Food was amazing and the staff was super friendly and helpful. Standard ambiance and the place was very clean.

Delicious, easy to eat empanadas. Super yummy fresh and great variety. Would recommend getting a dozen and freezing whatever you don't eat. My favorites so far are the ham and cheese and florentine. read more

The Empanada Maker - empanadas - New American Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

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I visited with my family and the empanadas were terrific with great service! Highly recommend!

After years of sitting idily by on my bookmark list and thinking I would never follow through on visiting this establishment the time finally came to make the trek over and check it off the ever growing list. During these crazy times in the midst of this global pandemic and tiring of fast food, cooking at home and the same old options and having seen some of oir fellow Yelp friends having checked in here, we hopped in the car and made the trip to Mission Viejo to check them out. After visiting I can honestly say these are the tastiest empanadas I have found in Southern California. The pricing is right, the options are plentiful and the service is friendly. During our first visit we picked up 6 empanadas (trying out 3 flavors each) and both of us enjoyed every morsel of these little gems. I opted to go with the chicken, pot roast and diablo (spicy pork) options while Shawna had the chicken, pot roast and carnitas. Each empanada is labeled with a bransed number on the edge and my only drawback would be it ia often hard to tell whats what. Our 2nd visit wasnt far behind the 1st and the food was just as great but we did receive several of the wrong flavors and were missing a couple entitely. Overall this had quickly become one of my faborite spots and the fact that they also stock frozen take and bake options and dessert style sweet empanadas makes this great for anyone. I look forward to visiting again soon. read more

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I always bought empanadas they are delicious but I think the price is high $3.99 which is actually $4.00 it is too expensive for a pie I bought 5 pies and 1 soft drink it cost $27.55. I believe I will not return again, with this high value. Last week I paid $2.00 for each empanada at an Argentine restaurant in Los Angeles. I believe they should review the price of their empanadas read more

The Empanada Maker - Price - New American Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

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I discovered this by accident on DoorDash one morning while looking for potential breakfast options. We ended up ordering several of their empanadas for delivery, and they were delicious! I took one star off because they didn't have some of the items we had ordered (namely the breakfast empanadas) and they were replaced with the beef and olive empanadas. Not a huge deal, but when we went to the empanada shop in-person a couple weeks later, they didn't have them in stock then either! I took another star off because the ladies working behind the counter in-store weren't exactly the most helpful either, to put it kindly. We had: 1. Chicken 2. Beef 3. Ham and Cheese My favorite was the chicken -- it was reminiscent of a chicken pot pie, but with a Mexican flair. My boyfriend enjoyed the beef the most, and it definitely had the most empanada-like taste. The ham and cheese was great, but extremely cheesy (obviously)! Beware if you're lactose intolerant. All in all, not a bad experience. I'd 100% come back for the empanadas, but the lack of inventory of advertised flavors and customer service was disappointing. read more

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Support your local businesses and check these guys out!! They have the best empanadas that I've ever had, and for a reasonable price as well. Their COVID precautions include counter-top sneeze guards (plexiglass divider), masks & gloves for their employees, and floor markers to indicate 6ft apart! You can't go wrong with getting their original flavors! I went in and got a dozen CHICKEN & BEEF empanadas and they just hit the spot! It's a small shop with some really good tasting empanadas; I really do recommend trying them out!! I'll always come back for more! read more

The Empanada Maker - Chicken and Beef empanadas - New American Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

On the door there is a sign "free regular coffee with any $5 breakfast purchase valid during breakfast hours only" I spent more than $8 and the attendant didn't even offer it to me. disappointed with this store. read more

The Empanada Maker - New American Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

Only been here twice and so far we liked it. We got the original chicken and beef . We also tried their Philly. cheesesteak

So many choices! They were out of a few that I wanted to try, but there were plenty of options. Beef Pot Roast & Pork Chili Verde had great flavors. I also had a breakfast one with chorizo. Although it was good it wasn't a stand out of course I would like it to be much bigger! Although I think they have great flavors & great choices, I would just like a little more traditional with the ground beef and the olive. And it was pricey for each one, But definitely gets an A for choices. read more

The Empanada Maker - Empanadas #3B-Breakfast Chorizo #3B-Breakfast Chorizo, Beef Pot Roast #10-Chile Verde - New American Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

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It's ok. Nothing to yell about. You have to pay for your sauce selections. Today they made them fresh so was better than average

