarones, and jamon y queso, though they had a lot of variety in the display case to choose from. The ham and cheese empanada was super melty and gooey with the ultimate cheese stretch (just the way I like it), and the shrimp empanada was not exactly the best one I've had from El Porteno, the buttery crust slightly undercooked and the filling a bit fishy, but I have confidence that this was an off day for them since I've had their products so many times from different locations in SF, Napa, as well as food trucks throughout the bay area, and this was the first time in years that I've had a not-so-great empanada. I wouldn't hesitate to come back to this location, a clean and spacious casual eatery with indoor seating, cheap street parking right out front on a weekday morning, Juneteenth holiday to be exact ($1 for 45 minutes), and instant service with no waits. I've said it before and I'll say it again... El Porteno has the best empanadas in the bay area (and possibly anywhere)! read more

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iced oat latte was pretty good, slightly on the acidic side but very strong espresso base read more

El Porteño - iced oat latte - Empanadas Near Me - San Francisco, California

If like going to Giants games, and you like the crab sandwich, you have to come here for the Camarones empanada before the game. I came here before a Giants day game, expecting it to be crowded, it is just one cross street away from the stadium, but there was no one in line, and just one person sitting down. I'm really into empanadas or any pastry stuffed with meat. I ordered the Espinacas and the Camarones. The Espinacas was filled with spinach and pancetta, it was very tasty and flaky, more like a croissant than an empanada. Then I started eating the Camarones, it was a life changer, easily the best thing I have eaten in the last year. It was stuffed with shrimp, and buttery, just a great way to eat seafood. My son ordered the apple empanada, but it was overcooked and no good. read more

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Our friends suggested we check out this place, and we had such a wonderful time! The empanadas are absolutely delicious--warm, tasty, and come in all sorts of flavors. Plus, they have a fantastic drink menu. The staff is super helpful and friendly, and the atmosphere is perfect for a quick break before heading to work or grabbing a bite. We highly recommend it! read more

Honestly, I've had better. I was drawn to this place because it smelled great. The taste was ok, but the service left something to be desired. In particular, the person at the counter was not helpful. I made a point to tell them (the person was male-appearing) that it was my first time and asked for recommendations; I was flippantly told that chicken and carne are most popular. I asked about the lamb because I was thinking about trying it. They said it was good without elaborating. I ordered lamb and chicken empanadas. I enjoyed the lamb more than the chicken. Sometimes, people have off-days, and I get that. If the person were just having a bad day, I would have taken less issue. However, not even one minute later, they were acting friendly and cheerful to the two girls behind me in line. I will say that they were indeed friendly, so I hold nothing against them. However, I listened as they were provided with honest recommendations about what the worker's favorite empanada was. This left a bad taste in my mouth, especially because this information was given (as far as I'm aware) without prompting. My friend also witnessed their interaction with me and held similar sentiments that their tone toward me was not friendly. However, she had walked away before witnessing the worker's interaction with the next group. She also mentioned that it's quite likely that my taste experience of the food was impacted by this experience. Honestly, it would not surprise me. Even though the taste was good enough, it's not sufficient to entice me after this experience, especially because there are so many other delicious and friendly food options nearby. read more

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It's an ok place. The service is a little unprofessional. They helped with everything I asked for but I had to ask for everything. No smiles. They also put the open sign up 40 minutes before they had any food ready. I got a queso y jamón empanada. It was decent. Too salty and the crust tasted more like old crisco than "buttery" as they advertise. Maybe that's how they do it in Argentina? What do I know ‍ The dinning room was quiet and decently furnished. read more

El Porteño - Empanada - Empanadas Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Holy smokes, these are good. El Porteño had a booth at Bottlerock this year and so we tried the Jamon y Queso and the Carne with (very spicy) chimichurri. They were delicious. Lots of filling, tons of flavor and a tender, buttery, flakey crust. (The folks working the booth were very nice as well) We then discovered that they have a storefront near my boyfriends work in San Francisco, so now we're in trouble. HA. Today we tried the Espinaca (spinach and bacon) and Fugazetta (cheese, onion and oregano) and they are also both outstanding. Again, so full of flavor, plenty of filling, and the pastry is wonderful. We couldn't get away without trying a dessert empanada also. They're a bit smaller but no less flavorful. The manzana is delicious and complex with a rich, deeply caramelized flavor that really sets it apart from just about any other apple dessert I've had in recent memory. I'm quite positive we will be repeat customers. read more

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Empanadas were good. We had the beef and olives. The bread was cooked perfectly. I just thought the olive and beef empanada was very sweet. I wish they had a chorizo one! But it was still tastey. Customer service was pleasant. I would come back! Especially to try a new flavor! read more

Amazing empanadas! The ones with dulce de leche and banana are sooo good! Also, the shrimp one and de pollo!! read more

So delicious!! Highly recommend! Pretty long line for these but it goes by quick. Pretty reasonable price and easy to take with you as you walk through the Ferry Building. read more

El Porteño - Empanadas Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Delicious empanadas! Fillings are always flavorful and the crust is so buttery and flakey. My favorite is the mushroom one. Don't forget to add a side of chimichurri, probably the best tasting kind I've had. It is really expensive though. Each empanada basically comes out to $7 and the chimichurri is $1.50 for such a small amount. read more

We the wife and we're walking around in the morning. On our way back to my buddies condo. We were looking for a coffee place over by giant stadium. Happen to run into this place on the corner. One of the best coffee that I have ever had. Wife's coffee was just as amazing. The empanadas that we got were fantastic.I got a Banana empanada. It was so delicious. When me and the wife got home we really wanted to go back to the coffee shop and grab some more coffee and empanadas. highly recommend this place if you want a great coffee and some empanadas. cheers read more

