One of my favorite places to grab a quick and cheap bite in Baltimore! All types of empanadas INCLUDING GLUTEN FREE -- hallelujah! The people that work there are so sweet and accommodating and go above and beyond to give amazing customer service. The chicken and potato empanada is my favorite and the gluten free ones are made with corn and my non-gluten free husband actually thinks they are just as good, if not better than the gluten ones! The vibe is cute with Maryland decor and would be awesome for a quick lunch or even bringing the kids. It's a small shop but I have never had an issue finding a spot to sit on the weekends. Definitely try this hidden gem!!! read more

FINALLY made it over to FRANCHESCA'S and it was FINGER-LICKIN' FANTASTIC. I had no idea what to start with, everything sounded yummy. I sampled a variety of empanadas, a papusa, and a tamale. They have both flour and corn options for the empanadas and both savory and sweet fillings. The shredded chicken in my empanada and pork filling in my tamale were so tender and flavorful. Everything tastes like it's been carefully homemade with quality ingredients. I regret not getting more than one tamale (that was the A-list star for me), compact yet satisfying (delicious combo of masa and protein). Overall a very affordable meal and I like that you can try many things while not spending a lot. The location is very cute and the staff is very nice (we arrived before our pickup order was ready and the lady brought our food out to our car for us!) read more

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Let's just cut to the chase: you need these empanadas in your life NOW. Hands down the best I have ever had. Franchesca's doesn't hold back on portion size, as these guys were stuffed and were actually bigger than your usual empanadas running at a reasonable $2.90 a pop. I started with 3, ended up with 6. That's how addictively delicious they were. Here's a quick breakdown of each one that I ordered: Sweet Plantain & Cheese - Interesting flavor. I enjoyed the cheesiness and sweetness combo, especially dipped in the aioli sauce. Pepperoni & Pepper - Saucy, but tasty. Loaded with pepperoni, green peppers, and cheese as well. Best with the picante sauce. Ground Beef - Filled with ground beef. Really tasty with the green pepper sauce. Shredded Chicken - Similar to the ground beef, best with the green sauce. Buffalo Chicken Dip - The undisputed highlight. This empanada goes down in the Hall of Fame of empanadas. Absolutely LOADED to the brim with buffalo chicken dip and very flavorful. No sauce needed but also equally great with all of the sauces. Please do yourself and your appetite a favor and check out Franchesca's Empanadas Cafe. PERFECTION! read more

Franchesca’s Empanadas Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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I'M IN LOVE (with Franchesca's Empanadas), and I will yell it from all the rooftops! That distant yelling you heard last night? That was probably me expressing my irrevocable love for this establishment. Firstly, I greatly appreciate that Franchesca's offers VEGAN options. This was my first time sinking my teeth into a pupusa and an empanada, and I can't believe it took me this many years to experience such a delicacy. I ordered one vegan pupusa (with vegan cheese and vegan "ground beef"), a side of rice and beans, and one of each vegan empanada (eggplant, vegan "ground beef", and vegetable) through Yelp delivery. The order was accepted by the restaurant and arrived before the estimated time. Ordering through Yelp was easy and issue-free! After crossing a few small hurdles with the delivery driver, I finally got my hands on the goods! The portions are large and worth the bang for your buck. All the items were warm, flavorful, and not at all oily! My favorite empanada was the eggplant one because of how unique the filling is. The empanadas come with a sauce that complements them well. The pupusa was my favorite. It came with a sauce and a coleslaw of sorts, which I found to be a surprisingly delicious accompaniment to the already-perfect item. In my experience, ordering a side of beans usually results in whole black beans or refried beans: this was neither. Instead, it was a hearty, warm masterpiece-- I will leave you hanging in enough curiosity that you'll want to check it out for yourself! If I could eat here everyday, I absolutely would! It's excellent comfort food and a wonderful pick-me-up! Give Franchesca's a shot, and you will not be disappointed. Join me in my rooftop exclamations of love! We will reunite again soon, Franchesca's! read more

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I feel so bad for giving this place only a three star but to me - this just isn't authentic empanadas ! Maybe my expectations are too high but it's not somewhere I would get empanadas again. I wasn't a fan of the other stuff we got either. The papusas were okay . The cabbage that came with it was very good though . Honestly - this is weird but the best thing we had there was the chicken sandwich. Ha - I know... but it really was good ! The empanadas .... Not so much . I'm a little surprised by the outstanding reviews. I will admit I am a little bias, but my Fiance is Hispanic so I do have very high standards when it comes to Hispanic/Latin American food. I am 100 percent bias when it comes to pupusas because having them in El Salvador , no pupusas here in the states can compete with that . read more

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This place is super good! Tried to call in an order but their phone number doesn't work. Bummer.

