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    Viva Empanadas

    4.4 (53 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 2 weeks ago

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    VIVA EMPANADAS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Happy hour specials
    Outdoor seating

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    Spanish Chicken Paella

    I wanted very much to love this restaurant. I will start with the good. There was no wait. The paella was good. The tostones appetizer was great. It's a very cute restaurant. That being said, they appeared to be short staffed so the staff wasn't as attentive as they needed to be. There were only two people at the front of the house and it appeared that they were running everything themselves. We were told that we could not order cocktails or mocktails. I'm assuming that their bartenders were not there. It was 6pm on a Friday. We ordered wine instead. We wanted a bottle, they did not have any cold bottles so we agreed to a room temperature bottle. My husband ordered rare churrasco, it came medium well. The chimichurri did not have enough acid to offset the fat from the steak. Overall, not the worst dining experience, but not one I'm anxious to repeat.

    Cuban Ropa Vieja
    Alexa H.

    Had a great experience here today!! We came in a group of three. The place was very nicely decorated, clean, and friendly! I would recommend any of there entrees. My friend and I split the empanada deal that is half a dozen empanadas. The margaritas were also fantastic. Can't miss place in Albany!

    Seafood paella
    Jody W.

    Let's start with all the positives: excellent empanadas with many variations available. The dipping sauces taste homemade and accompany the empanadas beautifully. The shrimp ceviche was a hit-flavors really popped and that was my favorite item from that meal. The paella was just ok. I had high hopes that I'd find some paella around here that I would insist on going back to, but I'd try something else next time. We ordered the seafood version but it was served with mostly chicken. There are some service issues: only one person (who we found out was the bartender) was managing the entire front of the house. Poor guy was taking orders, seating people and making bar drinks. Food was excessively slow to come out of the kitchen and many parties in line waiting to be seated left while observing a restaurant full of folks without food. After a bit, someone else showed up to wait tables and she was fantastic. Thankfully we arrived early enough to relax, eat and get to our show at the Palace on time. I did enjoy a lovely glass of Spanish red wine which I rarely indulge in these days. This place has lots of potential. Everyone is struggling to find and retain staff. Hopefully they'll work out some of those kinks.

    Viva Special (3 empanadas).  Spicy Chorizo, Chilean Pino, Chicken; rice & beans.
    Kent P.

    Hit and miss overall... Food was tasty but one of the empanadas came out cold. The other two were hot and all 3 tasted great. Service was strange and slow, but friendly. The food took quite a long time to come even though I was one of the only people in the restaurant.

    S S.

    Cute place. We didn't have a reservation and were seated right away. Service was good, food is great. Got the 3 empanada sampler and everything was very delicious. Steak and rice & beans were excellent too!

    Gluten free empanadas

    I ordered gluten free empanadas for pick up online. My order was ready when said. Friendly staff. So yummy. I will be going back.

    Half Rotisserie Chicken, 2 Empanadas (Spicy Chorizo (GF) and Colombianita (GF)), and lemon spritz.
    Phillip M.

    Visited this place twice on my quick trip to Albany. I'm a sucker for a good empanada and this bright and airy place scratched that itch. The empanadas are not huge and so it was fun to try a variety of them with friends for lunch. A few days later, when I came for dinner I also ordered half a rotisserie chicken, a lemon sangria-ish cocktail, and a tres leches cake. Overall, I found the empanadas the most exciting of my order. The beans and rice were flavorful and a nice addition to the chicken. However, the chicken was pretty tough and overcooked, despite solid seasoning. The most disappointing was the tres leches. This was a cake that did not seem to be covered in the three milks, but was rather sat in the three milks and was iced with a traditional vanilla icing. It made the cake cloying on top and overly soggy on the bottom. Plus, the cinnamon was a bit overwhelming. Overall, come for the lovely environment, the range of empanadas, and drinks. You won't be disappointed.

    Cubano Sandwich
    Annie F.

    Such a great addition to the Downtown Albany food scene! I went here for dinner on a Friday night and was warmly greeted by the owner and staff. The menu is great because it's not just empanadas - they offer several entrees. Though they don't have a liquor license, they have wine based cocktails so I tried the red sangria, which was awesome. For entrees, I ordered the Spanish Chicken Paella, which had chicken and chorizo simmered in rice, served with sweet plantains. It was delicious! My boyfriend ordered the Cubano Sandwich, mojo pulled pork, honey hams, and provolone, with fries. He also really liked his entree. For dessert, I ordered the churros, which were great too. Overall, a delightful dining experience with friendly staff and great service!

    Viva Special
    Santaliz G.

    I was very impressed. The rice and beans were well cooked and seasoned. Empanadas were crispy, and I haven't had an empanada with corn shell in a while. I like how they incorporated other Latin American sauces that deviate from the traditional salsa rosada and other dipping sauces which are also delicious. Only thing that was disappointing was that they stuffed the chicken empanada mostly with rice, which is a bit stingey to me personally, especially considering the dish I ordered had rice on the side. The other empanadas were good. I know most places would balance the stuffing with potato for a 50/50 ratio but this chicken empanada was 80% stuffed with rice. Food was ready within the expected pickup time. The staff are friendly ! The restaurant is spacious and aesthetically pleasing too!

    Chicken empanada
    Tony C.

