Pampas has amazing coffee and empanadas! They used to have wonderful alfajores a very long time ago but now they're glazed and taste more sweet. Their location changed is wonderful because the place is bigger and has more sitting space. However last time I went a while back they were still figuring out how to take orders efficiently. I'm hopeful that they'll improve given how great their food is! Also customer service has always been good even when they were in the location near the gas station. Hopefully as they are expanding they can keep up with the quality of the coffee and food. read more

Just like their coffee menu it's straight to the point, however it whisks you away to a cafe on the corner of an Argentina alley where you can picture fans outside raising their country's flag proudly cheering in celebration of their big win. "Argentina for the Win read more

Pampas Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Pampas Cafe sits in the same plaza as Trader Joe's. There are many tables for customers to chill or to do work. Super friendly staff. They offer amazing coffee and delicious empanadas!! They have many different kinds of empanadas but my favorite would have to be the beef one! read more

Finally I got to try this cafe, the location is so close to Trader Joe's which I can have my coffee after grocery shopping XD, friendly staff, yummy foods and I really like the iced latte :) read more

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Yummy empanadas with veggie and vegan options. Small shop look like they sometimes have performances there's a small piano in the corner. read more

Pampas Cafe - Details and description - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Charming cafe and very good empanadas! The beef empanadas are great! Would definitely come back again....and again!

First time here and couldn't decide which flavors to get so ended up getting 6 of them. In general these were a bit dry and lacked the explosion of flavor they're certainly capable of packing. Maybe we're spoiled in SoCal, but it's hard for my taste buds to draw a fair comparison as these aren't bad, but still feel a bit lacking in a few areas. Wished the chorizo had more chimicurri as it lacked moisture. Ordered a spinach amongst the 6, but got 2 mushrooms instead. Each one could be more juicy and fillings prepped hotter as they went warm quick despite being eaten right away. The positive: They serve one customer at a time, and they're fast to get you in and out the door. read more

Pampas Cafe - Empanadas - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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After moving to Castro Valley a few years ago, wanted to venture out local eateries and found Pampas as a breakfast/light brunch spot while searching Yelp. It was originally in a very tiny hut located on Castro Valley Blvd and Redwood Rd at the time. They have since expanded their customers and moved next door to Trader Joe's. So far, my family and I have tried most of their savory empanadas. Our favorites are Breakfast, Chicken, Mushroom, and Ham & Cheese. We recently tried out about their chimicurri sauce. Oh Em Gee! It's a must with the empanadas! I always order one for each of my empanadas! Have yet to try the Apple and Vegan options. The matcha latte was not sweet enough to my liking even with oatmilk and I also requested to make it sweet. Overall, best empanadas in the Bay I've had by far! And they're baked so I don't feel bad eating them compared to it being fried. Cute, rustic interior with a few communal and high top tables. It's becoming like Starbucks imo. Thankfully, service is always quick - order and take out. Since it shares the same plaza as Trader Joe's expect parking in the lot to be pack. read more

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This review is for the owner or whoever she was.. I come here pretty often with my daughter, today was one of those days.. while standing in line my daughter who is 4yo opened and started playing a piano.. They have a sign to ask before you play.. I get that and respect that.. But the way the whole situation was just bazaar.. All the employees kept on looking at me ,and at the owner and then the owner kept on staring at me and waiting for me to tell my daughter to stop playing and close the piano.. I told her to stop but she didn't hear me.. The owner kept on staring at me like I stole something from her.. She came up to me and said there's a reason there's a sign.. I understand that.. She just made this whole situation very uncomfortable for me because everybody kept on staring at me.. it just made me wanna leave and never come back.. They just lost a customer because of their attitude... read more

Love Pampas, first time I tried the mushrooms empanadas omg sooooo delicious, this time I tried the breakfast one and it did not disappoint! May I add they aren't stingy with the filling another cool thing about this place is they feature local artists on the walls, definitely check it out! Great service, lots of parking (shares Trader Joe's parking lot) and delicious lattes. read more

Pampas Cafe - Breakfast Empanadas too good! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Castro Valley, California

