The Mmoon Empanadas

We like to mix up our holiday meals. We’ve had an all-​tamale Christmas, a pot pie christmas, and this year it was time for empanada Christmas.
I visited The Mmoon a long time ago when they had their restaurant in downtown SJ, and I recall thinking their empanadas were fun and fairly tasty, but that their dough was too flaky and pastry-​like for my taste. Perhaps my memory is faulty (naw, that can’t possibly be it), the dough has changed, or there’s a difference between the served-​fresh and take and bake dough, but I was just fine with the dough this time.
We got a few trays of assorted take-​and-​bakes, which came with a helpful map in each tray to tell us which was which (and yet I still mixed them up when I cooked them) as well as a sheet of parchment paper for baking, which was a really nice touch and kept things crispy.
Verdict: delicious! Surprisingly, the overall favorite was the ham/​mac and cheese, which we ordered on a whim. Beef, chicken tikka masala and mushroom also got high reviews. Probably the least favorite was the spinach — it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t notable in any way.
With time and planning on my side, I made a batch of homemade chimichurri a few days ahead (to allow time for a good solid flavor mingling) to use instead of The Mmoon’s churri sauce.
Thanks, The Mmoon, for making Christmas dinner so easy.

Went here for the first time today. I wanted to try something a little different and I hopped on Unilocal and came up with this.
I tried two breakfast empanadas and a ham and cheese. I had ordered the two breakfast empanadas online (easy to use) and picked them up. They were ready when I came in. The place was surprisingly empty but maybe because it was 2 oclock.
The person behind the counter was friendly enough but not stellar. The place looks pretty clean, tables wiped down, no trash on the floor.
Ate my first two empanadas and they were pretty good, but nothing to write home about. Discovered I was still hungry so I ordered one more which was the ham and cheese. Now this one was GOOD! Ready in under five minutes and piping HOT!
I would definitely eat here again. No line. Ready on time. Fairly reasonably priced. They even have a couple specials like 3 empanadas chips and a soda for 8 or 9 bucks (I forget the amount). The specials aren’t limited to a specific type of empanada either which is nice.

Stopped in pretty quickly on our way through LG. Ordered 2 empanadas to go. They came out in less than 10 minutes, and tasted pretty good. We ordered the tikka masala empanada and while it wasn’t bad, I was expecting more ‘oomph’.

The empanadas at this restaurant are really quite delicious however, I don’t find them to be worth as much as they cost. For 8 empanadas, they had a special for $ 17 and you could pick and choose whichever 8 you wanted. Out of all the meat ones that we had picked, nothing particularly stood out to me and though it was good, I didn’t find myself craving for more at the end. The portion was very small as well (think the size of your palm) and not worth it for $ 3.25 a pop.
It was a different experience but I’m not dying to eat it again.

Open on Mondays when everyone else isnt and I can smell their pies a block away.
Empanadas have Spanish/​Portugal origins… countries affected were bound to be influenced by them leading to a plethora of variations. Filipinos like to fill theirs with potato, peas, raisins (btw, YUCK), and carrots. Guamanians (or Chamorros) make shell out of corn meal and fill it with more corn meal and spicy chicken. Mmoon’s version is of a thicker flakier dough with choices of mac and cheese, mushroom, pizza, etc. It reminds me of a mini fresh version of a… hot pocket.
For me, about 3 pies would suffice. Four would probably make me too full. Eat a salad instead. I had been to the original downtown San Jose location and enjoyed the pies there. Service is quick and friendly. In regards to price, I feel like a few cents or a dollar should be knocked down. Or perhaps a special?
I appreciate the simplicity of the menu and would go here again if my job was nearby. Otherwise, I’m not sure if this would be appropriate for dinner or worthy of shlepping far and wide.

This place is so good I am still eating while writing my review. I was so impressed after my coworker told me to try this place out. I got the sausage and also mac n cheese they were both so good and then I opened that sauce and dipped them. my mind was blown.
A lot of people I see here complaining about the price but I think that’s silly I got 2 and a drink for under $ 8 I’m full and happy. They aren’t that big no but the quality makes them well worth the price. I can’t wait to go back and try the pizza one!
The place is super clean and my food was done fast, I’m happy!

