Julia's Empanadas is a DC institution that must be protected at all costs. The return to office has been rough in so many ways but the deepest cut is my daily $16 salad bowl. Thanks to Julia's Empanadas I am able to get a hearty, hot, and fresh meal for a decent price. A lunch special will get you one sweet and one savory empanada + drink for about ten dollars. All of their empanadas are freshly baked and come packed with fillings like spinach and cheese, chorizo, saltena (chicken, egg, peas, potatoes, olives), Jamaican style (beef, potatoes, curry) and more. It's a small shop but the counter people are very kind and the line is always moving. I used to think of them as a late night snack but they have now been added to my lunch rotation. read more

Cash only! Open late! Came to check this place out after a night out. Got to try different flavors like Chorizo and Jamaican beef. I thought the empanadas were pretty good! Flavorful meat and soft crispy empanada breading/crust. My only criticism is that it's going to take about 3 to fill you up, about $8 a piece is a little bit of a high price point, BUT definitely EAT THE COST, it's worth a try! read more

This place will forever have a special place in my heart. I have never eaten so many empanadas in a week. I was in the area for a conference, and I got empanadas daily while in town. The food was excellent. The service was exceptional, and the ambiance was friendly. I recommend this place to those who love empanadas like I do. read more

Homemade empanadas, savory and sweet. I'm sorry that my pictures got deleted. This is a small business. If you are not careful, you will miss the entrance as there are several businesses back to back, but when you enter, the smell of fresh dough and spices fills the place. They do their best to honor different cultures by creating their version of Jamaican beef patty, salteña, Chilean empanadas, spinach and cheese, and many more. Their sweet assortment was decent as well. Be aware these are large empanadas, one or two at most, and you will be full. There was an older gentleman behind the counter; he was friendly and answered my questions without any issues. There are no tables or chairs here, strictly carry out. read more

tl;dr: Local chain, no frills, hole in the wall eatery with empanadas on demand that are made fresh daily and served hot. Obviously made with love when you see the empanadas. Warm, delicious, and perfect after a night out or a quick bite. I wanted the Chilean empanada, but they were out, and I will be back to try that one! Jamaica Empanada - 4/5: This empanada was not bursting with flavor as I was expecting, but it was pretty good! I think I would compare it to the beef in a Shepard's pie. The Pastry itself was delicious. I can't imagine how they taste out of the oven, because just from the warmers, it was so crispy, warm, and comforting. Chorizo Empanada- 5/5: the chorizo was amazing, and the flavor blast I was looking for. Especially compounded with the salsa verde they gave us, it was amazing! This empanada also had art on its pastry, just to demonstrate the love that goes into these. Papaya Guava Empanada - 3/5: The empanada was yummy, but after the other two, this was sort of disappointing. The guava jelly was fine, but I can tell it's definitely not homemade. read more

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Yum! Had Chillean Beef. Nice flavor, good meat to dough ratio, juicy & flavorful. $8 well spent. read more

I really enjoyed the empanadas I purchased from here. It was my first time and I plan to go back soon. The service was great. The young guy gave us waters because it was a hot day and it was also a hot day in the store because the air wasn't working. That didn't stop folks from coming in. read more

Meh. Empanadas are hard, not boosting with flavor and expensive. I Had better. It's not worth the trip. read more

Julia's Empanadas - Hair intertwine with the chicken. - Empanadas Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Delish empanadas. DC staple with savory and sweet treats. No outdoor seating not good to grab and go. read more

Julia's Empanadas - Exterior - Empanadas Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Went by today and saw they were permanently closed. Just wanted to drop a note and say thank you for all of the delicious empanadas over the years. Will miss you lovely Julia's. read more

Small place, nowhere to sit inside, but tasty empanadas. We had a veggie, a chipotle steak, and a Spanish chorizo. The steak was the best, probably because the onion kept the dough from drying out. Oh, and the Apple cinnamon dessert empanada was quite good. All that and a water for $18. There's a small park across the street with some tables. read more

Julia's Empanadas - Chorizo - Empanadas Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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You want to eat something quick before or after a bar or club visit in the area? Pick this place - preferably before the club so you don't deal with drunk people. Been going here for years when I'm in the area and stopped by again tonight. Despite being 20F and colder, this place is where the good food is at. No line either so that was a plus. Got 1 Jamaican and 1 Chilean to go. Below is a pic of one of them. The other I ate in my car. read more

Julia's Empanadas - Empanada - Empanadas Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

We grabbed the salteña and Chilean beef empanadas as a quick snack after happy hour. While this location is more conveniently located for me than the one in Adams Morgan, I don't think they're quite as tasty; less spices and a little over cooked. That said, I still like them and probably will be back. Good, quick service! read more