This place has a great vibe, good wi-fi, and perfect cappuccino. (Ask for "super hot cappuccino for here" in glass/ceramic cup. Sometimes there is a mellow piano player there. Super convenient since Pampas Cafe is ADJOINING Trader Joe's. Try the "Breakfast" empanada. read more

Pampas Cafe - Heaven! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Can't believe today was my first time visiting this little gem! I like my chai lattes a certain way so I'm always hesitant to try new ones. I asked the barista about what theirs was like. She explained that they make the mix in house! I decided to try it, it was great! The cafe is so cute inside, warm, welcoming and friendly staff. Looking forward to going back. read more

Our first time purchasing Empanadas. They were so good. We ordered three: Chicken, Mushroom, and Ham and Cheese. I was nervous the spices would be strong. The taste was different but not strong. There was not extra juice in the Empanadas. Everything was moist, delicious, and so easy to eat! Can't wait to try Beef, and Spinach. read more

Must try! Baked empanadas! Spinach and kale and onion and mushroom ones are my favorites. I always buy frozen ones in bulk to bake at home and take the sweet 10% off! read more

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Love this spot. All the empanadas are good but nothing beats the original beef. The new location now serves beer and wine. Always clean. Go early, they will sell out. read more

Meh. Portions are small. Kind of a gloomy atmosphere because the owners/staff are either tired or bored or both. TJ's frozen samosas next door taste better than Pampas' empanadas. Won't be back. read more

Love that their new space is more accessible than before, and I hope being next to Trader Joe's gets them the foot traffic they deserve! I recently went and tried both the spinach and chicken empanadas, and right out the door the crust they use is so perfectly crisp and the definition of golden brown. If I try the apple empanada and it's the world's neatest apple pie, I'd honestly come every time I'm in Castro Valley. However, while the crust was amazing, the filling in both empanadas wasn't. The chicken empanada in particular tasted fine and had a nice pepperiness, but it was dry even though I visited within an hour after they opened. It leads me to think that they're trying to reduce food waste by reheating empanadas that didn't sell the previous day, which I do appreciate though it's at my expense. The spinach one also felt like it could've been hotter, almost as if the filling had slightly congealed. It tasted great nonetheless, and I'd love to come back and give Pampas Cafe another chance. Overall, the location, family-owned vibes, and crust really sell it for me, and I hope that in my next visit I feel enamored. read more

Pampas Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Castro Valley, California

These empanadas were amazing! My friend and I got five to share, and that was plenty for us since each was pretty hearty. Out of the five we ordered (beef, humita, mushroom, spinach, and chorizo), my favorites were the mushroom, spinach, and chorizo. The beef was also great, but the flavor was expected and not as mind-blowing as the other three that were mentioned. My friend liked the chorizo the best. All of them had this great, crisp crust that were baked to perfection! We also got the snickerdoodle alfajores to try that ended up too sweet for the both of us. I haven't had this type of cookie too often and tend to like sweets on the less sweeter side, so these weren't for me. Overall, I definitely recommend trying this place! I haven't found another solid place that does empanadas yet, so the food was definitely worth the drive. The cafe is pretty small, and the parking lot is not that big either. However, both times that I've gone, I haven't had any issues with finding parking or lines. read more

Pampas Cafe - Beef Empanadas, Spinach Empanadas, Mushroom Empanadas, Chorizo Empanadas, and Humita Empanada - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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Hidden gem - don't sleep on this one! Staff is so friendly, attentive and helpful! Ambiance is like a chill Brooklyn cafe. The food - OMG so good. Ordered a medley of the empanadas, and each was delicious! Fillings were on point, flaky warm exterior.. I'm salivating just remembering the food to write this. Thank you so much, Pampas Cafe!! read more

Very cute small coffee spot. Don't have much selection on the coffee but it's a great spot to enjoy some coffee. Came here with my sister and nephew. My nephew really enjoyed the empanadas, the chicken and breakfast one. read more

This is a small store that has coffee and empanadas. Loved that the empanadas were baked instead of deep friend. The flavors of the chicken and beef were tasting. We got a ham and cheese one too that was cheesy enough. Loved the attention to detail. Each empanada had initials to be able to distinguish the type of meat. They have a couple of tables outside that we were lucky to sit at. read more