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We weren't planning on getting food here, but the smell got us as we walked closer. We got the carne and champinones empanadas and both were very good! The buttery and flakey exterior was super yummy. The carne filling was meaty and satisfying. I liked the mushroom one a little better, as it was filled with mushrooms and it also had cheese. I tried the jamon one before, and it was a little salty. read more

El Porteño - carne, champinones empanada - Empanadas Near Me - San Francisco, California

Highly don't recommend this location. Came here to order empanadas for my kids and was told that it would be 15 minutes which was fine but actually ended up waiting longer than that and when we took a bite, the center was straight up cold and inedible. I was already running late to pickup my kid from school so I was not able to go back. What a waste of time and money. read more

2 stars at best. Due to all the raving reviews, I was very excited to try the shrimp empanada. Not only was it a bit fishy but the small pieces of shrimp inside was probably the worst I've ever had. It tasted very overcooked, dry, and rubbery. At $7 per empanada- they don't offer ANY free sauces, not even hot sauce which is absolutely unheard of for an empanada place. They have chimichurri for sale but the prices are ridiculous. $1.50 for a small 1 oz size. I would pay 0.75- max $1 for the sauce but $1.50 is too much for that size. With that said, the beef empanada was decent but not good enough to make me want to return. read more

This is one of the best places I've found in San Francisco. We randomly stumbled upon it and I'm SO glad we went in! The employees were extremely nice and super helpful with any questions we had. It's so cute inside too! The empanadas are AMAZING! We had the pumpkin empanada and it was delicious. The spinach and bacon empanada was TO DIE FOR with their chimchurri sauce 10/10 recommend! We are picking some up to take home too! read more

El Porteño - Pumpkin empanada - Empanadas Near Me - San Francisco, California

I couldn't believe it when I realized I had come across and store specializing in empanadas! I bought five different ones my first time, the best were the crab and the humitas. A little overpriced, 7 dollars per empanada, but definitely worth it. I only wish they gave samples... Next time I'll make sure to try some of the sweet ones! read more

We bought some caps from the merchandise stand before a giants game. Only $ 10 each. What a deal we thought! Buyer beware. We found out they were illegal bootleg merchandise. The caps were useless within a month. They told us they were good giants caps. But once we asked someone inside the stadium, they told us these were not licensed caps and they should be confiscated. Not sure who allows this to happen. read more

I've been to both locations, Napa and San Francisco, and they both serve consistently delicious empanadas. My favorite is the jamon y queso (ham and cheese. A hearty, salty bite. For the sweet flavors, banana is a solid choice. I always buy more than I need because they re-warm nicely in my toaster oven at home. Take away only, but service with a smile is standard. read more

To Corporate: please advise on your website or in the window that you shut down the coffee service 4 pm , 1 hour prior to closing. We love the empanada but we were disappointed as we wanted to grab some coffee on our way out and specifically came for that reason only. Empanadas are great and delicious as always! read more

We walked over to this little cute place. The staff is amazing. Their cold brew is even better. Come by and grab a coffee and an empanada!! read more

El Porteño - Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - San Francisco, California

The empanadas are well seasoned and filling. They're on the pricier side but a great option for on-the-go lunch

The chicken was a bit dry but the pastry made up for it with its crispiness. Great snack on the road. read more

El Porteño - Chicken empanada - Empanadas Near Me - San Francisco, California

Authentic delicious empanadas, the person at the register was really nice and explained the different kinds of empanadas! Cute space, right by the ballpark! Great location! read more

I like El Porteño! Often I have to commute in or out of SF using the ferry and go here to get something quick to eat that holds its quality. Overall a solid 9/10. As for the location in the ferry building, there is typically a bit of a line so if you are in a rush keep that in mind. Usually, it moves "fast enough" however and while waiting you get to take in the bustling alive atmosphere of a historic building so the wait is not bad. Also, there is a reason the line is long. I recommend it. read more

Love the empanadas at El Porteno. Unfortunately, I have tried going to the SOMA location multiple times and every time they are closed even though both their website and yelp say they should be open at that time. Please post accurate hours. Would give them 5 stars if they were actually open when they should be. You're better off going to the Ferry Building location to get empanadas since that location is actually open. read more

Never again! My family came here to grab a quick bite before the game. They told us we have to wait since they just ran out of the flavors we wanted. I was okay with it since we still had time. When we got our empanadas, a few of them were still cold in the center. I told the staff about it, they just told me to wait and forgotten about us while we were waiting. It wasn't even busy in there. Every time I asked them about our cold empanadas, they gave us a rude look. We asked them one last time to just refund our money on the cold empanadas, they acted like they were busy and told us its going to take some time to get us new one. My family and I decided with this kind of service, its not worth waiting and left. read more

Had 100 empanadas delivered to an event in Mill Valley. Teresa was fantastic to work with: responsive, easy to communicate with and accurate in representing her services and product . The empanadas were delivered warm and on time. AND, delicious!!!! They were the perfect dinner for our special night. read more

I think we tried them all. I could not pick a favorite. I dont know if they are served with a salsa/aoli because my hubby got a bunch after a giants game and didnt ask, but i would have...They were all amazing though!! read more

The empanadas are delicious! Great little stop for a quick bite. We did the Carne, Champinones, Manzana!

super warm and comforting empanadas! got the ham and cheese empanada and it was delicious