Pao & Cha Cha

The empanadas were really good and the sauces complemented it well. The french fries were delicious! The only thing I didn’t like was the fish, which didn’t taste fresh at all.

Food quality at Pao & Cha Cha is inconsistent. I have ordered the pork chop rice bowl about four times over the last two months, and two of those times, the pork was tough and flavorless. And last night more than half my box was rice, which was frustrating. The other two times, it was juicy and well-​marinated in a delicious Asian barbecue sauce. If it were like the latter every time I ordered, it would get 4 or maybe even 5 stars. I do have to say that I always enjoy the rallada salad.

After seeing all the great reviews I was really excited to try their food. I was extremely underwhelmed. The owner is very warm and friendly, but the flavors were very lackluster.

Just to update– since the restaurant opened, I’m assuming to maximize cost effectiveness, the quality and portions of some of their food has slightly declined. I still order the shrimp al ajillo, but miss the larger shrimp and larger portion that used to be provided. Flavors are not compromised and I’m still a fan of their empanadas. The prices have also increased, but I will still be ordering from them… Less often.

As much as I wanted to love my experience here… Wasn’t too thrilled about this place.
I decided to check this out upon searching food near Astoria park for the fireworks display last night.
4 stars… Yummy looking «real» pics of food… Small storefront… Sounded like all the reasons for a nice time.
I went with excitement for the bean and cheese empanadas and the coconut crusted fish– neither of which were available. Chicken was my next choice — also not available. There was talk of the ceviche display in front of the tiny shop and no ceviche to be had.
So instead we ordered steak box and the pork chop box which was recommended by the employee — both were a total disappointment. The steak was too chewy and the pork chop flavorless. The packaging was cute, although the side salad tasty too earthy with mediocre dressing (and i like salads).
The chef (part owner) was kind to replace rice with tostones at no charge (which were also just okay)… But she seemed frazzled. Frankly I felt bad she seemed overworked for the day.
The cheese and pork empanadas were the best thing ordered here.
The shark one, which we were told we had to get, wasn’t such a big deal in all honesty.
I checked in on Unilocal– where I found this little spot– and was excited about my free Chinese cookie offer for checking in– which they were out of «because the Chinese markets don’t carry it any longer», as i noticed 3 other types laying there and no peace offering for the lack of their offer. I feel this could’ve been a turnaround –but the moment was lost.
I like to give places a fair shot. Maybe someday I’ll try the coconut crusted tilapia and ceviche.

I really wanted this place to be better than it is. I’ve ordered from them several times because of convenience as they are a 2 minute walk from where I live. For some reason I always think the next time I order from them the food will be good but it’s just not. The food is not seasoned well if at all and the meat is often dry and flavorless. I’m giving up on them because it’s just always a disappointment.

What a gem for take-​out asian-​inspired south american food in Astoria. We only tried the empanadas (chicken and beef were both amazingly seasoned) and dumplings (cheese were good, skip the veggie), but it was enough to want to make me come back. They have somehow found a way to do a wonton-​like outside, with just a bit more ommph to it — but not too bready or dry as too many empanadas that you’ve had in the past. Make sure to sample the sauces — the green is great for empanadas, the wasabi-​tamari is good, and the ginger-​scallion is a nice offset.

Great tasting food at least what I order and I usually stick to the same. Its a takeout spot but they also do delivery. Employees are very nice and on top of their jobs. The store is always clean and the wait is never more then 7 to 10 minutes. The only down side is the store is small so staying in to eat is a problem since they’re not to many tables.

I really wanted this place to be better.
For a small take-​out joint, the vibe was great. Very friendly staff. We got three empenadas and twelve dumplings, and paid about $ 18.
I expected the empenadas to be larger, but they were quite small and consisted of mostly deep-​fried dough. The shark fin was in serious need of seasoning, and the cheese empenada contained a very small amount of your standard Mexican white cheese.
I normally expect dumplings to be pan-​fried and made from a rice-​based batter, but I’m pretty sure P&CC deep fry their dumplings in the same dough as their empenadas. Considering they offer both items with the same ingredients, I’m not sure why they don’t just «empenadas» and «mini-​empenadas.» Bottom line: we were expecting a lot less deep-​fried in our dinner than what we got.
For a comparable price, I can get an empenada with a lot more filling and better ingredients. Still, I might give them another shot in a few months. They’ve got some unique items, but I hope they will refine their approach a little.