Pampas Cafe - Beef Empanadas - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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I stopped by this place on the way to SFO for a quick breakfast, and it did not disappoint! It was a small local hole spot for yummy coffee and quick food. The iced oat milk latte was delicious and paired perfectly with the empanadas my friends and I ordered. We tried the spinach, fugazetta, mushroom, beef, chicken, sweet potato, and chorizo... so pretty much almost every flavor they had available! I enjoyed the beef, mushroom, and spinach one the most. The mushroom empanada really stood out to me for its really herby filling that complements the creamy mushroom filling. The spinach filling reminded me of a healthier version of spinach dip paired with a crispy exterior so that was delicious. And you can never go wrong with a warm, freshly made beef empanada. So those three stood out to me for very different unique reasons! We found out their sweet potato is the most popular, so I would say give that a try if you want a more savory/sweet balanced empanada. Since we got it for breakfast, we also ordered oat milk lattes all around, which was prepared so fast. Literally right after we ordered, the barista immediately made our drinks and had it ready by the time we were done paying. I appreciate how attentive the staff was! Oh one thing that really stood out to me was that on the menu different empanadas their initial in the parenthesis (example: spinach (E) ) which is found on their handheld small menu. These initials are on the empanada itself to distinguish which empanada is which flavor! This detail was something I really appreciated for those with a dietary restriction or just wants to know which one is which. Overall, great little spot with delicious empanadas and coffee to start off your day. We loved it so much we went right back in to order more!! read more

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Love Pampas Cafe! Their honey oat milk latte and matcha lattes are my favorite drinks. The honey oat milk latte was a recommendation from one of the employees! So if you're feeling bold and want to switch it up, try asking them and you might find your new favorite drink :) read more

I really like the vibe inside the cafe.... Very inviting... you definitely can relax here... it's not too overcrowded, spacious and there is live music, too. The empanada was good... I tried the mushroom and chorizo... will try some other ones next time I visit. Also ordered the usual matcha latte for me. The service was quite fast. read more

Pampas Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Castro Valley, California

It's a great treat to go there for empanadas. I would alternate my flavors of empanadas on a weekly basis and all are great but chicken is always the default. The cherry on top is a great cup of latte to go with it and a cozy ambiance to enjoy it. read more

Fantastic find! I've had this place bookmarked forever but, we rarely go to CV for no particular reason. It's a cute lil town. There is actually a few really good places to eat there. We happened to be nearby so this is the day... Finally! It is a tiny little coffee and empanada place AND they have vegetarian and vegan ones! I ordered 5-2 meat 3 vegetarian. Due to Covid19 restrictions only 1 person at a time allowed in. They seem to do a pretty good business and serve a lot of different coffee drinks, both hot and cold. What we ordered; 1) Spinach w/ carmelized onions & mozzarella cheese. 2)Mushroom w/crimini, shallots, thyme & cream. 3)Sweet potato w/onions, black beans cayenne & monterey jack. 4)Beef- Argentine style w/onions, green olives, raisins and hard boiled eggs mixed into ground beef. 5)Ham & Cheese w/ black forest ham, mozzarella & monterey cheese. Hubby liked the ham & cheese best. I liked all of them and would have a hard time choosing a favorite. My only complaint would be that since it was my first time and I'm so use to vegan and vegetarian friendly places packing meat separately I didn't know I had to ask. So all 5 dumped into the same biodegradable box that kept them nice and warm, when it was time to eat we didn't know which was which... Otherwise great little empanada place. I will be back for the 4 I didn't get to try on this visit. A girl has to watch her figure, even if she's just watching it grow... read more

Pampas Cafe - The spinach & smoked mozzarella one! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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The atmosphere is super comfortable and very friendly, the service was fast and very good, the empanadas were super delicious, 100% recommended. read more

Pampas Cafe - Decaf latte and capuchino out milk - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Castro Valley, California

I was next door at stress free auto and noticed this was the closest place to hang out while my car got finished. The place is super clean. I asked the gentleman in front for recommendations, and he suggested I try the fugazetta and beef empanadas. OMG soooo good. The coffee was good. During my stay, I noticed the female worker bought a fresh flowers and was restocking the roses on each table. I love the attention to detail. Thank you and wish you all the best of luck! read more

Pampas Cafe - Decor & ambiance - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Castro Valley, California

