The filled turnovers called empanadas were once exclusive to Latin bakeries and delis. Today, though, they have inspired dedicated entrepreneurs (empanadaneurs?) across Long Island, and no wonder: The neat handheld packages are one of the world’s great portable meals.
Traditional fillings include beef, chicken, seafood, cheese and/or potatoes in countless variations — but why stop there? Newfangled versions might be stuffed with the makings of a Philly cheesesteak, (local) bison, even mac-and-cheese or — gasp! — Oreo and Nutella. Let’s go find some fabulous empanadas.
NASSAU
Almanjar By San Antonio
174 Rockaway Ave., Valley Stream
Ruben and Elizabeth Guzman opened their Chilean bakery in 1995, then added a dining room and became a proper restaurant. Now, their daughter Maria Guzman is taking charge. Empanadas, baked in the traditional Chilean manner, include a beef version that’s an enormous bruiser stuffed with shredded flank steak, raisins, olives and half a hard-boiled egg. All are enhanced by pebre, a Chilean hot salsa, which Ruben calls "the magic touch."
More info: 516-568-0075
Doce Empanadas
566 Westbury Ave., Carle Place
Empanadas are served in mini fry baskets at Doce Empanadas in Carle Place. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
"Doce" means "twelve" in Spanish and that’s how many empanadas are on the menu at Erika and Fernando Rodriguez’s charming shop. Fernando hails from Argentina, so that’s the dominant style in Doce’s kitchen. The bestselling beef empanada features a succulent, lively blend of ground meat, red and green bell peppers, sliced olives and hard-boiled eggs. Pepperoni-cheese and spinach-ricotta versions pay homage to Durazzano Deli, which used to occupy this spot.
More info: 516-333-5750, doce-empanadas.res-menu.com
Empanada Queen
830 Sunrise Hwy., Baldwin
Her Royal Highness Marcia Proano and her consort, Marcos, launched the Empanada Queen truck in 2016. Their empanadas are fried, the fillings made according to recipes developed by Marcia’s Honduran grandmother. The eight regular flavors are beef, chicken, cheese, pork, shrimp, turkey, vegetable (broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower and carrot) and mac-and-cheese. On the sweet side: peanut butter and jelly, Nutella-banana, apple, pineapple-coconut.
More info: 516-508-6625, empanada-queen.restaurants-world.com
The Empanada Spot
850B Main St., Farmingdale
This takeout-only shop, a Long Island outpost of the original in Bayside, Queens, is run by Marlen Otalora and her family. There are more than 40 varieties that can be made with either corn flour or wheat flour. Typical fillings include sausage, chicken, beef and cheese. More creative twists include a lineup of pizza-style empanadas, including the ever-controversial Hawaiian, made with ham, mozzarella and pineapple. Dessert empanadas include guava and cheese, sweet plantain and cheese or apples and cinnamon.
More info: 516-216-5708
Empanadas by Rose
1079 Hicksville Rd., Massapequa
Dayana "Rose" Emmanuel spends her days as a health care analyst. But in her spare time, she sells empanadas at Pappalardo’s Pizza Cove in Massapequa (Fridays only), as well as out of her home with two days’ notice — her packages of 5, 10, 20 or 30 empanadas go for about $20, $33, $65 and $90, respectively — but it’s her customized platters of 20 to 100 bite-sized empanadas that have really taken off. Emanuel has mastered fillings like Buffalo chicken, her "most popular" flavor, with beef and cheese close behind. She also makes dessert empanadas including Nutella, apple pie and s’mores.
More info: 516-242-3221, empanadasbyrose.com
Jessy's Pastries
3212 Long Beach Rd., Oceanside
Jessy Nahmias, a former math teacher, began selling homemade empanadas at fairs and festivals before opening a shop in Oceanside in 2016. Although most of the empanadas are baked in the Peruvian manner, the crisp snap of pastry feels like fried. There are classic beef, beef-cheese and chicken fillings but Nahmias, a long-standing vegan, offers many vegetarian or vegan empanadas such as roasted sweet plantains with cheese, soy chorizo with sweet plantains, vegan beef with rice and vegetables, barbecued jackfruit with sweet potatoes and vegan mac-and-cheese.