This place is what I like to call a «Silicon Valley restaurant» (analogous to the startups in Silicon Valley) or a restaurant where the owner is trying to come up with a novel idea that no other restaurant has tried (similar to «The Melt» or «Tacolicious» in Palo Alto). In this case, the owner has decided to focus on empanadas. This place sells probably the best ones I have ever had, so I would highly recommend to anyone who does love empanadas to try this place out.
As for the cons: I am taking one star off for the price. This place really needs to either increase their empanada size or add something extra if I am paying almost $ 3. Yes, the empanadas are GOOD, but they are still standard size and not that filling to warrant me spending almost $ 12 for 4 pieces. Luckily I came here for a late lunch so it was good that dinner was soon or I would have been cranky.
In addition, when I first saw the menu, I was prepared to take off another point on this review when I saw how «plain» and usual” the ingredients are for their empanadas. The only one that was unique was the Chicken Tikka Masala, as far as I could see on the menu. I expected an eatery whose focus is empanadas to come up with a unique empanada, something different than the typical spinach and cheese or pizza or sausage empanadas. However, being that these were delicious when I ordered them, it made me think again for deducting a point off for this issue. However, I do SUGGEST that the owner try to come up with some novel ideas for ingredients to make this place even better (would also help with the justification of price mentioned in the preceding paragraph). This place is less than a year old so I do understand if they are still experimenting. I do recommend that you try this place out!

mmmmm, definitely going to be my go to place in Los Gatos. But then again it might be because I can’t resist carbs + meat.
So far I’ve tried:
–Sauce + onions: definitely my favorite but be careful because hot oil drips out of this thing
— Mushroom: good!
–pizza: so so, but my friend really liked it
–mac and cheese: delicious!
–beef: not my favorite, but its the most authentic flavor.
Not sure how authentic the crust it, the coloring is white and I haven’t seen other empanadas like that, but since no one else has mentioned that, maybe its just me. The other con is that it can get pricey to eat a whole meal of empanadas. I could easily eat four of these things for snack. yummm! Service is friendly and the place is clean and spacious.

This brings me back or close if I may say to one of the regions in Argentina that I have visited that has the same crust for empanadas.
As you walk in the store, you can smell the aroma of piping hot, good smellin’ empanadas. They are quite pricey for a piece but really worth it.
The service is friendly and fast. The place is nicely decorated and clean. They don’t serve other things besides empanadas so this is really great for an afternoon snack or lunch. I will definitely try their other flavors when I come back to Los Gatos.

4-​star average? Really? I mean, it’s alrightttt but at $ 3 a pop I expected like either GOURMET empanadas or just huge empanadas. They were neither. I got the pepperoni pizza, chicken tikka masala, and the breakfast sausage and egg. First off, everything except the tikka masala was bland and unimpressive. I’d recommend that one for sure. Second, you’d think that ordering 3 would be enough, but nope, I could have eaten 5 no problem. Third, I think an empanada’s crust is just as important as its filling, and the crust was just not impressive.
AND THE ZINGER: parking is IMPOSSIBLE in this area, so I expect something worthy of all that trouble. And this place, unfortunately, is not.

I discovered this place by accident and since I’ve only had Empanadas once before, I had to try them again. They mostly have savory Empanadas here. Most of them are about $ 2.35 for a decent sized one. The young guy at the counter was really nice and asked me if I’ve had them before. I got three, the sausage and onion one, the mushroom and cheese, and the apple and banana one with maple syrup in it. It took only five minutes or less until they were done with my order.
The same guy went over to where I was sitting and handed me my bag and told me to have a nice day. The service is excellent! Also, this place is nice and clean! They also have salads and soup here. There is parking available at the side of the store. I tasted all three of them in the car and they’re all good! There is plenty of filling in each one! Also, it’s baked, not fried. They also list the amount of calories that are in each one on the take out menu. Most of them are around 250 calories or less. Now I’ll have some tasty treats to eat for breakfast tomorrow!

Food: 2
Décor: 4
Service: 4
Grabbed lunch here to-​go Friday around 12:30pm. Tough to find parking since it’s downtown Los Gatos.
Opted for the 8 empanada sampler, which was $ 17, and I ordered 2 each of chicken tikka, beef, pizza, and ham/​cheese. All of them were very mediocre, and the chimichurri sauce wasn’t amazing. Chicken tikka was medium spicy, and the beef was probably the best.
Service was good.

Beef, chicken tikka masala, and vegetable. Go ahead and get all three, and make sure you get enough of that churri sauce.
Oh man. My mouth is watering.
I bought a whole box once, and they give you a little squeeze bottle of the churri sauce. I thought it was a nice touch, instead of giving you a bunch of individual sauce containers. I saved that sauce and put it on everything. :)
Warning: It’s not the cheapest, and the empanadas are on the small side. But 2 – 3 will probably fill you up, so you’re looking at $ 5 – 7. Not bad for Los Gatos.

