When I say I am hooked on these empanadas, and I don't even live in New York. About 5 years ago my sister took me here to indulge in empanadas, and ever since then I have been hooked! This newer building is bigger than the building I've been to in the past. The space is vast and can accommodate many more people, but this does not effect their busyness the slightest. I've had food from here and it is okay and a bit overpriced, but I mainly go to enjoy the empanadas, and especially the green sauce that comes with. If you like seafood you have to get the viagra, it will change your life! Visit with an empty stomach so you can try a wide variety of empanadas, as they are small. Enjoy. read more

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This was my second time going to Empanada Mama however, I am hesitant to ever go back. My colleagues and I decided to go to Happy Hour based off of their affordable drink menu online. When we arrived, we were seated promptly and had a friendly waiter. Everything was great until the check came. Instead of $5 margaritas (like what was posted on their happy hour menu), we were charged $13 because it was on the rocks. Understanding that this is the regular price for their margaritas, we spoke with our waiter who said there was nothing he could do. We then proceeded to speak with a manager who stated that the menu said specifically said "frozen margaritas." I tried to explain that the menu online states otherwise. She asked to see the menu and responded by saying they were "trying to update the menu online..." She said they had "the right to change their menu without notice at any time" and that there was "nothing" she could do for us. It was very disappointing to know that we couldn't be helped in any way especially knowing that the menu online was not valid. A warning or note on the menu indicating that the menu online was not valid in the restaurant would have been nice. Honestly, to be charged over $150 more than what was expected was good enough to never have to go back. Second and last time for me. read more

Empanada Mama - Hell's Kitchen - This is a screenshot of their online menu vaguely saying margaritas are included in the happy hour. - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

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Been here twice. Once drunk. Second, sober. Obviously when you're drunk, everything is good. But sober? Oh yeah. Empanada Mama is also good. Five empanadas is a meal for two people. Three empanadas can fill you up alone. My fave one is the spicy chicken, Good amount of spicy! There are other good ones too like Korean, Brasil, and teriyaki chicken or beef. Would I come back? Definitely. Sober or not. read more

Empanada Mama - Hell's Kitchen - Spicy chicken with the green sauce. - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

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Took 30mins to get food from sidewalk order. Communication using phone worked well l. We went to their bar while waiting. The bar staff was pretty busy and did a nice job. When food was ready we got a text and it was at the front desk. Should have a system to let them know you are there and at the bar. Perhaps add option to screen when ordering. (Check here if you are at our bar then they deliver there). Would add a better service level. I've eaten there a few times and the food is pretty good and consistently prepared. read more

I went for the first time since they rebuilt this past weekend and was sat in the back. The space is huge and the place was packed at midnight. Feeling a little bit under the weather, I got the sancocho while my friends got empanadas. The sancocho was so deliciously comforting with a hearty broth and plenty of meat, yucca and potatoes. It came with a side of yellow rice and the portion was so large it could've been two meals for me. Now to find a place in Boston that has this on the menu! read more

Omg. Came here last night of a long (a bit too long stay) really wish I found this place earlier! It was SO delicious and so reasonably priced you can almost forget you are in NYC. It's making me almost regret I'm going home. When I come back it will be my first place to grab a bite! read more

Recently came here on a whim when the other place we wanted to go had too long of a wait... What a blessing in disguise that turned out to be! A seat was available immediately. The place has a relaxed vibe, low key. They have a whole selection of wheat and corn based empanadas as well as other entrees, salads, breakfast dishes, etc. The plantain chips with guac we had as an appetizer was amazing. As for the empanadas, it was so hard for me to pick among the selections, which is saying a lot because I'm a vegetarian! I ended up getting the rice and bean and pizza empanadas. The rice and beans was OK, but the pizza was AMAZING. I can't believe how much food you can get for so cheap. Highly recommend. Will go back. read more

Empanada Mama - Hell's Kitchen - Plantain Chips with guacamole - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

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I ordered the Viagra. I've order many times. Always filled with shrimp, not this time. Filled with fake crab.

