Empanada Express

This place was a pleasant surprise. We each had two empanadas; I had the Colombian and the Venezuelan, my husband had the Jamaican and the Chilean. And our son had the Four Cheese. All were tasty and the filling was moist. We went with their recommendations on which ones to have baked vs fried and we were happy with them.
Overall, a very tasty lunch. I was satisfied with just two empanadas, but I think I could have eaten a third. At $ 4 a piece, I think they’re a little pricy. I realize they are mostly cooked-​to-​order, and I really appreciate that. But when my lunch quickly shoots past $ 10-​$ 12, that’s steep for me.
We will probably be back, but maybe just for a snack.

Incredible!
The colombian enpanada is a delicious picadillo mix. So good. The meal has rice, beans and maduros.
Just needs some mojito for the plantains but I am gonna swing by with a recipe.

A couple of friends and I came all the way from Boston, in search of the nation’s best empanadas. Empanada Express did not let us down. The owner is incredibly friendly and welcoming. I had a Colombian, Argentinian, and an apple pie. Each were delicious and clearly made with a lot of care.

Muy buenas las empanadas y El Puerto Rican rice es un Arroz con gandules muy bueno y El quesillo exquisito les recomiendo ir muy amigables el personal

I came here late one night and the staff didn’t seem very welcoming. I guess I can’t totally blame them since it was 20 minutes before closing, but I think it’s part of the job, at least pretend to be happy. I got an empanada because my friends mom at work makes them once a year and I was craving one. I saw this place as I was driving by and it looked interesting. These empanadas just weren’t what I was expecting. The place was a bit unkept and I didn’t find anything special with their food. Might go back if McDonalds isn’t open and they are.

Update: They’ve increased the amount of plantain you get, which was awesome.
Those black beans are still my favorite black beans ever.
The Argentine is an empanada you seriously have to try. How do they keep the filling so moist and delectable? Truly a treat. I had to buy another because they’re just that good.
Owner still knows me every time I come in. Friendly, personable service. Great place!

Nos encanta este restaurante, la calidad es muy buena y consistente, con una variedad apenas para cubrir cualquier gusto de empanadas. Las empanadas tiene ese toque latino que cuesta encontrar, los platos son muy buenos también.
Yo mis favoritas son la Chilena y la Venezolana, con la salsa de mango y de Pico.
El servicio es bueno y el dueño siempre está atento a cliente.
Es un lugar que recomiendo sin problema, para todo aquel que quiera comida con el toque latino en SLC esta es una gran opción.

YUM! It’s about time salt lake has a go-​to spot for empanadas. You can’t go wrong with the menu. It’s simple and I haven’t had anything I don’t love. Definitely order the Argentina and caprese!

Nothing like the flavor of meat baked in a pastry! Empanadas are certainly catching on and this was a pleasant surprise in the chained food options all over SLC metro. I thought the Argentina empanada which included chicken and pineapple was very flavorful, and the side of plantains, rice, and black beans also paired well.
My only concern was the price. I think $ 4 for a relatively small empanda was a bit much. That being said, I would still go back just not as often. I also like the idea of having a loyalty punch card. Great incentive!

So friendly and good food. Menu is very simple and they’re so willing to have you try samples of other stuff.
Clean and cute place and the empanadas where ammmaaaazing.

Such a cool and unique place! At $ 4 each the empanadas are a steal! Many unusual combinations (I had Argentinean and Venezuelan — both delicious), you can get them individually or as a combo. The mango salsa is amazing, so is the avocado dipping sauce. The staff was fast and friendly. I hope this place stays in business because I’m seriously excited of having it in the neighborhood!

Great food and great prices. It was so hard to choose what to eat, I wanted to try it all.
I got the Venezuelan and a veggie as well as an apple pie. The Venezuelan was amazing! The veggie was good but I preferred the Venezuelan.
The apple pie was a great dessert
Oh and the beans and rice were awesome!