Like the San Jose location, but without the beer and wine license.
It’s a much smaller shop. For some reason — though I am convinced they make them all in a central kitchen and then bake them on site — the empanadas just seem tastier here. Must be the rarified, high-​altitude air. Or the folks with their dogs out on the sidewalk next door.

This place is just A-​OK. I first tried Mmoon at the DTSJ location.
The empanadas here are usually always hot and fresh, which I appreciate! And for me, two is pretty filling. But I wish it didn’t taste so bland. I think this company has great potential if they can find out what’s missing in their food! Even I’m not sure what it is… but I know something’s lacking. I think the breakfast sausage and the pepporini sausage are the best ones they have. I didn’t really like the beef empanada. The other location had tri-​tip, but even then, I didn’t think it was too fabulous. This fall season, they have pumpkin empanada which was pretty meh.

A great place for a savory snack in downtown Los Gatos!
My wife and I were driving past and when we saw a sign that said empanadas, we had to stop and try them. I’m glad that we did; they are very good.
Empanadas ($ 2.20 each) are the core of the menu (which also includes salads, «other goodies», and drinks. There are 7 varieties of meat empanadas, 5 vegetable varieties, 3 breakfast ones, and 1 sweet one. I appreciate that the menu lists the calories for each empanada, along with the list of ingredients. Each empanada small, about 4 inches long, just a few bites, but good for a snack. Since they are small in size, it gives one the opportunity to try several of the very delicious varieties.
My wife and I each had a beef empanada, which was very flavorful, with a nice sauce inside the perfectly done baked crust. In addition, she had a sausage empanada, which she said was ordinary. I also had a mushroom empanada which was fantastic; mushroom and cheese filling that was delicious.
My wife had a Matté ($ 1.85) to drink. She thought that it was tasty, but was surprised that it is served cold instead of hot.
We recommend this place for snacks or a light meal.

We were visiting for the weekend and we seriously had winner after winner when it came to food. This place was no different. Perhaps it was because we had just completed a 7 mile bike ride TO Mmoon but I think I would have enjoyed it even if I didn’t need sustenance after the major calorie burn.
The empanadas are fresh tasting, not greasy and don’t have too much pastry — more focus on the filling, I say. The filling choices are great. In particular, my favorite was the chicken tikka masala, spinach and the Mac n’ Cheese empanadas.
Great place for a little snacky after a nice bike ride, stroll or simply when you want a treat to tide you over in between meals. They do have combos with chips and a drink if you want to make it a full meal.
Bonus for being in a cool location in Los Gatos with lots of people watching and a place to just sit and enjoy the afternoon!

The Mmoon Empanadas is a neat concept and a good addition to downtown Los Gatos. I think they will do well because you can get a relatively inexpensive and quick meal here. All of the empanadas are warmed up to order, so the outside crust is nice and crispy while the fillings are piping hot. They also have take ‘n bake, delivery, and catering.
I tried a few of the flavors (chicken tikka masala, cheese and onion, and chicken) and I found all of them to be a little salty. They were generous in the portions (amount of chicken in each) and the quality of the meat was good, but I felt the flavors were lacking. My mom tried the seasonal sweet empanada with fresh peaches, and she enjoyed that one.
The restaurant itself is brand new, clean, and neat. The employees were all very friendly and it took about 10 minutes for our order of 8. Great for families and a quick lunch or dinner.

The Mmoon. Now in Los Gatos.
This is a smaller shop than downtown San Jose, but they offer the same delicious empenadas. Recommended.
Parking in the area it’s in kind of sucks.

Totally enjoyable… a nice place to stop and get a casual, fresh, quick bite to eat.
I love empanadas, and so I’m eager to try anyplace that offers them. I was pleased that they offered such a wide selection of meat and veggie empanadas. I tried the beef (very delicious with the authentic flavors I’m used to), the Nick’s pizza (surprisingly spicy!), and the corn (very good… not quite equal to El Porteno’s Humira empanada, but still highly enjoyable). The crust is delighfully flaky, but is also substantial enough to support the fillings… which they don’t skimp on. And, they’re a good size (about four inches… helpful diagram at the register!), so trying a few different varieties isn’t a bad idea. I would personally say two or three could be a meal, depending on how hungry you are. If you want something to go with, they have some «meal deals» with salads and drinks.
Didn’t get a chance to try the dessert empanadas, but they sound tasty.
Pro Tip: It’s basically across the street from Icing on the Cake, and next door to Los Gatos Roasting Company. Prime location for portable, tasty eats!