This place does not in fact accept cryptocurrency despite saying so on the site. Cool place regardless read more

Being told that "we're not those kinds of people, you're in the wrong place" by the owner, Pablo, was probably the most bizarre experience I've ever had at any establishment. My husband and I ordered food and coffee under my husbands name. My husband had to leave so I waited for the rest of our food. When the owner called out my husbands name for the order he deliberately ignored me when I tried to wave him down, and called out to him loudly several times. He completely avoided me and went around asking other people if it was their food. I approached him to explain. Understandably he was confused because I'm a woman, but when I tried to explain that it was under my husbands name but he had to leave, the owner kept repeating "you're not a man". When I showed him the pampas coffee cup I was drinking with my husbands name written on it, he handed me our food. After I sat down, he followed and crowded me saying, "we're not those kinds of people, you're in the wrong place. You're in the wrong place." It was an appalling experience. Which is a shame because I had been a weekly customer who enjoyed the food, the rest of the staff's friendliness, and well designed space to decompress. Prior to meeting Pablo, I had never gotten the sense that this was the "wrong" place for me as a certain "kind of people". I just wish I could tell you what he meant by that. Pablo was not there the next day I went back with my husband to get some clarification before writing this review. read more

Oh my goodness when I say these are the best empanadas I've had in a very long time and it's been a while I'm really picky about where I get my empanadas but Pampas cafe is amazing I called over the phone and I spoke with one of the guys working there really friendly and nice I think his name was Nico and the other guy was Brandon once I got there to pick up my order it was fresh hot and last but not least delicious I couldn't wait till I got to my destinations so I ate one in the car and when I got home I finished the other 2 Yes I said to I ordered a total of three in which 2 were Fugazetta(FU) and 1 Spinach (E) and then one spinach (E) ... I'll definitely be going back to Try more They have a pretty good selection well I'm nice and full.. yummy yummy Empanadas I definitely recommend this place if you haven't been there then you need to check it out fast I'm talking NASCAR fast I can't wait to try the breakfast empanada and they also have lattes& mochas ,and teas as well... see ya soon Because I'll definitely be back and the best thing ever is that they're open Monday through Saturday from 8 AM to 2 PM closed on Sundays read more

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So good, I might need to move to Castro Valley! Or at least leave my Oakland/Berkeley bubble more often. ;-) These are so so soooo great. Especially great for vegetarians in a group with meat eaters. They are just the right size, price, and so so delicious. Once I need to start making space in my freezer to bring some frozen ones home to bake later on my next trip there. Not fr from 580, easy parking in the Trader Joes lot! So stop rather than passing right through Castro Valley. The vibe and crew are all great. You'll be glad you did. Check their hours. They are a relatively new business so the hours may be in flux. read more

I really wanted to like this place especially because I saw a line out the door one time but this was just not good. My first complaint is the price. It says to order a dozen and receive 10% off and that was my bad I understood it as they had a dozen box and it was slightly discounted not that they would charge per empanada. My mistake but still I thought the price was a little high. 2nd thing is that this had to be the WORST coffee I have ever had. I had to drown it in sugar to make it somewhat palatable. It was bitter and the almond milk tasted sour. And it was not just mine but we all thought that and ended up adding at least 2-3 packets of sugar. 3rd thing, we paid for the sauce on the side and the amount they charge for such a small thing of sauce was insane. The final issue were the empanadas themselves. I've had them in colombia and they're usually smaller and more flaky. These were thick and hard to split in half. Also took us a minute to figure out what they contained inside. It also just lacked flavor for me and I wasn't fan. I'm not sure what the hype is but it missed the mark for me. read more

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So happy Castro Valley has this gem. I enjoy the variety of empanadas, but wish they would label them like they have done in the past. I had to play guessing game with the 3 that I ordered (Chorizo, Ham & Cheese & Vegetarian Kale (but ended up with the other Vegetarian choice of Potato) All were really good, but prepared to pay $4.75 for each. I like how they offer coffee & the Alfajores. The alfajores now come in Pumpkin flavor, what a nice way to welcome the fall! read more

