A must get to bring to parties! These hand-held pockets of bold flavors and savoriness satisfy hungry humans and picky eaters. The Empanada Maker is generous with their fillings and doesn't have too much breading in their pastry. CROWD PLEASERS + Chicken Florentine (specialty adds $0.50): A good pick for health(ier) eaters. Hearty pieces of lightly breaded chicken breast, spinach, onions, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and mozzarella cheese. + Pork Chile Verde (+ $0.50): Slow roasted pork, green chiles, pinto beans, rice, jalapenos, onions & cilantro. + Special Emp (Pepperoni, +$0.50): I guess this flavor changes (not sure how often), but at the time of order it was Pepperoni. It sure tasted like a handheld pepperoni pizza (and I love pizza). Think of it as a mini calzone. It was just a bit greasy for my liking, but that may just be me. I'd still recommend it though if you like pepperoni. SAVE MONEY TIPS + 15% off your first online order. Pick up only. Link via Yelp's "Get Offer" button. Discount will automatically be applied in your check out cart. + $3 off any dozen empanadas if you check-in via Yelp. Their number system isn't as efficient for parties, especially if the order ticket isn't around to denote the flavors. It would be best if they just imprint abbreviations of the flavors directly onto the empanada. read more

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After coming to this location for over 5 years I am extremely disappointed in the food and service and attitude by the staff. During the my last 3 visits I have had empanadas that were under cooked, when I called to tell staff my empanada was so undercooked I couldn't eat it the staff responded with "ok, I'll tell cook" then hung up in me before I could respond. I submitted a complaint through the app that was never answered. The next visit my fries were completely under cooked and soggy. Now they are charging for things they never charged for before with attitude. When I asked if there was an email or anything to contact the manager I was told no. This used to be a go to lunch spot for me and my coworkers but the horrible service and undercooked food has turned us off to this spot that used to be excellent. read more

I used to frequent this place all the time before I moved. The empanadas are delicious and definitely something I crave from time to time. I also found that they sell it at a bar in Lake Forest area. They also come frozen in 4 packs and great to heat up at home. I got this as apps for my friends to try and they all loved it! Flavors: Original Chicken: good Chicken Florentine: hit amongst friends Spinach and cheese: really good, probably my second favorite and a good veg option The Diablo (pork): my ALL TIME FAVORITE. It has some sweetness and also has the perfect spicy kick. Great with the chipotle sauce to cool it down. Chimichurri rice: really good, but don't overdo it since it's rich My favorite sauce is the chipotle one. I also get the cilantro avocado one (but this one turned brown after a few days in the fridge). Dessert empanadas were not my favorite. Service: friendly Ambience: few tables to sit at, but most of the time I never saw anyone sitting there. It wasn't open for dine-in when I went. Price: OK, not the cheapest, but 2-3 will probably fill you up. When I went this time I had to pay for the sauce (don't think they used to charge before). Wish the first sauce was free. Parking: really easy, plaza is never full. Right near the freeway and easy to get to. read more

Got beef empanadas covered in cinnamon sugar when we ordered the apple cinnamon empanadas. Mistakes happen, I get that! But just a heads-up for guests and staff. read more

The Empanada Maker - Beef filling in 2D Cinnamon Apple - New American Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

I've been coming here for years and have loved the empanadas. They have good flavors and good sauces. The ambiance is pretty casual, they have a couple tables and chairs inside but I rarely see anyone dining in. It seems that most people take to-gos. As for the service, I'm disappointed. I typically know what I want but this time I was buying some for someone who's never had it and I was asked to surprise them, so I was taking my time choosing which to get (I can't just get one of each since they're about $4 each). I had ordered six initially but I wanted to add two more and a lady who was "heating them up" came up to me with an attitude saying "well that's going to take more time since I only heated up two, so..." (since I only ordered two) and I don't mind being informed that I need to wait or even waiting, since I love the empanadas. But just the attitude bothers me. As if she was annoyed that I ordered more after. I really hope I don't run into her anymore because I don't wanna have to find another empanada place. read more

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

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In a small strip mall whose largest feature looks like Starbucks, in the corner is the Empanada Maker. After visiting my doctor in the complex, I decided to give them a try than to suffer in hunger for the rest of my errand days. Upon entering, nobody working in the store acknowledges your presence. Nice. Cashier up front seemed to expect me to know how everything worked and when it was obvious that I didn't, by asking questions, going "oh! Everything you have available is in the glass display?", they still didn't acknowledge me or even try in assisting. I read their about me after I ordered so I understand that they're fast casual, however it blows my mind that they don't have everything in stock. Out of all the dessert empanadas, they only had one available. Considering this is kept chilled in their fridge, I really wonder why they don't keep them fully stocked. Out of the breakfast empanadas, only two were available. This is about 11 am. I was going to consider getting a full dozen but there weren't enough flavors available for it. Their flavors are good though. Well cooked and well seasoned and flavored. I would have given a full 5* but the service was pretty poor. If you don't want to work there, why work there? read more