Well, they start at 3.29 to 3. 79 each..: We purchased these a lot in the past three years, I'm still not sure why. Maybe out of convenience. The guys cleaning the ice thing, the liquid. I do wish you had gloves and Disinfect for germs, and did a thorough job. But he was using a container from the store. I don't know maybe I'm being picky but... I am prone to stomach prob. So I don't use ice. And seeing this occur, kind of reminded me as why not to or use the soda dispenser. My suggestion is you get a bag of empanadas to go, they're a bit cheaper, and Drink some thing at home. read more

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Frequent Customer I found a great Groupon deal while hanging out at a doctor's office at that same center as Empanada Maker. I purchased a Groupon for $21 for $30 worth of Empanadas. I was able to get a dozen empanadas which were marked with a number and on the receipt was a key listing out the numbers and which filling it had inside. The empanadas came with a large amount of chimichurri sauce to accompany the flaky bites of carb goodness. Pros: -friendly/quick customer service -clean restaurant -good/organized system of what's inside each empanada -easy to reheat and enjoy -love the Groupon offer Cons: -none You can't quite stop at one empanada, if you are like me, order a few, and savor them before the kids come home from school! read more

The Empanada Maker - See the numbers!!! - New American Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

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The flavors and variety of empanadas at the Empanada Maker are like none other I had tried, and even exceeded my expectations. There are a number of unique, delicious selections including both savory and sweet dessert choices. The savory choices are stuffed with meaty fillings, cheeses, spinach, spicy starches or any combination of them. The crust is flaky and not as doughy as the versions I have tried at so many other places before. The filling inside is always piping hot when you first get them, and oozing with flavors and meaty goodness. Order at the counter and they bring it to your table if you are dining in. Prices range between $2.49 to $2.99 each. For a nice hearty meal, I suggest ordering 3 to 4. And there are number of good choices for dipping sauces. They even stamp or imprint a number on the corner of each empanada so you know which selection it is. You can get them as a combo meal with a side dish and drink at very reasonable prices. Their tasty sides include deviled egg potato salad, slow-cooked jalapeno black beans, cole slaw, seasoned fries and my favorite, chimichurri rice. The chimichurri rice is white rice mixed with their chimichurri sauce, onions, peas, corn, bell peppers. Service is friendly and very helpful with offering suggestions on what to order. With so many choices, there is bound to be a personal favorite for everyone. There are also a number of frozen empanadas to-go in convenient family size packs that start at $26.99. Located just off the I-5 freeway from the La Paz exit heading east. A good option if you are looking to try a delicious alternative to the usual fast food choices. read more

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I was really excited to try this place, and I will say the empanadas that we did received were delicious to okay. Ranking from best to okay... 1. Philly cheese- Theee favorite for sure, super flavorful 2. Ham and cheese- only got 1out of the 3. This came second because of the salty and sweet and cheesy goodness, I really wished I got the other two that were missing... 3. The four cheese- really good, it's what a quesadilla would taste like minus the tortilla, add puff pastry. 4. The beef- this was good, not my favorite but I don't hate it, has a slight Mexican blend taste. 5. Chicken Beacon- really excited about this one but it fell short so it was only okay. I would get it again if in the mood for it. I'm giving them a 2 star for the good empanadas that I got. I'm subtracting 3 stars for bad attitude and being unorganized when I called to informed the restaurant. I got my order from my door dasher and off the bat I was missing our drinks. Not entirely the driver's fault... Upon careful inspection , I realized we are missing 2 empanadas, both were ham and cheese. I called the store and the guy on the other line said" oh shit" how professional, not a sorry or my bad, but OH SHIT... then I said you also forgot 2 empanadas, he doesn't say anything.. I was like hello and he was like we are busy... look I get it's a pandemic and things are hectic, I was also aware that on door dash it said 35 to 45 minutes, I'm cool with that, I was actually thinking it would take close to an hour, so I didn't care if I got it in the 45 minutes wait time. WHAT I DO CARE ABOUT IS THE BAD ATTITUDE AND THE BAD EXCUSE THEY GAVE ME! SO PLEASE TELL ME STRAIGHT UP, is the excuse of " we are busy" suppose to excuse you from not checking and being disorganized and not giving people the food they paid for? I know it's covid. I would have wait longer for you guys to get it right, this just makes me think I can't trust to get food delivered from here, and I'll have to excuse this place for the employee's bad attitude... Maybe I'll try ordering from here and dining in because the food is good... attitude aside. I did tell the guy I'm not coming to get my missing item because that just defeats the whole purpose of delivery. I actually had to ask for a refund for the missing items, the guy didn't even offer, so we will see if he even refunded me... I'll let you know. read more