Pampas Cafe - Vegetarian Potato Empanada - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Came here since a friend told me about it. It is located next to a trader joe so I guess parking can be a hassle but found parking asap so guess it's not that bad. Ordered the chicken empanada, beef empanada, and I wanted to try the apple one but they were still making them. They also have coffee here (obviously). My favorite was the chicken very flavorful. The beef one to me was dry and didn't really hit the spot. read more

I haven't come across many places that serve/specialize in empanadas in the East Bay, which is why Pampas Cafe caught my attention! They have quite a big selection of empanadas with a large number of vegetarian/vegan options. Seeing that they close at 2pm, I called in at 12:30pm to check which empanadas were still available and only 2 options were sold out at that time, one of them being the Humita which seems like a popular choice. I was told I can put in my order ahead of time over the phone and my order would be warm & fresh for pickup in 15-20 mins. And yes, they were warm and smelled INCREDIBLE when I picked up my order. I ordered a mix of meat and vegetarian empanadas, and to my surprise, I enjoyed the vegetarian ones the most, mainly for the rich creaminess and cheesiness! - Beef: tasted like classic ground beef filling, nothing special stood out about this, but it was what was expected & delicious - Chorizo: has more of a sausage texture, perhaps it being Argentinian style chorizo? definitely a bit different from Mexican style chorizo, but I actually loved the texture the most about this and flavors were great too - Sweet Potato: if you want something super cheesy, get this! this one is heavy on the cheese which is mixed in with mashed sweet potato, so you get really rich & mushy bites, although I can imagine feeling a bit heavy finishing an entire one - Mushroom: and if you want something super creamy, get this! tasted like a mushroom stroganoff in an empanada, this was surprisingly good I didn't know this until after the fact, but the empanadas ARE stamped for you to identify them. I totally missed that and had to guess. Overall, I've had slightly better empanadas with thinner and more buttery skins elsewhere, while the ones at Pampas Cafe have a thicker and denser skin. However, the flavors of the filling are superb and make it worth coming back here for! Definitely bookmarking this local gem for when I'm craving for some empanadas! read more

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Possibly the best coffee in Castro Valley. I popped in the other day after a quick stop at Trader Joe's. I've been meaning to come for a w while. I was instantly greeted with a warm smile. I ordered a latte and figured I would sit and indulge. While waiting for my coffee, I noticed that they offer a small discount if you bring your own mug. I love this first sustainability and zero waste. after enjoying my definitely creamy latte, I left fully caffeinated and satisfied. I came back with my husband this week and we tried the breakfast and a ham and cheese empanada. The pastry is delicious, not too dry and a little bit salty. The breakfast filling was delicious and the ham and cheese was as well. The ambience is great though it lacks a tiny bit of comfort. The recycled wood high tops are aesthetically pleasing, but not super comfortable if you want to sit and relax for a while. There is a couch and comfy chair in the corner next to a gorgeous upright piano. I love that this place hosts, small artists for poetry and music. We will definitely be regulars here and I strongly recommend this in your local coffee shop patronage. Locally owned and friendly, quick service. We are looking forward to sampling the entire menus read more

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When placing an order for a specific pick up time, you would expect it to be ready. Placed an order for specific time since picking up on the way to work, it wasn't ready. Asked why if placed for specific p/u it's not ready? They said so they can make the coffee when I get here so it doesn't sit. For me the whole point of placing an order with a specific pick up time is I expect my order to be ready when I walk in the door so I can turn around and walk back out. read more

Love this place when I'm in a rush. It's quick and filling, and the food is very good. The art they have on display is very cool and adds to the atmosphere. I also appreciate the loyalty card type system they have it always has me coming back for more. read more

Great spot for coffee and empanadas. Unexpected combo but totally works. The spot is located on the corner of redwood road but right before the chevron gas station. Be ready to turn or else you'll miss it. The parking lot is tight and it's shared with a bar but I have never found parking to be an issue. The coffee is decent but the empanadas is where it's at. I like that I can kill two birds with one stone. I've tried the breakfast one, chicken and ham and cheese. They're all good. Usually they're still hot when you order them. These also freeze well to be eaten later. They also offer baked goods from a local baker. I bought the cookies and they were amazing as well. Tad too sweet for me but still delicious nonetheless. They make great gifts during the holiday for a teacher or mailman. read more

Pampas Cafe - Cute spot - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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