We love this place. We live in Fremont, but drove here to Redwood City specifically for a great empanada. Quiet atmosphere are very welcoming. A huge variety of empanadas. You can also get soup, salad and cold teas. read more

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Got here to try a spinach empanada and a maizena alfajor. Both were really good, it reminded me when I traveled to Argentina years ago. I also had a coffee with it, nice experience at a reasonable price. read more

La Maja - Empanadas Near Me - Redwood City, California

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Very cute empanada shop in downtown RWC. We had the chicken and traditional beef empanada that were delicious. The chicken was definitely my favorite and the staff were extremely nice! read more

La Maja - Chicken and Traditional Beef - Empanadas Near Me - Redwood City, California

First time coming out here a cozy Argentine coffee cafe bar located in downtown Redwood City its specialty empanadas comes with beef, chicken, mushroom, steak and chorizo. Came by on a Wednesday morning there's no free parking, but able to find one on the other side of block. Felt very welcome and the two ladies are awesome I chose three empanadas one chicken and two beef along with two types of dipping sauce cups and they were kind enough to warm the empanadas has a sweet savory taste so fulfilling with onions, olives generous portions. One can dine-in and they do provide outdoor seating. Price wise very reasonable and the best authentic Argentine empanadas I've had definitely be back for more. read more

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Probably one of my favorite places in the Bay Area. Be sure to try the vegetarian empanadas as well, they are all unique and equally worth a taste. My favorites are the mushroom, caprese, and spinach/cheese empanadas. They make the empanadas throughout the day and do restock if the display case runs out of a specific flavor. They usually have house-made drinks available in the fridge for purchase, as well. The staff is friendly and helpful, while the music and ambiance is cheerful and classy. Overall a very cute cafe and a place that I often frequent. read more

La Maja - Freshly made drinks - Empanadas Near Me - Redwood City, California

This location is on a busy street so just be patient when your looking for parking but it's worth to try if you appreciate a good empanada ! My favorite is the spicy beef empanada. I have tried all of them and well the rest are good but something about there beef its made really well. There are some sauces that come with the empanadas don't skip out on these they add that extra finishing touch. I have never seen it super busy but also I usually go in the later evening hours. Service here is great they really make it such a nice experience. Small location limited seating but cozy and well decorated! read more

La Maja - Spicy Beef Empanada - Empanadas Near Me - Redwood City, California

This was my first time having empanadas after being recommended here from a new friend at a nearby gym. From the perspective of a white guy from Illinois I think the empanadas were delicious! The sauces were great and the ambiance was immaculate with Spanish music and Argentinian vibes surrounding me. The owner was incredibly sweet and told me they only had the best wine - she was right haha. I felt oddly right at home in this restaurant so I'm leaving a great review! TLDR empanadas, sauces, wine, and ambiance all great! Definitely recommend. read more

La Maja - Spicy beef and chicken empanadas with Malbec - Empanadas Near Me - Redwood City, California

Solid spot for Argentinian empanadas. Went for dinner on a Friday night and the place was empty. We ordered the traditional beef, spicy beef, chorizo, mushroom, spicy chicken, and specialty Mediterranean empanadas. $6.25 each except for the speciality which was $6.75. It came with a large side of Spanish potato salad. All the food was delicious. Empanadas were baked, not fried. Decent size. Price seemed fair for the quality and size. I like the mushroom the best. The 2 sauces were really good too. Service was excellent. Staff was very nice. Order at the counter and they will bring your food to you. Very small cozy restaurant. I'd go back read more

La Maja - Spanish potato salad, empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Redwood City, California

Stopped by because I'd heard they had gluten-free empanadas, but sadly they didn't have any that day. We still decided to try a spinach and a chicken empanada and both were delicious! Super flavorful and generously filled. Appreciated that they warmed them up for us too. We were thinking about grabbing a few extra to take home, but they don't offer any bulk deals at the moment. We would still definitely come back to try more. Parking was easy with lots of street parking nearby, and there's plenty of seating inside. Looking forward to next time! read more

