I have walked past this little shop in Parkway Plaza's food court many times. It always stood out to me because compared to the other shops they really focus on one thing: empanadas. Their cute black and teal theme also draws you in. There are two large ordering kiosks which make the process really easy. It also lets the employee focus on helping customers who need assistance and on making more empanadas. I actually noticed some of the prep happening in the open. I'm a huge corn lover, so when I saw the sweet corn empanada I was immediately sold. This one is filled with sweet corn, creamy white sauce, vegan cheese, onions, and red bell peppers. They had some already prepared in a display so it was quick to grab and order. We also ordered their 0.75 oz Argentinian chimichurri sauce. I think the empanada already came with one because we ended up with two containers, which worked out perfectly since I love chimichurri and tend to drown whatever I'm eating in it. The outside of the empanada was perfectly crisp while still being warm and packed with filling. The corn mixture inside had so much flavor. This might sound a little crazy, but once I added the chimichurri the flavor almost reminded me of Cajun seafood boil corn in the best way possible. I'm definitely looking forward to coming back and trying more of their flavors. read more

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The Empanadas are the best i ever tasted. plump pastry completely filled with different choices. They cost $6.00 each which is more than Empanada Kitchen but these have more fillings. i rated it 4 stars but would have given 5 stars because they didnt offer a cup for water. of course they wanted to sell bottled water but i think thats el cheapo. will go again but take my own water. i liked them so much i got 6 to go at a reduced price. The server didnt suggest anything. read more

I love empanadas. I've made them, but they are a lot of work. I have my favorite locations, but don't go too often as they are kind of expensive. I was in the mall to visit a few stores and saw there was a deal, $6 each, 3 for $13, or 4 for $16. I decided the 4 piece was a decent deal so I went to the order screen and placed an order for a beef, chicken, cheese and onion, and a bacon, egg, and cheese. I paid on the screen and didn't really like that a tip was asked for when I had not even interacted with a human. The gentlemen took a few minutes to pack my order and handed it to me. There was no real greeting or anything. For what I assume is a small business, I would have thought interacting with customers and making them feel welcome would be important. I took my empanadas home and re-heated them in the air fryer. They were nice, hot and crisp. My favorite was the cheese an onion, lots of cheese and onion, exactly what it said it was. The chicken which I was least looking forward to was good, but lots of red bell peppers. The beef which I was most looking forward to and very little flavor in the beef itself, I was bummed and didn't end up finishing it. The breakfast one was okay, not much flavor. Overall the empanadas were OK, but I would not drive out of my way to order them again. read more

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Nono Jose's has recently opened up in the Parkway Plaza Food Court in El Cajon. You can usually find him around San Diego's Farmers Markets, but now, in addition to the food stands, he now has opened his first brick and mortar. I picked up a trio of empanadas: the chicken, the mushroom cheese, and the breakfast empanada with bacon, eggs, and cheese for $13. All three empanadas were very good, but I was a little disappointed with the Mushrooms & Blue Cheese one. It was tasty but the majority of the mozzarella and blue cheese pretty much dissolved. On a great note, the chicken empanada was delicious. It came piping hot and was stuffed with a savory chicken tinga. The chicken tinga was well made. The breakfast empanada was great, too. The eggs were fluffy and well seasoned, the bacon was plentiful and tasted great, and the cheese was noticeable and good. All three empandas had a light baked pastry. The service was upbeat and friendly. There is plenty of seating available. Larger orders are welcomed and catering is available. read more

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I have had their empanadas at the Little Italy farmers market and they are delicious! My personal favorites are the chicken and beef. Was not a fan of the spinach and cheese. The sauce is good. I should go to their store sometime. read more

Loved their chicken empanadas and their carne empanadas and my bf loved their caprese empanada and their double cheese and onion empanadas

This business is in the food court at parkway plaza. I've tried most of the savory empanadas and most are pretty good. The mushroom and blue cheese is the best with the cheese and onions on the skimpy side with filling. They are small however, and therefore overpriced in my opinion. I would like to have 2 but I won't pay $12. read more

I was in the food court for something else today when I saw them. I am very fond of Empanadas. I bought 3 sweet and 3 savory. I had the blueberry cheese for lunch dessert. Have not tried the savory yet as I had something else for lunch. It was almost perfect. The pastry was light and crisp and well filled. The filling was luscious. The only improvement I could suggest is that the pastry could have a bit more salt. This is from someone on a low salt diet for years. I am sure that it wouldn't matter with the savory pastries (which I haven't tried yet) but falls a bit flat in taste with the sweet pastries. Not enough that I wouldn't buy the sweet pastries again in a hot minute but it could just be improved a tad. Also, side note, these are real traditional empanadas. The pastries are made with lard not vegetable shortening. That's why they are so crisp and light! I made sure to ask. read more

Their empanadas are so yummy, the dough itself was light and crispy. Definitely recommend the corn, spinach & mozzarella, and the blueberry cheese. read more

The empanadas were beyond...I am really glad we stopped here on a whim- my new favorite restaurant~ we will be back!!

11/10 for the food here and the Chimichurri as well, my wife and I got 3 empanadas for $13 (I noticed when he rung up the order the 13 is the price after tax which is nice) and we went with the beef, the ham and cheese, and the blueberry and cheese. I wanna start by saying that I added a couple photos of empanadas with what are stamps on some to let you know what kind they are! Which I thought was very helpful if like me you like to try different ones, the only one of the 3 we got that wasn't labeled was the blueberry and cheese one but that's ok cause we knew what the other 2 we got were. First we tried the beef and it was delicious and as you can see from the picture I posted it is filled with tender pulled beef and lots of veggies like garlic pieces and onion in it, sooo delicious by itself and even better in my opinion with the chimichurri on it. Next we tried the ham and cheese and it was good as well kind of reminds me of a hot pocket if hot pockets used better tasting meat. And finally but definitely not least we had the blueberry and cheese and it was by far my favorite, it honestly doesn't look great when you get into it but it's the perfect creamy texture and not to sweet so it doesn't overwhelm the cheese flavor! Absolutely delicious. The gentleman at the register in the picture who kindly let me take his picture and pictures of the menus and items was so kind. Another plus is that they gave us 2 small chimichurri with the meal so we got to taste them and it is definitely a mild but flavorful one. They sell the chimichurri separately for $10 and I also included a picture of that inside the little fridge they have set up. I also included pictures of the menus. I guess the last couple things I have to say are the box it came in was like a donut box in texture and use which is good for transport and food coverage, and that I loved the food. read more

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highly recommend both meat and sweet options are really really good. buzzzn fr fr dead as read more

Excellent beef empanadas. Great quick, quality smack. Not a lot of Argentinean food in San Diego and this is a great addition.

We tired the blueberry cheese, eggs bacon and cheese, and mushroom and blue cheese empanadas. The blueberry was lacking sweetness and the cheese flavor was not good. The eggs bacon and cheese was excellent, large amount of bacon and was filled to the brim with flavor. The mushroom and blue cheese was tasty, but lacking blue cheese flavor. Overall well made empanadas, would suggest getting some of their more classic flavors, but definitely worth the money . read more