We took a bit of a detour to try the Chilean empanadas out. My partner is Chilean, and outside of the empanadas his Tita made and the ones we actually had in Chile, these are legit! The baked crust and the pino filling are spot on! read more

Julia's Empanadas - Chilean Empanada - Empanadas Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Chorizo empanada was not that great. More rice and beans than meat. Also, the ambiance was terrible since the cashier was on a video call with someone, cursing every few sentences. Not a pleasant visit! read more

Walked past a very simple store front around lunch time. The "empanadas" sign caught my eye. Large, tasty empanadas with crispy (non-greasy) dough. Really reasonably priced for the size. We tried the sáltena (chicken), chorizo and Chilean (beef). So big. All good! It's take out only. Simple, fast, fresh. read more

Julia's Empanadas - Empanada - beef or chorizo - Empanadas Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Popped by on a Friday night. Nice option if you want a tasty bite in seconds. Spinach - 4/5. Good combo of spinach, garlic and onion. Flaky pie crust. Simple but effective. Guava - 2.5/5. Guava paste feels pretty processed so in a cold shell it didn't work so much. read more

The best empanadas ever. If you having try it go for it. Service good ambiance ok Very small area to eat maybe four tall chairs. read more

Empanadas were fresh and tasty. Crust wasn't too thick and there was lots of tasty filling. I thought they were pricey at 7-7.50 each.

If you want an entire meal you can hold in the palm of your hand, this place is for you and they have several locations in the DC area. This place may be one of DC'a best kept secrets - tasty and amazing value. Several savory (as well as sweet flavors). I loved steak, chorizo and jerk. I have been back multiple times! read more

I am a huge fan of baked empanadas. So coming here was a no-brainer. The chorizo and chipotle steak were my favorites. The Apple empanada is also very good. The Jamaican one had too much of a curry kick for me, more of a Indian influence. The coconut pineapple empanada is also very good, it reminded me of a coconut cream pie. I would probably stop here again, but I'd also want to try some other options in the area first. read more

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After a night out in DuPont today, right as I stepped out I saw this empanadas place and immediately thought empanadas would hit the spot right now. May or may not have had one too many drinks and the empanada I got was so good I ate it before I could even think of taking a picture of it so that's when you know. I got the spinach empanada and it was just delicious. It was very warm and the spinach filling was so creamy, which was perfect comfort food on this chilly night. The outer layer of the empanada was also slightly crunchy and not soggy at all despite being set out for however long. Who knew this could be so filling and appetizing. I also think they were on the bigger side for an empanada so $6 to $7 was a fair price. Despite it being super late in the night and fairly busy, there was so many empanadas already ready to be served so I had 0 wait time for my order. I'm definitely going to be back here whenever I'm in DuPont next! read more

Julia's Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Went to order my food and a drunk man harassed me until the cashier intervened and fought the man by pouring my Snapple on the drunk man, didn't receive my meal or juice and was highly dissatisfied, 1 star for the cashier who intervened tho read more

I would buy a plane ticket to DC just for these empanadas. The ONLY place I have found in the US with AUTHENTIC Chilean empanadas. My heart is so full (and my stomach). Must stop here if you are in DC. Buy a bunch, reheat later. Heart eyes all day read more

Julia's Empanadas - AUTHENTIC Chilean empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

It seems a bit more out of place here than in Adams Morgan, but this is much the same takeout window with various sweet and savory stuffed pastries. They always have something vegetarian and vegan. The veggie one the day I dropped in was a tad disappointing, with some broccoli that wasn't listed on the menu board mixed in with a variety of other greens. The peach and almond dessert empanada was rather nice. This location had less of a drink selection than AdMo does for some reason, so I just ended up with bottled water. The whole combo was priced a bit higher than I remember too; was hot sauce extra? Anyway, the bottom line is it's just a takeout; not much to expect by way of service, but you can get something quickly, and that's the reason for stopping here. read more

Julia's Empanadas - Veggie empanada - Empanadas Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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DO NOT GO TO THE CONNECTICUT AVE LOCATION. Ordered two empanadas and one tasted absolutely vile ( the green chile one) and the other was super dry and almost looked blue. I took a few bites before I realized this wasn't right. I'm hoping I don't get sick. I will be making a report read more

Came here on a a late night. I was wondering why it was so empty in between two clubs. It's because it's disgusting unfortunately these empanadas are so dry. Just go to &pizza next door. read more

Sorry, no. I've had many empanadas, and these were just so so. The crust was too thick, and the fillings were not very flaverful. There was only one employee when we got there, and he was so nonchalant... didn't seem to care that we were there and was not very welcoming (we were the only customers there). The prices are also way too high. We paid $60 for 12 empanadas... not worth it. read more