More info: 516-665-2226, jessyspastries.com
La Sevillana Bakery & Restaurant
481 Maple Ave., Westbury (516-280-6050) and 372 Fulton Ave., Hempstead (516-538-9857)
Bite-size empanadas filled with potatoes and soybean pods at La Sevillana Bakery in Westbury. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
The town of Sevilla, in the mountains of eastern Colombia, is called the coffee capital of that country, and this bustling bakery bursts with national pride. Although the ham-cheese-pineapple empanadas (Westbury location only) are made with wheat-flour wrappers, the lush beef and chicken are encased in golden corn. Don’t miss the empanaditas, bite-size packets filled with a potato mixture.
SUFFOLK
Caribeno
1231 Grundy Ave., Holbrook (631-619-6661) and 278 Ronkonkoma Ave., Lake Ronkonkoma (631-619-6661)
Here, empanadas are a gateway food: Owner José Ortiz said customers often ask for one to keep them occupied while they decide what else they might want to eat. The thin wheat wrappers develop a moonscape of surface bubbles during their time in the fryer; the skins give way to well-seasoned fillings of shredded chicken or ground beef.
More info: caribenony.com
Empanadas and More
155 Smithtown Blvd., Nesconset
Sandra Soler, owner of Empanadas and More in Nesconset, forms an empanada made with a corn shell. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
Sandra and Harold Soler command a small army of cooks engaged in the manufacture of 26 Colombian empanadas, using white-flour wrappers for 20, corn-flour wrappers for six. Standouts among the corn crew include the shredded beef and potato and a vegan number with white rice, black beans and sweet plantain. On the wheaten front, don’t miss the crumbled chorizo with potatoes and jalapeños or the vibrantly green spinach with feta and ricotta.
More info: 631-656-8270, empanadasli.com
Goodfood Cafe & Market
535 Pike St., Mattituck
Good food, period. That’s the mantra behind this little spot right around the corner from Mattituck’s charming Love Lane. Luchi Masliah’s empanadas include black bean and corn, Southwest chicken with roasted poblanos and tomatillo, barbecued pork and mango and (local) bison. There is always a selection of frozen empanadas (handy for home) as well as all manner of smoothies, sandwiches and bowls. There are plenty of vegetarian offerings as well.
More info: 631-298-7599, gfperiod.com
Island Empanada
601 Portion Rd., Ronkonkoma
Roy Pelaez is Bronx-born, Ronkonkoma-raised and of proud Puerto Rican heritage, and his empanadas range from traditional (shredded chicken, the bestselling beef with cheese) to cross-cultural (Philly cheesesteak, chicken-bacon-ranch, spinach and feta) and adaptations of other Latin American specialties such as Cuban sandwiches and pernil (roast pork). Empanadas are fried but can be baked for special orders. (Other locations: Commack, Medford, Merrick, North Babylon, Rocky Point and Shirley)
More info: 631-617-6427, islandempanada.com
Roadhouse Empanadas
An assortment of empanadas from the Roadhouse Empanadas food truck. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
There are more than 20 varieties turned out from the Centerport-based food truck run by Lisa Pyros and Michael Kreischer. Recipes are informed by Pyros’ mother’s Chilean heritage, but that’s just the starting point: These fried babies can be filled with chicken-bacon-ranch-cheese, chipotle or Buffalo chicken, sofrito beef or chicken, beef and cheese, black bean and plantain, mac-and-cheese, spinach and feta, crab Rangoon, Cubano or barbecued pulled pork. Dessert empanadas include apple pie, strawberry cheesecake, strawberry-Nutella and Cosmic Brownie. Check Instagram and Facebook for the truck’s schedule.
More info: 631-764-7248
Sabor Latino Bakery
1549 Brentwood Rd., Bay Shore
This friendly Colombian bakery turns out sunny yellow fried crescents, slightly squared off, that resemble Gabila's knishes. The chicken and beef empanadas are both made with corn-flour wrappers, and both meats are rounded out with potato. The friable crusts and creamy filings make these empanadas particularly easy to manage with one hand while you use the other one to back out of your parking space.
More info: 631-328-4735
Vicky's Casa Del Sabor
771 N. Wellwood Ave., Lindenhurst
Vicky Ramos has been making traditional Colombian empanadas out of a beloved takeout spot in North Lindenhurst since 2011, a decade before the handheld snacks became trendy on Long Island. These days, Vicky’s serves about 30 types, including traditional beef, chorizo and chicken with cheese. More playful versions such as mac-and-cheese, jerk chicken and Philly cheesesteak join dessert empanadas like guava and cheese and Nutella with bananas or Oreo. Take-away trays of a dozen empanadas can be ordered in advance.
More info: 631-225-5040
Compiled by Newsday's Melissa Azofeifa, Andi Berlin, Erica Marcus and Marie Elena Martinez
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