I had an ubereats deal so looked around the area for some food and couldn't decide on anything. Finally, I saw The Empanada Maker with great reviews on Yelp. I only had empanadas once so I decided to try it again. I ordered so many empanadas: the spinach and cheese, veggie, four cheese, and guava and cream cheese. They didn't call me to tell me that they were out of guava and cream cheese and instead just substituted it with cinnamon apple. I was debating between the two so I didn't mind, but a heads up would have been nice. My favorite of them was the veggie, then spinach and cheese, then cinnamon apple, and finally four cheese. The cheese one was just too filling and plain for me. The veggie one had so much flavor, I just wish there were more potatoes in it. The cinnamon apple tasted like an apple turnover. Overall it was great and filling. I would definitely come back when I"m in the area again. read more

Yummy! This is my 2nd time getting to eat here bec we live in downtown Long Beach. I cannot recall what I had the 1st time, but I know it wasn't the ham and cheese bec it is simply unforgettable. I actually bought the frozen pack to go home. I split the Philly with my hubby and we both thought it was good. Chicken bacon ranch and chicken were also good in my hubby's opinion. I didn't try them. We also had the Blueberry Cheesecake and Coconut Cream Pie and those were so DELICIOUS! We bought 3 more of each to take home to share as well. With our adult children :-) The 2 staff were busy busy busy cooking and packing up orders and taking orders and serving....crazy busy, but we taste why :-) The only disappointing part was I really wanted a dozen mixed empanada's to take home frozen and that's something you have to order a day before. But there is a new location in Costa Mesa so I'll be visiting that store soon :-) read more

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Good to order for take out- parties,picnics,or potlucks. Varieties to choose from.Chicken Empanada, Chile verde chicken are best from the list. read more

I honestly don't know why it took me to be quarantined to try this place out!!! OMG it was amazing!!! I tried the chicken, pork Chile verde, diablo, beef, and Pot Roast. I ordered two dips, the Chipotle Ranch and Chimichurri. You can definitely eat them without the dips but they definitely elevated them to a new level! I was worried about how I would know which one is which then saw on Yelp they number them! Genius!! My plan was to eat a couple for lunch and save the rest for later. Well that didn't happen. They were all gone in one sitting. Very filling and I may regret my decision later but at this moment it was all worth it! I will order again and try some of the same and some different ones! They do have a nice selection of different options including dessert!!! AAAA+++++ read more

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

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They forgot to put the salsas and one empanada. Also the empanadas I did get didn't taste good. Particularly the beef ones. I'm not sure how or why they forgot to bag my whole order if they were not even busy. Place was empty. I'll never come back to this place. read more

So many options it was hard to choose, but I was grateful for the employee taking my order to give suggestions and feedback. Something I always appreciate when I don't know what to order. It sounds weird, but the philly cheese steak empanada is AMAZING! I wish I would have gotten two of them. And the apples and cinnamon reminds me of a fresh McDonalds apple pie. Their chipotle ranch was a great sauce for most of our choices, which was an employee rec. They also have frozen take and bake options. If I would have been headed home some breakfast ones would have been coming with me. read more

The Empanada Maker - Go for the dozen! And totally add sauces - New American Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

I am one to always support new small businesses, and the only reason it gets 4 stars is because the food is actually really good! But the young lady at the register was rude and made it seem as if me spending money there was an inconvenience to her life. I do not know if it is her business but if It is she needs to adjust her attitude towards people and if it isn't then management needs to address it. Terrible employees can kill a great business! Anyhow go try their empanadas! The ham and cheese one is absolutely delicious! I would have ordered more but just didn't want to deal with the attitude of young lady working there. Hopefully I can try again with a more friendly face upfront read more

