Our first visit to Republica empanada was very pleasant. We sat outside on the patio and ended up trying six different flavors of empanadas. They were all very good. My favorite was the cheeseburger empanada. We also tried two varieties of dessert empanadas and they were very good. I especially Loved the crust. The wait staff and manager were very attentive. read more

Super cute spot! The food is super good.. the staff working here are so nice. Glad we found it while on this side of the Valley! read more

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I really really want to support local businesses and minorities, but this place didn't impress us. One of us is a Colombian native who has also lived in other Spanish speaking countries, so he knows a lot about empanadas. These empanadas are thick and don't have as much filling as we had hoped. They also seem priced high given you should order 3 or 4 per person to get a good selection and plenty of food. I understand that they are time consuming to make but perhaps a more efficient way can be done. Nothing stood out as fabulous, but it was all good. So if you are craving something like this, give it a try. read more

I had been craving empanadas and was finally in Mesa! Started off with yucca frita- just not that great, I don't know, I would get again. We ordered 4. Different empanadas to share (my bf and I). The Cuban- very tasty. Ham and cheese- classic of course yum. The jalapeño and cream cheese with ham- also very delicious. The republica chicken- it's the first one on the menu. Chicken is very dry. Made up with the salsa, but wouldn't get again. The inside is really cute and casual hanging out. I would return again and try the platanos too. It was a good lunch! read more

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Great atmosphere! Very homey. Great food! The empanadas are to die for! I'm sweet empanadas are a perfect balance. The people are so helpful and patient with what's good on the menu especially for it being foreign food! It's tucked away away from the steet. A hidden gem 10/10 read more

Republica Empanada - Banana Cream Pie empanada - Latin American Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

I'm still sitting in the restaurant, but it was so good, I couldn't leave without leaving a review. My daughter put it best. "I think I'm going to cry." Why, you ask? "Because it's so good!" We each ordered 2 empanadas and split a third savory one and split one sweet one. The savory ones were all delicious. They're not big, but they're not super small either. The 2.5 we had filled us up and we didn't have any sides or appetizers. Oh. And the salsa. I could drink it. We both said it is worth the drive for us and we need to come back with dad/hubby. The ones we ordered: cheeseburger, elote, pernil, spinach artichoke, the picadillo tico and the Nutella and banana to finish off our meal. Each one was delicious. Not greasy. Filled nicely. We will definitely be back. read more

First time going, the staff were amazing! I order take out, we're helpful and with suggestions since it was as my first time. I had my pup with me, we waited on the patio, the staff was generous checking on us and we waited. The food is incredibly amazing! I will be back to dine in next time. Highly recommend it you will not be disappointed. read more

come on guys, do NOT make me have to use my phone to scan your QR code to see your fricking menu!! Just spend the 15 bucks and keep some printed menus handy for those of us that have an aversion to clicking on public QR codes!!! the portions are absolutely dinky - we ended up spending 35 bucks for the two of us, and we both left still hungry. not sure what the hype is all about. each empanada is about 2 1/2 inches long - barely two bites worth! The hostess was unfriendly and not helpful at all. we won't be back. read more

Very cute lil spot in Mesa with a good assortment of empanadas. I tried 3 savory and 3 sweet empanadas and tried the fries as well. I will definitely be back here to try the rest of them. El Capitan - super yummy, what I would expect of a good empanada. Pernil - my favorite one. So moist and delicious. Chicken - really good flavor but the one I got was a little dry. Nutella Banana - delicious!! My favorite of the three. Dizzy Fig - pretty good, definitely unique. Banana Creme - mostly tasted like whipped creme, not really banana or custard. Staff was great and it was all super affordable. Will definitely be back. read more

Republica Empanada - El Capitan Empanada Pernil Empanada Republica Chicken Empanada Papas Fritas Sidral Mundet Apple Soda - Latin American Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

One of my favorites! Every time we eat here we are happily stuffed! I love the empanada options! My current favorites are The Cubana (the dill pickle is amazing) the Jalapeño Ham Popper, and the Boricua! The salsa is to die for, I could drink it! The Yuca fries and ranch are also super yummy. read more

Republica Empanada - Latin American Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

This place is amazing. I was full and I ordered more because I live so far from this yummy food The s'mores empanada so good The marshmallows melt and leave the taste on the pastry. The fig and mozzarella was sweet, but not sugary. A sophisticated sweet taste The chicken was good. The Pernil was good, but the Cubana better I cannot wait to go back. read more