The Empanada Maker - My delivery order, they forgot the drinks and 3 empanadas... - New American Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

Quick service. Good empanadas. Hot and fresh. Great filling. They had take and bake ones too. read more

The Empanada Maker - Beef and Chicken Empanada with Chimichurri sauce - New American Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

Quality & taste has changed. Second time I've tried in quite a while & was disappointed to find the taste of our go to fav's has changed drastically! Not very good at all. Both contents & shell on Chicken Florentine were burned/over cooked. The cheese in the ham & cheese is different & was just a large flavorless gelatinous clump. Same with the 4 cheese empanadas. Sadly will not be dining there again. read more

I stopped by the empanada maker tonight after work and was really excited but didn't have the experience I hoped for. I should have checked my order before leaving, but I assumed that between a large box and two bags they had my order covered. I got home to realize that the two dessert empanadas, my drink and also my ranch were all missing. I also ended up with Two wrong empanadas of the 4 that we did receive. I'm not sure if they are always so greasy but these were dripping with oil on the bottoms as well. Overall I was disappointed. read more

Delicious little meat and cheese filled pillows that just showed up my door. Well, not really... We hosted a party at my house last weekend and a guest brought these as a gift. Great gift! These were very good. I had two within seconds of opening the box, a chicken and cheese. The cheese was good, but a little too cheesy for me. My favorite of the two was the chicken empanada. This was stuffed with chopped up chicken breast, garlic, onions, peppers, potatoes, and peas. The flavors all shined and the crispy empanada crust was the perfect texture to round it all out. I need to make a trip here to the actual store and see what their breakfast menu is all about. Breakfast empanadas? Count me in! read more

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I have been wanting to try this place for a while and I'm sooo happy I was finally able to. From the moment you step into the shop, the staff is super friendly, very nice, and super helpful. Not to mention the fresh aroma when you step into the shop. These empanadas are delicious. We ordered a dozen to try a few and all of them were amazing. We got the pot roast, chicken Florentine, diablo, coconut, and lemon empanadas. The sweet empanadas came in a different bag, but we put them together for the pictures. You really can't go wrong with any of their choices. Each empanada has the word enjoy on them and the corresponding # so you don't have to guess which one you are picking. This is definitely a place I'll be visiting more often. read more

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Came here around early afternoon because of the good reviews. Upon arrival, I saw empanadas were already made and sat in the warmer. I felt disappointed somehow. I thought it would be fried right after I ordered. Yet I still gave a shot since I was there. Sizes of empanadas were fair and each of them had a number at the corner so you would know what flavor was that. Yet you gotta remember the item with number. ( They did write on the bag, no worry :p ) I Ordered spinach and cheese from regular section and the spicy one from specialty section. Spinach and cheese: the filling was good amount and once I was biting it, the filling may be dropping out. Yet the dough was kinda warm. Nothing too surprising. The spicy one: ( keep in mind I eat quite spicy) This one they put ham inside and it's pretty spicy for people who don't like spicy or like mild. It tingles your lips and tongue. Was a bit disappointed that they used ham not shredded meat like traditional empanadas. I am not an expert of empanadas but I had better and more authentic ones comparing to this place. I would say only if you are nearby you can give a shot. ***The dipping sauce is excluded. It is not like other place which includes one dipping. You will need to pay 49 cents I think for a sauce. ( This is a turn down for me also) To me personally, I won't come back. I prefer fresh made by order instead of empanadas sitting in the warmer. The price ain't much different. read more

The Empanada Maker - Spinach and cheese - New American Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

Their empanadas are delicious. The service is friendly and your order is made quickly. The inside is fairly small and not much to it, but the overall quality of the food is worth it. Would recommend to anyone looking for great breakfast or lunch treats. read more

I thought I wasn't an "empanada person" because all the other empanadas I had tied in the past were just so boring. Then my Huns and Introduced me to this place. OMG I love love love them all. Too bad they haven't branched out to other locations in Orange County. That's my only selfish complaint ;) read more

The Empanada Maker - New American Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

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Came here around lunch time to pick up a quick on the go meal for my girls. We got the Diablo, Chile verde, chicken, and beef. They were all really solid and delicious! My girls really loved the chicken and Chile verde, I enjoyed the Diablo, had good kick!! You can taste the quality ingredients. Definitely worth checking out for a quick snack in Mission Viejo. read more