Franchesca's is my new go-to for empanadas. There are sweet AND savory options to choose from, so have one of each! Hands down, my favorites were the apple pie and the seafood empanadas. My only complaint is that I couldn't eat enough of them. The cafe itself is in a bustling part of Highlandtown, an area that I've definitely got to explore more. When that happens again, I know where I'm headed for lunch. read more

So, i checked out Franchesca's on a whim since i had bookmarked it awhile back. I got three empanadas and i will rank them from the best to the least. The ham and cheese was so good, i was like thats the stuff. The beef empanada was cool, extremely oily, and the apple pie was ok. Service was nice, and my order was ready when i arrived. read more

Love love love this place! I discovered this place through a Facebook post on a neighborhood group. I've been addicted to this place ever since. I highly recommend the crab and shrimp empanadas. They also do a deal of 3 for $10 on all the empanadas (excluding the seafood)! Support a small local business and have some incredible food!! read more

Franchesca’s Empanadas Cafe - (From left to right) apple caramel, crab, and ground beef in white flour x2 - Cafes Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

We were walking by this place when a lovely neighbor outside recommended we give it a try. I was super excited to see that it had so many vegetarian options, as I often have a hard time finding empanadas that I can eat. We ordered a beefless ground, sweet potato and veggie, seafood medley, pizza pepperoni & peppers, buff chix, and a shredded beef with potato. All 6 of them were absolutely delicious. We also got a side of plantains which were to die for, and a lovely ginger soda that the cashier convinced us to get. The food is amazing, the prices are super affordable, and the staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. We have been back multiple times and always love it. read more

Franchesca’s Empanadas Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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This eatery is super cute and has delicious empanadas! The interior is welcoming with greenery and is comfortable to sit in. I only tried two empanadas and both were delicious. I'm partial to the corn empanada compared to the flour ones but both were delicious! Would highly recommend for an affordable and satisfying meal! read more

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I can't believe this hidden gem has been a few blocks away from me this entire time! Hubby and I ordered a Dominican steak bowl, chicken & jalapeno pupusa, and a mix of 9 empanadas. I am beyond stuffed and we still have 7 empanadas to eat... The prices were so great that we thought the empanadas would be tiny. 9 empanadas was only $23 (that's like $2.50 each!) We ordered online for pick up and it was ready when we arrived. The cafe is clean and really cute. I ate the salad that came with the bowl (cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, and lettuce in a limey flavored dressing) and it was so refreshing! Next I had the pupusa and I've never had one before, but I loved every bite. It was served with a cabbage slaw and salsa. The chicken was flavorful and juicy. I was worried that it would be too spicy but I actually didn't taste any spice. The first empanada that I tried was the chicken and corn and it was so yummy. I liked mixing the aioli with the picante sauce with it. I cannot wait to try the other 7 flavors of empanadas and my wallet is very happy that I got a meal that will last several. read more

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This is such a wonderful addition to the Baltimore food scene! We ordered a bunch of food via grubhub and loved it all! I'm a pescatarian and love all the vegetarian and vegan options! Everything we ate was very fresh, delicious, reasonably priced and were a good portion size. The food was not too greasy either - it didn't have that heavy layer of oil (that you sometimes get with fried foods). We ordered the following: -loroco and cheese pupusas: -vegan empanada (with vegetables) - spinach and ricotta white flour empanada: this was my favorite empanada! It's stuffed with so much filling and is absolutely delicious! - sweet plantain and cheese white flour empanada: this one was my husband's favorite. - rice and beans - 1 quinoa bowl: this was delicious and very filling. Since I ate some empanadas, I could only finish a quarter of the bowl and had the rest for leftovers (and it held up well the next day)! Overall, I highly highly recommend Franchesca's! And it was super easy for us to order the food through GrubHub. read more

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Fantastic, wonderful, delicious!!! Go there, now! I ordered little bits of everything to sample as I'd been craving empanadas and was happy to see this cute shop not too far from my mom's house. I was also pleased that they had other things on the menu, so ordered a couple of tamales and pupusas, too. My picky 5 year old who isn't into vegetables DEVOURED the spinach and cheese empanada. I don't know how they fry these and they are so light, crispy and not greasy at all. The tamales were also delicious! I also accidentally ordered tostones instead of platanos maduras, but they were still great. Since I'd gotten so many empanadas, I refrigerated them and popped them in the air fryer the next day and they were still great! I will definitely be back and have told my family in the area to make sure to add it to their rotation. read more