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This restaurant was really really good. Everyone liked the food. A small place and they fit us in just fine. Good taste and great environment. The staff was great. They gave us space to be social, but helped out when we needed it. Very chill. Will definitely go back and try lunch. read more

Republica Empanada - Combo platter. - Latin American Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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The empanadas are amazing. The cheeseburger and Republica chicken are my favorite. You have to try the banana cream. Check out my video review @howardeatz on tiktok or IG read more

Republica Empanada - Cheese burger empanada - Latin American Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

ambiance is chill. Chicken empanada was amazing! Cubana pretty good; but skip the Elote empanada, just tastes like corn from a can. Really watered down flavor. The tostones with garlic ranch were crunchy, salty and perfect! the guava limeade is tangy and sweet! their cilantro dip sauce was the best of everything. Will go again. read more

Republica Empanada 204 E 1st Ave, Mesa AZ 85210 November 13, 2021 Saturday - 10:50 AM for early lunch 4 Adults Atmosphere - 5 stars Food - 5 stars Service - 5 stars Background - We are in Mesa to take a tour of the Temple as it is open to everyone for a short bit.  I was told to pick a restaurant for lunch nearby.  We all love the Food Network show Diners, Drive in and Dives.  This place was super close too, bonus!! Atmosphere - Tiny little place with wood metal vibes going on here.  The walls are covered in local artist, which is always great too see. Food Drink - Small beer list with some local beers, which I had to try  one of the local beers.  Super Beaker by  12 West Brewing Co., what a great IPA in a 16 ounce can.  Love the can art too, check out the picture I posted.  If you are a fan of the Muppets you will love it too. Appetizer - We ordered some Yuca fries to share with everyone.  These were a great change of pace from regular French fries. Empanadas - I ordered two which did a great job filling me up.  I had one meat and the other was veggie empanada.  The Pernil was a pork filled empanada that was stuffed with such tender pork.  I want one now!!  The second I ordered was the black bean jalapeno popper.  The jalapenos are diced up into small pieces to make eating the empanada easier.  Plain and simple these are the best empanadas, so little pockets of goodness. Service - Spot on.  The food was super fast and so tasty.  Service was just as fast.  The menu is the new QR style menu. Future - I would love to come back for more!! read more

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My wife and I have been wanting to try empanadas for a while now, so we made the drive to come here. I'm giving a rating of 3 stars only because we didn't get to try the food. The employees were cheerful and pleasant, so that's not the issue at all. We were sat right by the entrance even though there were other tables open. The table sticks out into the isle of the entrance a little. The corner of the large picture on the wall was right in the center of my back, so I was unable to lean back in my seat and it was very uncomfortable. They did not have paper menus to look at, only online, which are difficult to browse and not customer friendly. Fountain soda is RC cola, though they did offer cans of other mor popular brands. We were not feeling good about our experience at that point, so we left. I hope to order food to go sometime so we can try it. read more

Very busy active place with great tasty food. The service was slow at the beginning but that is because we came at the tail end of their busy hour around dinner time due to a event that was happening next door. We ordered a empanada platter along with two vegetarian-based empanadas everything was very tasty we also ordered the fig empanada which was amazingly delicious so much so that we ended up ordering the Smore's empanada dessert both of the desserts we ordered with ice cream. The actual meal platter was a little over $13.00, while the empanadas were under $4 but they were small. There was plenty of seating inside however we opted to sit out on the patio which was almost full but a nicer atmosphere because it was nice and cool out and there's also a water fountain right outside the patio by the urban garden which made for a pleasant ambient atmosphere. We will definitely be back, especially to try out their other desserts. read more

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This restaurant is a bit of a disappointment for me. I am plant based in eating! The offerings for vegan options are not very good. When I and a friend ordered some vegan empanadas that were supposed to be vegan what I bit into wasn't what I ordered, it was meat and such a disappointment. On top of that , my item wasn't well made! It seem to me the vegan are just an afterthought and considerate of vegans! The service wasn't very good and the staff seemed to care about customers! I'm very disappointed. read more

Some many handmade tasty empanadas, you can't go wrong with whichever you choose! FYI the house margarita is made with mezcal which we didn't know and didn't like but now we know! read more

Republica Empanada - Takeout - Latin American Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

Food, service and ambiance were all great! Met old high school friends there. It was awesome!! read more