Thanks to Yelp, I found the best tasting, and freshest empanadas I have ever tasted! Plus, their prices are reasonable ($2.99 - $3.49 each), their portions are big, and the fillings are generous. Service: 5 out of 5 I was greeted immediately upon entrance by a nice lady at the register. Since it was my first time here, I asked so many questions, and the lady patiently answered them all. I wasn't sure which ones to get, so I went with her suggestions. For to-go orders, they usually call your name to pick it up at the counter when it's ready. This time, the same lady came outside where I was seated, and handed me my order. It was a really nice gesture which I truly appreciated. Food: 5 out of 5 I ordered 6 different flavors of their empanadas: Chicken, Beef, Philly Cheese Steak, Chicken Florentine, Chicken Bacon Ranch, and Diablo. I planned to take it home for hubby and I to share, but I couldn't help it and grabbed the Philly Cheese steak to taste. It smelled so good, so I thought I'd relish the freshness. And sure enough, it was so fresh that it was piping hot, and had to wait a bit to cool off. After that, I couldn't stop eating it! It was so delicious! The dough was just perfect. It wasn't too thick nor too thin. The filling was generous, but it wasn't overwhelming either. It was amazing! It had the perfect amount of cheese and flavor. I couldn't stop at one, and immediately grabbed another one. The next one I grabbed was the Chicken, and it was also very delicious. The next thing I know, I was on my third. Good thing my phone rang, which distracted me from eating the other 3 which was meant for the hubby. Yelp reviews recommended getting a dipping sauce (50cents/sauce), but it didn't need it. The empanadas were perfect the way they were. They were tasty and delicious without any dipping sauce. Ambiance: 5 out of 5 They're tucked in the corner plaza with beautiful tall trees on the lower side. They also have tables outside with a forest view. It's refreshing to sit outside during sunny, cool SoCal weather. Overall, this is my favorite place for fresh, delicious empanadas, and I already know I will be coming back for more to taste the other flavors on their menu. read more

The Empanada Maker - Someone stop me from eating these! I've finished 3 already! It's fresh, hot, and so good! - New American Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

These Agentinian empanadas are pretty darn good. I stumbled upon this place when doing a search for lunch on my Yelp app and decided to give it a try. I love South American empanadas but rarely find ones I like. This small shop has several filling options including cheese, chicken, veggie...but I went with a ground beef and also a ham & cheese. I opted for a meal combo which comes with a drink and a side (I chose chimichurri rice). I additionally got some chimichurri sauce to dip my empanadas into which is a "must". The beef empanada was quite good with hard-boiled eggs, potatoes, black olives, garlic & onions ground in. The flavor was excellent although I prefer empanada fillings to be a bit chunkier rather than ground up. The pastry shell was prepared excellently - flakey, soft and delicious. The ham and cheese was good but unmemorable. The rice was incredibly tasty - remind me to start mixing chimichurri into my rice! My tummy had room for one more empanada so I went with one of their dessert offerings - a guava and cream cheese empanada. It was somewhat sweet and the guava was hot and soooo good with the cream cheese. The pastry shell didn't hold up so well and the filling started squirting out the backside (that's a phrase you usually don't want to hear when discussing food!) so I had to use a spoon to get every last bite. Other random stuff: It's located in a small plaza and seems to have enough parking (at least for lunch), the bathroom was clean, there are a couple of nice booths hidden at the back of the store and they offer some breakfast empanadas (i.e. chorizo & egg). Although they're not the best empanadas I've ever had they are still comparatively better than most; I'll give them 3.5 stars for now and expect to come back to try some of their other fillings such as pot roast and pork chili verde. read more

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

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The Diablo and the Philly Cheesesteak are great. Mini family meal for a family of 3-4 is great with small kids. Fries are deliciously seasoned. Staff has always been nice and the place is clean. I haven't tried the breakfast ones but they sound delicious. Only been for dinner and always call ahead and they have it ready to go when I show up! 5/5 stars read more

The employee working the cash register today was extremely rude in tone toward me when I was trying to redeem the Off the Menu app promo just now. Claiming she does not know how to honor the promo as advertised. it clearly stated: "Your choice of two of any of their hot and fresh empanadas" and so I requested to speak with a manager. Her response was not present. She tried to charge me even though I showed the promo on my app and made it extremely difficult to redeem this award so I left. Beware of this person if you plan on visiting by his location on a Sunday around noon. It's sad I will probably not be coming back to this place and because the empanadas look fresh from the display case but with a lack of respect to all customers who were brought to the establishment because of an ad. Clear disrespect shown to me should be brought to management attention read more

For fast food, this place is pretty good. I would definitely stop by again if I'm in the area.