A report from the happy customer. We had an empanadas crave and then found The Empanada Maker. Excellent variety of empanadas - beef, chicken, pork, cheese, many different options. Empanadas are beautifully baked, not greasy at all. We were getting empanadas to eat at home, and I was wondering how we will be able to distinguish them. So each empanada has a little number baked into crust, and the receipt shows the number against each type of empanadas - very easy to distinguish. Don't miss on delicious French fries. Excellent service, friendly and prompt. Definitely recommended. read more

The Empanada Maker - Empanadas - New American Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

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Damn these fries are good. In a quiet little strip mall of La Paz, this place offer great food and friendly service at a reasonable price. (And if you're lucky, you can get some of yesterday's empanada at half price to go!) read more

The Empanada Maker - Combo #1 Empanada, fries and a drink $7.49 Philly Cheesesteak - New American Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

Empanadas were tasty, first time trying this business. The cashier was friendly and helpful, explained the menu and was patient. We let a few people go ahead since they have a big menu and variety. Tried the classic beef and classic chicken but tried the Philly cheesesteak and Diablo to explore. The non traditional flavors are better to explore. Only knock was that the only gave me one dipping sauce for 12 empanadas, at least two different to try some of the other flavors!? read more

The Empanada Maker - Empanadas - New American Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

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I came here because I wanted a snack. I like snacks. I like snacks right next to the freeway after a drive. I like this place. The menu was a little confusing...can't a girl just get one empanada? I don't want 20...but I actually do. There is a reason why I couldn't find the price of one on the menu. Because I'm weird for wanting one. I'd assume most people are popping these babies like it's nobody's business. Also don't worry about the price of one because it's only a few bucks. Anyways, I got one. The spinach and cheese. It fit perfectly in my hand. It was hot. It was toasty. It was like creamed spinach. It was like creamed spinach in a warm, fried cocoon. Seriously. Eat here. Try them all. I'm going to. read more

The Empanada Maker - #5 - Spinach & Cheese Empanada - New American Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

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The empanadas are so good I ate 4 of your empanadas. The colors of your restaurant is exactly like the colors of my restaurant. The service was really fast. I highly recommend everyone come eat this read more

Some are just pretty good. However, the ones with cheese are interesting. The cheese they use isn't like a yummy, melty cheese... it's like this sour, thick and chunky cheese almost similar to cottage cheese... Also, the breakfast bacon empanada literally had no bacon inside of it. I think I got maybe 1 tiny sliver of bacon and one tiny piece of potato and the rest was basically all that weird cheese... My main concern.... PLEASEEEEEEEEE switch up the cheese recipe... read more

All I can say is chicken bacon ranch. Yummm. My husband and I love their empanadas. They have a good assortment on any given time if the day. Sometimes they're out so if you want something in particular you can always call. Been coming here since I was in high school. Always delicious read more

Unbelievable empanadas. Ham and cheese, pizza, and four cheese are my favorites. Cameron, the owner is also super friendly and professional. The fries are also yummy read more

This place is horrible. I have known of this location for some time now, but very seldom find myself in the Mision Viejo area. On Friday, March 24, the stars aligned, and I found myself in the neighborhood to try this place out. What a complete disappointment. The two older gentlemen working appeared confused and completely overwhelmed....by the kicker is, there was only a handful of customers present. I watched as they screwed up order after order. They were completely incapable of any form of organizational service. Instead of focusing on completing one simple order at a time, I watched as they partially assembled one order, then jumped to another, then back to another....and never really accomplishing the initial task. When it came to my order, I purposely ordered empenadas that were already ready in the warmer thinking that would save time. Nope! Still waited 15-20 minutes for my order...again...the kicker...there was nobody ahead of me in line! I watched as a few customers walked in behind me and their orders taken. The two gentlemen walked back and forth and spun around behind the counter more times than I can count as they tried to figure out what to do. When they finally got to my order, they merely grabbed the pre-made empenadas from the warmer...which was my plan from the beginning. I watched as the gentleman opened and closed the box containing my empenadas at least 4-5 times looking confused each time. I thought, "What could he possibly be checking over and over?" Well, I finally got my order....decided to eat on the run in my car....no surprise here....they screwed up the order!!!! As a side note....and not a good one....bought some take and bake empenadas for my mom to make at home. FAIL. The package was mislabeled and weren't even the empenadas my mom asked for. So....if I have to say anything positive...its that the empenadas, although not what I ordered....we're tasty. Just tasty. They were not what I would consider "authentic" empenadas...more of a SoCal knock-off of a traditional Argentinian/Mexican dish. It is pretty pricy as well. So bottom line.....will not ever be coming back to this place. read more