The empanadas were hot and fresh. We tried the spinach, veggie, and the Chilean. Took a huge bite and almost burned our mouths. They're about $7 each and I suspect 2 will be more than enough. The spinach was fresh with good cheese mixture. The veggie was potato mushy mix with light spice. Chilean reminded me of taco seasoning. The spinach was our fav. read more

Julia's Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

These empanadas are so good! Chilean and Jamaican are my favorites, there was one with steak that I tried that was also pretty good! I have never really tried jamaican food before so the only thing I could compare it to is it sort of reminded me of a samosa. Everything is so good and I can't wait to try more flavors! read more

Amazing empanadas in DC. I tried this place 12 years ago and was always looking forward to coming back and checking them out. Same flavors and amazing crust; love this spot and will always frequent it when I'm in DC. Trust me on the Chilean and the Saltena! As for dessert, tried almost all of them but recently the pineapple coconut! Awesome! read more

Julia's empanadas have healing powers (aka saving me from a horrendous hangover after feral rat Friday). All of their empanadas are packed with flavor and just freakin delicious. Giving this place anything less than a 5 feels wrong. read more

Julia's Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This place is awesome! The empanadas are must when you are in that area. Good price and filling as an appetizer while in the area. It quicks, cool and great vibes! read more

Not the best empanadas for absolutely not the best price. I adore hidden holes in the wall but this one felt unwelcoming and bitter. Not worth the stop for sure. read more

+Great empanada institution that's been around for many years. +Not greasy at all. +Various flavors. +Multiple locations. -Hard to tell which empanada is which, due to no labels. read more

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We used to come here a lot when my husband then boyfriend was working here on a work rotation. We were young and sort of stumbled upon this then hole in the wall. Now when we visit DC, we stock pile the empanadas from here and the secret sauce, freeze them, and bring them back home. That's how much we love these empanadas! Our favorites: 1.) Chicken empanada 2.) Turkey empanada 3.) Spinach and Mozzarella empanada 4.) Pineapple and coconut custard empanada Each empanada has a soft but hard empanada shell jam packed with savory or sweet filling. For a decent city price of $5, you are given a generously sized empanada. Note that the sweet empanadas are cheaper and smaller. Julia's also makes a green "secret sauce" that pairs well with the empanadas. Be sure to ask for this sauce when you go to pay otherwise you will not receive it complimentary! All in all Julia's empanadas is a great place to duck in for a quick snack/dessert treat or a late night/post drinking binge meal. read more

Julia's Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The Chilean empanadas are great here. I haven't tried the other flavors but it was nice to see Jamaican-style empanadas and salteñas (Bolivian soup empanadas) as well. They're all of the baked dough empanada variety rather than the fried dough or corn ones that I'm more accustomed to. And the selection isn't as vast as what one would find in an Argentine empanada shop. But still, the Chilean empanada I had was flavorful and right on point - I enjoyed it enough to say I'll be back. :) read more

Empanadas are not the best, and some flavors were decent compared to others. I was dissatisfied with my last visit. I purchased an empanada that apparently has a rope on it? It's actually stuck to the dough so I went back to the store to ask if this is supposed to be there. The girl says that the rope helps the filling stay. However, I explain to her that the rope is stuck and that I would like to exchange it because of this. She said no because that's how it's supposed to be and I already bought it. I think it's ridiculous and unsanitary to sell these to people, AND to dismiss a customer's concern. I'm definitely not coming back. Such a waste of 6 dollars! read more

Julia's Empanadas - Pear almond with a rope...gross - Empanadas Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Julia's Empanadas in Connecticut Ave. is delish. Our favorite Chilean beef. We love the regular size but often order for parties the cocktail or "small" size. We also love the sweet empanadas. The jewel of that store is the employees Don Luis and another gentleman with white hair they are kind and provide great customer service. The only setback is no parking it can be a headache to drive there if you don't find a meter close by. read more

My goodness where can I start. I was near Dupont Circle for the night and I love going in hidden gems. So Julia's definitely caught my eye as soon as I got out of the car. It is a small mom and pop shop in the middle of a bunch of stores and restaurants, I walked in and was easily ready to buy all of the empanadas lol I don't eat red meat so that wasn't a thought.. I finally decided on getting the apple empanada. Let me just say this.... it would have been much better if I could have warmed it up, it was so good. The dough was soft and the apples were tender. I was upset that I didn't get 2. I will definitely be back when I am in DC.. read more

Julia's Empanadas - Apple Empanada - Empanadas Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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