5411 Empanadas

Love this place and am gutted to have moved out of the neighborhood recently. Only thing «bad» about this place is that you actually have to wait to get your food so they can freshly bake (YES, that’s right they are baked and not fried!!) each individual order. Have actually been to Argentina and I can confidentially say they know what they’re doing here.

Top notch service and food!
I went to empanadas this past Friday and it was my first time. I was impressed by the selection they had, but I decided to go with the chorizo and patatas and the beef empanada, they were very flavorful and soft! I have tried other Argentinian empanadas and these take the cake. Also, the price for them was really good.
The service here was awesome the workers are very attentive and even thought the place is not a full service restaurant they go above and beyond!
Definitely going back and to try all the selections they have.

I’ve only tried their food truck, but I really enjoy this for lunch. The truck frequently parks by my office, and I look forward to getting their sweet corn empanadas and caramelized onion and parmesan for lunch. They’re only $ 2.50 each, and fill me up enough. They also go great with the chimichurri sauce.

I am blown away with how good these empanadas are! I ordered almost every empanada on the menu and have been satisfied with each and every one of them. The prices are amazing and the service is top notch. Small, get-​together, type of a spot. They have bottled Mexican sodas. I love it! I recently moved to Chicago and so glad I have a spot like this to go to.

The empanadas are pretty good. The place is small and cozy, and the employees are really nice.

Today was National Empanada Day. Yes, I shit you not. What an awesome day is that? Naturally, I HAD to have empanadas. It was my patriotic duty. And I was rewarded with the fact that, this year at least, all the empanadas were half off. Score! Normally they are not crazy expensive, but on National Empanada Day, you simply must go.
5411 has a great selection of both savory and slightly sweet empanadas. And even a few truly sweet ones. And all the empanadas have their own special shape so you can actually tell which is which.
The empanadas are all baked, not fried, so you can actually feel a bit better about the healthiness of the food. I love that, as I’m nearly always on a diet. But thats just me, right?
The staff is awesome. Super friendly. Tip them, they deserve it.
This location in Lakeview is BYOB. Very cool.

Small restaurant, easy to get to, and very tasty food. I suggest the goat cheese and dates empanadas and pretty much anything off their breakfast menu.

I love these empanadas… especially the Malbec beef and the bacon, date, goat cheese.

The BBQ Chicken Empandas are amazing. Finally, empandas that I can eat that are lactose friendly. 2 empandas is enough to fill an empty belly. The atmosphere is small and friendly. Not an ideal spot for a large crowd. Free water

Passed by this place walking down to Clark and Diversey quite a few times. It’s a small place, there are a 5 bar seats at the window, 4 near the counter for ordering, and 1 – 2 small tables inside, with a small kitchen in the back, but it’s really cute. And when the weather is nice, there are tables set up outside for extra seating.
You order and pay at the counter and they bring out the food and clean up after you’re done. I didn’t order any drinks, but they have self serve water and I did see coffee set up.
They have a great selection of veggie empanadas (and non-​veggie too) with a lot of unique flavors you don’t really get with empanadas. I tried the spinach and cheese, caramelized onion, and mushroom/​thyme/​blue cheese ones. The mushroom had a bit too much thyme. The spinach and cheese had a twist of nutmeg, but I enjoyed the caramelized onion the most. I wish I had bought some of the sauces (not sure if there was more than one option) since they were a tiny bit dry. It is definitely a place I plan to stop by again for a snack/​small meal.

$ 2.25 for an empanada? I would be here (almost) every day for a small snack. I love the small shop at this N Clark location. I can’t comment on how busy it gets during rush hour times because I came a bit before they closed so there was no wait or line. The shop itself is super cute and quirky with a small bar table, some small tables for families, and seats next to the window. I love that they also sell some other unique items in their store along with cool drinks to go with your snack/​meal.
Food — the empanada itself is solid, filled to the brim with ingredients, and the perfect tenderness. The menu is super cute and there are so many choices that you probably won’t ever get bored with the selection. I had the ham & cheese and the spinach & cheese. Loved both of them. It’s served fresh so they were extremely hot when I tried and wanted to eat them in 2 minutes or less. They are baked, not deep fried, which is a bit better for health, and I didn’t find that to be a problem. The crust was a perfect crispiness and the soft dough surrounding the filling was a good complement to everything.