The food here was so disappointing!! We went to have mother days lunch here with my family and everything but the yuca fries we bad! The lentil soup was puréed The mama nachos soggy because how what the pool work was. Empanadas my cousins ordered two of them were super hard. It was as just bad. This was my 2nd time there and just like the first time it was disappointing. read more

Horrible! Not worth my $37! Empanada mama LES great food, this 1 horrible! Empanada was nasty, guacamole nasty, plantain chips were decent, Cuban sandwich was super basic! Nothing to rave about! Pork was semi seasoned. Over all I would definitely stick to the lower east side empanada mama, for me it's 100% better! read more

This place was recommended by a friend and I'm so glad I went. The service was wonderful. Even though we ordered take out the waitress checked on us and even helped with making sure we had our order in a timely manner. We ordered -the yellow rice and black beans : great flavor -Jerk chicken empanada: delicious!! Full of flavor. Was not spicy where it took over the flavor. - veggie empanada: delicious and flavorful -Spanish & cheese: I didn't care for much. Very cheesy. If you like mozzarella sticks you would like this one. -Brasil empanada:my husband loved it The empanadas were not greasy at all. Loved this place. Would definitely come Back. read more

Terrible managemeant in late service. Day service had great staff but management in the evening was an absolute disgrace.

I can tell you they deliver late night. And somehow it hits the spot or should I say in the early morning they deliver

We used to come to this place all the time. Every chance I was in the area we were looking forward to grabbing some deliciousness from here. Idk what happened. The food was sub par, the waitress was just plain rude and clearly didn't want to be there. What got me the most is that after we ordered the woman said we needed a credit card on file, we thought that was weird, the only place that usually does that is a bar and we weren't drinking but sure... here you go. The issue is that they didn't ask anyone else around us for a card... just us. I was on crutches so I don't know exactly how far they thought I could dine and dash but it was highly offensive. Shame on you lady. The place expanded and the food and service went downhill. What a shame. read more

I've been coming to empanada for over 5 years now- and I have to say it's gotten popular, and so their prices have risen a ridiculous amount. An empanada now is almost $4, there is no happy hour ( which is advertised), and no refills on any drinks. Of course the food, service, and prices have gotten worse and worse. Today, I asked if the plain rain chips were free refill, was told yes, then I was charged almost $4 for them. Then, the new viagara (corn) was simply disgusting- and I didn't even take a full bite, and was charged for it- $4. Terrible service. read more

Empanada Mama - Hell's Kitchen - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

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Love love love this place for over 13 years! Always enjoy the Consistency of their flavor and the simplicity of the filling. Always recommend this spot to most of my friends! They're also addicted to them! Keep 'em coming! read more

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Overly priced but if you are ever craving empanadas with a twist this is the place, open till late and they are pretty consistent, I've been ordering from here for several years now... only on nights that I refuse to cook and want a contemporary empanada. :) Soups are also one of my Favorites, along with their natural juices, don't skip out on their juices! read more

This was a staple of my late night (or, well, all day) snacking for years. It is so, so, so, so yummy. The empanadas are delicious and fantastically priced. The tapas are delicious. The arepas are delicious. I want to order everything on the menu. My wife and I haven't lived in NY for over a decade, but we try to stop by every time we visit (and pack some empanadas for the plane ride home). read more

The drinks are a little pricey but what do you expect in NY but I'm still giving it 5 stars because everything was literally PERFECT! I had the Mac n Cheese, Reggaton, & Ground Beef! Two friends had to order more because they loved it so much! Employees were great! 10/10 would recommend! I'm most certainly coming back before my trip is over. The ambiance itself was so welcoming! It being in Hells kitchen, obviously LGBTQ+ employees and gender neutral bathrooms! The music was VIBES!! read more

Cheap and delicious! This has been my go-to late night spot for over 10 years. The empanadas are yummy, the staff is friendly, what else do you need?? read more

Server Cyndi R. Is a thief, she charges u extra and when ur food is packed and given to you by her, items are missing in the bag and also on the receipt attached to the bag. She a thief and steals money!!! read more

I ordered some empanadas to go and I was delighted that several blocks later they were still piping hot and wonderfully crusty. SPICY CHICKEN! Can I say delicious!!! A lot of times when places call something spicy it is not really that spicy. This item is and it had just the right amount and did not overwhelm the flavors at all. Mambo Italiano- Good amount of meat and tasty sauce I saw a sign that says they deliver and are open 24 hours. If I lived in NYC I would probably take full advantage of this and load up on these delicious treats. read more