Republica Empanada - Gallo Pinto. - Latin American Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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Years ago, when this establishment first opened, my spouse and I went to eat there. The food was delicious.and freshly made. Fast forward to 2025, and although we live almost an hour away, we invited others to join us at Republica Empanada. The other guests enjoyed the food, but my spouse and I know latino food very, very well. This time around we felt that the food was lacking. Though the menu is lovely and presentation was nice, the food on our platters seemed to be reheated food. We know reheated rice and beans. Also the empanadas were soft and "limp" ( for lack of a better word) and seemed to have been either kept in a warming bin or resting under a heat lamp (think of french fries when they are reheated.). Our appetizer dish which consisted of fried yucca, plantains and maduros had the same issue. The service was very nice, friendly and attentive, though a bit slow. But what tipped us off about the freshness of the meal was that within a short time of taking our order, the food for our entire party arrived at our table: too quickly for a batch of empanadas to be ready, whether fried or oven baked in the moment. read more

I cannot stop eating the rice and bean! Their empanadas are freshly made and super delicious. They are perfectly cooked, not too oily not too hard. I love the potato empanada although I am normally not a fan of potatoes. This potato is a bit creamy yellow. I love their idea of stamping the name of empanadas on each paper bag so we know which one I order and which one he orders. The green spicy salsa goes bey well with the empanadas. We also had a fried plantains dipping with cream sauce. They are yummy! We were so full and have to wait for next time to try their empanada desserts. They have so many different dessert items and I know I won't be able to decide. read more

Republica Empanada - Latin American Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

Meh. The food is on dimensional. The dough is too thick and could use another 10 seconds in the fryer. The Arroz con Pollo was very good and the star of the meal, which is bizarre since its an empanada store. The dessert empanadas were the best, and the torta sandwich was subpar. Overall, it was not worth the outandish prices, although the service was exceptional. I would not go back nor do I recommend this place for more than a light snack as prices are steep for a family of 4. read more

This place is amazing!! You have to try the green sauce. I've tried almost everything on the menu and have not been disappointed yet. My wife always gets the dessert empanadas as well and says they are excellent. We always buy a jar of green suave every time we go because we use it in everything when we cook at home. This place is a must try!!!!!!!!! read more

Delicious food, many vegan options, friendly staff, great service. You can't go wrong here! read more

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I believe this place was one of the first places I bookmarked on Yelp when I started up my account about 7 years ago but I never got around to trying it! Was definitely excited to try it today. I ordered the empanada platter with one potato enchilada and one bean and cheese. The pura vida one also looked good but I figured I'd save it for next time. I got take out but it was cool inside here, I loved the art and was surprised to see Guy Fieri had visited! My food was ready early and I definitely ate it in the parking lot because I couldn't resist. I loved the plantains especially, everything was delicious, and the green sauce to dip stuff in. It was all really flavorful and I am excited to return. read more

Republica Empanada - Bean and Cheese Empanada - Latin American Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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Always fresh and delicious! The food and the people are all amazing. We have eaten their food multiple times and will continue to do so.

As someone who lived and ate a lot of empanadas in Jackson heights in queens, ny, this was a super let down. Staff was nice, place is clean, it's in a cool older building too. But the empanadas were (no offense) not good. In fact, I did not finish mine. It was less than subpar, my girlfriends was wack too, not much flavor. Plus, you walk-in and do not feel like it's an empanada spot. It could be a breakfast place too, no character at all. read more

I need a teleporter so I can zap my self to downtown Mesa whenever I want a vegan empanada. I was so happy I found Republica Empanada. I grew up in central Florida and desperately miss Caribbean-influenced Latin American cuisine. Republica is as close as I've gotten to home. I usually get the vegan platter, which comes with beans (perfectly cooked - basic without too much seasoning), rice, maduros (sweet caramelized plantains) and one of two vegan empanada choices. I get the potato one. I've also had their beans and rice plate, and tostones (green fried plantains). All are great! I also love that they serve RC cola. Another taste of home! Service is always spot on. It's counter-order during lunch, table service at dinner. Another bonus is that it's housed in a cute mid-century modern building. It's also right around the corner from the Mesa Arts Center, which makes it the perfect place to go before a show! read more

So glad I randomly bookmarked this place and dropped by! I came by for a late lunch on a Saturday and was happy to see that there was not much of a crowd. My friend and I were able to get seated right away which was great! We got the tostones and each got the empanada platter as well. The tostones hit the spot and came with a great garlicky crema type sauce on the side which was super addicting. The empanda platters came with 2 empanads, a little side salad, beans and rice, and sweet plantains. Though I can't speak for my friend's plate, I had the jalapeno bean popper and the achiote potato empanadas which were both really good! The jalapeno bean popper had more flavor which I appreciated but the achiote potato was not bad by any means. They do have a green salsa (I think tomatillo) that you can get with the empanadas and it's good, but not my favorite since it was a bit on the sweet side. The interior of this place is cute and there is outside seating for when the weather is kind. Parking is available by the entrance, but seems like it could get full during busy hours so keep that in mind. Overall, had a great experience here and can't wait to go back and try other items! read more

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Meh. Yuca fries are dry, salsa was good, empanadas dry. Service was ok. Margarita was decent.