The place is tiny but huge on flavors. I had the shark empanada which was delicious but more dough than meat. I chased it down with a delicious Maracuya (passion fruit) juice. Good place for take out. They have limited seating outside for warmer months. Not reccomended for eating in.

Extremely disappointing. I’m shocked this place has received such positive reviews. Yes, they are really nice. Yes, they have an intriguing menu. But the food is greasy, heavily fried, and simply not very flavorful.
The best thing I tasted were the empanadas, and even those were just okay (the cha cha sauce was the savior). The fried fish and potato wedges were soggy, and the roasted chicken was flavorless.
I really wanted to like this place – I could have used a good takeout place like this. Unfortunately, the food did not come anywhere close to matching the kindness of the staff and owners. Unilocal is typically fairly accurate, but this place is very overrated.

Love this place. Great little neighborhood spot for fresh imaginative food. They have some good combo specials and a variety of flavors.
It’s a TAKE OUT/​delivery joint, so don’t go there expecting a restaurant experience. I do believe they have tables outside in the better weather. I suggest popping in on your way to the park, but they do DELIVER to the park also! (Bring me spring please.)
DO go there with an open mind and appetite. The empanadas are banging and the wontons are delicious. My next order will be a full entrée and I have a feeling I won’t be disappointed.
First time there I didn’t know what to expect, and had a nice convo with the owner while waiting for my order. I was new to the area, and we BS’d for a while about the neighborhood and how homey it feels. 5 months later and it sure does!

I literally have been living right around the corner from this place for almost a year, and it wasn’t until recently that I decided to try it out — AND BOY AM I GLAD I DID! This place has become a sanctuary for me in regards to great food. I ordered the skirt steak with onions which is to die for. The meat was tender, juicy, and full of flavor. One day there wasn’t any skirt steak so I ended up getting the Chicken Caracas Way which was also very flavorful and delicious. Furthermore, the empanadas are made to perfection and the fillings are really tasty. I have to have self-​control sometimes when ordering from this place.
However, it wasn’t until I tried their tostones that got me hooked. I kid you not, as soon as I bit into one I was automatically catapulted back to my childhood where my mother used to make them frequently in my household. That did it for me.
Apart from the food, the employees are extremely friendly and care about their craft. I’m embarrassed sometimes to walk into the place though because I’ve caught myself ordering from them at least 3 times a week! Please don’t judge me. lol. It’s really that good!
You have to try it for yourself! Awesome awesome place!
Enhorabuena Pao & Cha Cha!

Tried a few bites of a friends food. It’s quite good BUT I may never get to actually eat here because they have the most inconsistent delivery hours. They are open but Seamless will have them sometimes and not others. This place is TINY — take out should not be their main business because if people are going to walk there, they want to sit and eat — and cannot because its tiny. Their delivery business should be HUGE but they don’t have a driver consistently, only at extremely random times.
Maybe one day the stars will align and I’ll look at Seamless and they will actually show up at that moment. (again, they are on Seamless, they just shut that service off often.)

Ordered again today. It’s sooo gooood! Got 2 molida (beef empanadas), the playeros, and the skirt steak. The empanadas are so plump and crispy and flavorful! I want to eat the other one but my stomach is protesting. Came with a bigger container of sauce than the little containers I got with my dumplings last time. Big plus! The green cilantro sauce is tangy sweet and good. Wish there was a hit of spiciness to it though, that would have made it even more awesome for me.
Playeros came smothered in cheese and sauce and soo crispy and delicious. But next time I have to eat those first before the ones on the bottom get soggy from the sauce.
Skirt steak, very flavorful but very tough… mainly I think because it was delivery and it steamed inside the box and got overcooked. Maybe I can see if they can make it rare next time so when it gets here it’ll be perfect. Nice fluffy white rice came with it and lots of tasty caramelized onions. Ohh and of course that super yummy salad with the pickles! There were a lot of pickles today, I was in heaven!
Yummy yum yum.