Empanada Mama - Hell's Kitchen - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

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It's an adventure! My wife and I went here because of the excellent Yelp reviews, and it wasn't far from our hotel. We started with some Plantain Chips and Guacamole. It was soo good. Kind of weird, but just amazing stuff. We ordered three empenadas each and a medium pitcher of white sangria. The sangria was excellent, with bits of fruit in it. It got us both a little tipsy. The empenadas were expertly seasoned, crispy on the outside and delicious and moist inside. The only downside was how small it is. It's definitely a hole in the wall. Just room for maybe 20-30 people, and if it was that full, it'd be cramped. Maybe they do most of their business in deliveries. I don't know. It wasn't a deterrent, though. I'd definitely order this for delivery or go back if we were in the neighborhood next time!! read more

Empanada Mama - Hell's Kitchen - Plantain Chips and guac (L), White Sangria (R) - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

We were seated quite promptly when we arrived, but trying to order was nightmare, probably because we came at 7pm. The servers are too busy running around and it was difficult to flag them down just to order the food. Guacamole with plantain is REALLY good. The plantain is lightly salted and guacamole tastes fresh. I'd highly recommend ordering it. Cheeseburger empanada ($2.55) tastes like a 7-eleven taquito, but a little better. Salpicon ($4.25) is an extremely sweet drink with lots of fruits so I'd recommend adding water. Spicy chicken ($2.80) is very spicy indeed and not much else. Too spicy to really taste the flavor. Brasil ($2.80) I'd recommend trying because it is not as Americanized. You can't really taste the olives so if you don't like olives, you don't have to worry. Ham and cheese ($2.55) tastes like a mini hot pocket, but a whole lot better. Viagra ($3.00) is extremely hot because the seafood seems to retain the heat much better. The shrimp is good, but there is a little too much scallop. I think the empanadas here are premade because when I requested an empanada to be made without certain ingredients, they said it wasn't possible. read more

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First of, the place is open 24/7 and it's a really small place. You must get the plantain chips with guacamole...or just the plantain chips by it self. Peep the name..EMPANADA Mama..so I only ordered empanada. I tried the Tuna Jalapeno which wasn't too fishy as you'd expect and had a nice hint of spice to it. Cuban had a nice blend of spices to it, I recommend this. The last empanada I got was Greek Sausage Pie seemed a bit dry..not what I expected. I'd love to come back here and try other flavors they have. read more

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Ordered a breakfast empanadas and some grave juice to go with it! Both were excellent. Nice flaky crust on the empanadas and they were made to order This is a must do place in NY if you are visiting and looking for an inexpensive meal. read more

Empanada Mama - Hell's Kitchen - Guava Juice - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

Only in nyc can you get authentic food 24/7. Such a great place to go with your significant other and just nom down on a huge variety of empanadas for a decent price. My favorite was the del toro (oxtail). Wait staff was a little slow, but it certainly doesn't deter me from coming back! Great meal for a great place in nyc. Definitely one of the favorites. read more

Great food great service. Saw a kitchen worker smoking in front as the smoke blew in our direction. He then threw his cigarette on the ground. His disrespect of the environment, work establishment, and city scares me to think how he treats the food here. Other than this clown I do recommend this place. read more

Empanada Mama - Hell's Kitchen - Outdoor seating - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

This place blew me away. A friend and I went here for lunch and I left having arguably had my best dining experience in Hells Kitchen (but tbh that bar is kind of low). The menu is filled with a variety of traditional and unique empanadas to satisfy whatever your heart desires. I typically do not enjoy heavy lunches so I ordered two empanadas (spicy chicken and cheese steak) as well as a side salad. The empanadas were delicious and bursting with flavor. The side salad tasted fresh and also delicious. I now want to go back and try every empanada on the menu as well as the margaritas. The one complaint I had was that service was slow and the empanadas seemed to take longer than I would have expected to come out.. but I quickly forgot about that after my first bite. read more

Empanada Mama - Hell's Kitchen - Spicy chicken and cheesesteak empanadas with a side salad - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

I do not.like imitation crab meat. So that was a waste of MONEY. This is disgusting. Fake Crab Meat is what they sell.