Had a great lunch Many options to choose from if you like empanada's . Lots of people but service was good. Food tasted great!! read more

Cute little neighborhood place they have built. Very casual ambiance, but quiet and colorful patio in the back. Shared the yucca appetizer, it was decent, kind of thin and bland. Got the empanada platter with El Cápitan and chicken and mushroom empanadas. Comes with rice, beans, tostones, and cabbage salad. Food is good, but it's your average empanadas and sides. I wouldn't say any of it is better than three stars. Tostones were also burned. If I had to recommend one, I'd say the El Cápitan, but both are small and could've had more meat inside, as there was space inside. We also shared the banana cream pie empanada and fig and cheese empanada. The first one was better and we enjoyed that one. The second one was made with the wrong type of cheese and it was disappointing. Service started out good, but slowly became MIA and just bad. It rubbed me the wrong way when they brought out the bill while we were eating. That's incredibly rude to me, and made me feel like they wanted us to wrap up fast and leave. We wanted to order more food, but they were nowhere to be found. Then when we wanted to pay our bill, they took so long to come out that we were wondering if we have to pay inside, so we literally walked inside to pay it. Worst part was when I left my business card for the waitress to give to the owner, and I went in the back to use the bathroom, and I saw them both throw it out in the garbage. At least have some more decorum and be more straightforward than that. read more

I live far from this little eclectic restaurant, so will visit when I'm in their neck of the woods. For anyone reading, Check out this place if you're in the area You can't go wrong with any of their empanadas. This last time I went for a bean and cheese popper, which was kind of their take on a jalapeño popper, only bigger. Very creative. I also had a bean and cheese along with a Greek one, which was mostly spinach. Not a bad thing. My only complaint is dumb, I wish that the pastries were bigger so that I get more of that empanada goodness even though I'm pleasantly full after one of their combos. read more

Republica Empanada - Latin American Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

We first happened upon this little eatery when we were in Mesa attending an Oakland A's spring training game. Super friendly staff and efficient kitchen operations, from what I could tell. We have tried several savory empanadas, along with a torta, The empanadas are always tasty (be sure to get the jalapeño cilantro sauce on the side). The beverages - alcoholic and otherwise - were expensive. That is my main concern here - cost. The value proposition is what keeps this restaurant at 3.7 to 4.2 stars in my book. We spent more than $50 for two people on our last visit. We'll be back when we are in town and in the mood for this kind of fare. We will skip the drinks and the torta next time and focus on empanada gluttony. read more

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Good vibe, neighborhood destination. Several locations. I went to Mesa. You order at a window, and pick-up at another. A little bold to ask for tips. Had a pork empanada, and two bourbon apple pie empanadas Absolutely delicious. The verde dip for the pork was amazing. The apple desert empanadas were heaven. Each empanada is about 3 bites. Pretty small. At $21 dollars without tip, a little spendy. $3 per bite with tip. Plates seem to be a better value. Next time. read more

Amazing empanadas coupled with a great spread on the platters - delicious, creative, local! The real deal. read more

Republica Empanada - Empanada platter featuring all the fixins - Latin American Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

Their Empanadas are so good. It's nice to have this restaurant here in Mesa. In general, Cuban food can be hard to find in the valley. This is a small restaurant that's very clean and lovely. read more

Me and the family ate here for dinner last night. The service was quick, the staff was friendly and the food was very good. My kids all god the kids meals which they all enjoyed. I tried the Jalapeno Bean Popper Empanada and the Picadillo Tico Empanada, both were very good. My wife got the Carne Papas and enjoyed those as well. This was a nice find; we plan on coming back soon! read more

Empanadas were delicious and the staff were really friendly. We sat on the patio which was really nice, the inside was a bit dark for my taste. My only complaint is that my platanos were a bit burnt but the empanadas definitely made up for it. Definitely will go again before it becomes too hot to sit outside! read more