[Dearest empanada fans: If you commented on the previous empanada post, your recommendations have been added to the comments below. Please forgive us our double-postery.]

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I was in Buenos Aires last year and am dying for the taste of their delicious empanadas. Could you kindly steer me towards the best in Capitol Hill and also the best in all of Seattle? It would be so much appreciated.
Matt

Well, Matt, over here Megan Seling states that she much enjoys the taste of the empanadas (“crispy, fat… $3.99 apiece”) at Puerto Rican restaurant La Isla in Ballard. The empanadas of Mexican restaurant Agua Verde in the U District have been much admired (as, long ago but in fine style, here). Delicious empanadas have been obtained at the screaming-deal-of-a-happy-hour at downtown’s posh Mediterranean restaurant Brasa (as described by me: “One pork empanada ($4.50) seems paltry… but the meat is so tender-honeyed good, the pastry so light and lightly fire-blistered, it’s worth it”). The Salvadorean Bakery in White Center also has, if recollection serves, excellent empanadas. Spanish restaurant Bilbao in the U District has a different kind of empanada every day and is very much worth a try. Harvest Vine in the Madison Valley is beloved by many and sometimes has empanadas.

Thus is my local empanada intelligence exhausted—and, notably, with no empanada on Capitol Hill at all. Surely there is one?

34 replies on “Where Can This Fellow Matt Find the Very Best Empanadas? He Is Dying!”

  5. Unfortunately, all the real responses were on Schmader’s post, not this one, and thus are now lost.

    I seem to recall many votes for the El Salvadorean place in White Center.

  7. In the comments to my superfluous and now-deleted empanada post, folks recommended Buenos Aires Grill across from the Moore, Salvadorean Bakery in West Seattle, and Cafe Mundi in Burien. And several people supported the recommendation of La Isla.

  11. @2: Hey man, if you knew how good empanadas were, you’d be scrounging for them, too.

    I just came back from Buenos Aries as well and fell in love with empanadas so thank you for this post.

    My two cents: I dislike the deep fried version I had at Buenos Aries Grill (on Third and Virginia) recently, although the humita (corn and cheese) filling was very good, as was the wine and the service. I ate empanadas in three different places in BA and while they were all filled with different things and were of different sizes, none of them were deep fried.

    We tried making them at home and let’s say we need a little practice.

  12. Matt, the sad truth is, you are unlikely to get a real BsAs-style empanada in Seattle.

    I too, was in Buenos Aires last year, and succumbed to the light flaky baked dough and succulent fillings of the Argentine empanada (baked, not fried!) Empanada de queso y cebosha? YES! I dream about these small packages oozing soft cheese and delicate onion, and the lisping lilt of a porteno vendor saying “cebosha” instead of “cebollo” with a “y”.

    My bf became very fond of ordering “tres empanadas de posho y cebosha” (chicken and cheese). There was one particular place in Palermo Chico, out of our way, that we ventured to almost every day for our fix. You could almost die, they were so good.

    Alas, I have searched far and wide, and have come up with nothing comparable here. You are just as much out of luck if you experienced a vacation romance with the thick and juicy tartas de verdura o calabaza, nestled in a flaky crust, that were available at every restaurant and cafe in Buenos Aires. I crave them. Often daily.

    Good luck in your search. If you find a place in Seattle, send up a smoke signal or something.

    P.S. Yes, you can get them at Buenos Aires grill, but to my palate they are overdone and too fancy, and not at all similar to the simply prepared (but DELICIOUS!) BsAs fast food item.

  14. Best I ever had were in Sayulita, Mexico…mmmm spinach empanadas.
    Second best…made from scratch by my husband.
    No clue beyond that.

  15. Don’t stop at empanadas at El Salvadoran Bakery. I eat the tamales like french fries while waiting for them to dole me up my tres leches cake. I love that place.

  16. There’s two places on Beacon Hill – the DeLite Bakery and a little to-go place inside the ABC Market. Note that you have to pay cash at the place inside ABC Market as it’s run separately.

  17. I heart Argentinian empanadas too!!!
    Others have already said this – empanada styles vary widely from country to country. Kinda like a “New York” pizza is different from a “Chicago” pizza, except even more extreme of a difference. Asking for a BA-style empanada is asking for something pretty specific.

    NOT fried. And funny but scrumptious things in the fillings – like humita, or raisins in the beef, or hard boiled egg.

    A Central American or Mexican empanada is a different species.

  18. “tres empanadas de posho y cebosha”
    i loved the way you spelled out the accent. =)

    And guys, empanadas are different from country to country. Just like a tortilla in Spain is not the same as a tortilla in Mexico.

    As far as street Argentina food, I have to go with the choripan.

  21. Thanks, everybody. I’ve got a list and a hunger. Perhaps I’ll report back on which I feel are the best. I’m going to start with the Salvadorean Bakery and La Isla.

  23. There was a Puerto Rican food booth in the Fremont Market that sold empanadas on Sundays — even veggie-fake-meat ones. Did those guys ever get a space to open a restaurant? Granted this was a couple of years ago.

  24. Matt, if you manage, do somehow submit a report. I looked at their menu, and while authentic-looking, I have my doubts. I mean, no queso y cebosha? That’s like standard fare in BsAs.

    Of course, queso anything is standard fare there. I had several pizzas where the cheese was so plentiful that it not only spread off the pizza plate, but threatened to devour the entire table.

    As for me, I have consigned my vacation love affair with Argentine foods to pleasant memory, much as I have done with Parisian pastries, the churros y chocolate de Madrid, Roman pasta (or Roman anything, for that matter), and Russian pelmeni. There’s something about some foods that is difficult to replicate abroad – and much like I’ve given up on finding a good espresso in Seattle (srsly nothing here compares to “un cafe” in Paris or anywhere in Italy), I’m resigned to looking at my photos of empanadas and salivating as opposed to seeking them out.

    Oh – if there are packaged foods that you crave, Amigo Foods is a good source. I’ve ordered from them before – they have a reasonably good selection and are reliable: http://www.amigofoods.com/arpr.html

  25. Give up. I was in Argentina last summer, and there are no empanadas that can beat those found in San Antonio de los Cobres. It’s impossible. I ache for those empanadas.

  31. Well… today I hit up the Salvadorean and La Isla and I was severely disappointed on both fronts. Closest was La Isla, but a fried empanada is not what I want. Salvadorean had nice, spicy cole slaw though, which was pretty good. I search on.

  32. So great to read all the empanada talk! This is Alexis from Pampeana Empanadas…

    @Matt we hope you do decide to give us a try and let us know how we compare with the other options people have provided!

    @filolog, queso y cebolla would definitely be an authentic option to start offering, it’s great to get that feedback. Being a (very) small business, adding items to our menu is something we have to think over but yes if possible we’d love to get it worked in!

  33. Has anyone tried the Peruvian Empanadas at the Coconut Cafe 7631 NE Glisan? They have been open now for about 7 months in the Montavilla district. Their empanadas are made by a woman from Peru and they are so delicious! The pastry is light and delicious and they currently offer chicken, vegetarian, spinach and ricotta cheese, apple and a breakfast empanada with 3 cheeses, egg and veggies. Oh so good!
    Ive been checking out the internet posts and they have gotten a lot of good reviews. Check them out.

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