I had empanadas 5411 today. I was curious about this place (mostly driven by all the Unilocal hype) so I thought to give it a try. For the price I paid for 6, (I purchased 4 Malbec beefs, 1 chorizo patatas bravas and 1 spinach and cheese) It just wasn’t worth it. The chorizo was so-​so. I did like the Malbec. Malbec was flavorful and packed with shredded beef but overall it was meh.
I wanted to like these a lot but I just wasn’t blown away by them. The price could have gone down by at least a dollar because the empanadas are small and the menu for the empanadas are overpriced. $ 20.00+ for 6 empanadas with delivery is just too steep for average tasting empanadas.

I wasn’t sure about 5411’s splotchy baked empanadas compared to the even golden brown exterior of Lito’s empanadas. But the fillings are good — I had the Malbec beef and Mushroom, Thyme, & Blue Cheese. Both were very flavorful although slightly less filling than Lito’s. The real disappointment was the dulce du leche cheesecake which had been recommended by the cashier — lacking all the caramel taste of proper dulce du leche and overly dense, a flavorless brown paste on crumb crust. They do have a nice little patio.

I was still hungry after eating dinner at a new restaurant we checked out in Lincoln Park, so I was on the prowl for some post dinner snacking to get my fill. I usually love to order empanadas whenever I see it as an appetizer on the menu at places like Tango Sur and now finally there was a place with a menu specializing solely on unique variations of them. I had to check it out.
Ambiance: It was a pretty small place, with sort of a cupcake botique type of vibe. You order at the register and just grab a seat wherever. They have an awesome system for water where they basically just have jugs in the fridge that you can grab yourself and bring to your seats. It’s perfect for thirsty/​lazy people such as myself.
Food: The empanadas were baked instead of deep fried so it didn’t really have that super crispy exterior. It had a softer, more bread like texture. I thought it was interesting that they had a different shape for each type of empanada so you can tell which is which if you order a bunch.
Ham and cheese — Super cheesy filling with bits of ham throughout. Almost reminded me of a sophisticated version of ham n cheese hot pockets from back in the day.
BBQ Chicken — Just seemed like regular bbq chicken to me. It was pretty forgettable.
Malbec beef — This was like a super tender braised beef. It had a stringy texture like pulled pork or barbacoa. Whatever marinade they used on the meat really came through.
Chorizo and potato — I’m a meat and potatoes guy so I also enjoyed this one. The chorizo wasn’t overly greasy and had a good hint of spice to it.
Bacon, date, and goat cheese — Easily my favorite empanada of the bunch. You can’t lose with the combination of sweet, salty, and rich.
Banana Nutella — I wasn’t really a fan of their sweet empanadas. The banana nutella was too messy to eat and overall it wasn’t that great.
We also got 2 types of sauces with the empanadas. The red sauce was really tasty, like a really good salsa. It had a decent kick too. The chimmichurri was pretty good too, but a little to herby for my taste.
Overall, I wouldn’t say these were the best empanadas I’ve ever had, but they were pretty good and there aren’t too many spots that I know of where you can conveniently get your empanada fix. It’ll get the job done. Also, I probably wouldn’t come here expecting a full meal because the amount of empanadas I’d need to eat to get satisfied would definitely add up… or maybe I just have an disgustingly large appetite. I’d go here if I was in the mood for a snack or light appetizer instead.

I wish I ordered more!!! I had the mushroom, thyme, blue cheese and the veggie and egg empanadas. They were both very flavorful and I really wish I ordered more. You don’t need sauce to make these bad boys delicious. I was quite surprised there wasn’t a long line.