    Cute little place in what I think was the old Bishop (RIP). Staff was nice, place had plenty of seating and a cozy bar. Food was excellent. Got the empanada platter and sweet plantains. The ropa veija were amazing. Next time I come back I want to try that in non empanada form. Sauces were a nice touch too.

    Guava and cheese empanadas, yuca fries, garlic oil dip, wine margarita
    Carla S.

    My husband and I enjoy eating at Viva. We have been here four times over the past six months. The chef is amazing and talented. All drinks and dishes are consistently delicious. The waitstaff is always kind. The owner works really hard every day. The space itself has a bright, airy interior design. Be aware that they have a beer and wine license. They do not have a liquor license. Their neighbors do have liquor licenses, so you can always start at Viva, then go elsewhere, if you must have hard alcohol.

    Special empanadas
    Leigh D.

    I enjoyed the food but the service was pretty slow. I was alone so I sat at the counter and was largely overlooked. It took awhile before I was asked for my order. Also, it took quite some time to pay out. The plus, empanadas were so good!

    Dan S.

    Look at how colorful these empanadas are! Aesthetically I loved how they came out; but once I started eating...wow super filling and probably top 10 empanadas place I ever had. I will look to come back and see how the other menu items are. I did have to wait longer than expected (especially for 2 empanadas) but I still will say really good!

    Vegetarian Arepas

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Business owner information

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    Veronica A.

    Dear Jasmin Thank you very much! We hope to see you again soon!

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Placed a catering order for empanada trays for a recent party. They were delicious and a big hit.

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    The food was delicious! Had a variety of empinada's and all we excellent. I especially liked their rice and beans!

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    L'Roca

    L'Roca

    4.7
    (18 reviews)
    1.2 mi

    Boyfriend and I were in Albany NY for one night - he wanted to go to Cheesecake Factory, but the…read morewait is apparently typically long on a weekend night (I have no idea - never been there!) so we decided not to chance it, and uber'ed from our hotel to this restaurant, hoping it would be good. I'll be honest - my heart sank as we got there, I almost cried. The neighborhood is *sketch*. The outside of the restaurant didn't look like much - but I felt better once we got in. Beautifully decorated with great lighting, lounge-style atmosphere. Great Latin music. We sat on the bar side as it was less busy. Beautiful bar with lots of options! Bartender made us **amazing** margaritas... omg were they strong! Loved it! Since we had never been there before, we played it safe. First we went with a fried calamari appetizer - not the best, but not bad - but then it's not typically something you'd order at a Mexican food restaurant. Boyfriend had the street steak tacos as main - hold the cheese as he forgot his lactaid, lol - and I had the steak quesadilla. Delicious! We loved it. The steak was especially well seasoned, not overcooked and sides were yummy. We ended the evening with churros - definitely homemade and on par with the ones we love at El Mirador in NH. Boyfriend even took his life in his hands and had some of the ice cream, couldn't resist - it was that good! Overall, as Boyfriend put it - this is absolutely a hidden gem type of spot - service was spectacular, food was delicious and we would totally return! (**Seated next to us were two young women on an obvious first date - girl #1 showed up, then girl #2 showed up a few minutes later with a big bouquet of flowers... what a nice touch! We just wanted to put it out in the universe - we hope you guys make it, you were super cute :)**)

    L' Roca was good. Food was tasty. Atmosphere is very nice. Service was a little slow at times. I…read morewasn't in a rush, but arrived hungry at lunchtime on a Saturday. I was warmly greeted, seated, and given a menu and then it took some time, well after I was ready, to be visited to place my order. No biggie, but I was ready and it wasn't busy, with guests at 1 other table. When I finished my meal, I waited again. Not a huge problem but a lot of side work was being done vs providing service. I let server know I was all set and he acknowledged then continued to make drinks for kitchen staff. I had ordered lemonade but after checking, it looked like they were out, so he offered the juice (without explaining). Food was very tasty. Lunch was $37 before tip, for 3 tacos meal, 3 empanadas app, and the fruit drink.

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    Latin and Grill

    Latin and Grill

    5.0
    (2 reviews)
    0.9 mi

    Sometimes I feel particularly aware of the futility of my trying to come up with a coherent star…read morerating system for Yelp. Is this place clearly and objectively better than places I've been to that have cloth napkins and cocktail programs but that only gave me four stars worth of delight in that particular moment? No, probably not. Did I have a delicious meal here for under fifteen dollars and feel five stars worth of cheerful? Yes, yes I did. I got three tacos -- chorizo, birria, and al pastor -- and a bottled drink. My tacos were fresh and flavorful and came with three excellent salsas (my fave was the avocado tomatillo, but they were all great) and a generous bag full of warm tortilla chips. They charged me something like $11.90 for everything, so once I shoved some bills into the tip jar I think I spent around $15.00. I ate outside at a sidewalk table on a beautiful evening and felt at peace with the world around me, despite the fact that I ate my tacos so quickly that I got the hiccups. In conclusion: this place is great and made me happy. You should come here, eat tacos, and feel happy too. The patient gentleman behind the counter also mentioned that their homemade empanadas are very popular, so I'll be back to try them the next time I get hungry on Madison Ave.

    The best empanadas I've ever had in my life. The verde sauce it comes with is just out of this…read moreworld I literally could eat this every day

    Viva Empanadas - latin - Updated July 2026

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