La Maja - Empanadas Near Me - Redwood City, California

La Maja is my go-to spot for authentic, flavorful, and absolutely delicious empanadas. Highly recommended flavors: * Spicy Beef - bold, perfectly seasoned, and packed with flavor * Sweet Corn - the creamy, satisfying texture hits from the very first bite * Caprese - a toasty, fresh blend of tomato, basil, and mozzarella * Mushroom - rich, earthy, and always my personal favorite What makes La Maja truly special isn't just the food--it's the ambiance, the warm service, and that comforting "welcome home" feeling. The owner is incredibly hospitable, treating guests like friends rather than just customers. It's a rare, heartwarming touch that you don't get at most restaurants. Overall, La Maja delivers amazing service and an unforgettable empanadas that has packed taste as though made with genuine care and love. read more

La Maja - Wine + 2 empanadas (Spicy Beef, Sweet Corn, Mushroom, and Caprese) - Empanadas Near Me - Redwood City, California

This was a chance visit as I happened to be getting ice cream next door. I am always looking for a good empanada place, especially Argentinian empanadas and the only other place that has Argentinian empanadas I like is in the Bel-Mateo area. I was surprised at the selection--there were a lot of savory ones to choose and less of the sweet ones, considering my visit was late in the day. I chose the traditional beef and spicy chicken to take home. These easily reheated in the convection oven nicely and the crust was crisp. I noticed that at the crust edge are letters to indicate what kind of empanada you ordered. The beef was every bit delicious, it was perfectly moist, as was the chicken. The chicken was a little bit spicy, but not intolerable, unless you cannot eat spicy at all, then I would stay away from the spicy chicken. Definitely worth checking out--the empanadas are delicious. They have a lunch special--2 empanadas and soup or salad for $18. It seems reasonable as the empanadas are 5.50 apiece and the soup is 8.00 as of this writing. I may have to try this on my next visit. read more

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Just like bring back in Argentina- and no wonder: the proprietor is from Bariloche! Great empanadas with many different fillings which go so well with a nice glass of Malbec Ang a alfafadora cookie for dessert. Great food, great service and a nice addition on Main St to downtown Redwood City! read more

Tasty filling for the empanadas, hoping they will do some shredded beef filling, dessert and non dairy options. Chipotle sauce is delicious but the chimichurri is more oily than herbaceous. read more

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Empanadas glorious empanadas! This cute little grab and go shop has some tasty Argentinian empanadas! Had to check it out by getting an assortment of: Spicy beef, traditional beef, steak, chicken, mushroom and cheese, humitas (sweet corn) and vegetarian. Took them home cold and heated/baked in the oven for about 10 minutes until crispy and warm; pockets of treasures creating a wonderful expectation. One can also have the store heat them for you. If you plan to eat them right away or take them to gift someone, I would chose this option but if taking home, prefer to have them baked just before eating while filling the air with the wonderful scent. And fabulous they were! Took a poll of the three of us sampling and we all enjoyed different ones the most. That's how you know a great product... something for everyone! Also available in grab and go fridge are a small selection of grab and go salads, drinks and sauces in bulk. Got one order of the lime rice and I can't recommend it enough. Perfect fresh compliment to the richness of empanadas. Get the sauces to accompany too. My favorite is the chimichurri sauce. Use sparingly... it's a bit salty yet Compliments the empanadas, the rice, the salads nicely. Located on Main Street in downtown Redwood City. Parking at first looks sparce on the street. There is also a parking lot right behind the shop! read more

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La maja is our favorite mid-week spot in downtown RWC. My favorite empanada is the steak one, so please do yourself a favor and ask for the steak empanada and don't forget to try it out with their lovely chimichurri. We've tried almost all empanadas and the alfajores so nothing has disappointed us, everything is pretty tasty. The owner and owner's brother have an amazing service attitude with us and our dog (so definitely dog friendly!!), always makes us feel like "home". Can't wait to go back! read more

Food is simple. Meaning you want something easy and quick this fits the bill. Just simple and good. Just note if you're looking for fried empanadas or something with a lot of spice this probably isn't it...there baked and simple which we wanted in this case. The sauces are def great so get them. Alfajores are just to die for. The ambiance is clean with art on the walls. What stands out is the service to be honest. The kindest women took care of us. I will be back. read more

Absolutely the best empanadas I've had in Redwood City! Every bite was delicious and freshly made. The service was excellent -- friendly, attentive, and welcoming. You can tell they really care about their food and their customers. Highly recommend La Maja for anyone craving authentic, flavorful empanadas! read more