I wanted to love this place. I did. I have spent time in both Argentina and Chile and know a good empanada when I eat one. Let’s face it. Argentine empanadas are always better. Sorry Chileans.
Well this place has a variety of empanadas that sport names of various countries. I got the ham and cheese and the Mexican, both baked as that’s what I’ve always preferred when eating in South America. The dough they use is the best part. The filling is decent, but nothing amazing. The avocado sauce and pico de gallo were also pretty good.
The big negative to me is the price. $ 4 an empanada blows my mind after being able to get a dozen empanadas of similar size for the same price in Buenos Aires. The two empanadas ($ 8 of food) did not fill me up and I ended up going to In N Out after to fill up the remaining belly space.
I am still looking for a place that offers empanadas by the dozen for a reasonable price. Who knows if that is really possible here in the USA but a man can dream.
Decent place to go if you have some extra spending money and are dying for a good empanada.

Remember when Café Rio was festive and culturally unique and made you feel that it wasn’t so much a corporation? Well now you can have that again!!! Just not at Café Rio. This place has fun and festive music and the simplicity of the menu makes it easy to order and experience when you are a white Mormon who doesn’t know what an empanada is.
Here, the food is very well prepared, and culturally diverse to Latin America. The staff is friendly, efficient, and happy to suggest items and how to eat it as though you were in Southern America.
I can’t wait to come back again!

I tried this place a couple of days ago. We ordered a variety of items on the menu for, well for variety’s sake. Got Jamaican empanadas (fried), Argentinian empanada (fried), Chilean empanada (baked), nachos, meal deal, and ham and cheese empanada (baked).
The service was quick and the people (I believe the two owners were there as well) who worked the counter were very friendly. On to the food:
1. Get fried empanadas when you can. In spite of the additional grease that is incumbent in this style of cooking, the empanadas just taste better in my view. Crust is crispier and more flavorful. Note that some of their empanadas (like the Chilean) were not available fried. I don’t know why.
2. My favorite was the Jamaican. Probably the spiciest of the bunch (not necessarily hot spicy, just more complex spice flavor). The curry stood out which is good as I love curry. Beef was moist and tender. There was a little more grease than I’d like but still very good.
3. Next favorite is probably the Argentinian. Really liked how the egg complemented the other ingredients. Then Chilean. Ham and cheese was basically ham and cheese. Nothing special. But our little girl loved it.
4. Nachos were very good. It included the Jamaican empanada’s innards dumped on top and then liquified cheese over that. That said, I didn’t love the chips themselves. They are of the same variety you get at 7 – 11 in terms of thickness and hardness. But they tasted fresh, not stale. I prefer corn chips that are not as thick. I think they may use them to hold up to the moisture of the empanada filling which could probably turn to mush less thick chips.
5. Meal ancillary items included white rice with your choice of beans (we got black), a couple of thick slices of fried plantains and a cucumber and tomato salad. Liked the salad a lot. Rice and beans were fine. Didn’t love the plantains. Thick, chewy and not much flavor. I realize plantains are not that flavorful by their nature, which is why I felt these needed a little more seasoning to them. Would have also preferred them to be thinly sliced and fried for more crunch and texture. Next time, I would forgo the meal deal and just stick with the nachos as a side to the empanadas. That’s just my opinion, my wife liked the sides that came with the meal.
To sum up, it is a good place and I love independently owned and operated restaurants. It was not Empanada Mamas in Hell’s Kitchen but it was very good and good for what we have to offer in Salt Lake. My rating is really 3.5 stars but I rounded up to 4 because of the fact they are new, they are unique, and I am sure they will tweak things here or there to get better over time. I will be back.

My first time trying empanadas and it was bomb diggity !
The Jamaican empanadas was my favorite. It has a nice curry like flavor to it. I also tried the Chile empanada and Argentine empanada. The Puerto Rican rice tasted hearty and healthy.
The flan was amazing with a dense texture and the perfect amount of sweet.
Service was awesome ! The staff was super nice and everything came out so quickly.

I think the items I ordered today were okay, would love to try them fried since they are more unhealthy and will have more flavor. Baked wasn’t really doing it for me.
Service was great, very outgoing and friendly. They let me try the Puerto Rican rice for free and I liked it a lot.
When I return will try some other items as the menu isn’t that big.