Delicious empanadas and side dishes! Today we ordered a dozen for the six of us. I had a supreme pizza one and a spinach one. Pizza was filled with little pepperoni and sausage and tasty spicy sauce and spinach one was delicious as well! The deviled eggs potato salad was excellent and the rice side had lots of peas and a flavorful taste! Employees are friendly! read more

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Everything here is amazing. I bought the roasted beef, chicken pot pie, apple pie, and other and they were all very flavorful. Just wish they had pineapple emanadas :(( read more

Strip mall location. Not as good as I had been told by my sister. It could be because I have had home made empanadas from Peru. OK, if you need a quick snack on the go . Bon Appétit! read more

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

Really good quality and fast service. I am Argentinian so empanadas are my specialty. These are not traditional and they have a lot of different options to choose from if you're willing to go out of the box. These are a great option for something quick and flavorful but a little overpriced. read more

Been here twice and the empanadas have always been good. She'll is crisp but not over cooked. I prefer the savory ones. Mmm

The empanadas were so good. I had the "original Chicken and it was over the Top! I also had the Coconut Cream Pie which was amazing! If you check in with Yelp you will receive a discount which was not needed. The food is amazing? If your in the mood for Empanadas you will not be disappointed! read more

The Empanada Maker - Coconut Cream Pie empanada. - New American Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

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This place is really great. They have a pretty cool variety of different empanadas and dessert empanadas. It is good for a quick pick up on the way home type of meal. read more

I like the empanadas - very tasty Sauces are fire Only reason I gave such a low rating is because I think the girl with the green eyes should get fired. TERRIBLE customer service!! she cut me off twice and seemed so unapproachable, where's the customer service?? read more

Needed to pick up a quick bite for some visitors and I was surprised I had never tried this place. We went here 45 mins before close and they were gracious enough to make a new batch of empanadas that they had run out of already. I thank the team for that. The service was friendly and quick. The flavors were all a hit but the beef empanadas were the most popular. I will be back to pick up some empanadas for myself soon ! read more

Delicious! Love the crust on these empanadas. Bought some for a Super Bowl party. They were gone in minutes!

I tossed it, greasy and starchy, good luck It really didn't matter what the feeling was read more

I saw this place on Yelp and had been craving an empanada. Well I was on my way to Popeyes when I got off the wrong exit and boom low and be ahold I passed this place. Everything happens for a reason. It was about 730 on Tuesday night. I got the combo with 3. I ordered the seasonal Turkey, pumpkin, and popular chicken. I first ate the Turkey. It had mashed potatoes in it and came with a side of gravy. I kept getting bites of potato with the empanada breading. I think the Turkey needs to be more evenly distributed. It was really good with the gravy. I bit into the chicken and instantly knew why it was a favorite. It was more moist and not as much bread on bread. I should've gotten the chimichurri sauce. The empanadas came with a mound of fries. Literally too much to eat. I saved the pumpkin one and took a bite while driving. It was served with a white sauce. I couldn't really decide what it was but realized the delicious pumpkin pie filling didn't need anything else with it. The pumpkin pie was amazing and they only thing that could take it the next level is maybe icing instead of the white sauce. It looked like whipped butter or cream, but by itself it had a taste I didn't care for. Glad I tried this place! read more

I've been coming here for several years and I'm very happy to have The Empanada Maker as one of my regular choices for fast, healthy takeout. I'm partial to their chicken empanadas but I have to admit that they are occasionally inconsistent as to their flavor profile. Sometimes they're a tad under-seasoned. Still, they're just off the 5 Freeway at LaPaz and are excellent for eating while you drive. No utensils, no drippy mess! The desert empanadas are plump and fantastic. The staff has always been friendly and efficient in my experience. But due to my past restaurant experience I NEVER order during peak hours at any takeout restaurant, so can't comment on how they handle the busy times. I do however drive there and order in-person. I don't rely on sketchy third party delivery services who tend to blame the restaurant staffs when things screw up, and not their slouchy staff of untrained, part-time gig-workers. So I ALWAYS leave with my order intact! There aren't many places that serve (and specialize in!) empanadas. I'm fortunate to be living in an area that's convenient to The Empanada Maker. read more

More empanadas than you can shake a stick at! I ordered online and the husband picked it up and the order was 100% accurate - which I honestly didn't expect. Every empanada numbered helpfully so you know which one you're biting into before you need to commit. Both savory and sweet ones were great. Sauces cost extra but I would not skip them as they really bring out the flavor of many of the savory empanadas. read more