Found this place during one of our walks around the downtown, ended up chatting with the owner, really lovely lady. Finally got around to trying their empanadas today(Saturday). We took their offer of 2 empanadas + glass of wine for $20.99 and another additional empanada. We got chorizo, Mediterranean and cheese corn empanadas. All of them were flavorful and nice size. Great thing is you can take a seat outside and bask in the sun too :) The wine selection was pretty good as well! Overall a great place for short meetings, hangouts and dates. read more

Amazing food. Started with just two empanadas, had to order another two. Great vibe and very friendly. I'll be back! read more

La Maja - Chorizo empanada - Empanadas Near Me - Redwood City, California

Love this place! Spicy beef and chorizo ones were had this time around. The green & red chimichurri is good on them as well. Always a delight to come back. read more

ARGENTINIAN APPROVED! I took my Argentinian friends here that were visiting me and they said their pastry tasted home made and so fresh. I've tried Chorizo, Traditional Steak, Chicken and Spicy Chicken and all of them did not disappoint. They are served warm and are full of flavor. Definitely try their sauces with it as it pairs so well (even though it tastes amazing by itself) I first visited on the Fourth of July and the worker was sooo kind. She made sure that not only I was taken care of, but my dog as well. It was hot and she went out of her way to bring her water. Overall, the staff and service here is amazing and I've left every time with a happy stomach. read more

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Came with my husband and a couple of friends before a small hike, and this was a nice stop! For reference, I am a vegetarian with an egg allergy, but my husband and friends are all omnivores. I was very impressed by the number of vegetarian and vegan options! It's so rare to find more than one flavor of vegetarian empanada, and then they're often brushed with egg, but these weren't! I got three empanadas, a Pepper & Gruyere, a Mushroom, and a Mediterranean (really wanted to try the sweet corn, but they were out). I think my favorite was probably the mushroom empanada (I am a mushroom fanatic), but the Mediterranean was also really, really good! The Pepper & Gruyere was good, too, but I think my expectation was black pepper & Gruyere cheese, but it was actually more like bell peppers, LOL. Husband got ham & cheese and the spinach empanadas, and the spinach one looked really amazing to me, so I probably will need to try that next time we come out this way. He enjoyed both flavors of empanada, though! My friends got the traditional beef and a different beef type that I can't recall, and I think they said the traditional beef one was their favorite? But they seemed to like both flavors they'd gotten (although one of them was also bummed that they didn't have any of the sweet corn ones). I hope to try one of the dessert empanadas next time (they're essentially hand pies, what's not to love?) The location itself is nice enough, but the indoor tables are oddly very shallow/narrow, as though they expected them to be seated like a bar, all facing one way. We initially thought to sit outside, since it was nice weather, but they seemed to have freshly fertilized the planters of flowers by their outdoor seating and there was a bit of a smell, so we made do with the narrow interior tables. The worker who was there while we visited was very friendly and patiently answered questions. Looking forward to coming here again next time we wander up to Redwood City :) read more

La Maja Empanadas (formerly Venga) Music starts around 7:30pm on Saturday. Not a satisfying dine-in experience. Ran out of grilled steak empanadas and all but 1 serving of vegetable soup and green and arugula salads by 6:15 pm. It's best to have things held, but they messed up on holding the two grilled steak empanadas. They gave us a 10% discount in compensation. None of the empanadas were that flavorful, although the crust was good. They forgot to bring the sauces to the table and didn't bring water until we asked for it. The lone server was not personable. Five empanadas were the right number for the two of us. Liked: Saltenia, Mushroom, Mediterranean (good to have one without cheese, less rich), and banana cajeta empanadas Alright: Amor's Baked Apple & Raisin Sweet Empanada, Spicy Beef (fairly mild), Five Pepper Manchego, Caprese empanadas, Flan (better if it were sweeter and more caramel flavored). Didn't like: vegetable soup (lacked flavor), Argentine Beef (ground beef and not as flavorful as Saltenia which had beef pieces), mango drink. read more

I've ordered for multiple parties and it's always been a hit. The empanadas are delicious and easy to warm up for a group. I've also popped in for the empanada plus a glass of wine special and had a great date; and conversation with the staff. The best empanadas in town. read more