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Thanks to Yelp, discovered this place and tried it out a few weeks ago. The empanadas are SO yum. Tried a variety that were super fresh and clearly made on the spot: each were so also so flavorful and unique. My favorites fillings were: ground beef, shrimp, and chicken and corn. I also tried the plaintain (which was ok, mostly because I like sweet plaintains more), spinach and ricotta, apple, and pineapple. My absolutely loved the corn flour empanadas over the white flour. Definitely can't wait to come back!! read more

Franchesca’s Empanadas Cafe - So many empanadas!!! - Cafes Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

The empanadas are absolutely fantastic. Oh my goodness. I can't wait to go back and inhale the scrumptiousness! Customer service was definitely lacking. Which was interesting considering I ordered 2 trays of empanadas for a party. The empanadas are so good, I'll tolerate the nonsense, but they could do better. The ambiance was nice, gave an authentic vibe to the establishment. read more

Absolutely delicious. Franchesca's is located on highland Ave. Street parking is available for free but the area can be busy at times. The cafe is so cute. It features a small sit down area with beautiful hanging plants and a community resource board. The staff is always friendly and welcoming. I ordered the vegan Korean BBQ bowl and several empanadas to share with my family (plantain, guava, spinach, shredded chicken & corn, beefless, caramel apple, & pizza). Everything was amazing. The empanadas were large and came with 3 different dipping sauces. The vegan bowl was so savory. The vegan "meat" tasted great. I would highly recommend visiting this small business. Yum! read more

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Came here with my sister and I can't say enough about it. The cafe has cute decor and seating, and the staff is so nice. We asked the server what her recommendations are for the empanadas and she was so helpful! We got the chicken tamale, as well as several empanadas - Buffalo chicken dip, sweet plantain and cheese, shrimp, shredded chicken and potato. We also got passion fruit juice, which was so refreshing. Everything tasted amazing and the portions were perfect! Would definitely recommend and can't wait to come back! read more

When I ordered from this place I was a little hesitant because you can't find good Hispanic food in Baltimore. but when I tell you this food is amazing the food is downright amazing the only food that compares to their tamales is my late grandmother's and she was authentic with her cooking Don't miss out!!!!! I'm typing this out with a mouth full of food that's how good it is I ate it ALL as soon as it was delivered read more

Franchesca’s Empanadas Cafe - Pork tamale and Chicken tamale - Cafes Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Came here on a quick excursion that my nerd recommended. I enjoyed the staff and the food! Tried a variety of the empanadas with a tamale. Great Latin food! Small intimate and casual place to grab a quick bite read more

Delicious! I order Empanadas with chicken and vegetables everyone loved it!! Definitely will order soon!!! read more

I have been wanting to pop in to Franchesca's since I noticed it a couple of months ago, as I frequently drive past when running errands. So glad I finally did-ever since, I've been ordering empanadas on a weekly basis and my stomach thanks me! The lovely ladies who run the joint are sweet and friendly and generous with suggestions, the empanadas are delicious, and it's conveniently located with street parking right outside. They have pupusas, tamales and bowls, as well. Give them a try and be ready to enjoy! read more

We have been recurring customers since this sweet little place opened. Not only is the owner and her daughter very nice, the food, efficiency and quality are impeccable. We usually stick with the empanadas and are always incredibly excited to taste all of the amazing fillings. As a vegetarian, there are so many options! And for my carnivore partner he is always happy with his choices. I highly recommend, don't miss out- let's support this Latina owned business! read more

With Andina's on the other side of town, east baltimore needed to up their empanada game - and Franchesca's definitely delivers. They're affordable and flavorful with both traditional and unexpected fillings. Best of all, they have great vegan and vegetarian options so come one, come all. Eats: We did the 6 empanada set - shredded chicken w/corn (my fav), pepperoni & peppers pizza (for the adventure), spinach & ricotta (cheesy and savory), corn flour shredded beef & potatoes (definitely hearty), sweet potatoes, corn & beans (another fan favorite), and a vegan apple pie (think applesauce and not apple pie filling). While the fillings were great, some of the empanadas were a little sparse and could've used some extra love. We added a pork pupusa which we've never had before so it's difficult to compare, but was extremely satisfying with a warm and puffed flatbread, pickled slaw, and a tomato-based sauce. We also got a side of tostones (fried plantains) but may skip that next time for something new. Everything came with ample salsa roja and salsa verde (spicy). tl;dr Good addition to the city with warm, crunchy, affordable empanadas for all diets that are worth the trip. read more

I have been to Franchesca's twice! It is a nice little cafe in Highlandtown with such a cute aesthetic. The staff is very nice and helpful, and they provide great service. The food is also delicious and everything comes out fresh and piping hot. I have tried the empanadas and pupusas and love both. The only thing is that the pupusas are so huge that it seems like the bottom has a hard time staying connected to the top, which is something I am not used. I highly recommend! read more