This review is for their delivery service. I have not eaten in-​house so take with a grain of salt.
I was really excited to try this spot, since I’d been hearing lots of buzz. My friend and I placed a Seamless order. Though the delivery time was estimated at 45 minutes, we received the food about an hour and a half later. They threw in a brownie bite (literally 1 — the size of my thumb) to make up for the delay, explaining that they had a rush of diners in the restaurant.
The food itself was interesting but not phenomenal. I had the tostones, which were smothered in a vinegar that rendered any other flavor lifeless. The fried dumplings tasted fresh, but nothing phenomenal. Coconut fish was good, but a bit rubbery since hot fish never tastes good when it’s been steaming in a box for over an hour. Everything was sorta mushy. They also gave us a little packet of Chinese cookies which were darling but tasted like rancid oil.
My friends and I dine out a lot in Astoria, and based on my experience, I’m not sure that I’d recommend this place to them. I’d like to think that this was an anomaly and try them in-​store again but if they are so overwhelmed by their own patrons perhaps they should turn off delivery service instead of spreading themselves so thin.

Absolutely loved the food I had here. The cuisine is Latin/​Asian and it works so well. The owner and chef was making all of the food the afternnon I came into the restaurant and I saw everything being made by hand right in front of me.
My boyfriend and I shared a few finger foods including cream cheese wontons with lemon and scallion (sounded weird but amazing), 1 pork empanada (my favorite) and 1 molida empanada. We also shared the tostones playeros.
Everything was cooked with precision, flavor was always on point and their green cilantro sauce was to die for.
Another plus is that they now deliver by me! Very excited. There were so many other things on the menu I wanted to try. Their menu can change and they frequently have specials so I recommend calling instead of ordering via online.
No real seating here, 1 small table inside and 1 outside. Basically it’s take out done right.
The one caveat is that the food can take some time to make so I recommend calling in advance to order before arriving/​delivery!
Can’t wait to eat here again!

I really wanted to give this place 5 stars however them making me pay extra for some green sauce to take with my food is just bad business.
I came here with a few friends and the food is delicious but this is more of take out restaurant since they only have one table. I tried the shrimp in garlic sauce, coconut fried fish and tostones. Everything was delicious and the portions are plenty. Everyone that works there was super nice and the food was made to order and tasted very fresh. They give you three different sauces to pour on your food-​cilantro, duck and hot sauce. The cilantro sauce its so damn good I couldn’t stop pouring it all over my meal.
I couldn’t finish all of my food so I took the rest to go, I asked them if they could give me some cilantro sauce to go and they charged me .50 per sauce. yes its not a lot of money but its more the principle. After having an amazing meal I was really disappointed.

This small place is getting a big reputation, and after eating here a couple of times it’s easy to understand why.
Simply put, the food here is beyond outstanding. The pulled pork empanadas were wonderful and tasty. Their cerviche, served on Fridays, was the best I’ve had since my trip to Costa Rica. I’ve also loved their salads.
Others have already said this, but it bears repeating, the cilantro green sauce is AMAZING!!! I couldn’t have enough of it. If the owners are reading this review, you should really look into bottling that sauce and selling it at groceries/​supermarkets. You’d make gobs of money!
Just a few things:
One, there is one table outside, and a small two-​person table inside, but this is not a sit-​down restaurant. Basically, this restaurant is take-​out or delivery.
Two, related to number one above, since this is a small operation, service can sometimes be slow, especially since Pao & Cha Cha’s has been gaining in popularity. I was last there on a Friday night, and there were already a number of people ahead of me. Be patient, because they will get your food to you as quickly as possible, and it is definitely worth the wait!!!
Three, the owners are very friendly. Don’t be afraid to ask them any questions or to make any recommendations.
My recommendation: definitely try this place out!

Dios mio that was delicious! The chef is a MASTER of sauces. Each one paired phenomenally well with every single item I ordered! The star if the show was DEFINITELY THE PORK EMPANADA w/​cilantro sauce. Pao & Cha Cha is SURE to be a star on the Astoria restaurant scene. I’m so glad they’re just across the street from my apartment! PLEASE MAKE A LATE NIGHT FOOD TRUCK! I’m tired of tacos and pizza! I’m going to be dreaming about the empanada. And when I’m not dreaming about it, I’ll be ordering it. Can I give a SIXTH star? Stop reading. Start ordering!
Judges Results:
Pork Empanada– 10!
Fried Pork Dumplings– 10!
Tostones con salsa picante– 10!