I stopped by on a Friday night after work and was excited to pick up some empanadas. I know that there aren't a lot of Argentinian restaurants, but I still don't think that these empanadas give testament to what Argentinian empanadas are and what they could be! I gave two stars because all of their empanadas are already precooked and they just pop it into a toaster oven. Each empanada was between $4.60-$5 something and do not think that they were worth the price considering that they weren't fresh. I love making empanadas at home and they are flavorful. Next time I will stick to making my own, even though they're laborious! I did enjoy the chipotle sauce that came with them. I added it to every bite. read more

La Maja - Empanadas to go. - Empanadas Near Me - Redwood City, California

4.5 Stars A neighborhood hidden gem and I was so excited to see that they had Gluten Free Empanadas! Woot woot! handmade and delish! I ordered the night before and it turned out that two of my empanada choices were not available as all as the salad I had chosen so that was a disappointment. I ended up with the Green Bean salad with olives, potatoes, cherry tomatoes - which was ok but I was really looking forward to their version of potato salad that other yelpers had recommended. It was a very generous portion. We got to try the scrambled eggs, spinach and cheese - which was nicely balanced but definitely needed the perking up with their house made roasted salsa. The other breakfast one was the eggs, bacon and cheese which looked great but I didn't get to taste it. The spicy chicken with cheese was mild but quite good with that salsa. My daughter and my favorite was the roasted peppers with cheese combo - that was definitely worth ordering again! LOTS of veggies options as well as meat ones. Very friendly customer service and some nice tables and chairs out in front if you want to eat yours while it's still warm. read more

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I had a mixed experience with Venga Empanadas, but the empanada crusts were flaky and delicious, and their sauces were also fire, so rounding up to 4 stars overall. I placed an order through a food delivery service for work. The delivery driver let me know that they placed one of my empanadas in the same bag as my coworker's empanadas, so that the 3 savory empanadas were in one bag and the sweet empanada in it's own bag. Apparently, the driver tried to explain to them that this wasn't correct, but they ignored her request to put the empanadas in the correct bags. This was crazy to hear, especially given the current pandemic. Luckily, my coworker and I were able figure out our orders, but I hope they fix their food delivery process going forward. I tried: -Breakfast Empanada w/Bacon ($3.95, https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=Rrml_CkBfD4DrCvGyai_Hw&userid=76vIFZcC7owykCBjMfGVXg): Just ok. The filling wasn't very flavorful, but the crust was nice and flaky. However, their chimichurri and salsa were delicious, and helped make the empanada taste delicious. -Apple Empanada ($2.95, https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=_7GjDqJRDvFukuzOMd-jMQ&userid=76vIFZcC7owykCBjMfGVXg): Yum, surprisingly really good! The apple filling was the perfect consistency and not too sweet, and their crust was extra buttery and flaky. They actually swapped this out for the Argentinian croissant I originally ordered, but it probably was a good thing. -Alfajore (Small/$1.75): Solid alfajore, with buttery and sandy cookies and a not too sweet filling. I would come back to try their other savory empanadas, and also order the apple empanada again. Make sure to specifically request the chimichurri and salsa for your order, since it doesn't seem like they are consistent with including them. read more

La Maja - Breakfast Empanada w/Bacon ($3.95)- 3/5 stars - Empanadas Near Me - Redwood City, California

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Ok. So I was avoiding sharing this place with the world but it's a fine line between making sure that it thrives and keeping it for myself! Amazing empanadas, owner makes me feel like I'm on vacation at a small cafe in Argentina Love it!! read more

Dropped by on a Monday evening, there were no customers, so we were attended right away. The lady was very nice and polite, and there were so many empanadas, all of them baked! I went with the spicy beef, humitas (sweet corn), and spicy chicken, and they were all really good, my favorite was the sweet corn (humitas )because it had a rich, cheesy flavor, that didn't drown out the taste of the corn. The chicken and beef ones were good too, and weren't super spicy. My mom thought the empanadas could have been more flavorful and wasn't a big fan of the sauces, but I thought the empanadas were tasty enough all on their own. I'm definitely planning on coming back here to try more!! read more