I’ve been twice now for lunch, and it isn’t a bad option. The empanadas are good but they don’t wow me. It is definitely a place I stop in to when I’m in the area, not something I would develop a craving for. I feel that they are just slightly overpriced for what they are — I would be much happier paying $ 3 per empanada than $ 4. Maybe that just makes me cheap, but there isn’t anything that special about them in my opinion. At $ 5, the nachos are a better deal in terms of portion size and they are delicious. However, it’s tough to rave about an empanada restaurant when the best thing is the nachos.
Also not a huge fan of their plantains. I’ve had much better elsewhere. The cucumber tomato salad is fresh and tasty though.

I tried this spot for lunch today, and thought it was just OK. I’d rate it 3.5, but I’ll bump it up half a star because they’re new and still ironing out some kinks.
My boyfriend and I got 2 meals and shared 3 empenadas.
Jamaican — My favorite of the 3. The curry gave it the most flavor.
Venezuelan — Just OK. Would have been better with some spice to it.
Ham & cheese — the worst of the bunch. The cheese was solid and my boyfriend rightfully proclaimed it tasted like a hot pocket.
The crust was too thick for my liking. I prefer an empenada with a thin flakey crust. We were not given the option of fried or baked. If asked, I would have definately preferred fried.
Also, I know Utahans are spice-​phobic but the Jamaican and Venezuelan empenada could have both used some spice. I found them to be pretty bland.
I’m not clamoring to come back, but the food here has enough potential that I’ll try it again in a few weeks to see if it’s improved.

I thought that Empanadas Express was pretty good, but also a little expensive for what you’re getting. I went last week, and though there were not many customers present when I arrived, a line was forming by the time I paid for my food and left.
I ordered the Chilean empanada and the Jamaican empanada. The Chilean was my favorite. The egg inside complemented the flavor of the filling very well. I requested that my Jamaican empanada be fried but it was identical in to the Chilean in appearance, texture, and flavor, so I think they gave me two baked empanadas. The Jamaican wasn’t bad, but I would have liked a little more heat and a stronger curry flavor.
Each empanada cost $ 4, so I was surprised when they were on the smaller side. With drink, my order set me back $ 10. While this isn’t a particularly significant amount, you can get a lot more for your money elsewhere.

I am always trying international faire, and it’s often a huge disappointment when an «authentic (fill in the nationality)» restaurant open because it’s usually not authentic or even close to being what you expect. Empanada Express is the exception to this long-​standing tradition. 99% of the Latin restaurants just have some Tex-​Mex rendition of the real deal, but this place is truly an authentic empanadas joint.
I got a Venezuelan, which has flank steak in it, and the meat was flavorful and juicy-​exactly what one wants from a Latin flank. I had it baked and the dough pocket was soft yet had just enough crisp on the outside. The very enthusiastic owner threw in some sauce that just elevated the flavor to a whole new level. He told me they hope to expand to locations near the universities, and I sure hope they see the success to do so! I will definitely be coming back as a regular!

I’m so excited to have a place dedicated to just empanadas! And I have to give credit to this business owner for opening a lunch option in this coffee joint, right between Starbucks and Einstein Bros — very smart move!
As Peruvian from Lima, empanadas were a big part of my life and I miss a good empanada dearly. I have not been able to find a restaurant that makes them as good as I remember them. I have to say that the empanadas here are some of the best I’ve tried in the U.S. The dough is different (more Peruvian style), it’s not flaky but more soft and dense at the same time. I was disappointed to see that there was no Peruvian empanada on the menu but there ones I tried were pretty close to the Peruvian empanadas I remember. I took mine to go and made it Peruvian at home with a drizzle of lime juice! :) so good.
The Jaimaican empanada was really good. I really loved the mango salsa that came with it, it took the empanada the next level!
I made my order a meal for $ 10 and got two empanadas, rice, beans, plantains and a small salad. Such a good deal!
I’ll be coming back to try more. It’s always good to see how different my beloved empanada can be, and can be adapted to different ingredients and spices so each country and culture make it their own. I sure hope to see a Peruvian empanada as a special or on the menu soon — especially since the main cook is Peruvian! The dough is what makes it so special to me so I highly recommend this place!