Franchesca’s Empanadas Cafe - Pupusa de frijol y queso and empanada de plátano y queso - Cafes Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Really delicious empanadas. Crispy crispy dough with tons of different fillings to choose from. Really impressed with the corn tortilla empanadas! Very friendly service read more

Franchesca’s Empanadas Cafe - a pastry in a paper bag - Cafes Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Recently ordered 2 pupusas and 2 empanadas. The pupusas were good , not great, but solid. However, the empanadas were excellent as one would hope. I had the beef and potato and chicken and potato. I would definitely order both of those again and explore more of their many empanada options. read more

First off, the modern decor of the restaurant is really nice and cute. The employees were friendly and safely wearing masks for food pick-up. The empanadas are delicious. I think my favorite was the chicken but they have vegetarian and seafood options as well. The shrimp was also very good. My only complaint, the crab one was a little dry but still pretty good. Will get food there again for sure. read more

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We went to Franchescas last night for dinner and will definitely be going back. We got the quinoa bowl and Korean bbq vegan bowl and both were so delicious and filling. The portion sizes are a nice size so we were able to have our bowls for a second meal too. We also got the beefless empanada, sweet potato empanada and a pork tamale which were mouth watering I think we will go back tonight for an empanada snack! Love how there are so many vegan options too. read more

Franchesca’s Empanadas Cafe - Quinoa Bowl and Vegan Korean BBQ Bowl - Cafes Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

The crab, shrimp, or eggplant ones are my favorite! I appreciate how they have non cheese options. They are a decent snack size which allows you to try more flavors. I make an effort to stop by when I can! Highly recommend if you are in the area. read more

Best empanadas I've had in the city. They are always very friendly also. Inside is clean and food is great.

I love this place! They have the best empanadas, pupusas, natural juices, and the aioli is BOMB. The decor is so pretty and the owner, her daughter, and the ladies in the kitchen make you feel right at home. You can taste the love & care in the food. My husband and son are always finding a reason to stop and I never object because it will be delicious. We have been there about 5 times in less than 2 weeks, safe to say... we have found our spot. A true gem tucked inside of Highlandtown. They deserve all of the success headed there way. read more

Franchesca’s Empanadas Cafe - Empanada: gluten free corn w/ chicken Empanada: White flour chicken Bean & cheese pupusa w/ slaw - Cafes Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Spinach + Ricotta Empanada: 5 stars Eggplant Empanada: 5 stars Beefless Ground Empanada: 5 stars Quinoa Bowl: 5 stars Korean BBQ Vegan Bowl: 5 stars We've gotten the same order every week for months and it's still amazing! I'm sure they're other stuff is amazing too, but why mess with success? read more

Yes the empanadas are good but the BOWLS ARE AWESOME! We got the Dominican Chicken Bowl and the Korean Steak Bowl. They were so delicious. Big portions, too. Highly recommend. read more

Franchesca’s Empanadas Cafe - Indoor seating - Cafes Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Super cute cafe, great tasting empanadas: crispy, flavorful, and hot. The owner is super friendly and the food was out fast. Definitely recommend. read more

Franchesca’s Empanadas Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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This is the best empanada place in Baltimore. The flavors took me back to my country. I loved it and it's super cute inside, the staff is amazing read more

Franchesca’s Empanadas Cafe - 6 Empanadas - Cafes Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Wow! I finally decided to stop in after wanting to try this place for a while and I'm so glad I did! I got the Buffalo chicken and the shredded beef and potato empanadas because I wanted to try both the corn and flour shells. Both were piping hot, well seasoned and super fresh. The cashier was also very friendly and explained the menu. The place is clean and cute inside. I will definitely be returning! Highly recommend. read more

Friendly and helpful staff. I tried various empanadas and all of them were great! The pupusas with chicken and cheese was very tasty. Also had the rojos beans and rice on the side. The beans were excellent and seasoned well. I'll definitely be back even if I have to make a special trip. It's worth it. read more

AMAZING!!!!! They were fresh and hot out the fryer! Each empanada was full of flavor with an amazing light and flaky crust. Also, they are paired with a side of delicious sauces.They were so good we ate our first order in the car and ordered another set to take home! You absolutely won't be disappointed! read more

Franchesca’s Empanadas Cafe - Shrimp empanada - Cafes Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

I'm thrilled to have gotten the chance to try these amazing empanadas- all homemade goodness. The Buffalo chicken- amazing- snd the strawberry Nutella to die for. Will come back every chance I get. They deserve all the accolades they're getting from the community- true home cooked goodness read more