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Great Empanadas! Got the Chorizo and the Caprese both. They were excellent. They heat them up in the over so they are very hot if you are eating in. These are Argentine empanadas. There was a bit of a line tonight. Service was very pleasant but it's not a high volume operation so be prepared to be patient. read more

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I tried three empanadas for around $18 total. I've had noticeably better empanadas for that price (which seems fairly high already). As is expected, the empanadas are pre-made/pre-baked and toasted on order. The other dedicated empanada places are like this as well, but these empanadas were a little flat, lacking in filling and the filling itself wasn't that memorable. Service was courteous and efficient. The provided sauces were good. Of the three types I tried (Argentine Beef, Mushroom and Spinach), the Spinach one was my favorite. read more

I have big soft spot for empanada. The best one I tried was in San Francisco. So when I saw that this place empanada I had to check it out. The restaurant feels like a whole in the wall place. A place where only few people truly know about. I ordered myself an Argentine beef empanada. It sounded like the best, so I ordered it. The lady was kind enough to offer me both the chimichurri and the Chipotle sauce which I appreciated a lot They toasted and warmed up the empanada for me while I waited. After it was done she actually came to me and served me the food, when I could have just got up to get it myself. That was very nice of her to do. Well anyways I took a bite into the beef empanada and oh man was it tasty! The crust was flaky the beef and peppers were perfectly seasoned and really did give a sense if warmth. It was so good that I needed to get a second one, right after I had my first one. This rarely happens. So I ended up getting a second one,the chorizo empanada which was also very tasty. I am going to come back here to try some if their other empanada for sure. read more

Great empanadas, sweet lady serving the food...helps that you can speak a little Spanish too! Would come back to this place again, not to mention, downtown is right around the corner! read more

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Loved the variety of empanadas they have especially so many vegetarian options. Unfortunately the crust or dough of th empanada is not vegan hence none of the empanadas are vegan. For $4 I think these are a great deal. You can buy them cold or have them heat them in the store itself. I tried 4 of the vegetarian options and they were all pretty good. I think my favorite is the one with Kale. They also have Gluten Free crust and may that crust is vegan (not sure) read more

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NEVER AGAIN..... let me tell you why. I totally understand inflation, no problem, however when you have prices in front of the food and then you get charged an extra $1 for it, well that is just false advertisement. Second after paying an arm and a leg for 2 empanadas one was raw on the inside and then other was basically empty inside. So not only do they charge an arm and a leg they also skim you on the amount of filling you get. On top of that their chimichurri sauce was not made with the right ingredients. They made it with straight dry ingredients again skimming to make a buck. I am all for charging more because of inflation but don't skim on the ingredients. If you charge more, fine but don't be unfair. I felt bad for the lady she was professional and said I don't make the prices, I just work here, and she is right. read more

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A wide assortment of vegetarian empanadas that keep very well! We ordered a selection of vegetarian empanadas to take with us to an outdoor concert. The real standout was the California Veggie - the raisins added a unique sweet dimension! The red and green sauces were also excellent- in particular, the red sauce went very well with the red pepper manchego empanada. The food was ready for delivery very promptly! The empanadas did get a little oily as they sat in our bags for a couple of hours en route to the concert, but they were very tasty, even at room temperature! I would definitely order from here again next time I need good hand food for a picnic, beach day, or concert. read more

Summary: I doubt I'll give this place another try Taste: spinach empanadas was good; tasted like creamed spinach in a pastry. Mushroom was good, but had maybe 2 cooked button mushroom sized worth of mushroom in it. Spicy chicken was very disappointing- not spicy at all- it was just unmarinated shredded chicken breast cooked with thinly sliced sweet red peppers- the only good thing about it was that it had the most filling out of all 3. Service: I was waiting for the person at the counter to notice me. I was standing there for a little over a minute waiting for the person to look up from their phone. Also, the person didn't do anything when one customer came in with a dog. Isn't it illegal to bring a pet into a restaurant? read more

It's all about the empanadas and they are small, soggy crusted, and bland. No reason for me to return.

Good vegetarian options; everything was tasty. Great place for a snack or light meal.

I've ordered to-go from here twice. Nice, convenient location. Awesome to order and pick up. Employees have always been nice. Food is super delicious. I'm a meat eater but I like the spinach and mushroom empanadas best!! read more