We have stopped here on our way up to LA a couple times now and have had some of the breakfast and now the regular empanadas. My favorite was the beef one which was flavorful and juicy. I really like the flavor of the pastry on these, as some places the outside is a little bland or not flaky enough. The chicken cordon bleu was ok but not as flavorful as the beef and less cheesy and more dry than I would have liked. The pork chili verde was juicy and had a lot of green chilis if you like that kind. The ham and cheese was super cheesy but the ham itself seemed a bit bland. We also got fries, which were fresh out of the fryer, well seasoned, and yummy. The deviled egg potato salad had a good amount of egg but didn't taste especially like deviled eggs. It was ok. The dipping sauces are good but very runny and not necessarily worth paying extra for. We tried the chipotle ranch, cilantro avocado, and chimichurri. The prices are very reasonable given how filling the food is, and they do have a good filling to pastry ratio. Very plump empanadas. Convenient location for a quick stop! read more

I don't think I've ever had an empanada before or at least I can't recall having one. These were really good and fresh! I must say, I was most impressed at how clean and welcoming this little joint was. I loved that, even for a small "fast food" type establishment, you could see the open kitchen right near the register. They seemed to be using fresh ingredients and were making the empanadas from scratch. I ordered the spinach and my husband order the savory chicken and the sweet berry cheesecake. We really enjoyed everything! I think I am more partial to a kolache (Kolache Factory) when wanting something dense/bread based but, as far as empanadas go, these were very good! I think I will try the veggie one next time! read more

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

Having just had a great meal at the Empanada Man a month prior, it was nowhere near as good here. The dough very generic and dry, we wound up throwing the outsides away. Service is super nice, but super slow. For the fact that they open at 8 am and we came at noon, NONE of the empanadas were made yet and we waited a good half an hour for 18 empanadas and an order of Cole slaw since none of the other side's were ready yet. Not a fan of the slaw, we wound up tossing that too. Sauces were ok, but I don't like how they charge you for each one, we tried the chimmichuri which we liked and the avocado cilantro which was horrible, a same since it sounded promising. As for the empanadas, the only ones that we thought were ok we're the breakfast ones, ham and cheese, cheese and spinach, the rest weren't that great. In all, fun to eat something different, but I would not bother to come back here. read more

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I was on a road trip and had to stop at starbucks. This place was right across the street and of course being the foodie I am I had to sop in. Omg I ended up with a box full of goodies. My grandkids enjoyed some of the goodies from the savory to the sweet. I am definitly coming back! I definitly love this place and cant wait to come back. It is a place you need to stop by and check out and you wont be disappointed. Decent size location with friendly service and well kept up in my opinion. read more

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

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Ordered $270 worth of food for a party and gave them 5 days notice. I show up to pick up my order and they have no idea what I'm talking about. Same girl at the counter by the way. Now she has to scramble and begin baking the empanadas while I sit for 30 minutes and wait for my order. Should've been ready when I came to pick the up as agreed. Good product. Just wish an order this size was ready when it was suppose to be. A little inconvenienced but still a good spot read more

This place has the best empanadas in town. I always order multiple boxes for my brunch gatherings or office meetings. They deliver them hot and ready with each box clearly marked with the type of empanada. Highly recommend them. read more

3.5 stars We stopped by here for a quick and easy lunch since I've always loved foods that are self contained and do not require utensils. There are plenty of options when it comes to the tasty vital organs of the empanadas - some traditional, some more varied. I went with the Philly cheese style, a breakfast themed and a chorizo filled one for the stuffing of my pillow pastry lunch. They do make the empanadas on site but they have ones frozen for takeout as well in case you want to grab a dozen or more for enjoyment elsewhere. As such, I can't expect a freshly made piping hot from the oven empanada with all their varieties - that would take too long - but it wasn't a problem of course. The proof was in the taste. And the taste was good, it was a decent lunch, not too heavy - though of course depending on one's mood I could easily eat more than three but my proclivities towards falling down that food hole are well known. I enjoyed the Philly cheese the most but the other ones were fine. It was the pastry that I wanted to see a little more pizzazz...just a little bit richer, flakier, a bit more...well je ne sais quoi. Maybe that's not to helpful but sometimes you know it when you taste it. Magnitudes better beyond any than any soulless Nestle brand mass manufactured frozen limp pocket. Stock these instead! read more

This is a decent empanada place. They do have a variety of options, including several vegetarian options. They have combos with a side, such as rice. Service is quick and friendly. I tried the four cheese, spinach & cheese, and veggie. I would say the spinach was my favorite, it was more balanced than the other two. The crust on these empanadas is on the hard, drier side, instead of the flaky pastry type. I got the chimichurri rice, although it had good flavor, the rice was too mushy to my liking. You can order just one to dozens if needed. read more

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