Pleasantly surprised to find 5411 Empandas was just steps away from Century Centre Landmark Theater. Maybe next time I go to the movies, I’ll bring some of the yummy empanandas in with me… or maybe not, because I will most likely drip all that delicious chimichurri on myself in the dark of the theater. And don’t waste that chimichurri, hell no, do not waste the chimichurri! It’s garlicky, its flavorful – just packed with parsley, olive oil and seasonings and justs complements those empanadas perfectly!!!
I took mine to go. They survived the ride home, didn’t get mushy and were still warm. These are baked, so they don’t have that greasy feeling when you’re eating them. I tried the beef malbec (delicious), the goat cheese, bacon, date (too sweet for me) and the chorizo/​patatas bravas (another winner).
The space is clean/​sleek, there’s a small dining patio outside. Service was friendly. Price is right.

Sort of disappointed but decently full.
For awhile now I’ve passed by 54 and have heard lots of praise for their empanadas, however I wasn’t so pleased.
I ordered the spinach and goat cheese, bacon, goat cheese and dates, and the chorizo.
First of all the baked aspect, I felt a lot healthier but it was way too doughy for my palate and I felt like I was chewing gummy pizza dough. (maybe that was exaggerated but you get what I’m trying to say) I’d dig a fried exterior.
Second, waay too much with seasoning.
Spinach and cheese: SO salty. Overwhelmingly. Maybe try feta instead? I also felt as if there was more spinach that was undercooked than cheese.
Bacon, Goat cheese, dates: Loved this one! but as I kept eating it… the sweetness was way too overpowering by my third bite and I had to chill for a sec. GREAT bacon flavor though! (would get again)
Chorizo: Pretty decent. Tasted like chorizo and was the least saltiest for me.
Chimichurri: LOVE LOVE LOVE garlicky, spicy, full in flavor! Great with every empanada.
Overall, It was alright. I’d rather go to lito’s down the street. However, I do dig the interior and the flavor combos. Just tone it down with the salt please!
Also pricy. 3 empanadas for 8.50 ish.
Maybe I’m cheap but for 3 measly empanadas id expect them at 2 $ apiece!

Ambience: Casual. There are only two long side tables and a few 2-​person tables, so this wouldn’t be great for group outings but for to-​go service.
Food: Snack-​like. If you’re looking for a meal, this isn’t the place. To be satiated, order 2 – 3 empanadas ($ 2.50 each) per person. I ordered the spinach & cheese (my fave!) and mushroom & goat cheese. Each empanada is made with different shapes or markings to help distinguish the flavors. A few of the meat-​based ones were a bit dry, but the ones with plant-​based ingredients retained more moisture and were more appetizing. Water is self-​serve.
Service: Fast. We got our order in under 10 mins.
Overall, if you’re craving a fast pre-​lunch or dinner snack of freshly baked emapanadas in the Chicago area, check out 5411 Empanadas.

Holy moly empanadas! This is the go to place for lunch!
You have many options for empanadas. They have beef, Malbec beef, ham& cheese, BBQ chicken, bacon dates& goat cheese (my favorite), chorizo& patatas (another favorite of mine), spinach& cheese, sweet corn, caramelized onion, banana@ Nutella. The list goes on! Deliciousness is how to describe these empanadas!
They have yummy desserts and coffee!
It’s all Byob too! How cool is that?
It’s a small place. So don’t bring your whole family. Just bring a couple friends and I promise you won’t be disappointed!

3.5 stars. Tried 5 empanadas, dine in:
Bacon date goat cheese– probably my least favorite. Not much cheese, dates were overpowering with sweetness.
Chorizo and potato– really good, top two of my fav here
Spinach and cheese– meh. Tango sur’s is way better!
Mushroom and blue cheese– also one of my fav here
Malbec beef– good but nothing crazy
Overall nice clean place. Empanadas were all crispy and hot. Chimichurri sauce is good but hot sauce is more salty than hot so better to skip that. Will be back if in the neighborhood again.