This is my first time at the new Empanada Mama. I actually had no idea the first one had suffered a fire, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the new and *much* improved Empanada Mama - bigger in space and menu, as well as a bar! The menu was extensive, but I had my heart set on empanadas. So I ordered the Reggaeton and Spinach and Cheese. Both very delicious. The Spinach and Cheese had a beautiful cheese pull that I was not expecting. The Reggaeton was tasty with the rice and pork flavors. I sat at the bar since I was dining solo, and it was packed - rightfully so for a Friday night. The bartender was attentive and friendly. The food came out promptly. I'll definitely need to come back to try out the drinks and more items on the menu. For now, I'd say I had a five star experience. read more

Outstanding food. The empanadas were wonderful. I absolute must go back for the dinner and traditional Columbian soups.

Food is great and empanadas are amazing. 1 star cause every time I get delivery, ask and pay for extra dressing with the salad, it never comes with it. Hopefully this'll get some attention and they fix the problem. read more

If you are black be prepared give up your debit card. Went with my nephew and 3 tables with white people weren't asked for their cards. Manager said it was policy but maybe the servers need to be retrained. If it is policy doesn't covid card and debit card go together first. Discrimination and profiling is horrible when it happens to you. read more

Delicious empanadas I love how, for like $20, you can have, essentially, 5 different meals in one I always recommend getting a wide variety of different types of empanadas each time you go read more

This place! OMG! These are some of the best empanadas I've ever had and the atmosphere is electrifying! Living around the corner from here is dangerous but it also allows me to see the restaurant from different perspectives. Lunchtime: A quieter crowd mixed with locals, business people and visitors. They also offer lunch specials which can help you out on cash. Dinner/Late Night: The drinks are cranking out (try the spicy paloma or a frozen margarita with a coconut/strawberry swirl). The same menu is available but for some reason I feel like I can order more since it's dinner. Delivery: Always fast and delicious. Quality is not compromised when you have their food delivered. The bartenders are friendly, the servers and attentive and the rest of the staff are equally busy buzzing around the joint. read more

This has been one of my favorite restaurants for the past few years. I've eaten at the actual restaurant as well as picked up takeout orders many times, and in both kinds of situations, the service and food is always great. My go-to empanadas have been the cheeseburger, pernil, and rice and beans flavors for the longest time. I recently tried the spicy chicken, though, and I think this my new favorite. In general, what I like about the food here is that it's flavorful and always served at a good temperature - one thing I really can't stand is being served food that's cold or close to being cold at restaurants. That's never been an issue here. The only appetizer I've ever tried is the plantain chips with guacamole, and it's been really tasty every time I've ordered it. Overall, this is a great restaurant for lunch or dinner with great food and reasonable prices. read more

Came here for a late night snack yesterday with a friend and must I say I was impressed with what I had. This is a small joint but a place with really good food. Once we arrived around 11 pm we were promptly seated and were able to figure out what we wanted to order. We ordered the following: * pulled chicken arepa: this was probably the only item I was not the biggest fan of but this was almost a sandwich like thing with cheese, beans and what not. The food came with a red and green salsa sauce which made it amazing * viagra empanada - omgggg this was delicious - this little beauty was filled with seafood and must I say every bite was amazing. If I went back I would definitely order this again * Cubano empanada- this was a mixture of cheese and seasoned pulled pork and oh my god this was also really yummy!! I loved how the empanadas were perfectly crispy as well * Romeo and Juliet empanada- this was a dessert empanada with guava and cheese and omg this was AMAZING - it was the perfect combo of sweet and slightly savory and I would highly recommend to order! I would definitely go back here. read more

Have only ever been post 10pm or so but it's always popping regardless of the day. Honestly haven't had an empanada I haven't liked yet. El Toro (with oxtail) is probably my fav so far read more

I give it four stars because being quarantined I ordered and had delivered... the Cheeseburger empanada was soooo good! I have no complaints or dissatisfaction at all with the quality and serving size of the food . I will order again read more