Alright! So I ordered my empanadas and they came out Freshly fried and not like they were in a warming draw! That's all I ask for. Fresh food! I had a cheeseburger and Pizza empanada. Soooo delicious! I'm glad they corrected their methods because before I could definitely tell the empanadas were kept warm (Not hot) in a warming draw which made them Not Crispy and fresh tasting. Great job. Service was on point as usual. Environment was perfect as usual. Nice Latin jams, salsa playing lightly in the background. Patrons enjoying themselves while munching and conversing. If you're looking for fantastic empanadas or great Cuban food this is your spot here! Gotta try this spot out! Ok! Have a great one yall! -Ray

I truly can't believe I've never left a review for this place yet. One of the best places to eat in the city, for sure. It's a super cozy restaurant but still with ample space to move around. I would always come here for their empanadas, but recently, I actually ordered something else off their menu, an actual dish. I ordered the Carne Sudada, and it was amazing. The beef was so tender and packed with flavor, and the sauce had the perfect balance of richness and spice. It came with rice and plantains, which made the meal even better. Every bite was comforting and full of the kind of flavors that make you want to come back again and again. As always, the service was great, and the food came out fresh and hot. Whether you're grabbing empanadas or sitting down for a full meal, this place never misses. Safe to say I will be expanding my usual order from now on. PS: For empanadas, make sure you try the spicy chicken and viagra!

I love empanada mama. Typically I've visited locations that are take out. This location has a nice seating area that accommodates quite a few people. In total we had about nine people with us. We did not have to wait to be seated. They sat us immediately upon coming in. The waitress was extremely nice and patient. I ended up getting the reggaeton empanada. It's my absolute favorite. It has pernil and arroz con guandules in it with sofrito. Very flavorful. I also got the pork belly with tostones. It was absolutely amazing and a huge portion of pork. The pork skin was nice and crispy. The green sauce and hot sauce is an absolute must try on your food. Everyone really enjoyed their food. It did take some time to come out but we were a pretty large crowd and we all ordered so many different items. Everything came out piping hot and one after another. Overall we all enjoyed our meal here. The service was great. The table was clean. We all left stuffed and with doggy bags. I highly recommend this location.

Really enjoyed eating this empanada after a night of karaoking - it was surprisingly so busy that time (or so I was told). I think there was a private event happening that Saturday? Either way - I did appreciate the self order kiosk outside and that everyone else's order came out relatively quick. I ordered a few more empanadas (some veggie ones too) so maybe that's why mine took so long? I'm not mad and I'm sure I'll be back.

I went to this place a good long time ago. This review is abridged as we had a large mix and I didn't try all of them and I'll just go through the ones I remember; mostly being my favorites. I had a batido/shake to drink which was soursop/guanabana which was good (I got it with water, not milk as per my preference.) Service was fine and I remember them being very crowded, the place being pretty loud, and our group waited at the bar at the beginning. Best of the bunch as agreed by virtually everyone is the El Toro with chipotle, red wine, and spice braised oxtail with maduros. Lightly sweet presumably from the maduros/sweet plantains with a bit of spice and the meat had a bit of chew. Just well flavored and outstanding. Most others also loved the Viagra as well. I also liked the Reggaeton (Caribbean style roast pork with sofrito seasoned yellow rice and pigeon peas) The Hawaiian with ham, sauteed pineapple, and mozzarella was also solid with the bit of sweetness balancing out the saltiness. Desayuno Colombiano with pork sausage, cheddar, eggs, Spanish onion, and top round steak was fine. A bit salty but a good texture. The Bombay Empanada with curried chicken with chickpeas, cilantro, and scallions was unique and solid though the curry flavor was mild. BBQ Pulled Pork was OK though the BBQ sauce was a bit too sweet for my liking. Wouldn't recommend the buffalo chicken. The texture felt different and the blue cheese sauce just didn't taste good to me. We also tried the guacamole which was fine and it came with pretty solid tostones/fried green plantains as well as the churritos for dessert which were fine as well. Hard to complain. The empanadas can be a tad pricey but they have a fun mix of unique flavors. I think the related Mama Empanada in Astoria has much better empanadas but you can do much worse. Mid 3

This place was recommended to me by a friend of a friend from Queens who is now out west. I made sure to drop in with my nephew before going back to the other side. There's multiple locations in the city. We ended up here because it was the closest to where we were on our way to port authority. We got 4 pieces that we knew we would share at home. El Jefe, Viagra, Brasil and Desayuno Colombiano were the winners. First off, they don't skimp on the protein. And that dough. Don't even get me started on the perfect taste of it. That's why no matter what's on the inside, you're guaranteed a delicious empanada. My personal favorite was the el jefe. The mixture of the ingredients was just my jam. The nephew agreed. I honestly could've eaten at least two more which is why I'm bummed I didn't get more. See you next time.